VW Jetta & Skoda Laura might be different from outer side but under the skin they are akin. Both the cars belong to brands that sit under the overarching umbrella of the Volkswagen Group and this means they share a lot of bits and pieces. The difference really lies in the brands and how VW wants to position them. Until very recently, Skoda was the mainstream luxury brand of the VW Group in India, but things changed with the entry of VW with it being up market than Skoda.
The Jetta automatic, available only in the top-of-the-line Highline variant, costs Rs 17.8 lakh. On the other hand, the Laura offers the same power train as the Jetta with a costing of Rs 1.4 lakh less. Apart from this, Jetta has a key advantage that it has a wheelbase that is 55mm longer than the Laura- something that the chauffeur- driven will surely appreciate. Not only the wheelbase but the car is longer and wider than the Skoda. Both use transversely mounted engines driving the front wheels; both use MacPherson struts up front and independent, multi-link setups at the rear, and braking is via discs at all four corners. Both cars have comfortable driving positions, thanks to the millimeter-perfect adjustments that the front seats offers. Even the tyres they use are the same 205/55- R16 size but with the similarities in store there is a room for difference as well, and that one crucial difference lies in their body styles.
The Jetta is a proper saloon with a boot, while the Laura has a hatch. As a luxury car, the Jetta works better and that’s because it has the more pliant ride. It has a softer edge over bumps and deals with bad roads. And, like a proper German executive saloon, the faster you go the flatter and more composed the ride becomes. The Laura too has a superb high speed ride but around town, it is definitely stiffer than the Jetta, and it also thumps noticeably over sharp bumps. Both cars are phenomenally stable on the highway, especially the Jetta, which is completely unfazed over any surface. With the same engines, identical gearing and similar weight, it’s not surprising that there’s little difference in fuel economy as well. The Laura returned 11.6kpl in the city and 16.5kpl on the highway.
The lighter Jetta bettered it, but only just, with 11.8kpl and 16.8kpl respectively. Despite how similar the two cars are, picking a winner was pretty straightforward. The Skoda is, quite frankly, a superb car. Its more exciting to drive, has nicer-looking interiors and in some ways, is the more practical one. On the contrary as a diesel luxury car, the Jetta is more convincing.
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