SeanC

The key looks exactly the same as the standard one as far as I can tell. It has additional internal functionality of course. I don't like fumbling for keys, so I like KESSY. It works as well as Keyless-Go in my Merc, with one exception: it needs a way of locking the car from the hatch end. The front door handles both have lock sensors but as far as I can see, the hatch doesn't. Net result is that if all doors are unlocked, you need to walk round from the hatch to the side doors (or use the key) to lock the car. If all doors are locked, the hatch will unlock for opening and will lock automatically when shut.

Been having a mull about this. As speedometers consistently over-read so that - tolerances allowed - they never under-read, what's the effect on distance recorded and therefore the accuracy of even brim-to-brim figures? If the car thinks it's gone, say, 105 miles for every 100 miles actually travelled, then wouldn't that overstate a brim-to-brim consumption figure by 5%? Hmmmmm... Incidentally I agree that rolling radius must make a difference to the accuracy of a speedo and therefore also a fuel computer that takes the same input to calculate distance travelled. For a given number of revolutions as measured at the gearbox output, a car will travel 1% further on tyres whose effective circumference is 1% greater.

The 4x4 system eats fuel. 35-ish mpg on short journeys isn't unusual in my experience. It takes a reasonable run to get much into the 40s. My average over 6000 miles of mixed use is in the high 30s. I usually get >380 miles before the light comes on. All of the above figures are genuine, not from the MFD which is wildly optimistic. As it happens, I'm still pretty happy with the economy, i.e. for a 4x4 diesel of this size and power to be in the 35-45 range depending on the runs I do.

Nice one - thanks for the pics. I expect it will work well.

My concerns were twofold: sliding the gear in without rumpling the rubber underneath; and puncturing the rubber with any sharp edges on the gear. A thin sheet of ply on top of the rubber allayed both concerns. Good luck with your solution - would be interested to see some photos.

Hi again Gizmo68. Hope you're enjoying your diving. I remember discussing this issue with you a while back and I'm sorry you haven't found anything suitable yet. For what it's worth, I'm still happily carrying my wet dive gear using a big butyl rubber pond liner draped across the floor and sides of the boot. Tough, flexible, totally waterproof, not smelly, easily reconfigurable, protects the bumper and folds up after use into the space under the sliding boot floor. I think the only drawback is the difficulty of sliding the gear in and out across the rubber on the boot floor. Solved with some marine ply panels on top of the rubber, i.e. inside the wet area. Works absolutely fine for me. Cheers Sean

Al - thanks - couple of questions: What kind of driving do you typically do? Are those figures from the MFD or brim-to-brim? Cheers.

I'd probably go for it, but I think it likely you'll see a significant reduction in quality from the Audi B&O system. It's inevitable as Skoda has to economise somewhere.

I agree that the bootliner on its own could leave the rest of the boot wet, especially as it doesn't seem to have a deep-enough lip around the edge to contain sloshing water. Another advantage of the pond liner option is that it can be re-shaped for different load configurations. To protect the carpet totally, I may get that bootliner for daily use and put the pond liner over it when off diving. Thanks for the link.

I think the load restraint system (especially the aluminium partition component of it) would last less than five minutes with a twinset sliding against it! I just wedged my gear in. The load restraint system is ok for lighter, more regularly-shaped loads such as cardboard boxes. The extending strap component is fine for things like flower pots. Yes I have the variable boot floor. Mainly it's useful for levelling the floor and creating a shallow hidden space underneath. It pulls out over the rear bumper but takes quite a tug due to sliding friction on its runners (there are no bearings), and this gets worse with a significant load on it, especially as the floor has to be lifted while being pulled. Another issue is that a small forward edge flap of the floor lifts up as you pull the floor out. The intent is to 'hook' behind anything on the floor and ensure it moves out with the floor, but the reality is that if there's a load on that flap (as there may well be with the seats folded), the floor can't slide out at all. There's also the issue of what to do about wet gear that won't go into the gear gulper. I bought a huge piece of pond liner off a roll - the flexible black nitrile rubber type - doubled it over to make a twin-layer sheet and draped it in the boot. The sheet can be raised up along the boot sides and folded up a few inches at front and back to make a bucket shape to retain water. The front part of the sheet can be supported by the rear seats (if up) or (if the seats are folded) by dry stuff packed in front. The rear part of the sheet can then be folded down when the boot is open to overlap and protect the rear bumper, and to drain water. It worked really well. Afterwards, the whole sheet can be drip-dried, folded and tucked into the space under the variable boot floor.

In fairness, it was heavily laden on my recent trip and the worst figures were in pouring rain. And if I believed the MFD, I'd think I was driving a Smart.

Three weeks. Not too bad.

Having put nearly 3000 miles on my 170CR 4x4 Elegance Estate in two months since delivery, I thought it would be good to summarise my thoughts so far. I hope my comments will be helpful to anyone considering buying one. Design: aesthetically, it’s a matter of opinion but I really like it: it’s quirky, classy and elegant, and disguises its long overhangs pretty well. Functionally, it works well: it’s a long car that makes great use of its length to deliver exceptional space, although some more oddment storage would be handy in the cabin. I like the intelligent touches like the torch and the side pockets in the boot. It’s let down a little by money-saving details like the seat-folding mechanism – the hinge arrangement for the rear seat cushion is pretty shoddy and the seat back, when folded, is supported directly by the floorpan. This dents the leather of the backrest and headrests, so it’s not a good idea to leave the seats folded for any extended period of time. That said, I’ve found the secret of a flat floor: drop the backrest and then extend the headrests a little to clear the hump in the floorpan under the seat. Quality: well-assembled; no rattles apart from the lower seatbelt mountings, which have free play and tend to tap against the plastic seat base over bumps. The plastics are as good as any comparable VW product and hence better than most other brands. The heated windscreen picked up a nasty stone chip on the motorway and I suspect a standard screen may have fared better. As others have noted, the door trims are too flexible to handle the bass of the upgraded sound system; I also think that the speakers themselves are of poor quality, although their shortcomings aren’t evident in undemanding use. Performance: quick enough, with a nice surge of torque for pulling out of corners and for making progress on the motorway. Sensible use of the gears means that you rarely want for more acceleration. Economy: efficient but not miraculous, and the MFD is ridiculously optimistic. 45.2 mpg indicated was actually 40.9 mpg brim-to-brim on a recent long gentle motorway run with a full load. Actual brim-to-brim figures have ranged from 34 mpg to 42 mpg, with an overall average in the high 30s. The car has often been laden with passengers and/or scuba diving gear, in weather conditions ranging from dry to torrential rain. Obviously the 4x4 system will take a toll too. I have driven it with a mix of styles from gentle economy-run cruising, giving a genuine 40+ mpg, to a fast motorway blast across Ireland – Galway to Dublin in 90 minutes with the cruise set at 84 mph, which resulted in 37 mpg on the MFD, so probably no more than 34mpg in reality. I’m not complaining: it’s a genuine luxury car that costs half what my other car costs to fuel. And I’m sure it will improve with more miles on the clock. Gadgets: Park Assist can squeeze the car into a remarkably small space, and is worth it just for that capability; but it needs care to avoid kerbing the alloys. KESSY works well but would be better with a way of touch-locking from the boot rather than just from the front doors. The panoramic roof really lifts the interior although I worry that the fabric of the roller-blind sunscreen could be snagged by a high load or by a careless passenger reaching back for a bag. It’s a good idea to retract the sunscreen if there’s any risk of damage to it. The Columbus unit is excellent, as are the bi-xenon lights. Driving experience: I’ve owned high-performance cars that try to pummel the road into submission. The Superb doesn’t: it flows with the road. Its soft, long-travel suspension demands smoothness – it will lurch and corkscrew a little if you throw it around - but it rewards smoothness with a deeply satisfying drive. Running late for the ferry home from Ireland, I crossed Connemara at 50-70 mph on the most demanding of wet, bumpy and winding roads, with totally secure grip and without bottoming out. Accurate steering and a lovely positive gearchange add to the pleasure. Ride and refinement: the primary ride is terrific; the secondary ride, courtesy of 18-inch wheels, is a little less so but it doesn’t spoil the car. The tyres are also responsible for road roar which dominates the engine note at cruising speeds. At lower speeds, the diesel note is evident but more as a growl than a clatter. Overall, though, it’s quiet, smooth and relaxing. Conclusion: an excellent car, well suited to all kinds of British roads, whose most important attributes are engineered up to a quality and not down to a price. I’m very glad I bought it.

Just came across this - http://fwd.five.tv/fifth-gear/videos/other/fifth-gear-web-tv-skoda-superb-introduction - which looks like the first of a series over the next few months

I can understand the point about the seats. I haven't got a big backside but I found the side bolster of the seat base to be uncomfortable on my first few journeys. I'm not sure that adjustment can help. Fortunately the bolster seems to have softened with use. I think I've also adjusted my posture, shifting sideways a little when I get in. Not a problem now.

I managed to test-drive a secondhand 4x4 hatch, and bought the new car from the same dealer. Delighted with my Estate too. It does so many things well.

I did the same to strip the encryption from the tracks - next step is to copy the MP3 tracks to an SD card and transfer them to the unit using that card. EDIT - unless Ray's suggestion works...

Been there, got the T-shirt: http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/156217-17-wheels-on-an-elegance/page__p__1932296__fromsearch__1entry1932296. Still wish I could have got 17s as my experience so far confirms that the 18s are over-tyred.

Sorry, I don't know - but it would be ironic if the bulb of the bulb failure warning light is faulty...

Fair point if saving money is everything, but for me the cost was far outweighed by the value of my time, by the continued use of my old car, and by getting the plate onto the new car from the outset without having to come back a couple of weeks later. I asked the dealer to sort it all rather than expending my time and stress on the DVLA.

Hmmmm. Paint shortages... Colours incompatible with KESSY... My dealer-bulls**t-o-meter has just gone 'ping'

I have a personalised plate on mine. I put it on retention a couple of weeks before delivery so that it could be used on the new car from first registration.

For the record, I have a Steel Grey car with KESSY. I'm struggling to understand why certain colours would be a problem.

I agree with the cheapness point, but the price of the umbrella should still be negotiable I think. Any dealer trying to charge me for the umbrella in these circumstances would need surgery to get the umbrella back out...

I can see no way in which KESSY could be retrofitted, as it's so embedded in the car. Special steering lock, starter button, door/boot handles, antennae etc etc etc... Sorry.