Colin170CR

I've been looking at the Epiq for a while now. It could be the replacement for my wife's current '22plate 64kWh Kona EV. I need to test drive one because the main reason we want to change is the Kona's ride which is so bouncy & jiggly. The Kona's short wheel base & stiff springs / shocks don't help it at all. Fine on smooth roads but we don't have many of them in the UK. The Epiq is about the same length but with a much bigger boot & a slightly smaller battery / range. We currently are getting 4.7miles/kWh out of the Kona (no heat pump) which is is going to be hard to beat. None of our local dealers has an Epiq in their showrooms yet. However, the order books are open if you want to buy one? Why would someone order a car without seeing one in the flesh or taking it for a test drive? Our next car could be our first ever lease car as well.

I had to get my MK3 280 4x4 L&K wheel alignment checked after I noticed some really bad rear tyre wear soon after I got the car at 2.5 years old. The inner tyre shoulder was down to the canvas on on both rears. However, there was still 3-4mm of tread depth on the outer shoulder & majority of the tyre tread. Very difficult to see the inside tread wear from outside the car unless you get the car up on a ramp or get under it. I took mine to a local alignment specialist with a 4 wheel Hunter setup. Apparently it's a well known issue with many VAG group cars that use the same back end suspension & the factory isn't that precise on how they set up the camber at the rear. Mine was out by quite a few degrees. Not had any rear tyre wear issues since (6 years & counting).

Beats me. Obviously not serious enough for a fail in my case so they just advising me. According to my indi garage the spring mounts are a corrosion failing point on many VAG group cars.

Snap. My 2016 280 L&K estate is at 76k & is also developing a few funny noises over rough surfaces, mainly from the back. I can't pin down where it's coming from yet but, like you, I suspect a few suspension items / bushes may need replacing soon. It's still on the original DCC shocks & springs although the springs have been advisories on the last 2 MOT's for corrosion. Best I get on a run is 36mpg & 26mpg for local stuff. Revo stage 1 software for 360bhp has not altered the mpg & I run it on 99RON all the time. I still love the car & it's probably time to give it bit more love & a decent detail valet & paint protection.

Ditto but mines Black so it shows everything. We had two rounds of Sahara sand in the last few weeks. All but gone now after some rain so just road grime & other debris to sort. After washing & paint correction in the next few days I'm going to attempt some Graphene protection. Failing that I might treat the old girl to a paid detail clean & ceramic coating to make keeping her clean at home easier.

Sounds about right. Similar situation for me a few weeks ago. Christmas tree of dashboard warning lights turned out to be be 2 x ABS sensors front & back. Expensive bill at independent VAG garage.

Yep. I'll probably hold off on a replacement for a while longer. We are using my wife's Kona EV more & more as it's so much cheaper to run & is easier to get in & out of with my worsening back issues. I've never been a fan of SUV's but they are much better for getting in & out of as you get older.

I got my Superb A/C serviced when the car was last serviced as part of a £1,009 bill!! AC service included fresh / replacement gas, UV dye compressor oil, new pipework O rings & pollen filter (£85+vat). Rest of my bill was for the basic car service (£170+vat), front discs & pads (£260+vat) & 2 x ABS wheel sensors (£326.24+vat). It's 10 years old now so some bigger bills incoming. Advisories on front lower suspension arm bushes, rear coil spring corrosion at common fracture point. I'm thinking about replacing it, maybe with my first lease car. Don't know what I fancy as yet. Maybe an Elroq.

My centre caps are fitted with the optional tape trick as well. Been on for years now because I wasn't sure what diameter my wheel centres were (56,57,58mm) when I ordered replacement caps.

When it came time to sort my wheels out I got my L&K Trinity 19" diamond cut wheels powder coated gloss black to match the car paintwork. Cheaper than getting the wheels refurbed & diamond cut to the original spec & powder coating is a more durable finish. Also makes the car look a bit meaner.

Me also. My old CR170 diesel estate (FWD) was quick but had almost uncontrollable front wheel scrabble in damp / wet conditions, in the dry also if the front wheels were angled for a left / right turn at a junction. This was especially noticeable at roundabouts when you wanted to get into a gap quickly but were left stationary with the font tyres spinning in the wet! It also meant the front tyres took a bit of a beating with replacements fairly frequently at circa 20k intervals. So after 150k miles in my CR170, & with retirement looming, I wanted a smoother petrol 4 x 4 estate. Enter the 280! The 280 has no wet weather tyre scrabble or traction issues whatsoever. Believe me I have tried!! There is / was a bit of DSG hesitation when setting off from a standing start but that can be mitigated a bit by using Sport mode. I had a Revo Stage 1 remap (360bhp) done a few years ago & I have fitted a RaceChip Throttle / pedal box which eliminates any DSG hesitation altogether. The RaceChip box was swapped from my wife's Karoq 1.5 DSG 4 x 4 when we sold it which suffered from terrible DSG take off hesitation. Now the take off & acceleration of the 280 in sport mode is somewhat "savage" which makes it a bit of a hooligan as it hangs on the the gears much higher up the rev band. As you said, in normal Drive mode the torque comes in as a smooth linear progression for more relaxed but equally fast progression which negates the need to use Sport mode in all but exceptional circumstances. By contrast, my wife has a FWD Kona EV which has 201bhp & 291 lbft (395Nm) of torque. It's quick but even in Normal drive mode in the dry in a straight line the front tyres struggle for grip. In Sport mode it's almost undrivable in the wet. My wife went through the front tyres in 13k miles! It's now set in Eco mode which eliminates the tyre scabble & it's still plenty quick enough. The current model 64kWh Kona EV's have the same 201bhp power but a reduced amount of torque (188 lbft / 255Nm)! I wonder why? Not sure I could go back to a higher power 2WD car now?

Exactly why I bought a 280 L&K Estate & it still scares the bejesus out of first time passengers. 😇

Even faster if it's been chipped!!

One of life's mysteries. Hope you find it 🤞. Just like when I went to use my Superb jack the other day to raise our heavy sofa to replace the screw in legs & couldn't find the handle for the jack. The one that is articulated in the middle. Not in my boot or anywhere I looked in the garage. Can't for the life of me think where it could be. Last time I used it was when I tried jacking up my wife's EV (no jack or spare) & failed miserably because it was too heavy!! I had to order a new handle, together with an electric drill jack adapter socket, from Amazon.

Ditto. I've always used Tesco Momentum 99RON in mine (supposedly better than Shell V-Power in independent tests). No shortage where I am. In fact I filled up the other day at £1.46p / litre when they had run out of Diesel completely & some of the 95RON unleaded pumps were also taped off. The 280 definitely performs better & has lower fuel consumption with 99. I think I've only used 95RON on a couple occasions in 8 years when on holiday & couldn't find any 99RON.