We’ve now had the Superb for 6 weeks so it seemed a reasonable time give an appreciation of how it’s done so far.
Its diesel, manual and 2 litres. SE trim.
The first impression is how bloomin enormous it is. Width ways it’s much the same as the ‘lingo but it’s a good half metre longer. It overhangs some supermarket bays and even where the bay is long enough it needs care to ensure one end or the other isn’t in other people’s way. It’s also easy to clip the n/s rear tyre being too close to the inside on sum roads; take a bow Grosvenor Centre Car Park in Northampton!! Trim too low for it to be able to park itself like my Daughter’s in laws Passat.
Instruments are a ‘virtual cockpit’ set up with several options. I’m sticking to relatively conventional round dials with revs on the left and speed to the right. Speed is repeated digitally. It has a nag function which seems designed to offend my sensibility about letting engines labour. In practice I suspect with an automated digital engine control labouring isn’t really a thing but having it tell me I should be in sixth at not much more than 40mph doesn’t feel right!!
On the road it handles pretty well. Not as surefooted as the Xantia was was but that had incredibly sporty handling for a medium/large estate car. It’s got 150PS under the bonnet and torque to match. First car I’ve owned where it’s relatively easy to spin the front wheels on a dry road. Performance off the line is well north of adequate. It was three or four driving modes which I’ve not yet fully explored, but even in economy it’s amply quick.
First car I’ve owned without a conventional parking brake which is complete with a ‘hold’ facility. While you forget about it and just drive the car it’s fine. Start thinking about it and it can be confusing. The hold thing needs you to be on the brake pedal as the car comes to a halt. Taken a while to get the art of getting it to set without my/my passengers’ heads bobbling avoiding which is a bit of smooth driving I pride myself on. Think I’ve got it now.
Auto lights and, it seems, auto wipers too. Not sure I’m 100% with either. It nags me if I go somewhere where I probably should have lights on but don’t. Probably a dipping mirror too but I’ve not used it much at night yet. Headlamps are pretty good, much better than either the ‘lingo or the Fabia.
Radio etc system is brilliant except that for some reason it refuses to hang onto Times Radio around my locale - the Fabia clung to it like a limpet. Android Auto connects over Bluetooth rather than needing USB like the Fabia and provides all the Navigation needed. Phone itself integrates seamlessly as you’d expect and pairs with either my phone or hers.
Heating and Ventilation are controlled by a mix of buttons for airflow direction and rotary dials for temperature with the option for different temperatures for driver and front seat passenger. Just leave it on automatic and it performs well and in near silence.
It has cruise control, another first for me as the Fabia only had a limiter. It functions brilliantly with me just tweaking the speed up and down with buttons on the end of the indicator switch.
Economy for a car with a kerbweight around 1600kg is incredible. Well over 40 to the gallon around town and over 50 on the open road unless I’m caning it.
First proper outing was for a family weekend at Center Parcs Sherwood. Swallowed everything with ease. Bromptons sit a tad higher relative the tonneau cover for the boot than they did with the ‘lingo’s parcel shelf but it’s easy enough to remove the cover. It was always removed from the car when travelling long distance/loaded in every estate car we’ve owned. There’s a large blanket somewhere in the house that will cover stuff as it did in the Xantia and ‘lingo #1. Brilliant on the road per the account above re autothrottle etc.
We finally got a towbar fitted on Monday after some procrastination about make of bar and fitter. The guys where we store the ‘van suggested a local agent for Towbars UK. He did an excellent job. Bumper had to come off and the wiring, proper kit dedicated to the Superb, needed quite a bit of interior dismantling. It was then coded to the car.
Did a quick run up the M1 to J18 and back down the A5 with the 'van. All entirely without drama except for some bumping noises under stop start conditions – the ‘lingo does that sometimes as well. It’s much less prone to follow the crudely suspended Xplore’s every jiggle on local roads.
One issue we have is that the tow ball is considerably higher than on the ‘lingo – where it’s almost implausibly low. The 'vans mud flaps contacted the ground on a couple of horse/cart era bridges over the Grand Union as we returned it to store.
Will probably be better if the car’s loaded at the rear and, as we’re no longer on a knife edge with nose weight, I can add a second gas cylinder and one or two other bits and bobs in the nose compartment too. If push comes to shove the van’s only got mudflaps because it was some sort of special edition so they can come off.
When Garry, owner of the storage yard and sales/repair place where we keep the van saw us with a new and mahoosive car he asked if we were putting the ‘van in the boot!!
Since ‘lingo #2 in 2013 all our cars have had names. Superb now has our own 1951 vintage personal plate on but the reg it came with had the prefix EJ. I worked with a gentleman with those initials early in my Civil Service career who was known as Emlyn. He had a distinguished war record and one or two other claims to fame and I quite like that as a name. Mrs B wants a Scots Gaelic theme and suggests the alliterative Seoras, the Gaelic form of George.
At the moment we’re disagreeing but I expect I’ll be rolled over in the end!!
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First minor glitch.
Driving to Liverpool yesterday for family gathering it put up a warning for an EPC (engine electronics) issue. On the M6 at the time and using cruise control.
Seemed to go into a reduced power 'limp' type mode and Cruise Control pilot light turned from green to amber, added an exclamation mark and disengaged.
After we ground to a halt in a jam I stopped and restarted the engine and everything was back to normal.
Will speak to the supplying dealer on Monday and see what they advise.
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...well, given the accumulated evidence, I think he probably does, but in the first instance, doing it to the car is possibly better. ;-)
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I wonder if this is related to emissions control gubbins, given that your car is a diesel.
Fear of that was one of the many reasons why I chose a petrol Superb. It's giving me a reliable 50-60mpg on the motorway, which is fine for me.
The DSG in mine is brilliant, and does not exhibit the old hesitation which plagued earlier incarnations of the box, and which prompted me to get rid of a DSG equipped Touran all those years ago.
If you weren't aware, I went for a hatch as the boot is so huge that it renders (for me) the estate version unnecessary.
I see yours is an SE spec. So is mine (2022 72 plate, bought on 7k miles, Approved Used, now on 12k). I kind of wish I'd waited for an SE Tech, as mine is missing radar adaptive cruise. I had thought it wouldn't bother me, but now I've experienced this system in my new Leaf, I really wish my main motorway car had it too. I might well ask the dealer if it's retrofittable.
I'm not so impressed as you with the infotainment. There is no inbuilt satnav on my SE, so I use Android Auto and Google Maps. This is fine when connected by bluetooth, but annoyingly, when I plug a USB cable in (in order to keep the device charged on a long drive), bumps in the road surface cause it to disconnect. And, of course, the First Law of Sod being what it is, it's always at a juncture where I want to be referring to the screen.
I also hate the virtual cockpit changing my chosen display (centre speedo) to the rudimentary satnav arrows display every time I start Google Maps navigation. I want it to stay with my chosen display at all times, but can't find anywhere in the menu to tell it this. Very, very annoying.
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>> but annoyingly, when I plug a USB cable in (in order to keep
>> the device charged on a long drive), bumps in the road surface cause it to
>> disconnect.
If your car has a cigar lighter socket an old fashioned cigar lighter to usb adapter can keep the phone charged and not connected via USB.
I prefer this method as it's a faster charge and doesn't connect iTunes or Google CarPlay via USB.
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That's a good point, zippy. Thanks. I do still have a couple of those old style adapters.
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We used them all the time in the 'lingo which had no USB sockets as well as the Fabia which only had one.
Can you still buy them easily?
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>>
>>
>> Can you still buy them easily?
>>
Loads available -
www.amazon.co.uk/AINOPE-Charger-Adapter-Smallest-Cigarette-Black/dp/B0B1JCPXQC
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 14 Apr 25 at 11:09
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Annoyingly, my Superb appears to be the type of car in which the 12v outlets remain live once the car is switched off, meaning you've got to take these things out of the socket every time.
Why do car makers do this? It's daft.
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>> Why do car makers do this? It's daft.
It is and it isn't. Berlingo #1 did that and it was damn useful camping for charging laptops and other stuff while in the tent. We never had an electric hookup until the caravan.
Never caused an issue and I'm reasonably confident it would have switched them off before compromising the car's electrics or ability to start.
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In my GTI I use one that I don't pull out but then it's a very basic one with no LEDs so I guess it only draws power when something is plugged into it.
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>> Annoyingly, my Superb appears to be the type of car in which the 12v outlets
>> remain live once the car is switched off, meaning you've got to take these things
>> out of the socket every time.
>>
Just check that it doesn't have a delayed switch-off (some cars most certainly do).
After the car's been left off for a while, climb in through the passenger door, insert the adapter, and see if it's still live.
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>> Just check that it doesn't have a delayed switch-off (some cars most certainly do).
>>
>> After the car's been left off for a while, climb in through the passenger door,
>> insert the adapter, and see if it's still live.
>>
>>
Imagines:
Man leaves passenger car window open to achieve this goal.
Man leans through window cant quite reach the socket.
Goes further and further to reach the socket.
Gets stuck.
Fire Engine called to pull him out
:-D
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>>
>>
>> Imagines:
>>
>> Man leaves passenger car window open to achieve this goal.
>>
>> Man leans through window cant quite reach the socket.
>>
>> Goes further and further to reach the socket.
>>
>> Gets stuck.
>>
>> Fire Engine called to pull him out
>>
>> :-D
>>
Firefighters cut the roof off to free him :-)
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>> Just check that it doesn't have a delayed switch-off (some cars most certainly do).
Yup, the beemer shuts off accesories 10 minutes after locking.
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What’s the issue? It’s it to charge a phone and there is no phone left in the car charging then surely it won’t drain the battery?
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>> What’s the issue? It’s it to charge a phone and there is no phone left
>> in the car charging then surely it won’t drain the battery?
>>
Some of the fancier chargers have a small current draw even if they are not charging anything - for example to power its LEDs - the draw on these is likely to be tiny but could in exception circs, drain the battery, if the car doesn't sense the drain and turn the socket off.
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Yes, this. My car is often parked up unused for weeks at a time. I don't want ANYTHING draining the battery unnecessarily.
Issue is teenagers using the back seats, plugging one of these things into the 12v socket in the back (there isn't a USB outlet in the back) and all of us forgetting to pull it out when we get out.
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I just done a little eggspemirent. I plugged one of my USB 12v adapters, which has a visible LED when powered, into the rear seat outlet, then got out and locked the car. Looking through the window, the LED is still on so power is being drawn. I left the car 20 minutes, to see if it goes to "sleep" or something and turns off power to the 12v outlet. No, it doesn't. The LED was still on after 20 minutes.
I suppose Skoda's calculation is that more people want these thing perma-live than not. Of course I'm a 'not' person, so boo hiss Skoda.
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LEDs draw 10 to 30 mA. Assuming an average of 20mA, that's roughly 500mA/24hours, one Ah every two days. Assuming you've a 60Ah battery, the car would have to be unused for 60 days for the battery to be half discharged, that's eight and a half weeks, two months.
Do you think you need to worry?
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Depends how health your battery is at any given time I suppose.
I'd rather not chance it.
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Seoras the Skoda is 'home' on Harris!!
Arrived in our usual cottage just before 23:00, CalMac having problems with the ferry's bow door so operating 'single ended' with lengthed turnarounds. Cars can drive round the main vehicle deck but larger vehicles need to reverse.
Apart from popping the EPC light mentioned above on three or four times its been perfect. It's nothing to do with emissions. Comes up on the display as a stop/start fault but it takes the cruise out with it. Engine off and on again and it's right as rain.
Booked in for investigation immediately after we return. First workshop availability was over a month after I called in.
Yesterday was all motorway and we're routinely seeing over 60 to the gallon at around the legal limit. High fifties today via A82, Fort William then the turntable ferry from Glenelg and over and around Skye.
Certainly don't feel as though I've spent the 7+ hours in the driving seat it says I have.!!
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Sounds like you're enjoying the car Bromp.
Always a good sign when it eats up the miles and you feel it went quickly.
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Been on the Glenelg ferry once! It’s an experience!
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>> Been on the Glenelg ferry once! It’s an experience!
It completely bamboozled Google maps which told me to turn back and added an hour to our arrival time at destination we'd set as Portree.
Once we were on Skye it settled down and returned to something reasonable.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Mon 2 Jun 25 at 09:40
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Reminds me of a friend who was going to a major golf event at Muirfield, east of Edinburgh. He was chuffed to get a very good hotel online deal and only about 15 miles away. The only problem it was “crow flies” miles in the hotel booking App. The hotel was across The Firth of Forth and the road distance was about 75 miles. He was able to rebook but it cost him.
Anyway, closer to the thread, I’ve used the Glenelg ferry many years ago. There was a strong current running so it had to crab across. Hope you enjoy Skye. I first went there as 60 odd years ago when it was much harder to get to . The family tale goes that the lady renting us a cottage at Glendale had to apologise for the commands she was giving to her dog. “He only speaks Gaelic” she explained.
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My Superb 1.5 TSI DSG (hatch) will be doing Marseille and back in July, and then Lyon and back in August/September. Currently on long (in UK terms) journeys I get low-mid 50s mpg. I've had just over 60 once on a run Thornbury-Reading. Will be interesting to see what I get on the French runs this year, but I'm quite pleased it isn't too far behind your diesel manual version in general.
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We're doing Caen>Le Mont Dore in mid July and then on to Camping Val de Cantobre.
Outbound should be off the night ferry and done in a day.
Low to mid thirties to the gallon with 1300kg of 'van on the back.
About 56mpg yesterday on the largely single track road to Rodel and back. Weather better than it had any business to be according to the forecast.
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I'm crossing to Caen on Friday and will be passing close to Mont Dore a few days later on my way to Nice. By bicycle, so no diesel consumption issues for me!
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>> I'm crossing to Caen on Friday and will be passing close to Mont Dore a
>> few days later on my way to Nice. By bicycle, so no diesel consumption issues
>> for me!
Like Harris, Le Mont Dore has a moth>flame attraction for us.
Went there first in 1990 on our touring pedal bikes. At the time SNCF Motorail to Brive, amongst other places, added a Fourgon de Baggages for the carriage of cycles. We broadly followed the Dordogne to its source below the Sancy and back.
Returned by car in 1992 when child #1 was in utero then with Primary age kids in Y2K.
Multiple subsequent visits to same campsite with tent and then caravan.
Having been last year we'd intended to do something else but the Tour de France has a stage finish below the Sancy on 14 July - cannot miss that!!
When we first went it had the feel of an out of season ski resort but has since redeveloped as a summer destination.
Somehow it has a bit of Keswick about it...
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Val de Cantobre, brings back memories from35 years ago. I guess the facilities have changed since then. Am I correct in remembering that it was run by a Dutch family?
They used to deliver the morning baguettes and croissants to individual pitches by throwing them out of an old 2CV.
We drive by regularly on the A75 and keep meaning to deviate to visit to see how the locale has changed.
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>> and then on to Camping Val de Cantobre.
Ooh - I think I might have been here. Lovely terraced site. Is it near the Millau bridge?
It was a while ago as I would have been in my Superb mkI.
Last edited by: BigJohn on Mon 2 Jun 25 at 22:39
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>
>> Apart from popping the EPC light mentioned above on three or four times its been
>> perfect. It's nothing to do with emissions. Comes up on the display as a stop/start
>> fault but it takes the cruise out with it. Engine off and on again and
>> it's right as rain.
My money is on a wheel speed sensor.
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>> My money is on a wheel speed sensor.
I'll know on Monday. Slight worry that they'll try to say it was something the towbar guy did.
Curiously, for the whole of this week on Harris and Lewis it's not been on once in around 300 miles.
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>>Curiously, for the whole of this week on Harris and Lewis it's not been on
>> once in around 300 miles.
Neither did it come on again between Ullapool and our night stop in Inverness or in the all but 500 mile journey home yesterday.
Left the hotel around 08:15 and pulled onto our drive at 18:15. Stops totalled around 90 minutes most of them at Tebay where I bought quite a bit of meat; goat, rabbit and venison. Plus Sam Smith's beers which are a beggar to find in shops round here.
Apart from my left leg which which always gribbles on long drives I was fresh as a daisy.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Mon 9 Jun 25 at 09:08
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Had a taxi ride in a Superb...lovely thing, fine ride, plenty of space. Would seriously consider one
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If you want a fabulous large car, at stupidly cheap price…my Guernsey based friend is selling his elderly MB S500 4matic. It’s a V8. He used to drive it regularly though France to the CBlanca, but is now reducing his ‘fleet’ of cars.
I’ve been chauffeured around in it a few times. What a glorious machine. Whisper quiet. Ambient lighting. The finest leather seats you could imagine. Massive performance should it be required. Simply wonderful piece of automobile, but LHD. As he wanted for touring Europe on holiday.
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Back end of last week Skoda sent me a reminder that my car has a subscription to Skoda Connect allowing access to some bits/bobs via an App.
Though I'd give it a try but it wouldn't register while the car was outside our holiday cottage on Harris, probably a mobile signal issue. Managed to sort it while in the ferry queue at Stornoway on Saturday and set myself up as main user. However it then demanded an S-Pin before letting me st the Sat Nav leaving Ullapool.
Sorted that but it also set various things back to default including locking the doors like a taxi when moving, auto rear wiper - it grates against too dry glass - and 12hr clock.
Ended up deleting the App from the car and sorting the personal preferences before laving Inverness on Sunday.
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The auto rear wiper should only activate if you select reverse AND you have the front wipers in any of the 'on' positions including auto.
I also have that option unticked, I think it was from when it was very cold and there was a chance it could try and wipe when frozen.
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>> The auto rear wiper should only activate if you select reverse AND you have the
>> front wipers in any of the 'on' positions including auto.
>>
>>
>>
A "Feature" I hate. In light rain the more upright rear screen is barely wet when you need the front wipers.
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>> The auto rear wiper should only activate if you select reverse AND you have the
>> front wipers in any of the 'on' positions including auto.
If the wipers are set up to automatic AND the rear wiper function ticked it seemed to be operating the rear wiper at regular intervals. Ok in town when rain fell on the screen but at speed it tends just to pick up spray. Hence it was 'dragging' on dry glass.
Maybe I'm wrong, on Harris last week was probably the first time I've used the wipers on auto and in prolonged rain.
I'll have a play when I get the car home.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Mon 9 Jun 25 at 14:34
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Six Weeks With a Superb - Bromptonaut
