10,000 km with my Slavia 1.5: Ownership experience improving day by day
The only thing that I found better in the Honda City CVT was the AC. It’s a chiller.
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The car has now clocked 10,250 KMS on the ODO in 8.5 months. Out of the total KMS clocked, highway & city usage/running is 50% each. It has been an absolute bliss to own & drive it. Have got used to the paddle shifters now & oh man, that’s called fun. On my recent trip, used them for around 100 kms of driving on a single-lane highway & it was one of my best drives till date. Not getting into a lot of other specifics of the car such as performance etc as I have covered them in the 5K KMS report posted a few months back. The driving & ownership experience is only getting better day by day & “I AM A VERY VERY CONTENTED & HAPPY SKODA SLAVIA OWNER”.
I have NOT yet come across the low engine oil warning that a lot of 1.5 TSI owners have experienced. I never drive the car under hard acceleration from a standstill (not that I am a conservative driver, I drive quite spiritedly). May be have done it once or twice till date & I feel this is what led to the low engine oil consumption. Going by some of the updates on our very own forum & online, most of them received the low engine oil warning when they clocked around 6-8K kms. A simple engine oil top-up is what is required to resolve this issue though.
Call me old school, I have been practising the 1 min & 1.5 mins idling rule before & after every drive respectively. Also, slot the gear lever to N & engage the handbrake while at traffic signals or other stops which require the car to be stationary for more than 5 seconds. I also ensure the brake pedal is pressed->move the gear lever to N->engage the handbrake->move the gear lever to P->Release the brake pedal while parking the car. These practices have been followed since day 1. I very rarely drive during peak bumper-to-bumper traffic hours as my work timings do not coincide with the same & I use office transport on a very regular basis when the need to work from the office arises.
Received an SMS from Skoda in the first half of August to visit the nearest service center for a software update they have released for the power window issue. I have not gotten it done as all 4 power windows & the driver side one touch up & down work perfectly fine in my car. Will get it done during the first service (which will be due in next 3-4 months) if I face any problems. The sound of the power window motor is louder as stated in a lot of reviews but I have got used to it & it doesn’t bother me. 99% of the time the windows of my car are always rolled up. Does the power window-related software update reduce the motor sound as well? Any owners who have got this done, please let me know.
Coming to one of the most discussed points of the VAG 2.0 cars which is the AC, I did not find any issues till I had clocked around 9K kms. The cooling is not on par with a lot of other cars but it is surely not as bad as it has been made to look/sound online. I keep the temp at 22 & fan speed at 2 or 3, the cooling I get is more than sufficient even during hot afternoons. Recently, I found that only on one occasion the AC chillness had reduced a bit (when I say a bit, I mean the usual chillness it provides & makes me comfortable when temp is set to 22 felt like the chillness it provides when temp is set to 24). I observed that this occurred only during my recent trip which involved driving continuously & quite spiritedly for more than 240+ kms. Happened during the return journey. In city driving conditions the AC works totally fine as per my expectations. Will watch out for the reoccurrence of this issue (if any) during my next long drive.
As my previous car was the Fiesta 1.6, I was pampered with the mind-blowing handling of that car. The Slavia though is the best handler in its segment along with the Virtus, I still crave for better handling. Heart says to go for Cobra lowering springs but mind says not to do so to keep the warranty intact. It not only improves the handling but also adds to better external looks. As of now, forcing myself to keep it on the back burner. I have gotten used to the EPS of the Slavia. This was one other thing which I was not happy about initially as the HPS of the Fiesta was the best.
Recently I gifted a 3 feet X 3 feet & 3 feet X 2 feet photo frames of tiger images taken by me to one of my friends. The boot of the Slavia was a perfect fit for the 3 feet X 3 feet frame & could accommodate it even without folding the rear seat backrest. However, as I had 2nd frame to accommodate, folded the rear seat backrest to accommodate the same. That’s the kind of incredible & usable boot space the Slavia offers.
Added Pharaoh 3D mats a couple of months back for INR 7K. Was packed really well & delivered in less than 48 hours. The fit is perfect & the quality is fantastic. They look very classy & will surely last for a very long time. That’s how good the quality is. They are anti-skid, and have button locks for the front mats (the rear one does not have locks but it fits perfectly) & not once have they moved or slipped accidentally. The raised edges ensure that not a single speck of dust overflows onto the carpet. It does not require a pressure wash to clean it. Pour some water on the mats & wiping it with a cloth is sufficient to make it look like new. These are any day better than the GFX mats etc.
Added the Curated for cars perfume (love the Tobacco Vanilla scent) even though I do not smoke in the car. It smells fantastic & is long-lasting. The dispenser looks funky & its quality is excellent (made from metal). This particular scent/flavor is mild. No issues with spillage etc. The intensity controller is swivel type. Got a complimentary Coffee-scented perfume as well which will last for 30 days as mentioned on the package. Have not used it yet but it smells great too even without unpacking it but is a little strong for my liking. The subsequent liquid refills cost anywhere between INR 500-1000 based on the scent but each refill will easily last for more than 6-7 months. This has been the best car perfume I have used till date. Initially wanted to try the camphor cones but one day travelled to the office in one of my colleagues’ car which had the camphor cone. By the time we reached office I was reeking of camphor (it is not an exaggeration). It is way too strong for my liking.
Met with a small accident a couple of months back. A lady on an active ended up brushing the active against the LHS bottom corner of the rear bumper (can’t imagine how she ended up doing that), LHS front & rear doors of the stationary car. Thanks to the full-body PPF, the entire impact on the LHS front & rear doors was absorbed by the PPF & there was not even a minute scratch on either of the doors (body/paint). If not for the PPF, the impact on the doors would have been such that both of them would for sure require painting. However, replaced the rear bumper completely as there was a small dent & did not opt for an insurance claim.
Got the work done at TAFE access Hosur Road as they had the part in stock. The entire work was completed & car was handed over in 48 Hrs. Also got the horn replaced with the OEM dual-tone one they sell for INR 1.4 or 1.5K. It sounds way better than the stock horn. No warranty impact as it was a plug-and-play types. Overall, I am very happy with the no nonsense, timely & professional service experience provided by TAFE Access. Got the PPF done from the same place (Xpert car care where I had got it done when I took the delivery of the car) for the LHS front & rear doors & the replaced rear bumper.
Have done quite a bit of trips (500 to 600 kms round trip) in the last few months. Have been consistently getting an FE between 15-16.5 KMPL (tankful to tankful method & 100% AC ON). In the city, it consistently delivers an average of 10-11.5 KMPL (tankful to tankful & 100% AC ON). From the recent tankful, I covered a distance of 575 KMS, got an FE of 15.3 KMPL (tankful to tankful & 100% AC ON) & 15.5 KMPL (MID). When I filled up the tank again, it gulped 37.6 liters of XP95. This involved around 300 KMS of very good roads (BLR-MYS expressway) + 175 KMS of single-lane highways with not-so-good road conditions (MYS – HD Kote – Kabini) + 100 KMS of city driving. If the last 100 KMS were also driven on highways, then the FE would have surely been more than 16.5 KMPL. I had mentioned in my first post of this thread & am repeating it again, I expected the car to deliver an FE equal to that of my Fiesta 1.6 & anything more than that would be a bonus.
Overall, this expectation is surpassed & for the kind of performance this car delivers the FE it is returning is incredible. One can surely expect an FE of 17-18 KMPL with cruise control set anywhere between 95-110 km/hr if the majority of the distance covered during the trip is on very good roads like the BLR-MYS or Delhi-Mumbai expressway. The ACT (Active Cylinder Tech) is a master stroke. Works flawlessly even in heavy to medium city driving conditions & contributes majorly to better FE. It works even when I am at a speed >20 km/hr & maintaining a consistent speed (even if it is for a short duration) in any gear (2,3,4,5,6,7) by feathering the accelerator pedal to maintain speeds (when cruise control cannot be used kind of conditions). This is something which one will learn over a period of time. Let me also remind you that I always deactivate the auto start/stop functionality before the start of every single drive. This functionality has zero contribution in the FE figures I am able to get.
Note – The first image was taken right after I refilled to calculate the FE from the previous tankful. So ignore the range of 660 that’s showing up.
The stock wipers have not survived even one monsoon season. For a car costing almost INR 23 Lakhs on road, the quality of stock frame-type wipers provided is pathetic. They have started leaving streaks when used. Will replace them with some good aftermarket frameless ones soon. Can someone confirm what is the stock size of the wipers in Slavia?
I found the stock LED headlights to be weak ONLY when it rains. Many owners have given similar feedback as well. I guess, I got to live with it as I do not want to upgrade to better LED lights/bulbs mainly because of the voiding warranty crap given by service centers. Maybe I have to start using the fog lamps when it rains. I do not use them at all. Not sure how much of a difference will it make though.
I use wired Android Auto (as it is an 8” screen & the same does not get wireless Android Auto) only during trips. It has been working absolutely fine. No issues faced even once. Only gripe is that the intensity of sound/volume when played via Bluetooth is much better/more than when played via Android Auto at the same volume levels. Guess this is how it works in all cars. Kindly correct me if I am wrong. Cannot comment much on wireless charging as my current phone is not wireless charging enabled. However, my better half’s Samsung S20FE gets wirelessly charged as expected but gets heated up if charged for longer durations. No other issues such as wireless charging intermittently working etc faced till date.
The superb ride quality & handling of Slavia even with the average Securadrive tyres from Ceat is something everyone is aware of. I am sure it will be even better with a tyre upgrade (stock size/profile though). Should have done this on day 1 but by getting it done now or in the near future I will be able to better gauge & experience the improvement in ride quality & handling. Will run the car on the stock Ceat Securadrives for another 5k kms & then switch to Vredestein Ultrac Vortis or Conti UC6s.
Kudos to the person who came up with the Jopasu duster. Have been using it from the time I got the Slavia & it is a lifesaver. Dusting the car has never been so easy & less time-consuming. It works like a charm. Have to get one for our Honda City too.
My better half added a pre-owned Honda City CVT to our garage a couple of weeks back against my recommendation. It is basically bought & is used by her for her daily office commute. I use it occasionally too on weekends. Will put up a detailed experience & comparison between the 2 cars shortly. But for now, to put it in simple & short words – The monster 1.5 TSI & butter smooth DSG of the Slavia have pampered me so much that the City 1.5 NA CVT feels so dated, lethargic & unenthusiastic.
The only thing I found to be better in the Honda City was the AC. Yes, it is definitely better than Slavia & is a chiller. Thinking of replacing the City CVT with a pre-worshipped Rapid 1.0 TSI AT or a facelifted/pre-facelift i20 N-line DCT (new/pre-worshipped) or a pre-worshipped Polo TSI (which I doubt due to insane pricing) in the next 6-8 months or so. VW should have not stopped the production of the Polo TSI. What a gem of a hot hatchback it is. The best I would say. It would have been a perfect city car for our current needs. No wonder the pre-worshipped ones cost a bomb in the used car market.
Last but not least, I am not able to find a keychain online which is to my liking. Eagerly waiting for the Team-BHP keychains to make a comeback. If any of the members have an extra Team-BHP keychain which they can offer to me, I would be very grateful.
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