Skoda has given India some of the best oil-burning cars in the past few years like the Octavia , the Laura and the Fabia. With class leading fuel efficiency , comfort and reliability coupled with advanced German engineering , these cars have found a special place in the hearts of us Indians. With the new Laura the Czech brand seems committed to alter the perception of the Indian customer once and for all. That’s probably why the company has plonked in the hi-tech direct injection blown 1.8-litre petrol engine under the bonnet of the new car. And just to see how good the new offering is , we put it in a brawl against the undisputed class leader – the Civic.

The Laura has been in the Indian market for quite sometime now and the resemblance with the relatively down market Octavia meant it was about time it underwent some cosmetic upgrades. The facelifted Laura gets a new set of headlamp clusters which (weirdly) curl up towards the end unlike the ones on the earlier version which were rather angular , tapering towards their outer ends. This car tries to follow the brand’s new design identity , observed first on the new Superb. The Laura seems to have lost its understated style to a rather confused attempt at upping the style quotient. There are minor alterations in the rear view mirrors , the rear bumper , the tail lamps and the parktronic sensor housings. The Honda Civic is definitely better eye candy. The slim grille , the aggressive headlamps and the pointy nose makes the Civic look a lot more sporty and lively. The Skoda , on the other hand , has an air of seriousness about it – it won’t excite the young at heart too much.

Getting into the cabin of the Laura , you notice that the latest Czech machine isn’t really a step ahead when compared to its previous iteration. The plastics around the dash and the beige fabric upholstery are not what i would describe as graceful and classy. What comes as an added shock is that the leather upholstery or more equipment isn’t available even as options on the petrol variant. Although , the well sculpted three-spoke steering wheel borrowed from the Superb and the white backlit twin-dial console do make a stylish statement. Nonetheless , we have to accept the fact that the Civic has been in the market for quite a few years and lacks basic features like indicators for instantaneous fuel consumption , overall efficiency or average speed over a trip that are , in contrast , offered in the Skoda Laura. Additionally , the Laura features six airbags against two offered in the Civic which makes the Skoda boast a better safety quotient. Overall , the Laura fails to leave an impression with its rather drab interiors while being a much safer car than the posh Civic which lacks the gizmos.

Bring the Skoda engine to life and you will have to rev it a bit to make sure if the motor has started. The cabin is silent like a church and the smooth turbo charged powerplant in the Laura’s bay is the same unit we witnessed in the new Superb a couple of months back. The magnificent engine pulls comfortably right from as low as 1000rpm in the third gear , making the new Laura a wonderfully tractable car in City traffic. Past 1800rpm , the car simply rockets ahead making you fall in love with it every time the tacho needle passes the 2k mark. The Civic comes close to the drivability of the Laura in the city , but isn’t quite there. While the Laura manages to produce a peak power of 160PS and 250Nm of peak torque , the Civic’s corresponding figures are much humbler at just 132PS and 171Nm. However , what matters more in a car which will be driven most of the time in the city , are its roll-on timings. The in-gear acceleration of the Laura is far quicker than the Civic making it a much more responsive car in any given gear.
Aiding the handling of the Laura are15-inch alloy wheels shod with compliant 195/65 R15 tyres which provide good road holding and grip. The Laura’s steering doesn’t feel as sporty and tactile as the Civic but delivers sufficient feedback.

Verdict

The Laura is a very well engineered car with great handling , superior engine tech and appreciable safety features albeit with morose looks and a dreary interior. The Civic , on the other hand , boasts killer styling , respectable performance and impeccable reliability though it doesn’t score too highly in terms of equipment and that soft suspension has always been its Achilles heel. The Honda Civic V MT comes with a price tag of Rs 14.21 lakh (OTR , Pune) while the Laura costs Rs 14.05 lakh (approximate OTR , Pune). Comparing the two cars , virtue by virtue , the Laura emerges as a better buy. It’s just perfect for executives for whom functionality matters more than form. The Civic should please those who can do away with some essentials in return for flashy looks and those who care more about the ownership experience.