old newbie2

We do &/or did use the paddles on the lumbering barge, the overweight but still quite fun Eos, madam's Mk.2 FL Octy vRS + the reasonably nippy R hatch & Estate. Dropping the shifter back into "S" mode is great for a rapid getaway, but we prefer a quieter life, (great age etc...) so we both use the paddles when we see fit, including slowing down. Nothing beats being in the correct gear for a corner or gradient change,without using the brakes....

If you have the performance gauges in your 272 you might have noticed that when coasting in Eco, the is still idling & burning fuel. If you stay in drive, especially in a high gear the power meter drops to 0 Kw, rather than the 3 Kw when idling. As for paddles, we still like to be "in command" when we still see fit (twiddly roads with corners + up / downs do exist, even in Essex + selecting S rather than D = unseemly pops & bangs, which are just too much for us oldies...) Much easier to make your own decisions re. when / where to shift gears, just like we used to in the old days, but with finger-tips rather than pumping the clutch pedal & stirring a gear lever....... Mostly we leave our cars in "D" 'cos it's a calm & relaxing way to drive, especially in our dotage years, but we really like the finger-tip option, much safer than shifting manually with the stick (which is not available with the selector switch on the new generation Golf, Octavia, etc.) . FWIW I've driven circa 300K miles in manuals & 270+K in automatics, (& back in the olden days they weren't much fun at all...), the 50K miles in various DSG's have been the best, so far. As for longest trips in DSG cars, the ancient Superb has taken us to Austria, SWMBO's R wagon to Germany last year, my Eos also to Germany, & a few trips "oop North" as far as the Scottish Central Belt. Horses & courses...... DC

I'd be happy with an L&K, but the paddles are an option & very, very scarce on a used car. (So far we've owned 5 dsg cars, all with paddles & we would really miss them............)

Yup, the same surprise factor when driving SWMBO's R Wagon, 'tis only the real enthusiast that recognizes it. I'd remove the badges but I'm not allowed.... The ancient barge is different, it's the pick-up from 50-60 mph that's unexpected, as was my Eos. (Same powertrain & Amd remap but taller gearing. 3k rpm in top [6th] = 95 mph.)

The Soundaktors are turned down, to 15% on hers & 10% on mine.... + in individual mode they are set to eco. Never use "Sport" 'cos it's just not for us oldies (we leave the farting & popping for the local children), but I've been known to shift from D to S when attempting a rapid departure...... (Doesn't work so well in the FWD Superb though.) As for remapping, maybe one day, but only if we feel the need. For now the old girl is going to stay on the mini- fleet but I would like to find an affordable replacement for my R. No luck so far....

Thanks for the above info, every 280 / 272 I've driven felt flat, including this week's drive in a 272 wagon with only 90 miles on the clock. FWIW, every time we've had a test drive in a 280 / 272 & returned home in the old Superb (albeit with a stage 1 AmD map) we've felt that we've wasted our time, again! Q? Why did we have the exact opposite feeling when we drove (& subsequently purchased) our Golf R's? Is it just because they are smaller & lighter or does the extra 20 'ish ps really make a difference? Je suis confuse..... DC

Surprised, my last 2.0 + was a '56 plate 3.0 V6 Mondeo wagon, purchased in 2008 & sold in 2014, (I'd already bought my Superb & fancied a convertible, didn't really need two large cars. I did buy my first house in '74 & the current one in '85 though........ I still can't find a replacement for the old Superb or the Golf though.......I've now had 2 test drives in the same Superb 272 wagon, it will "just" fit into SWMBO's garage but it didn't "talk" to me. No. 1 stepson visited this week in his Arteon & just managed to get through the garage doorway (2127 mm over the mirrors, compared with 2031 for a Superb 3, 2027 for a Mk.7 Golf or 2009 for a Superb 2) but shutting the roller shutter garage doors wasn't possible.

Thanks, I've just had a chat with AmD, a stage 1 map on a mk.7 R = 360ps, also they can take the 190 ps 2.0 TSi from 190 to 260 ps, might be interesting for anyone driving a VAG 4WD SUV.

Do you know who / where it was mapped + what the results were? If I can't find a newer car that I really want, I might have to tweak the old girl instead. DC.

Wow, not too complicated then........ From a 280 Superb, to an R estate, that's unusual. A tad quicker of course, but noticeably smaller than the Skoda, at least from the B pillar back. Nice car though, I'd have one for myself, but since SWMBO is keeping hers & I'm allowed to drive it (getting it serviced, refuelling, shopping....) I need to find a suitable alternative. A Leon Cupra ST might be an obvious choice but it's bit cramped inside, used Cupra Ateca are too expensive, + they often lack the desirable comfort & sound pack. I can't find a Superb 272 / 280 with my desired options that cost less than £40K new, same with the Passat 272 R-line Edition, not so well equipped as the equivalent Superb but quite cheap, £30-£32K for low-milage pre-registered cars on "K" plates. DC

Do you know the easy-to-use calculation factor so that you can keep to the posted speed limits, without slowing-down any following traffic?......... We do see some of the local lads with cotton reel rims driving quite slowly, especially in speed-camera areas. Sensible Q?, why not keep to the original tyre size.

We have 2 cars with Haldex units, both have had oil + strainer * pump cleaned (removing the accumulated sludge from the pump & strainer, which VW & Skoda dealers will not undertake....) at the 3 year point, not on mileage, circa 13000 miles. The most recent invoice from the well-respected VAG independant was £141.50, inc. VAT. If you've purchased a high-mileage 280, it would be my first priority re. servicing. As for DSG oil & filter, that's more a mileage thing rather than age, I had my Superb done (at the same independant) when it was 6 years old & @ 28,271 miles. The cost, in June 2018 was £136.18, inc.VAT. Hope this helps, I'd search for a good local independant, doesn't have to be a Skoda specialist, VAG experience / knowledge is applicable across all 4 brands.

A nice progression, getting better with the newer models. FWIW I've had a good look, inside & out, of an Octy 4. Nice choice of materials, (better than a Golf 8,) plenty of room for 4 people & a decent boot. The car couldn't be driven, it was an SE-L Ist edition, just off the transporter but it's big step forward from the Mk.3. Quite impressed so far.. Also had a drive in the new Leon, bigger inside than the previous model, again better looking / feeling materials in the cabin than a Golf 8.....

I'm on the other side of the desires list, I'd no more want to own a diesel vRS even if it was gratis, but I could be very tempted with a 245'ish ps petrol, 7-speed DSG & 4WD. Hopefully circa £36K (for a hatchback) especially if the spec was similar to the Mk. 3 Challenge, the money is in the bank earning 0.4% & I'd like to spend it sometime soon. Probably never going to be sold in the UK, & that's assuming that VW would allow to manufacture it at all.

I'm not up to date on Karoqs, isn't there the option in individual mode to select your prefered steering? Q2? Is the 190 ps (petrol) 4WD Sportline Karoq any good, I've driven the same drivetrain in an Ateca FR & was quite impressed, but SWMBO really doesn't want us to own a SEAT! I'd imagine that AMD could rework the engine map up to approx 250 ps, the 4WD should prevent any drama when accelerating & it would be a bit of a sleeper, which we both like. Reason for asking, I'm quite happy to keep ancient Superb for another year or two, but I'm looking to replace the Golf sometime soon. DC

Don't see your point, they're all MQB cars, sharing similar powertrains & suspension, the Octavia has more space for people & luggage from the B pillar back. The SEAT & VW high-powered petrol estates have 4WD , which I would like to have in the new vRS. Annoyingly, Skoda has already made 4WD available in the Mk. 3 Octy, in the 190ps petrol + the diesel vRS estate. Why no petrol vRS 4WD, probably politics inside VAG rather than a lack of customers...... FWIW, low-mileage / nearly new 4WD Superb 272 / 280's seem to be very affordable, probably cheaper than a brand-new Mk 4 Octy vRS..... I've been offered a '69 plate 950 mile facelift Superb Sportline Plus for £26,900 & if it could fit into my garage I'd be very tempted........

Golf R estate or Cupra Leon ST? I'm looking for a replacement for my old Superb, that's a little bit smaller but with a 4WD petrol / DSG powertrain & easier to park in my garage than a Superb 3 or the current Passat. Doesn't have to be an estate, 'cos SWMBO still has her R wagon, but to needs to have enough space in the back for 2 normal-sized adults, which is why I think the Octy 4 vRS with AWD would be just the ticket........

Thanks for the info, 'tis a pity (to me) that the 4WD option is only going to be available on the diesel version. As a prospective buyer it's not logical, but I imagine that Skoda aren't allowed to offer a real alternative to the other VAG brands.

I agree with you, the Golf R's are a decent compromise re. handling versus long-distance cruising, the 4WD does help, especially on greasy roads but my ancient Superb is still my choice as a daily driver. In the last 12 months it's done more miles than both Golf's combined, & it's more economical too. Problem is (?), it's 8 years old with 37k miles. Not dead yet though, yes it's a little outdated, but it's much more fun than it should be, 252 ps & 361 Nm does make a difference...

So, you have hand-controls fitted? I've driven a few cars with their pedals removed, (usually at a Mobility Roadshow) , not easy at all... Whoops, I've read your message again, you mean paddles rather than pedals............ All our DSG cars (5 so far) had paddles & I use them every day, (shifting when I want to rather than letting the car think for itself) & I wish that the L&K 272 / 280 Superb had them fitted as std. It makes looking for for a suitable used car a real PITA. Both of our Mk. 2 vRS Octys were a little nervous, whereas my ancient Superb isn't. Possibly a wider track, but it's longer wheelbase is really the key. We've owned 2 VW EOS's, also a wide track & long wheelbase, very stable at Autobahn speeds, even when cruising at 100 mph with the roof down.... Our Golf's are OK, similar wheelbase than the MK 3 Octy, but shorter overhangs, especially at the rear of the hatchback.

I'm surprised that it wouldn't shift into 7th. Apart from the different driving modes, did you have the shifter in "D" or "S", or were you in manual mode & using the paddles? I've only driven a few of the new 7-speeds, but they all felt that 7th was an overdrive gear, & max speed would be achieved in 6th.