Skoda Laura facelift around the corner, may get the R S badge

The Skoda Laura is clearly the king of its segment when it comes to power, looks, engine options, handling and of course the option of an Auto transmission in the form of DSG. While the petrol 1.8 TSI variant is available at a good price, the golden liquid isn�t very affordable even for the well heeled, especially on such bigger cars. The 2.0TDI variant is a phenomenal car for cross country touring, and it�s an absolute breeze to drive through the city traffic with the DSG variant. We recently took the diesel variant out for an 800km long drive and man, did the car impress us with its engine, poise and quick shifts! But more on that later.

The latest buzz surrounding the Laura is that the sub D segment car is about to get a facelift. The changes are expected to be purely cosmetic. Skoda Auto India is expected to embellish the Laura with visual changes at the front and the rear. The car will, if some reports are to be believed, get a generous dash of aggressive-looking cosmetic bits such as side skirts, rear spoiler and sharper styling. The engines will remain the same but a go-faster look will help the Laura justify an R S badge on its bonnet.Changes may be made to the interiors of the car as well, to make them look and feel more up to date. Not that the Laura looks under-equipped, but a few changes here and there would increase the desirability quotient.

Stay tuned for more updates on the subject.

Skoda Plans To Introduce Laura RS

Back in 2005 when Skoda introduced the Octavia R S version, it was considered a poor man�s race car. The Octavia R S added a whole new dimension to the Indian Auto Scene back then by giving power hungry enthusiasts a rocket under the 15 lakh price bracket. The introduction of petrol turbo cars was also one of the important jobs the R S did. Even today there are enthusiast buyers who are ready to pick a well-kept R S at a respectable price.

Skoda India is now planning to relive those glory R S moments by introducing the Skoda Laura Rs. The Internationally available Laura (or the Ocatavia) R S is the real deal, which comes with a 2.0-liter TSI (petrol turbo) engine that churns out an amazing 200bhp. The question really is, does introducing a 2.0-liter turbo petrol engine in these times when the petrol prices are skyrocketing, make much sense? Would there be many takers for it?

Skoda India understands that the 2.0-liter turbo petrol will guzzle too much of the expensive fuel to stay viable. Hence they are going to keep the engine of current Laura untouched for the Rs. version also. So what exactly is different you would ask. Well, when the Skoda Laura R S is introduced this September, it will wear new, aggressive looking clothes, replete with bigger wheels, a body kit, a rear spoiler, new steering wheel and other cosmetic changes, but without any alterations made to the powertrain.

The new Laura with V R S badging will come at a premium over the usual Laura.

Skoda launches Laura Classic

Most premium cars these days are available in a corporate edition version, which is stripped of all or most luxury features and comes at a discounted price. Now Skoda Auto India has also launched a cheaper, stripped down version of the Laura, namely Laura classic.


The new base petrol variant with a 1.8-litre TSi engine will retail for Rs 11.99 lakh ex-showroom Delhi and would not have many goodies available otherwise on the tech laden Laura. The features that would be taken off to reduce the price are
�    Rear parking sensors
�    Auto climate control
�    Leather wrapped steering wheel
�    Fog lamps
�    Lumbar support
�    Central arm rest at front
�    AC vents for the backseat
�    Storage compartment below the front seat
�    Alloy wheels
�    6 CD changer is now replaced by a single CD player