For the past six years my company car has been a Mercedes E Class 220 automatic, I’ve had two of them. It was the car I dreamt of driving for many years prior to having one and I have not been disappointed. With a combined total of 165,000 miles driving the two cars I experienced; one breakdown due to faulty injectors, two punctures and three headlamp bulb replacements and hours of pleasurable, smooth and economic driving – 46 miles per gallon. With a change in my employment I decided that I needed to buy my own car. However, the cost of a new Mercedes appeared prohibitive so I started looking at the alternatives.
I discovered that the automotive press had many words of praise for the Skoda brand and its dealers, but I was skeptical. So, with my wife, I visited our local Skoda dealer, Chapman’s of Pickering. I wanted to take a look at the Superb and their sales person said they had a hatchback demonstrator we could test drive.
I was immediately impressed by the Superb’s boot; it was big and accessible with the versatile combination of a boot lid or full hatch back. The SE Plus model I was looking at had the facility to open the boot using the car’s ignition key, just like the Mercedes E Class. Opening and closing the car’s doors was a revelation. They had the same solid feel of the Mercedes as well as chrome protective strips on the sills. When I opened the rear doors the space in the back was unbelievable, so much bigger than the E Class. Then I spotted some of the features: a driver’s seat with a memory function, folding mirrors, built in satellite navigation, memory card slot for media, Bluetooth mobile connection, rear parking sensors and split rear seat. Most of these features were expensive extras on a Mercedes. And amusingly there was even an umbrella in one of the rear doors, all part of the Skoda’s kit!
All very good but how would the car drive? Sitting in the passenger seat as my wife drove I was taken aback. The car felt solid and limousine like, the ride smooth. The automatic six speed box appeared to change gear more smoothly than the Mercedes and the engine was quieter, less strained in top gear. The seats were comfortable and the leg room excellent. When I took over the driving I was surprised by the acceleration, there was no hesitation; the car was extremely responsive, yes better than the Mercedes. But then there was the shape of the car, it was not exactly modern and the press had not been altogether complementary. But in the right colour I thought it actually looked classy with aspects of the shape of a BMW or Audi. But what about the badge, would anyone take me seriously if I drove a Skoda? However the reviews and the Briskoda forum had warned me about the foolishness of get hung up on a badge. At the end of the day the question was, what would I get for my money? With the discount on offer the Skoda Superb was around £15k less than an equivalently specified Mercedes. The decision was clear. Or was it?
What did Skoda owners think of their purchasing decision? I scanned U Tube for reviews and read the Briskoda forum for comments and criticisms. It appeared that the owners were an enthusiastic lot and very willing to share their observations, hot tips, frustrations and even get together to admire each other’s cars. There were lots of nerdy things as well about changing light bulbs and fine tuning engines. It soon became clear that many Skoda’s were bought by engineers who praised the robustness of the vehicles, excellent performance and extolled their value for money. Yes, the forums reported that some owners had experienced faults but there did not appear to be any consistent problems or complaints. It seemed that most problems got solved under warranty and that the majority of dealers were fair and helpful.
The waiting list for a new car was ridiculous. I would have to wait three to four months to have a car specifically built and I needed a new car by the beginning of December. There were no available built cars in the shipping system cars in either of the colours I wanted. So I did a deal with Chapman’s to purchase the demonstrator I had driven, a 2.0 TDI CR 140PS DSG, in Steel Grey with just 406 miles on the clock. Buying the demonstrator wasn’t a great compromise as there were only two extras I really wanted. Front parking sensors was the first, but as they were a factory fit that was out of the question. The second was mud flaps these were easily fitted by Chapman’s. On the 1st December I collected the car. I must admit that the briefing on the controls etc, given by their sales executive, was the most thorough I have ever had when collecting a new car. It was very reassuring and helpful. He was even able to answer most of my technical questions, pretty good for a sales person!
I’ve now driven 2000 miles and the verdict? It is a great car! Packing the car boot was easier and quicker thanks to the hatch. Using the Bluetooth my phone paired immediately and the Satellite Navigation did its job. The Satellite Navigation system in the SE Plus is not as comprehensive as the top of the range Tom Tom I had used previously but it is fast in calculating the route and the verbal instructions are very clear, if a little quaint at times .. “keep on this road for a long time”. But no speed camera or traffic on route alerts although there is a separate list of traffic issues.
In the cabin the engine noise was definitely quieter than the Mercedes E class and acceleration was very smooth. Lots of get up and go when you drop it into sports mode. All the Superb controls were very intuitive, especially the touch screen technology. It was easy to bring up different sets of information on the trip computer using the neat controls on the steering wheel. The cruise control was very straight forward to use. The seats are firmer than I’m used to as is the ride, which on bumpy roads is not as sophisticated as the Mercedes but still smooth, the car feels as if it is firmly planted on the road. It coped with an inch of snow which has fallen on top of ice far better than the rear wheel drive Mercedes ever did. It recorded 53.4 miles to the gallon which in my judgment is ok for new tight engine. I will need to check the accuracy of the MPG on the trip computer at some time in the future. Taking the total package I’m suitably impressed, I don’t feel that I have lost anything other than a badge and I have gained some very useful extras and at the same time I have saved a not insignificant sum of money.
So the next job is to get out the auto clay and polishes and see just how shiny I can make it! :sun:
