markytop

Have the 19in with DCC on mine and as other mentioned, the ride is perfectly acceptable. I have 17in as winter wheels and yes it is a bit softer, but not really that noticeable. You notice it when you change in autumn for about the first 10 miles, then forget about it until spring when you put the 19in back on, and apart from thinking "wow it looks so much better on 19s" you notice its a little bit stiffer, but again only for the first few miles. Nothing to worry about in my opinion, I have certainly been in cars that ride so much more harshly on wheels nowhere near as big at 19in.

To bring this topic slightly back on track, but still linked to the comments above about power, I don't think I would replace my 280 with anything with less power. Being here in Luxembourg, our motorway sliproads are much shorter than in UK, and usually preceded by a hairpin bend, so having a bit of power to get from 50kph to 130kph to join a busy motorway is a definite safety feature. When mine was in for a service, I had a new Golf 1.0TSI as a courtesy car, nice car, but dear god, the trucks on the motorway seemed a lot bigger and quicker when you are merging onto the motorway in it...….. The talk about a new Superb Vrs with 300bhp could be interesting, but my worry is that technology is moving so fast, a new Superb at the end of my current deal (next year) is starting to get left behind the newer, albeit costlier, competition. When you look at the latest tech on the new Audi A6 it is starting to make the interior of the Superb look very out of date. Unless the 2019 Superb has virtual cockpit, fancy led headlights, more power (ideally the 3.0 TSI Audi engine) then I might have to, regrettably, leave a Superb for something with 4 rings on it.

Mine had it's first service last week and had the headlight recall actioned. The lights now do a different "dance" on startup, and it now includes using the shuttering on high beam that it didn't before. Other than that, haven't noticed any difference.

I have 19in with summer tyres, and 17in for winters - swapped the wheels a couple of weeks ago, and it feels much more composed on the 19in - I was expecting it to feel hard and crashy, and was wondering if I would regret going back to the bigger ones. I can honestly say it is fine, and the difference in looks more than make up for it - it just sits so much better on the bigger wheels, and for that alone I would have put up with a compromised ride, but actually its not that different, maybe DCC irons out the extra softness of the bigger sidewalls on the 17in. A few pic I have posted before, but will add again showing the difference with both 19in and 17in on the same car at the same time. Taken when swapping the wheels over last autumn.

Given I'm in an almost identical situation, 280 L&K in Luxembourg on winter tyres, it does seem to be normal (unless both of our cars are suffering the same issue ). I've only noticed wheelspin from inside front at junctions since putting the winter tyres on and the fact roads are generally pretty slippery at the moment from that weird film the roads seem to get at this time of year after the first salting. With the summer tyres on, although bigger sizes (235 v 215, 19in v 17in, I didn't suffer any problem when pulling hard out of junctions either wet or dry. One of my friends with a Range Rover also mentioned the other day that they were getting more wheelspin than expected out of junctions this year. Maybe they have added some additive to the salt they are putting down to make it stick that perversely gives the road this slippery when wet feel. Oh and its true about new tyres still having the release agent on when brand new. I did pull hard out of a junction on a dry road a day or so after I fitted the new winter tyres and got surprised by all 4 wheels spinning and getting a huge tankslapper going down the road. Wished I had chosen the brown interior after that moment.........

After seeing a number of threads on here over the years regarding what size wheels look best, I took the opportunity when changing my summer wheels for the winter ones this morning to have a direct comparison of two sizes on the car at the same time (well kind of..different on front to back) Both are official Skoda wheels, 19in Anthracite Phoenix and 17in Helios Silver, and they do change the look of the car completely. So far not noticed that much difference in ride quality, a little softer and squidgy maybe with the winters due to the bigger sidewalls, but not enough to think that having 19's was ever a mistake in the first place. Apologies for the poor photos, the light in the underground car park at work is not that great.

Pretty certain it is GPS that determines whether to switch the lights around. I travel from Luxembourg to the UK quite a bit, and all the times it has happened (both in my Octavia vRS before I had my Superb) it has become active once a clear satellite signal is gained. EG if you are in the depths of a ferry, the GPS still shows you initially as one the other side of the channel until you reach daylight getting out the boat, then the satellite picks up the signal, and decides you are in another country. The maxidot says something like lights adapted for left hand driving, while you often get the "here are the speed limits for this magical new country you have just driven into" message on the Columbus screen. I have noticed that sometimes the change isn't picked up on the run, and I have often, after getting off the ferry (or tunnel) had to quickly turn off and on the ignition for the new settings to pick up (more so on the Octavia - the Superb seems more able to handle the change). With regards to buying a car in UK and taking to France, maybe consider buying in Luxembourg - I know the dealer here will supply a RHD car, but if you want a LHD cheaper than France, then pop over the border into Lux and save the few percent VAT at least, but generally there are good deals to be had. Prices seems equal to that after a deal in the UK (I paid just over €43k for a fully loaded L&K 280, so about £36k with current exchange rate)

Thanks for all the answers everyone, I might mount my go-pro on the back and see what happens in what situation to make sure. Sounds like a project for a bored Sunday morning Does anyone know if the optional higher speed version of ACC (the one where it works up to 210kmh, rather than 160kmh) is more sensitive or forgiving? I saw it as an option when ordering mine, but at the time decided that at those speeds I would rather be in control myself, but now I have the car and find it so effortless, I can easily see myself sitting at more than 160kmh and wanting the functionality of ACC. (Before anyone complains, I live in Luxembourg and unrestricted German Autobahns are available about 10 min from where I live) Could it be activated with VCDS? Although it was a €300+ option which would seem to suggest some extra hardware involved?

As per title I realise in advance this might be a stupid question, but I'm going to ask anyway. When using Adaptive Cruise Control and it slows you down, do the brake lights come on? Was using it a lot on a long motorway journey over Easter, and noticed that as it first picks up the vehicle in front, there is what feels like a brief tap of the brakes, and just wondering if it is lighting the brake lights because on a virtually empty motorway I had it set on a large gap, but didn't want people thinking that I was flying up behind trucks, tapping the brakes, then pulling out into the next lane like someone who couldn't see past the end of the bonnet

Posted some of these pics in a separate thread when I collected the car a couple of weeks ago, but thought I would add them in here also - especially as there seems to be love for silver cars again (Mulders Sportline estate looks great with the black trim) Spec is L&K 280 with black leather interior with 19in Phoenix anthracite alloys.

Just an update on this topic, I am looking at have my dealer retrofit the 230v socket to the rear of my car. There was a small error with the ordering of the car that meant that the socket wasn't included on delivery a couple of weeks ago. Dealer is being great about it so its not a big issue to me - mistakes happen and they are resolving issue in a professional way so no need to make a fuss. One thing they mentioned today when giving me an update on progress they have found out that the unit can be ordered and fitted no problem and the 230v socket will work fine. The problem apparently is getting the two USB ports to work and be able to be used correctly with the head unit (ie so you can plug devices in the rear and share or control data via the Columbus unit). Thought I would mention as it seems for someone wanting just the 230v socket, as with the mobility scooter scenario, it seems possible albeit with the caveat that the USB wouldn't work. The dealer is in touch with the factory to find a solution for me, so i'll update when I know more - if they don't get an answer quickly from the factory, they are going to attack one of the showroom cars that has a 230v from the factory with a spanner to see what is lurking underneath the socket

I was chatting with some local friends here in Luxembourg a couple of years ago regarding how strict the continental police are around carrying spare bulbs for cars with Xenon units where the manual says "dealer change only" if you get stopped. The general consensus is that you need to a carry a pack of spare bulbs, but not necessarily a pack of spare bulbs for the car you are driving......... It seems that the belief is that the average policeman who stops you will not know whether the bulbs are the correct one, and in modern cars the car will tell you that one has blown, so its unlikely to be any length of time of driving without being lit properly (which is what the rules used to be about - people not knowing a bulb had gone) Therefore if you have one of the standard packs in the car you can get from any cheap shop, that will cover the box-ticking exercise (which is generally the case with foreign registered cars) that anyone stopping you will require.

Registrations aren't traded here in Lux in the same way as in the UK, but when registering a car for €40 you can choose the plate if not already taken and given there are two systems in place (5 numbers or two letters and four numbers) you have a wide choice. The obvious ones are taken, so MT0001 has gone, but MT are my initials, and 5000 just looked like a good number visually. I had the plate on my Octavia vRS before, so was an easy switch to the Superb. Luckily MT5001 and MT5002 are still available so if I get a second and third car, I can have consecutive plates, although part of me thinks that is a bit OCD, I would be forever re-arranging them on the drive to get them in order

Have just handed over the keys to my Octavia vRS over and collected my new Superb 280 L&K. So far (admittedly only around 4 hours but around 200km in) it is proving to be a great choice - I love it. Spec is full L&K with basically everything but the towbar and tv tuner, most extras come in a Luxe Pack here (I'm in Luxembourg) so it includes things like the webasto heater etc. Car was ordered at end of November, so just over 3 months build and delivery which isn't too bad I think for a 280. Was in two minds whether to have silver with black leather or jungle green with beige leather, but seeing it I am glad I went with the silver. Works well with the anthracite wheels I think. Can't wait to get the hang of all the toys in it and (once run in a bit more) to go for a nice cruise across the border into Germany to search out the autobahn........

Have recently been through the same thought process given the end of my 3 year lease on the VRS is approaching end Q1 2017. Many different cars have been under consideration, all within the 30-50k (euros - I live in Luxembourg) bracket. This budget opens up a huge range of options, but after the VRS it is hard to find anything that ticks so many boxes. I don't have family (yet), so mainly just for me to use for commuting to work (about 15km each way) and then long drives back from Luxembourg to Nottingham for parent visits every 3 months or so, hence the wide range in the list below, which may explain why some choices are not easy to see as direct competition. I have considered everything below and I've listed my thoughts/musings: Mazda MX5, Abarth 124 (Pro - fun cars, convertible, good price, Cons - no real practicality for everyday car, not actually that quick) Porsche 718 Cayman/Boxster (Pro - strong performance and handling, Cons - would be poverty spec at this price point and I would miss the toys in the VRS), Ford Mustang (Pro - Looks good, 5L V8 soundtrack - Cons - back seats only for people with no legs, poor boot space given size, subjectively image is a bit "council") Alfa Romeo Guila (Pro - Great interior and exterior styling, that "Alfa feel", really thought this would be the replacement car but the Cons - No performance petrol variant yet (unless you want the 500bhp cloverleaf which is out of budget), poor boot space, local Alfa dealer being useless (I seem to have the power of invisibility everytime I went in) VW Golf GTI - Old hat now, and was the reason I bought the VRS in the first place, cant see where the 10k price difference is justified. VW Tiguan biturbo diesel R-Line - (Pro - a bit different, bi-turbo diesel a strong engine, higher driving position, Cons - its a SUV, its a diesel, its expensive when brought to VRS spec Mercedes CLA - (Pro - like the looks, a bit different, strong diesel engines, good build quality, Cons - stupid stupid sat nav screen looking like a cheap tablet superglued to the dash, expensive when kitted out to VRS spec) BMW - nothing really floats my boat in current range, 1/2 series not really big enough, 3/4 series expensive when kitted out and not as practical as Octavia. Build quality on ones I looked at didn't completely impress either And now the two runner up positions: Audi S3 saloon - (Pro - Looks good, interior quality, performance, 4x4, Matrix LED headlights, Cons - stupid Sat Nav screen appearing out of top of dashboard (sorry these are a pet hate , cost with all options (top end of 50k budget), boot space given its a proper saloon rather than hatchback, felt slightly old hat compared with TT) Audi TTS - (Pro - Interior is amazing, definitely the best I have sat in in these tests, Virtual cockpit is great and little things like the LED displays within the heater dials look and feel great, performance, solidly built, Cons - Very expensive when kitted out (approx. 53k), back seats essentially useless, boot space only ok when rear seats folded. And the winner that got my order was: Skoda Superb L&K 280 (Pro - Everything my VRS has but with a load of new toys too, faster, 4x4, loads of space, good modern looks (sharper than O3, much better than facelift O3), interior build quality seems a step up from O3, Great comfortable cruising ability for long distances, Cons - it's a bit big, interior not perhaps as adventurous as could be, not got the latest VW Group kit like virtual cockpit and Matrix LED lights. So, I have stayed within the Skoda family, and can't wait until April when my Superb arrives. Of course, if they had made the Octavia Vrs 4x4, and with the 280 bhp engine, then the chances are I would have replaced it with one of those without hesitation........