Advice on Skoda Superb

[Richard A Thackeray]

I've got a Octavia 1.6Tdi estate, & to pardon the name confusion, that's superb!!!

Skoda / VW / Audi are all the same cars I believe, just different badges and trim.

Almost, there's plenty of Skoda produced parts in the Audis
Think of it, as a thinking mans Audi, at less money

Not too long ago, a work collegue was fancying a (new model) Audi A4 All-Road
At the couldn't find it on the Audi site at the time, but...
The Octavia Scout 1.6Tdi (as used by lots of Ambulance Services as Fast Response Cars) was £3,000 cheaper than a front-wheel driver A4 estate, with the 1.4petrol!!!!
Now the RRP for the 1.4 A4 estate is £27,800+ (AllRoad starts at £36,000)
The Scout is from £25,700 (2.0Tdi - 150BHP)

Indeed. And yes Audis are silly money. An A6 estate must be a similar size to the Superb (a daft name)

One of our Consultants has a Superb estate
He's 6'4" & can sit stretched out, in the rear seat, with the drivers seat in his postion

You can almost camp out in the rear footlwells

 

[Levo-Lon]

rear leg room is stretch limo territory, fantastic

 

[slowwww]

I had a Passat Estate and when time came to replace it late last year also test drove the Superb. While I was wowed with the specification and the space inside, I found it a wallowy old Hector to drive, even compared with the Passat which was not-exactly the stuff of boy-racers.

It really comes down to whether driving enjoyment or load-lugging is your priority. Now my kids are growing up the need to carry copious amounts of paraphernalia have reduced and so I plumped for the Mazda 6 Sport 2.2d which is a cracking drive but with smaller boot. If your priority is space, I don't think you'd be disappointed with the Superb as the build quality seems very good. Cock-ish name though!

 

[ufkacbln]

I'd change your missus.

How does the trade-in compare

You could try "Webuyanywife.com" for a quote

 

[screenman]

I had a Passat Estate and when time came to replace it late last year also test drove the Superb. While I was wowed with the specification and the space inside, I found it a wallowy old Hector to drive, even compared with the Passat which was not-exactly the stuff of boy-racers.

It really comes down to whether driving enjoyment or load-lugging is your priority. Now my kids are growing up the need to carry copious amounts of paraphernalia have reduced and so I plumped for the Mazda 6 Sport 2.2d which is a cracking drive but with smaller boot. If your priority is space, I don't think you'd be disappointed with the Superb as the build quality seems very good. Cock-ish name though!

My 2009 Mazda 2.2d Estate is much the same size in the boot as my Passat way, maybe 1 inch shorter at most.

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

Skoda / VW / Audi are all the same cars I believe, just different badges and trim.

All from the same parent company and use a number of the same parts throughout

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

I may have to occasionally pander to her superficial appearance requirements (she wants to change cars for something that looks 'a bit newer') but she has other, redeeming qualities that make her irreplaceable

Dave. Not wanting to dampen your enthusiasm for a new job but before you invest a considerable sum in a new car to get the job, are you sure it is a good move? I always have a suspicion in cases like this that the company is run on a shoestring and keeping you gainfully employed is at the bottom of their priorities. They have invested nothing in your employment and should the work dry up can drop you in an instant without incurring any financial burden from having to pay for surplus vehicles or other equipment you may also be providing. If that happened would you still be able to pay for the car?

Also, what are the rules regarding the car? Does it have to be new or can you buy something 6-12 months old. If nearly new is allowed then you could save yourself a good family holiday amount of cash and still be covered by at least 2yrs of the common 3yr car warranty.

Really don't have to worry about the viability of the company. Think the biggest communications and media company that also happens to be oldest and still going very strong.
As long as I pass the probation period I have no concerns over the future employment prospects. However, were it another business I would share your concerns. Thanks

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

You will love it !!! I worked for Skoda when the Mk-1 Superb was launched and it was a hit due to its interior size, spec and better value. When VW let them build an estate version then the gloves were off and it has become one of the best cars in that range even beating a Merc E-class estate ! They were based on the Chinese Passat platform which had more length than the European version hence the massive legroom in the rear......Not sure why the Chinese market required a bigger car though
Skoda used the Superb name as it was their flagship car in the 1930's and again put the likes of a certain brand with a Silver lady up front to shame
Go for the L&K version if funds allow, you will want to live in it !
As for the equivalent Audi or VW......there are loads of them about and why not stand out from the crowd with a Superb ??

Thanks

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

But will it have the new cheat box?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAtsmcxlMRs


Why do cyclists still buy those cyclist-poisoners?

Because some of us have families and dogs and need something that can transport all of the above and the paraphernalia that goes with them to the multifarious destinations that go with modern life whether that is Scouts, shopping or a family holiday on the other side of the country.

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

Well that sorts then. Just got to find the right deal.

 

[Drago]

Octavia and proberly the Leon share the Golf platform although for some reason Skoda seem to make a bigger car out of it ,even the Octavia hatch boot is massive compared to the Golf. Fabia shares the Polo platform although we should say its the Polo that shares the Fabia platform and Skoda were the first to use in back in 2000
I am of course not biased to the Skoda brand,i have not only driven them for over 25 years but I ended up working for them in the past

Interestingly, 'platform' is a slighlty misleading word in this sense. They don't all share the same girders and tin underneath with a different body plonked atop. In VW's system the 'platform' is a particular architecture where certain components share the some mounting points in 3D space, and the relationship of their placing to other components is either the same, or scaled up/down in a particular way to enable them to be easily built upon the same production line with minimal cross tooling and design costs. It's not simply a standard issue VW Group rolling chassis with diffent styling and badges grafted on.

While the Superb may share the same 'platform' as a Golf, they are in actual fact very different vehicles, although certain common assemblies such as engines etc may well be the same.

 

[skudupnorth]

Interestingly, 'platform' is a slighlty misleading word in this sense. They don't all share the same girders and tin underneath with a different body plonked atop. In VW's system the 'platform' is a particular architecture where certain components share the some mounting points in 3D space, and the relationship of their placing to other components is either the same, or scaled up/down in a particular way to enable them to be easily built upon the same production line with minimal cross tooling and design costs. It's not simply a standard issue VW Group rolling chassis with diffent styling and badges grafted on.

While the Superb may share the same 'platform' as a Golf, they are in actual fact very different vehicles, although certain common assemblies such as engines etc may well be the same.

Not sure what VW shares the Superb platform other than the Chinese market Passat, the Octavia as we were told on our many training sessions shared the same platform from vehicles ranging from the Beetle and TT right up to the Golf and A.3.I am sure there is more than just bolting another body to the chassis but that's the marketing talk we got
I am out of the motor trade now and glad to see the back of it but many of my friends still endure the pain and tell me I did the right thing

 

[Profpointy]

I had successive Skoda Octavias as company cars. The first was a vrs petrol 1.8 turbo hooligan model which replaced the then 3 year old Golf gti (turbo petrol) I had previously. The trim and general niceness of the Skoda wasn't quite as good, but maybe 90% there. The Skoda was slightly faster than the predecessor golf, though not the new model golf which I didn't test drive; the Skoda badge enabled me to 'trade down" below my station as it were and the cash was more welcome than the badge. Having (once) done a 1000 miles in a day in the Golf I have to admit it was just slighly more comfy and better to drive. Both the Skoda and Golf were 100% relaible for over 100,000 miles. The next skoda was the vrs diesel, which didn't seem as quick as it should have done, nor as nice to drive, despite being higher spec. Went home on a lorry a few times too albeit after the 100,000 miles mark. Not as good as the petrol predecessors.

That said, in the comparison with any other similar company cars in budget, the skoda was by far the nicest. Some of the alternatives were very ropey to drive despite costing something like £20k -which is a lot of money in my book. The small volvo , newer model saab 93 and a couple of others were very poor in comparison - in terms of niceness to drive at any rate. I have driven a more recent Audi A3 and though somewhat nicer was basically the same package as the skoda and I'd not have paid the extra

Have dropped out of company cars now and bought a 10 year old £2500 Saab 95 with 70,000 miles on it which is vastly nicer in every way than any of the above. 5 years on I've now done 130,000 and it's still going strong. It does give me a smile to think the first few owners lost maybe 30,000 quid in depreciation over their 70,000 miles and I've lost maybe a grand ovee the next 50,000. Unless you're doing lots of miles there are some real deals to be had with older posh cars

 

[MarquisMatsugae]

A Superb is a Passat in a different skin.

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

A Superb is a Passat in a different skin.

Not entirely true. The Passat is a smaller car and not as well equipped as the Superb at the price points across the range.