penguin17

I currently have a 7.5 R estate. Previously had the 280 Sportline hatch and a 150 TDI Sportline hatch before that. The 280 is a great car, comfy, capacious and I factory ordered mine so I spec’d it up. It was a nice place to soak up the miles and straight line performance was a hoot for such a barge. As a family car it’s more than practical and I would actually say it probably provides more room than 90% of 2+2 families need but that doesn’t mean you don’t fill it up every now and again. If you have babies and/or young children and family trips/holidays still mean you are lugging around high chairs, fold up cots, buggies etc then the Superb is hard to beat. I stopped commuting to work in 2018 so the 280 was a replacement for the 150 TDI, seeing as I no longer had to worry about fuel costs. Initially I was over the moon with the car but as my usage reduced I started ‘going out for drives’ rather than using the car out of necessity. Living on the edge of the NY moors I’m spoiled for choice and I quickly got bored with the 280. Even with 15mm lowered (vs standard) suspension (and DCC would have made zero difference), the car was crashy and unsettled, the rebound on the suspension was so lazy that you could hit an undulation and you’d wince and wait for the cars mass to catch up, worrying that you’d bottom out. My wife even picked up on this from the passenger seat. The handling is also pretty vague when pushing on and you are quickly reminded you’re driving an almost 5 meter long limo that’s set up with a bias towards soaking up miles without fuss and easily overtaking a line of slow moving traffic when the need arises. I thought of remaps, modifying suspension, anti roll bars etc but I was just bored with the whole package and it was a car that no longer suited my requirements/usage. I looked at 2 cars as a replacement; the Volvo V60 Polestar and the Golf R estate. I loved the V60 to bits but it’s rather cramped (it’s no old school Volvo estate) and the cabin is also very outdated but the performance and refinement is spot on. I driven an S4 Avant a few years ago and the Volvo is a much better car. So yes it ticked the right boxes it was still not ticking all, as I still need a car that covers family duties, transporting bikes, the dog etc. The Golf R estate just suits my needs perfectly. It’s more refined than the Superb (which I was surprised by) and quality is a step up in some areas and equal in others. Just remember that VW hierarchy dictates that the Golf can’t be compared to an Octavia or Leon; it’s much better. Comparing the Golf with a Superb is actually more realistic. Mine is 2.5 years old and still feels tight and drives like a new car. I've had to fix one rattle in the drivers door, which was a harness that had come lose from it's fixing. The Golf in estate form is also very practical, yes a step down from the Superb in terms of outright space/capacity but most cars would be but it’s still not cramped, my growing 12 and 9 year old boys have enough room and I have a Travall boot divider so our dog has his own space in the boot and we have space for luggage etc (50:50 split). I haven’t yet thought “oh that would have fitted in the Superb..” Now the trump card of the R is that when you’re not carting your family round it’s a more than capable hot hatch, widely regarded as one of the best all-rounders. I’d have to agree. It’s an absolute pleasure to drive whether on a motorway or a B road but it’s on a B road where it comes alive. The 280 is quick. The R is quicker. It’s also much more agile and direct. It doesn’t crash over bumps or feel like it’s leaning in corners and despite having a firmer setup it’s not harsh. The R is also more comfortable. If you haven’t guessed already, I love mine. I do not regret swapping the 280 at all. If I had to chose either car all over again then I’d pick the R every time. That’s not to say the Superb is a bad car, far from it. It’s a great car. It does exactly what it’s designed to do and then some, it’s just for my needs and fancies, at this moment in time, it’s not the car for me. I’ve now made a few mods to the R such as upgraded brakes, stiffer rear ARB, res-delete, upgraded intake and turbo inlet and stage 1 remap and its transformed the car again. Now running just under 3.7 secs to 60 and made everything feel a bit more polished without sacrificing OEM comfort. I’m getting the DSG remapped in a few weeks and it will also be going stage 2 in the not too distant future. I chosen to do those things because I got bored in lockdown and I realised life’s to short. As standard the R has more than enough performance and unless you really want to, you don’t need to modify it to be a capable car. For me, it really is the perfect all-rounder. Running costs are the same for fuel and tax. I get low 20’s MPG from both cars but they can and will get closer to 40 with little effort, on a long run. It’s subjective but my insurance went up a little on the R; when I swapped cars mid way through my policy I was charged £45 more for the R without mods, no admin fee. I’ve now changed provider and it’s gone up £100 but that’s on a modified car. Servicing and maintenance is exactly the same. PM me if you want any specific info. Happy to help 👍🏻

I've been looking for a while and have finally shortlisted 2 used 2015 1.2TSI SEL's with <20K miles on the clock which seem to fit our requirements and the respective (franchised Skoda) dealers have put some quite good deals together for us. I wasn't going to use a finance product but we get 2 years extended warranty, a free MOT and 2 services for £159 if we do, so I'm going down that route and then paying it off ASAP. Before I hand over a deposit; is there anything I should really be concerned about with the 1.2TSI units? I doubt there's any mechanical difference in the engines but we're looking at the 90PS outputs (should that make a difference). Both cars are manual. The car will be used by my wife and cover 5-6K miles per year meaning it won't cover many miles between annual services so oil/filter quality should be as good as it can be. Also are there any recalls or service campaigns that I should be ensuring have been completed?