The luxury car segment in India is growing out to be one of the most vicious battlefields where nearly all of the major heavyweights in the automobile market are locking horns with each other. Volkswagen, Honda and Skoda are presently the leading luxury car makers in India with a lot of models. These come after BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi which roll out premium luxury segment cars. It has been a while since luxury sedans started making their way to India anticipating it to be one of the most thriving automobile markets in the world. The market of luxury cars in India is increasing at a very fast rate and one of the toughest rivalries lies between Honda, Volkswagen and Skoda.The prime sedans of these respective heavyweightsconsist of Skoda Superb, Honda Accord and Volkswagen Passat. These three cars fall in almost the same price range but we should know what sets them apart in terms of their exteriors, interiors, mileage and ergonomics.
Exteriors: –
Volkswagen Passat: – This is one of the first sedans of Volkswagen in India and is the single conglomerate of one of the most revered brand names in the automobile industry including Bugatti, Skoda, etc. Volkswagen is eagerly looking forward to expanding in India and over the past few years, the company has maintained a reputation amongst its counterparts. The exteriors of Volkswagen Passat have been done up well. There is a sunroof which is totally operated electronically and can be tilted as per the convenience of the person sitting inside. The headlamps fitted to Passat are Bi-Xenon which comes with cornering lights. VolkswagenPassat comes in two tire variants one of which is 16-inch whereas the other one is 17-inch. These are purely alloy wheels that have been installed in order to give the car a sporty as well as luxurious outlook. The windows on the sedan have been fitted with chrome-plated strips and the boot lid of the car also has chrome-plated strip. Below the headlamps, there are day-time LED lines which we usually get to see in Audi sedans.
Skoda Superb: – It is said to have one of the most elegant designs ever as Skoda owners are one of the most proud customers owing to the fact that when it comes to interiors as well as exteriors of any Skoda car, it is bound to strike a chord with car enthusiasts. The dynamics of Skoda Superb are praiseworthy and the exteriors of the sedan are done up by pure chrome. Superb is also available in 16-inch alloys and 17-inch alloys. The turn indicators come with OVRMs. There is an additional boot lid spoiler attached to the car and the exhaust tail pipes of the car have been properly polished in order to prevent them from corroding. Skoda has always been appreciated for the cars it has rolled out of its unit and now the automobile heavyweight is looking forward to bringing more and more inputs to India which will be based on totally new designs. The first car of Skoda to make its way into India was Octavia which was highly revered owing to its dynamic exteriors as well as interiors.
New Honda Accord: – Honda Accord has always been showered praises by car enthusiasts as the sedan is considered as the trump card of Honda. The exterior design of the car is sleek and stylish along with the length of the car. The design of the New Honda Accord is said to be much better than its predecessor as the successor comes laden with an Electric sunroof along with Front Chrome Grill. The trunk of the car also has a spoiler and Accord comes with large alloy wheels giving it an altogether more dynamic look. The OVRMs are of the same colour as the body of the car and are attached with turn indicators. There are fog lamps attached both to the front headlights as well as rear taillights. Antenna of the car is purely made of glass which though makes it fragile but helps in catching radio frequencies easily. Additional features of the car include the hood damper, aerodynamic sideline, etc.
Interiors: –
Volkswagen Passat: – It seems that maybe a Passat fares well when it comes to interiors as Volkswagen has done a lot to give the best to their customers. The interiors of Volkswagen Passat have a lot to offer to its customers.The quality as well as crafting of Volkswagen Passat has been done with optimum expertise in order to give the passengers an elegant feel.The panels fitted in Passat are colour oriented and well-coordinatedalong with which, there is an instrument that is fitted in order to ensure the proper functioning of the panels. The panel of the car has been designed using premium wood and the seats of the car have been done up using premium leather of the best quality. The whole of the interiors give a very luxurious outlook to the car and thus this is what sets Volkswagen Passat apart from New Honda Accord and Skoda Superb.
Skoda Superb: – Though Volkswagen fares well when it comes to interiors, we should not underestimate Skoda as the interiors given to Skoda Superb are class apart. Skoda has ensured that they live up to the expectations of the customers and thus have constructed the upholstery using premium nappa leather.There are quite many upmarket features that have been put into Superb such as Leather gear knob, Leather steering wheel, Power lumbar support, Wooden garnish on instrument cluster, etc. Skoda has always ensured that their cars complement the interiors and exteriors. Thus in order to compete with other cars of its class, Skoda Superb was given lavish and elegant interiors as the exteriors of the car received thumbs-up.
New Honda Accord: – If Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat have impressive interiors, then Honda fares well over both of these owing to the fact that the interior cabin of Honda Accord is much more spacious than that of its counterparts. Thus, the passengers seated inside Accord will have more leg room than those seated inside Superb and Passat. Along with leg room, the passengers are treated to a better shoulder space as well. Three passengers can easily be seated in the rear seat comfortably. The seats have been done up using high-quality leather and are beige coloured. Upholstery has wooden trims which add to the elegance of the car and thus Honda Accord also scores well in terms of interiors.
Ergonomics: –
Volkswagen Passat: – The latest version of Volkswagen Passat is available only in the diesel variant in India owing to the fact that Volkswagen realized how the demand for diesel cars was increasing in India due to the sky-rocketing price hike of petrol. More and more people are now going for diesel and CNG powered cars rather than petrol. New Volkswagen Passat will be powered by a 2.0 L 4-cylinder CRDi Diesel enginewhich has a capability of churning out a maximum power of 170PS at 4200rpm along with a maximum torque of 350Nm at an impressive 1750-2500rpm range.
Skoda Superb: –There are a total of 3 engine variants in which Skoda Superb is available in the Indian market. One of these is the 1.8 Litre petrol variant which has the capability of delivering a maximum power of 160PS at 4000rpm whereas the other variant is a 2.0 L diesel engine capable of churning out a maximum power of 260 PS at 1000rpm along with a peak torque of 35kgm at 1750rpm. A third variant is there and this is the powerful 3.6 Litre petrol engine that shells out a maximum power of 141.4 PS at 4000rpm.
New Honda Accord: – Honda Accord unfortunately is not available in diesel variant and has only two variants both of which run on petrol. First are the 2.4 Litre 4-cylinder i-Vtecpetrol engines which hold the capability of churning out maximum power of 180PS at 6500rpm and then are the 3.5 Litre petrol engines that shells out a maximum power of 275 PS at 6200rpm along with a maximum torque of 339 Nm at 5000rpm.
Mileage: –
Volkswagen Passat: – Volkswagen Passat has only one engine and that gives out a mileage of 11kmpl if the car is moving in a city but in case of highways it goes up to 15kmpl.
Skoda Superb: –Superb has two petrol variants and one diesel variant out of which the 1.8 Litre petrol variant gives out a mileage of 9kmpl in city and 13kmpl on highways whereas the 3.6 Litre petrol engine gives a mileage of 6kmpl in city and 9kmpl on highways. The 2.0 Litre diesel enginesgive a mileage of 11kmpl in city and 14kmpl on highways.
Honda Accord: – Honda Accord comes with two engine variants both of which run on petrol. The 2.4 Litre petrol variant engines are capable of giving a mileage of 8kmpl in city which increases to 11kmpl on highways. On the contrary, the second engines variant are the 3.5 Litre petrol which has the capability of giving a mileage of 7kmpl when the car is moving in a city and this mileage increases to 9kmpl as soon as it enters highway.
Conclusion:– If all the above features are to be considered then we should say that in case of exteriors, Skoda Superb fares better than Volkswagen Passat but stays in tough competition with New Honda Accord. But when it comes to interiors, Volkswagen takes the lead and when it comes to mileage, once again Volkswagen takes the front seat.
