Skoda Motors is the ultimate mover and shaker in the Indian automobile industry. Over the years, they have created a niche for themselves which other auto makers try desperately to topple. With the Laura Ambiente, Skoda Motors has got it spot on yet again. The Ambiente is the epitome of excellence. It is a pure work of genius and that makes it almost unfair to cars from rival auto makers. It is much like the automobile incarnation of a Vincent Van Gogh masterpiece. And what more, at Rupees 13, 21,491 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi), it is now also very quite affordable. Skoda Motors has just pushed the bar a notch higher and competing companies have a lot of catching up to do now.
Design
The Laura Ambiente is European designing at its pinnacle. It is an endless beauty of agile sidelines,wonderfully swooping contours, elegant Xenon headlamp, tail lamps and the trademark Skoda radiator grille. It is a sturdy car and quite a big one at that. It has a length of 4572mm and width of 1769mm. In myeyes, it looks much like the steroid enhanced version of the Skoda Octavia. If you thought that gadgets and electronics were the prerogative of a cars interior, you must think again. The Ambiente comes fitted with rear view mirror turn indicators, rain sensing wipers, integrated antenna and adjustable front headlights. The 16 inch alloy wheels take the beauty of the Ambiente a step further.
The Laura’s interior is luxurious, spacious and quite comfortable. Sitting inside the Laura you realise just how big the car is with ample head room and leg room, to fit couple of six footers with ease. The 560 litre boot is simply enormous and can swallow all those huge suitcases for that long journey as well as the golf set but if one requires still more space then the rear seats can be foldeddown to liberate a mind boggling 1,350 litres of space! People who travel with everything (just to be safe)will sure be pleased!
The centre console of the Ambiente is pure ‘gadget zone’, it has everything in it, everything except a playstation and a microwave oven. We Indians love state-of-the-art gadgets and electronics in a car, on the same note the Ambiente will keep even the most diehard gadget freak satisfied. Besides the rudimentary adjustable steering column, air conditioning, leather steering wheel, CD player, the Ambiente also comes with automatic climate control with air quality control and rear parking sensors.
Comfort
Skoda Motors has always put maximum emphasis on the comfort of its passengers. For this they haveendowed the car with smooth and high quality fabric upholstery and electronic gadgets such as seat lumbarsupport, rear seat armrest and rear a/c vents which takes convenience to a whole new level. Apart from having a welcoming interior the Laura Ambiente is also an absolute delight to drive, with an electro-mechanical power steering and a marvelous 5 speed manual transmission. The McPherson strut suspension does a decent job of devouring bumps and jerks when driving over our inferior quality roads.
Another good thing about the Ambiente is that it has got good ground clearance of 164mm, which means that the silencer pipe doesn’t have to take a beating when being driven over our country roads as is the case with cars like the Honda Civic or Accord.
Engine, Transmission and Performance
The true essence of every car is what they carry under the hood, the engine. What good is a gorgeous looking car that lacks quality when it comes to the engine? The Skoda Laura Ambiente is not just about looksbut also speaks volume in terms of engine refinement and performance. And this is where it really excels. It has a 1896cc diesel engine that produces a decent 105bhp, enough to propel it to a maximum speed of 192kmph. The Laura is also capable of doing 0-100 jaunts in mere 11.8 seconds, which is very decent for a diesel car. The power flows in quick and fast when you press the pedal. Even with all that power, the Laura Ambiente belongs to a dying breed, the breed of the economical sedans. It is surprisingly economical, being able to deliver 12kmpl in the city and 17.5kmpl on the highway, now it can’t get better than that! Very honestly, I can think of very few sedans being sold in India that fit the bill of an economic sedan, except for the Ford Fiesta that is.
Safety
Safety is another aspect with which Skoda Motors has never compromised. The Laura Ambiente is one of the safest cars in its segment and comes crammed with every safety feature possible. Starting with a strong foundation of a sturdy chassis fitted with crumple zones and shock absorbing materials to divert the force of an accident away from the occupants inside the car, the Laura Ambiente also boasts of some innovative safety features which come into play incase of a frontal collision; the front pedals move to the side, maximizing the safety of the driver’s legs and the fuel pump automatically switches off, cutting supply to the engine. It also has a host of other safety features such as ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), ESP (Electronic Stability Programme), TCS (Traction Control System) and ASR (Acceleration Skid Restrain), apart from the more usual driver and passenger side airbags, seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, child safety locks on rear doors, and central locking with anti-theft alarm. Having listed all the above safety features, one can stay secure in the knowledge that you couldn’t possibly buy a safer car at this price!
They say that winners are not made but are born as winners. If that is to be believed, it wouldn’t be too presumptuous to label the Skoda Laura Ambiente as a winner, a born winner.