This review is massive. Pleeeeease read it fully. 8k was not at all sufficientThe D-segment was the segment that grew the most in 2003 along with SUVs. Now with the launch of the Elantra, Skoda updating its Octavia the D-segment is one of the hottest segments. A shootout between the cars was what I always wanted. And I myself have written one now.
First a brief introduction on all cars.
Skoda Octavia TDI-The Octavia was the first D-segment car to come to India. Now there are as much as 7 variants.The TDI ambiente, elegance, the petrol ambiente, elegance, the Rider which is a mix of the ambiente and elegance, the L&K and finally the RS. We will take the Octavia TDI elegance into focus as this is the car that has been sucessful.
Toyota Corolla MT-The Toyota Corolla has been a bestseller across the world as a family car and not as a luxury car. Anyway in India it is a luxury car thanks to the import duty. The Corolla is a fascinating car which is almost perfect. In India it has been successful.We will take the manual transmission Corolla into consideration as it is the less expensive one with better performance figures.
Chevrolet Optra-The second generation Daewoo Nubira from General Motors is not at all like a Daewoo.It is not Korean in any way;looks, build, performance, etc.It is also available with an automatic transmission.But we shall take the manual Optra for this comparision.
Hyundai Elantra-Finally the Elantra. It was the latest to be launched in the Indian market.It performs very well and is available in petrol and diesel versions. Surprisingly The diesel version which is a CRDi has a considerable edge over the petrol in all areas. So the CRDi Elantra will be compared with its competitors in this shootout.
LOOKS & BUILD-Octavia TDI-The Octavia has very elegant European looks with bold lines giving it a very solid look. This car is good enough to put any of its competitors to shame. The front is elegant with the airdams in the bumper getting your attention. There are three divisions in it. The fog lamps are present in the headlamp itself. The headlamp is ofcourse multi reflector and the grille is the traditional one from Skoda.
The side is a sleek elegant profile and the alloys look very good. The rear is also very elegant with tail lamps very similiar to other Skodas and also some Volkswagens. The best way to describe the Octavia in one word is ’elegant’. The build quality is amazing.It is solid and the fit and finish is first class. The Octavia deserves the good rating for it.
LOOKS-9/10
BUILD-9.5/10
Toyota Corolla MT-The Corolla has the most aerodynamic design of the four. In fact it is the curviest of the four.The design is very curvy and is influenced by the latest Lexus ES 300. I had in fact mistaken a Corolla for a Lexus when I saw it for the first time. The front is different from the Lexus though. The headlamps are very attractive and the bumper is very plain.
The air dam is plain straight and the fog lamps are rectangular. The side is very much like the Lexus. The six spoke alloys look very attractive and sporty. The rear has the same personality as the ES 300.The tail lamps are very attractive and it has round stop lights in it. The build quality is legendary.
Toyota=awesome build quality. All materials are top notch and fit and finish is just amazing. I just cannot find any mistake in the looks and build of the Corolla.
LOOKS-9/10
BUILD-10/10
Chevrolet Optra 1.8 LS-The Optra is the second generation Daewoo Nubira. The Daewoo influence continues. The front gets a three idvisional grille.But unlike other Daewoos, this looks very attractive. It has been designed by pininfarina. The headlamp are jewel like and are among the most attractive features in the car. The side is very normal. But the alloys are nice though. The rear is classy with very attractive tail lamps. No problems in the Optra’s looks but there aren’t any major pros either. Thus the rating. The build quality is nothing like the Daewoo. It is very strong and can be called bullet proof. Fit and finish is also excellent.
LOOKS-8.5/10
BUILD-9.5/10
Hyundai Elantra CRDi-This car does not really look very Korean.But its looks are very odd. I don’t really like the looks. The headlamps are okay and so are the tail lamps.I can’t describe them, sorry. The tail lamp is very american. From the side the cars is very normal. The alloys are very sporty.The car’s design on the whole can be rated as conservative. I can’t find any mistake in this car’s looks but I don’t know why I don’t like the looks. The build quality is much better than other Hyundai products. In fact it is very good. The fit and finish is hi-class. Maybe the Elantra disappoints in this segment but it makes up for thsi in other areas.
LOOKS-8/10
BUILD-9/10
In the looks area I will give the Corolla and the Octavia the first position. The Corolla is sporty, curvacious and aerodynamic while the Octavia is very solid, well built and elegant
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