EXTREMELY SPACIOUS, COMFORTABLE AND WELL MADE

From the moment we pulled the chrome door-handle and stepped into the Optra, we found little fault with its interiors. Superbly detailed and well designed, the Optra’s interiors will impress even those intent on buying a larger D-segment car. The Optra LT we tested came with all the bells and whistles, including leather seats and a five-CD changer with steering remote, sunroof, and lots more. The standard model comes with fabric seats and a more basic sound system.

Swipe card holder and utility box; cubby holes and cupholders abound; rear seat comfort with generous legroom is easily best in class.

The finish and feel of the dashboard is outstanding. The designers have used tan and black leather and mock wood and brushed aluminium inserts to maximum effect; the chrome-ringed dials, especially, lend a classy touch. Just about everything has a quality feel to it, be it the rich grain of the plastics, the well-damped switchgear or the leather-clad steering wheel and gearknob. But apart from looking great, the interiors are functional too — they abound with storage space. There are neat touches, like a slot for a mobile phone holder in the rear doors, a slot for swipe cards (one day we’ll pay highway tolls with them) and a sunglasses-holder in place of a grabhandle above the driver’s head. There are adjustable cup holders and cubbyholes in the centre console and central armrest. The flip down rear armrest has its own set of storage space too.

There’s no automatic climate control, but the air-con worked like a dream in the heat of Gujarat.
Passenger space is a strong point in the Optra, and it is clearly the class leader here. It’s easy to get comfortable in the front seats, which can be adjusted for height, rake and reach (albeit manually) but it’s the rear seat where the Optra really scores.

GM India spent a great deal of time and money perfecting rear seat comfort, and it seems to have paid off. For starters, there’s a tremendous amount of legroom at the rear, even when the front seats have been pushed all the way back by tall occupants. You can stretch your legs comfortably; even large feet fit easily under the front seats to gain that crucial extra amount of legroom. The rear seat also has generous under-thigh support, specifically provided for the India-spec model. With more height, width and legroom than both the Corolla and the Octavia, sitting three abreast is extremely comfortable.

The boot, though reasonably large, is quite shallow and nowhere near as commodious as the Octavia’s.