TheBinarySheep

I had Koni's on my Superb with OE springs. My current car is a G20 3 Series with M Sport adaptive suspension. The 3 series in comfort mode rides very much like the Superb did on Koni's. A nice balance between comfort and firmness. I think the Koni's are a nice compromise for anyone that wants to keep the OEM look and ride height, while also improving the handling and feel.

There's a set of used Koni Actives on Ebay at the minute. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233980920992?hash=item367a5984a0:g:8QYAAOSwjUNghBlH

At least £8k was depreciation. The rest was repairs and mods etc.

The car was sold to a business and documents relating to the turbo replacement and crank bearings were supplied, nothing was hidden and the car was considered fixed. The price we got for the car reflected its history. We only bought it last year, and I've worked out that it's cost us almost £13k in repairs and depreciation in 12-13 month. We simply were not willing to take the risk that the vehicle would need more money pumping into it at some point in the future. Lesson learnt, we're sticking with non-modified vehicles now, under manufacturers and then extended warranty to be on the safe side.

Funny you should mention about the tax. I read a thread on another forum asking a similar question which prompted me to look it up. I had no idea there was an increase in tax for vehicles with a list price of over £40k, as Autotrader shows tax as £150 and that's what I'd been going off. I didn't read the small print at the bottom of the Autotrader popup as it's chopped off the bottom of my screen! So yep, it seems my tax is going to be £475 per year. What an absolute rip off. The car has more or less the same engine as my wife's Mini (134g/km vs 190g/km), and we'll be paying £325 more for tax on one car than the other. Well, it is what it is, nothing I can do about it now.

The Superb has gone. We've stuck a deposit down on a BMW 330i M Sport Plus. Hopefully getting delivered this week. While it's down on power, it's an ex demonstrator so it's got all the kit, including all of the M Sport upgrades (wheels, brakes, lsd), along with electronic tailgate, laser lights, tri-zone climate control, heated seats + steering wheel, virtual cockpit, Harmon Kardon upgrade, reverse assist, adaptive suspension, rear charge points, heads up display, unlock and start the car with a digital key on your phone phone, leather interior, wireless charging, Apple CarPlay. There's probably more I've forgot. I'll miss the Superb, but we'll move on.

I'm comparing to the stock Superb because I was happy with its stock power, I just got greedy and wanted more. In the real world, 280hp was for than enough. I could fit a tuning box to the new car for a little more power, and be able to take it off for warranty claims, so I cant entirely rule out getting a little more power.

The 330i is 0.2 seconds slower to 60 than the Superb, so I'm hoping it's not too noticeable. I'll probably miss four wheel drive in damp/cold cold conditions, but then rear wheel drive brings a different driving experience. I was just keen not to return to front wheel drive as I know how difficult it can be to get power down in the damp. For the past few weeks I've been driving my wife's 192hp Mini Cooper S, so I'm currently more used to it's power output than I am the Superb. I've only drove the Superb once since I got it back, and even then I don't dare push it given the work that's just been done. The Superb is booked back into the garage tomorrow to have the map and Koni Actives removed. I was going to leave the Koni's on, but removing them costs £280 and I reckon I could sell them for £500 so it makes sense to take them off and make a couple of hundred quid back. I'm looking forward to getting the 330i (once I've chosen one). I'm going to make sure I get one with the M Sport Limited Slip Differential, as apparently that improves handling and helps throw you out of a corner. I may look at fitting a tuning box as some point because at least the warranty will be maintained. It's one thing I regret about the Superb, I should have got a JB4 and at least then I could have removed it and had the turbo replaced under warranty.

My understanding is the flaps open at full throttle. I disabled mine using ODBEleven. They're always open. You get a little more rumble lower down in the revs, but really I don't think you can notice any difference. The flaps on these cars to me at least, are pointless.

My wife and I had a discussion over the weekend, and I think we're going to settling for a 2019 330i M Sport Plus. It's slightly down on power compared to the Superb, but just as quick (I'm assuming it's lighter). The boot is big enough for most things, and we'll have roof bars anyway to carry bikes, so we'll just get a roof box for holidays. It'll have plenty of kit, the exhaust at least sounds half decent without being too quiet or too loud, and I'm sure the handling will be far better than anything we've had before. There's the added bonus that it'll still be under warranty where as some of the Audi's we were looking at were 2 year old than this. I think given our budget, it's probably the best choice. It might not have the outright power of something like an Audi S5, but hopefully it'll make up for that in handling.

I don't really the like the Kia Stinger. It doesn't look too bad on the outside, but the dashboard to me looks dated. I find this the same for most Kia's and Hyundia's. The dash is too curvy rather than full of of sharp, modern edges. The next car needs to address some of the shortcomings of the Superb, and I don't think the Kia does that. There's also the fact that it's a Kia, the brand does nothing for me. I've always been a fan of Skoda. As child my mother always had Skodas like the Estelle, Felicia, and the Fabia. Plus, we all know that when you buy a Skoda you're really just buying a cheaper VW/Audi. You're getting VW/Audi engines, running gear, electronics and so on. With a Kia, you're not buying a cheaper version of an upmarket product, you're just buying a cheaper product that doesn't share it's underpinnings with any upmarket brands.

If it was just down to looks and practicality, then the V60 would be the choice. But it has the about the same power as the 3 series (250hp) and it's a full second slower to 60. I read a comment on a video that suggested that the 250hp Volvo engine should really be compared to BMWs/Audis 190hp engines. According to reviews the Volvo engine does seem to be a bit rough at high revs compared to the competition too. Then there's the S60, which is absolutely gorgeous, but has the same problems as the V60. Gearbox too slow, and performance doesn't match the power output. I don't know if the V60/S60 comes with a limited slip diff, because I remember during damp conditioned I always struggled to get the power down in my old 220 VRS. I would imagine without an LSD the Volvo's would be the same. On the other hand, the 330i's I've been looking at have the M Sport Plus package which included an LSD. Combine an LSD with rear wheel drive and there'll be less of an issue getting power now. Obviously 4x4 would be better overall, but I'll struggle to get that without going for an older car. It's just such a shame about the V60, I really want to have one (looks/space), and if I didn't enjoy driving so much then it probably would suite me, but I enjoy driving and I do lots of short journeys where I feel the Volvo is probably more suited to longer runs on the motorway rather than shorter runs around back country roads. While it would appear than I'd edging towards the 330i, it's not perfect either. It's a saloon. It's boot is 480 litres, which isn't massive but should be enough. Sadly being a saloon it means that the boot is less usable due to the restricted opening. An estate version of the same car is out of my price range until I drop down to the 220i and I'm not willing to drop down to 150hp less than what I've got now. I think I'm going to rule out the Audi S4/S5. While they have plenty of power (350hp), I'd have to get a four year old car to keep within my budget. A wildcard option is that I get a previous generation 340i Touring. Plenty of power, plenty of space and you can still get them within warranty. They look outdated though, but apart from that it would hit most of my criteria. Not sure I want to be confused with the local drug runners though. Finally, the Mini Clubman JCW. Only thing it lacks is the space. With a boot capacity of only 380 litres, it's 100 litres down on the 3 series and 245 litres down on the Superb. However, based on driving my wife's Cooper S, I know it would be an absolute hoot to drive with over 300hp and four wheels drive. The whole decision is driving me up the wall. I always wanted a bigger car, having two kids it's always good to have the space to chuck their bikes/trikes in the boot and go out for the day. Or going on UK holidays and being able to throw all of your cases in the boot. The Superb and Octavia were great at this. It's seems that no-matter what I choose I'm going to lose the freedom of a huge boot.

I appreciate you opinion of the Volvo. For me, I recall a carwow review which showed when you floor it, there was a long delay before the gearbox would decide it needed to drop a gear. A number of reviews have also highlighted that when put up against the new 3 series for driving pleasure, the Volvo loses out in every way. I've always thought a V60 would be my next car, but while they've made it more sporty compares to older models,they've only gone 70-80% of the way there. If I got one, I know I'll feel the same way that I do about the superb, a fantastic car that lacks a dynamic edge. another car I'm looking at is a Mini Clubman JCW, great sounding, quick, 4x4, but it lacks the boot space. I may simply have to settle for buying something cheap until we can actually get out and test drive and physically see different cars and make a decision then. My last two cars I've bought from a distance and not test drove or even seen them first.

I didn't know it was only a 4 seater. You learn something new every day.

There is some brand snobbery I suppose, but it's mainly because most 'premium' cars seem to come from Germany. Premium brands that I can think of Audi, BMW, Merc, Lexus, Jaguar, Volvo. 3/6 just so happen to be German, and the rest just don't appeal to me for various reasons that don't include them being from Germany. i.e. I love the Volvo V60, but the car itself just lacks that dynamic edge I'm looking for. If the V60 had the directness and sharpness of the 3 series, I'd have one straight away. I'm not sure any of list included any 4 seat vehicles? They're all five seat I believe. Over the years we've had everything from Renault, Fiat, Vauxhall, Skoda, Nissan, Rover, MG, and Mazda. We've not had anything from any of the premium brands, and life has taught us lately that life is too short, so why not give one a go. Plus, we'll be the envy of all our friends (kidding!).