Kingsley

The old Superb had accessory wood trims available on the internet. They last pretty well, even though it's a very thin slice of real wood under the varnish. My Passat is nearly 10 years old and looks very 'Bentley' inside. I love it. We will in due time be buying a Superb Combi to replace it. There were several aftermarket kits for the first Superb, but try as I might I cannot find anything for Superb 2. I really like the imitation wood on the Elegance models, but it would be nice to be able to add similar OEM wood around the window controls on the doors and perhaps on the central console, to match what is already there, just to finish off the excellent level of luxury. Has anyone seen anything like this anywhere?

Has anyone seen wood dash trims to augment the imitation wood trim in the new Superb? I have looked everywhere and found nothing yet.

You are on your own

So, does the Chinese catalogue have part numbers for chrome grille bars and the part wood steering wheel? Any other goodies we don't get in Europe, as far as you know?

Did you also notice chrome grille bars and a part wood steering wheel? Ho ho ho - we shall have some fun when we order our Combi at some future time. Oh, yes!

All sound systems take time to burn in, at home or in cars - I had the same experience with an upgraded system in our old Passat. It got much better over time. Anyone (some of you dealers out there for instance) know if it would be feasible to order the VW Dynaudio system in a new Superb?

I emailed Skoda info-line in May to ask about the launch date of the Combi (non-committal reply - 'probably this year') and the possibilty of an L&K version of the Superb, which I would love to see and later, buy. More wood, better leather, more toys, special finishes etc. I was told that in the penultimate week of May a new spec for the Superb 'Exclusive', equivalent to L&K was issued to dealers. Does anyone know anything about this out there? I have been hunting fruitlessly on the web since for any details. Any more clues about the Combi release? All the pics so far seem to be just Photochops.

I have been to the Geneva show twice this year, and after going around all the most beautiful cars, sitting in the Bentley Continental and other really great cars, I returned to the Superb, and was far from disappointed by the comparison. Readers of this may consider I am exaggerating, but I wonder how many of you have read the two volumes on the history of this remarkable company over the last 100 years and more?A comparison of this car in any way to a Safrane (or any other car other than the big luxury cars such as Bentleys or Rolls Royces) is maddening to me, because I love cars and i simply cannot see any such resemblance at all. Looking with honest eyes and a love of Skoda cars, one can clearly see wonderful design features that mark this car out as a Skoda in a traditional sense, and I find it stunningly beautiful. Pictures really do not do it justice - you have to see it in the metal. I am astonished how much I like it. It is smart, classically dignified, in the manner of the great cars, and yet thoroughly modern. It is really a limousine for the masses, and the beautiful wine red metallic six cylinder 260 bhp 4x4 car on show, with a lovely ivory leather interior, DSG automatic gears and full satnav etc etc. will sell, they say, for about 55,000 Swiss Francs when it goes on sale (after the cheaper models) in November, which is equivalent to less than half that figure in pounds - remarkable value. My wife and I will retire in about 6 years, and we will either buy a secondhand VW Phaeton - a beautiful incredibly underrated car with real luxury - or a Superb, probably the estate, new, at the top of the range. That's how highly I rate this car. Of course, were we wealthy I would really prefer a Bentley Continental to anything else, but the fact remains that all these cars are produced under the wing of VAG and each of them represents real quality and style. I sincerely hope that Skoda will produce an even more luxurious interior in an L&K trim, as the body contours and the quality of construction truly merit it. It is sumptuously lovely, much more thrilling to the eye than a Mercedes or BMW, makes the Passat look small and rather hunchbacked, and an Audi A4 or A6 look somehow bald and aggressive in comparison. I had to make a big effort to walk away from the stand. I liked all the versions on show, as the interior works well at all trim levels, but mainly because of that gorgeous body! I hope there will be cool accessories available this time, like, for instance, a wooden steering wheel. I love Skodas.

We had this problem with our fabia years ago, and of course it was cured under warranty. Anyway, a decent dealer will just fix it up for you at any time, if you have a friendly relationship, as this is a common problem and the pegs cost next to nothing. That's the whole point of friendly 'family' dealers, and why Skoda worked hard to resist their dealerships being swallowed up into the collective VAG dealerships where we find other members of the family. We are are friends and fans, buyers and delaers alike, rather as in the early VW Beetle days. A certain camaraderie, no? of course, all the idiots who ever thought Skodas were just rubbish are now flocking to buy them, but we must be loving and tolerant, I suppose, and learn to share our blessings!

I can confirm that Skoda will introduce a 2litre TDI engined 4x4 Octavia in their 2007 offering, having written to ask them. They say end this year, beginning next, but I really hope it will be available sooner, in view of a likely imminent purchase .(depending on where we will be living soon, might not have to be 4x4 anyway)

Has anyone tried installing a small 'shark fin' type radio aerial on an Octavia in the place of the usual whip variety? Is it feasible?

Has anybody installed a replacement steering wheel in their Octy? I would love to have a wooden wheel in our next car - we are on the verge of buying an Octy 4x4 combi. It will probably have a black interior with fawn custom leather and birds-eye maple wood trims on the dash, so a matching wheel would be nice. I know a lot of people would think I am mad in adding all this, but you spend a lot of time inside a car, and enjoying it to the full is my aim. Ideally I would have had a fully equipped L&K 4x4 with ivory interior, but that is not available in the new range, so I have to spec it up myself. Was there a strong rumour of the 2litre TDI engine about to be offered in the 4x4, or am I mistaken?

We bought a Favorit in Sofia out of tax for 5000 dollars and ran it without a single problem for nine years. In all that time it needed one replacement of the tyres and a new exhaust, otherwise the servicing cost next to nothing. That is how we discovered this very noble make of car, why we now run a Fabia, and why we are considering an Octavia 4x4 combi for our next posting (depending on where we will be sent). If people are stupid enough to laugh still, let them. All over Europe Skodas are now recognised as the best, most satisfying make of car after the Japanese, and in the JD Power survey came only second as a marque to Lexus!! If they laugh they lose out on a car that, for all its technical resemblances to a VW, is actually better made and more reliable than any other VAG marque, save perhaps Bentley. In fact, the early prototypes for the Continentals were made by Skodas, such is the class of the factory. If you are seriously interested in the World's third oldest car company, try tracking down the two volumes of 'L&K Skoda 1895- 1995' by Petr Kozisek and Jan Kralik, privately published by Motor Press Praha in cooperation with the publishing house MILPO, ISBN 80-901749-2-2 in English. These two lovely volumes were published in 1995 to celebrate the centenary of the company, and are exhaustive, with pictures of almost everything ever made and all the prototypes. Truly one of the greatest and most interesting ever marques of car.

Has anyone seen this yet? http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos.cfm/spyphotoid/6051221.001/pageview/photo/photo/Mini1/page/1/skoda/1.html I'd much rather have something svelte like that than a new Passat!

Has nobody seen this yet, instead of all the horsing around? http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos.cfm/spyphotoid/6051221.001/pageview/photo/photo/Mini1/page/1/skoda/1.html

We're in the Netherlands.

Grrrrrrr. What are you all whining about? This is a classic, extremely elegant design, combining modern looks and the dignity of the Skoda traditional radiator. It's lovely, looks nothing like a VW (or a lousy BMW), and if it were big enough in the combi I'd jump at one. This car looks excellent, a thousand times better than a Hyundai Merc for instance, or a Bangle Bimmer. Skodas must have a little quirkyness to set them apart as truly Bohemian vehicles. You all seem to have no idea of the history of this great marque - look at some examples from the past. They have never been quite like all other cars. Rally round chaps! i can't wait for the Geneva show to see it.

I don't know about Felicias, except that I love them intensely for their character, as the last '100%' Skodas before the great Octavia. But we had a Favorit LS for 9 years, which cost us $5000 new out of tax in Bulgaria, never cost a bean except for cheap servicing and 4 new tyres and an exhaust. It never broke down, never went wrong. If you look at the history of this fine automobile company, the third oldest in the World, and its record of motorsport and racing suucesses, it's all hardly surprising, is it? VW did a brilliant job getting this company into the fold, and have maintained its 'otherness' very nicely. But the Favorit, which took only 2 years to design and build from scratch, and the subsequent Felicia, are legendary cars. Perhaps some of you who would gripe on this forum about 'rustbuckets' etc. are just too young or ignorant of the facts. Down with all the idiots who laugh at these cars still, or who imagine these are cheapo cars built to a budget! If I lived my life again I would be out there selling the little blighters! drive on Skodaly, brothers and sisters! Kingsley

My wife, who drives our Fabia to work, saw what was clearly the next Octavia out testing here in the Netherlands the other day- with Czech plates. Has anyone else seen this or other cars and does anyone have a photograph yet? She said it looked great.

-and this is what Henni just replied!:- Hi again, Thank you for taking the time to send us this tip. I checked out the website this afternoon, and found the forum's very interesting. I'll make sure that the account people for Skoda are familiar with this site. Once again, thank you for your time. Henni <[email protected]>

Hello Thank you so much for your kind well wishes, and for taking the time to respond to our work. We are always appreciative of any and all consumer views. I sent your e-mail off to the appropriate people within the agency. Once again, thank you for taking time out of your day to let us know what kind of impression our work has left on you. We welcome further input from you in the future. Best wishes Henni - This came in from [email protected] Why not let him know how you feel about these over-apologetic ads?

Yes, the advertising stinks. Why go on perpetuating and trumpeting the fact that there are still ignorant people who will never like Skodas? This is why the Superb cannot take off, all the time that this drivel goes on, because people just won't know it's there. See my new mail with an email to Fallon, the advertsing people. Can't we all do something about this together?

Thought you might be amused, want to comment on , this email I recently sent to Fallon re their cheeky but in my opinion crappy advertising for Skoda (they should 'fallon' their swords in my opinion):- Dear Fallon, I am happy for you that you won a prize for your work for Skoda, but I consider that you could have done much better than you did. Is it truly necessary to face down the perceived stupid prejuduce against this company's cars by making a joke out of it? Surely this is in the long run self defeating? The message you are giving is rather too obvious, patronising to the company (although they apparently do not think so) and hard-wires the said prejudice into peoples' minds even more. As a second time Skoda owner I do find the ads simplistic and offensive.I think the cars and their owners speak for themselves, and that is why sales were up last year everywhere. The deep sea blue Fabia Elegance Combi we have now is used as a diplomatic car by my wife. One evening, when it was new, in Copenhagen, my wife's chauffeur drove us to an official evening at the opera in it. It arrived amidst all the Mercedes and BMW of the other diplomats; cars that are, very frankly, no better in all important points, and certainly no more pleasing to drive than any Skoda. At the end of the evening our chauffeur was happy to recount how all his chums had gathered round to ogle the Fabia and admire all its very complete equipment. We bought this car because for 9 years before we had a Favorit that cost us $5000 out of tax, and never gave a moment's trouble, costing, apart from cheap servicing, one new exhaust and 4 cheap tyres in all those years. We were very fond of that car, which lived alongside a Merc E class, a Volvo 850 T5 and today a Passat V5. Might it not be more intelligent, on behalf of the lovely people at Skoda, if, having read the history of the company, one of the oldest in the World, by Messrs Kozisek and Kralik (as perhaps you already have done), you were to emphasise that these are beautiful cars with a long history, very well made, and very good value? There is also a long and continuous history of successful motorsport to consider. There is more heritage and quality in this company than in any other in the VAG group, and most other surviving car companies to boot, and a great and fascinating history at that. These cars only developed a 'cheap' tag because of the war and communism (a small part of a long history), and in fact were always considered the best of the Eastern bloc cars and the only ones consistently exported to the West. Why bang on about being sorry and apologetic about this great marque? Volkswagen obviously didn't think they were losers, although your approach will do little to convince Mr Pichetsrieder himself that it is worth investing good money in Skoda cars, even though he is a marque enthusiast. Thanks to your continuing promulgation (albeit 'jokingly', but so so clumsily) of the BS current still about Skoda, we might never see a Superb Combi come on the market, and, as diplomats, this would be our next car of choice, especially with a W8 engine and 4 wheel drive. I want to see an ad saying 'Beautiful cars with history', not 'Oh, sorry it's a Skoda' in so many forms, please. Best wishes Kingsley Flint

Well. does anyone know Mr Pichetsrieder's email or snailmail address? We maybe have to push for a better deal for Skoda within VAG. He's a marque man, so he must appreciate how we love our Skodas - heritage and all that, apart from anything else. If there's enough interest we might get that top of the line Superb estate in the end. We would also be running to a dealer for that, especially if there's a W8 version with everything and 4 wheel drive. Wow!

Does anyone have any more news about a future Superb estate, with or without a W8 engine, following on from the famous Sun article?