I was down in Harrogate at the weekend and we got a taxi on Sat night and it was an old style Skoda Superb.
Now over the last few years I have read comments about how roomy they are but I could not believe by just how much! The back is absolutely huge and although I don't tend to be in the back of cars much (oo-er missus) I was wondering how big this is in relation to, say a 5-series E Class etc?
The driver wasn't exactly small but you could almost have got another seat in between me and him!
And then yesterday I saw a new shape Superb side on, and I must admit it almost looks like a stretch limo - the centre part of the car ie roof just looks like its a bit longer than it should be for the rest of the car profile.
Its not a car I would ever have the need to buy as, being brutally honest, 75% of the time I am in the car myself so back room space is not that major an issue but for someone wanting good space, this must be high up on the list?
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Pop down to your skoda deal and look into the new Superbs boot from the back
Its a concert hall in there
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I won't mind spending nights inside the estate version. Good for saving hotel cost
=:-0
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Zero, no no no, can't go near a car dealer at this stage... it will only lead to one thing
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Had the Superb estate been available last Dec it would have been on my serious shortlist (won eventually by a C5 Tourer) in a way the Octavia didn't quite make it.
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Bigger than a five series inside
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Bigger than a Merc E class too. I did consider the Superb when I was buying last year. The rear legroom is huge. It makes sense if you have a 2 year old like I do who enjoys kicking the front seats. In the end I went for one of the last w211 E class which I thought rode better plus I was struggling to spend a lot of money on a Skoda having been brought up in the 70s.
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I found the old Superb very noisy with the old VW PD engine, more so than a Passat with the same unit. Maybe due to the additional air volume inside the car - or just less soundproofing.
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>> I was struggling to spend a lot of money on a Skoda having been brought up in the 70s.
Tend to agree, not because of anything against Skoda these days, but because I looked at the review of the Superb estate on HJ, which is not dissimilar to the A6 Avant that I bought last year. The price of the Skoda with the same 170bhp CR diesel and similar (but I suspect inferior) equipment and trim is listed as £26K - basically the same as I paid for the A6. Hmm.
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Picking up on the theme of expensive Skodas - I too thought the RRP of the Skoda Superb mk2 was looking a bit toppy. It's ok on a spec-for-spec basis against its VAG stablemates, but I think it'll struggle on the residual front & so be more expensive to own than a comparable German VAG car - at least for the first owner.
Given that they won't sell (very) many anyway, the Superb mk2 might well languish in the 'oddbins' section a while longer.
By the way - I'm by no means anti Skoda, having owned & been delighted by a Superb mk1
4-5 years ago.
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I don't think it fair to compare a new car price today with that paid a year ago and I suspect a lot of people will get a real shock when they start to look for a new car.
I priced a Mondeo estate in Titanium spec. with a 2.2 turbo diesel engine and a few options yesterday on Ford's website, £32k !
An A6 in standard specification with a the 170PS 2.0 turbo diesel engine, no cost paint (black or white) and no cost wheels (standard 17" alloys), no options comes in at £28.5k on the Audi website. To get this engine in the Skoda you need to go for the SE spec. that costs £22.3k with no options. The A6 in SE trim with no options is just under £29k.
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Fair point gmac, and you've spent a lot more time looking up prices than I did before commenting. Mine is a 2009 SE with some options, especially in the nav/audio/phone department. A few months ago, I did check the current price of my car through DtD (never a good idea...) and found it had not increased significantly in 12 months, as I expected it would have done, mainly because Audi is now almost giving away kit that was an expensive option on mine. It looks like a similar(ish) Superb CR170 Elegance could be had for around £23600 after discount. Of course it would be bonkers if they were the same price, but the difference is probably still closer than I would expect.
The Superb estate was not out last year, but if I were buying again, I would be going down to the dealers to check out the equipment and comparative build quality. This includes things that you can't tell by looking at pictures on-line, like the way the doors are put together and finished, the feel of the controls etc. Without taking a good look at the Skoda, I can't say which I would go for. I'm not especially impressed by badges (the opposite really) but I suspect a Skoda is not an Audi with a different badge.
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>> I'm not especially impressed by badges (the opposite really) but I suspect a Skoda is
>> not an Audi with a different badge.
>>
An Audi badge yields the group 11.75 times that of a VW badge.
Admittedly Audi have to recoup the R&D costs but does each brand have it's own R&D budget or does that come from the group ?
In 2009 Audi posted operating profit of 1.6bn€ from 950,000 units, VW 561m€ from 3.9million units.
www.just-auto.com/article.aspx?id=103537&lk=dm
Last edited by: gmac on Wed 17 Mar 10 at 16:34
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I suppose this tells us that VW shift a lot of low margin cars. Figures for Skoda would be interesting too.
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Skoda 552,000 units 203m€ operating profit down 362m€ year on year, sales down 11.7pct.
praguemonitor.com/2010/03/12/%C5%A1koda-auto-operating-profit-down-64-2009
Full figures due 22 March.
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A lot of the R&D is done by the parent group (engines, platforms, gearboxes, etc). I would think the marques including VW itself pay towards this. The parent group is often referred to as VAG but is Volkswagen Group.
tinyurl.com/VW-facts
Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 17 Mar 10 at 17:11
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I know what you mean, merlin. A Superb estate should be on the shortlist when I change my w211 but somehow I think a w212 might win on the day
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My uncles got one, done many many 10000's of miles in it. The cambelt snapped on him and he has had the odd radiator leak but other than it has been a good car.
Just a simple very large mini limo. He has the 1.9TD which is a bit crude but does the job.
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The new Superb estate won TG magazine's Luxury Car of the Year last November. Yes, Luxury Car of the Year, against the Merc W212, the BMW F10 et al.
www.topgear.com/uk/photos/cars-of-the-year?imageNo=6
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It's on my list of possibles when getting a new company car later this year. Looking at the lease rates in my employer's scheme & the tax liability it's better value than a lot of choices like the C5 tourer, Mondeo estate and Insignia estate. It's pretty much a straight fight between a Superb 170bhp SE and a Mazda 6 2.2 diesel currently although that may change when the details of the revised Mazda 6 get onto the lease system. Haven't driven either of them yet but hope to arrange reasonably long term tests in both soon.
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I think the Superb estate will be a huge success. It's just the job for those who need space but don't want to or can't pay Merc E-class prices. It's the modern day equivalent of the old Volvo 740 / 940 estates in terms of customer profile in my opinion. Deserves to do well.
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>> Haven't driven either of them yet but hope to arrange
>> reasonably long term tests in both soon.
It always gets me how guys on company schemes can get reasonably long term tests when I'm paying my own hard earned but struggle to get more than a ride round the block.
Perhaps turning up in an old Mazda 626 diesel and asking for a drive in an expensive motor was a mistake. Wonder how I would be treated now driving onto the forecourt in my year old Merc? Only this time I would be joy riding as I usually keep my cars for the long term.
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>> It always gets me how guys on company schemes can get reasonably long term tests
>> when I'm paying my own hard earned but struggle to get more than a ride
>> round the block.
Depends on the manufacturer support. Three day test periods are common for Ford (delivered to my home), Renault, Vauxhall (delivered to my home, once let me keep a car for a week), BMW, Volvo, Nissan (racked up 500 miles in a cashcow - now thats a test)
Skoda did a 24 hour test period, delivered to your home,
Seat came up with an extended test drive 7 days after I ordered the car.
company car ordering time was a test fest - sometimes the neigbours thought I had started a car business.
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>> company car ordering time was a test fest - sometimes the neigbours thought I had
>> started a car business.
You're rubbing it in now...!
So what did you go for after the test fest and any particular reason for the choice?
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Ah - the last test fest resulted in a Seat Altea XL 1.9TD stylance. Bought on the strength of a 15 minutes round the block test drive!
Reasons? Space, looks, economy, toys, and the P11D tax value (always an important part of the company car choice)
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 18 Mar 10 at 19:58
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W/hen my Golf GTI was stolen I had a hire car followed by over three months by company owned Audi A4 1.8SE and 1.8T Sport and then a VW Passat 1.8T Sport. Company car that followed was Passat 1.8T Sport too. Some neighbours thought I worked for a dealer group :-)
Rollon next change. I could have a nice Audi A5 Sportback for what I pay at the moment!
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> Bought on the strength of a 15 minutes round the block test drive!
This begs the question whether extended test drives are really useful in buying a car?
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>> > Bought on the strength of a 15 minutes round the block test drive!
>>
>> This begs the question whether extended test drives are really useful in buying a car?
To my previous car? The Renault laguna? Yes they were. I narrowed it down to two cars, The last of the primeras (fully loaded) and the Laguna 1.9dci
Three day test in each revealed the primera to be hatefull in nearly every department, (Nicole and the dog throwing up in the back helped that) and the laguna to be a peach of a car ( speciallly the engine)
For the last car? Nah not in the least bit useful but you dont turn down the chance of a test fest do you! (tho - suprisingly for me at the time - the longer term test ruled out the Cashcow)
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 19 Mar 10 at 14:19
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Agree with poeple above. I don't think the saloon/hatch will ever be a big seller, despite the clever boot/hatch, but the estate might even become the fashionable buy for families who have been going for Volvos and Mercedes up to now. And the 4x4 version is much cheaper than anything else that size with 4wd - not for off-roading but very useful if we get snow again like this winter's.
Skoda would clean up even more if they offered a 7-seater, and / or if Audi would let them fit the 3.0 V6 diesel in the Superb. They probably won't - I read somewhere (was it here?) that VAG management is getting worried that Skoda is stealing sales from VW and Audi. Skoda might have to move downmarket again, which would be a pity. But it's certainly true that there's very little reason to buy a Passat rather than either an Octavia or a Superb.
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>> Skoda is stealing sales from VW and Audi
If they are under same group what is the problem?
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>> >> Skoda is stealing sales from VW and Audi
>>
>> If they are under same group what is the problem?
Lower profit margins?
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I checked my companies lease scheme last night and the Superb is a good price. Certainly a lot cheaper than an Audi A4. But an Octavia would be even cheaper. I could be well over £100 per month better off than I am at present with one of those. (take home pay that is). Mor if I chose a low spec model.
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If they made a seven seat Superb estate with a decent multi-cylinder engine (i.e. 6 cyl) I would have one now.
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The first Superb had a V6 diesel as an option but that was based on the previous model Passat with a longitudinal engine. I guess a V6 diesel does not fit anymore. And it is certainly big enough to take 7 seats considering the length.
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There is a 3.6 litre V6 petrol engine available. I don't know why they don't fit a V6 diesel in either the Superb or the Passat. Both the Superb and Passat CC disappeared very quickly off my list of potential company cars as a result of this.
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I guess a marketing man could tell you it's all to do with brand differentiation in the Volkswagen Group. If you want the V6 3.0L 4x4, that'll be the Audi, sir.
Last edited by: Dieselfitter on Thu 18 Mar 10 at 15:55
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But if you want the 3.6l V6 4x4 petrol then you can have that. So why not say the 2.7l V6 diesel that the VW Group has?
I too think it's to do with brands. And you can get a 170PS diesel and soon it will be 200PS. But it will be a 2.0 4-cylinder and not a V6.
When they did have the 2.5 v6 diesel it was less powerful than the more powerful 2.0 on offer now.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Thu 18 Mar 10 at 16:48
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>>But if you want the 3.6l V6 4x4 petrol then you can have that.
I would imagine they'll probably sell about 3 of those though, so not much erosion of Audi's turf there.
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Its not just the Superb thats huge. I have just (last weekend) bought an Octavia and it feels vast compared to its Focus 1 predecessor. I had cause to sit in the back last night while fitting my new floor mats and could not beleive how much knee room I had. As for the boot, well lets just say if I was the murdering kind it would be easy to transport one or two bodies in there!
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"If they are under same group what is the problem?"
They try to differentiate the brands so that they compete with other makes, rather than with each other. If the brands are chasing the same market, they can take sales from each other.
I've no figures to prove this, but I strongly suspect that the main casualty of the Skoda boom has been the Passat, and the arrival of the Superb Combi will drive another nail into the coffin (picking up the image from immediately above!).
Maybe we'll soon see Skoda-bodied hearses......
Last edited by: Avant on Thu 18 Mar 10 at 21:21
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Skoda Superb - What a size - Zero
