Superb V6 Tdi Auto... opinions please

[Lofty]

Hi,

I'm the happy driver of an Octavia tdi 110 Elegance at the moment, however with my new job requiring more commuting and the fact that i feel like a bit of luxury, i was just wondering what peoples experiences of the V6 tdi Auto are, specifically in respect of running costs, mpg etc etc.

I had a 1.9 tdi superb back in 2004 as a company car, hence why i want to get back to the limo luxury i was spoiled with back then!!

I'm aware of the usual niggles (ie water ingress etc etc), just more interested in the mechanical side of things?

Cheers,

Matt:thumbup:

[Dr Zoidberg]

That will be a lot more thirsty than a PD130 with a manual gearbox.

Not as smooth or effortless to drive , but if you do a lot of miles that may be an issue , plus the V6 will depreciate more heavily

[rotodiesel]

Lousy engine, lousy gearbox. Avoid this engine and gearbox at all costs or your wallet will get bitten. Compare the performance CO2 output and fuel consumption with a 130 manual and you'll see what I mean. The V6 is old technology (VE pump) is unreliable and a belt change costs a fortune.

In my view, the best Superb by far is the PD 130 1.9 (AWX engine) with a 5 speed manual box. From MY '05> the rear seats fold - the car's pretty useless without.

Avoid later models with a 6 speed box (unreliable) and a DPF (wrecks the engine efficiency and requires expensive maintenance).

rotodiesel.

[Bluefox]

Lousy engine, lousy gearbox. Avoid this engine and gearbox at all costs or your wallet will get bitten. Compare the performance CO2 output and fuel consumption with a 130 manual and you'll see what I mean. The V6 is old technology (VE pump) is unreliable and a belt change costs a fortune.

In my view, the best Superb by far is the PD 130 1.9 (AWX engine) with a 5 speed manual box. From MY '05> the rear seats fold - the car's pretty useless without.

Avoid later models with a 6 speed box (unreliable) and a DPF (wrecks the engine efficiency and requires expensive maintenance).

rotodiesel.

Tbh I don't think there's much else that can be said.

The folding rear seat issue, I definitely agree here - I wouldn't go so far as useless, but then again I've got Thule roof bars I can fit if I need to carry something long so perhaps if you don't have folding seats and you don't have roof bars...

Roto hits the nail on the head again

Edited 8 July, 2008 by Bluefox
arg spel chek!

[Duffelcoat]

As above really, best to avoid the V6 diesel as it has no real benefit over the 1.9tdi... Plus if you want a more spritely car, the 1.9 tdi can be remapped to the same power as the V6 but with still 50-60 mpg potential!

[Lofty]

Oh bugger! Thats put the dampener on that choice then. So you reckon the best option for luxury would be a manual 1.9 130 Superb Elegance then?

Matt

[Dr Zoidberg]

Oh bugger! Thats put the dampener on that choice then. So you reckon the best option for luxury would be a manual 1.9 130 Superb Elegance then?

Matt

Yep , though when you look at the specs , a Comfort has plenty of toys as well.

[Lofty]

My company Superb was a 130 comfort, i just fancied going the "whole hog" and having the bells and whistles version, obviously i'd be after one with the full leather (not half) and a sensible colour.

Matt

[Gizmo]

If you like black cars, how about an Edition 100, they don't come any higher spec'd.

[Lofty]

If you like black cars, how about an Edition 100, they don't come any higher spec'd.

What was the difference in specs between the "100" and the Elegance?

I'm assuming it was the privacy glass, rear tailpipes and light leather?

[Gizmo]

Its got £2kish worth of extras, above the Elegance spec.....

Black Magic Pearl Paint (only colour available)

Sunset Privacy Glass , B- Pillar Back. (Gets darker as the sunlight gets brighter!!!)

Solar Sunroof (Charges a small battery to run climate control when car is off. Warms car up for you in the winter, cools in summer!!!)

Net cargo system

Rear Sunblind

ESP

Rear Footrest Floormats

It als has the following options that are exclusive to the Edition 100 and cannot be bought!

Limited edition Piano dashboard / interior trim finish (Gloss black, that should please you wood haters!)

Edition 100 Floormats

Edition 100 Kickplates

Edition 100 Badging

Edition 100 Gearknob

Twin Chrome Exhaust

Limited edition Grey Leather seats (usually only Black or Cream available)

Lower Grill Chrom Trim

Cubic 17" Alloys in Limited Edition 100 Satin Paint

New Octavia 2 Style Steering Wheel

Copied from here, there are a few photo's there also.

[Duffelcoat]

Personally I would go for the elegance spec, I went for the comfort and wish I had gone the whole hog too... - Saw a silver superb recently and liked it a lot in that colour...

[tarzey]

V6 TIP is a dream to drive. Only slight negative is the fuel consumption; I get 36 -37 mpg on a mixture of A & B roads, but that improves markedly on motorways.

The gear box is simply the best automatic I have ever driven. Admittedly, most of those are American cars which by definition are crap, not least the Lincoln Town Car I hired in Vancouver recently that had a four-speed automatic box plus overdrive!!! Simply awful.

The TIP feature is great. It helps overcome the disinclination of the gearbox to change up to fifth gear at speeds below 40 mph.

There can be a moments hesitation when kicking down suddenly, but a bit of thinking ahead and using the TIP easily overcomes that.

It is true that the package does not do full justice to the huge torque on offer, but it is still enough to put considerable distance between you and the person behind, I once did this to get rid of an idiot in a small Peugeot (why is it always a Peugeot?) who was tailgating me on a Belgian motorway, and I watched with satisfaction has he was reduced to a spec in the rear view mirror, and when I glanced at the speedometer to see if I was doing 90 yet I found I was doing 120!

People will tell you that the engine is an old design, but so what? Yes, the fuel consumption could be better, but it is smooth, torquey and matched to an excellent gear box. What more do you need?

[Raptor]

I agree with Tarzey. I have an Elegance 2.5 Tip very nice car. I find you have to work at it to get the figures quoted by using the Tip rather then auto. I have quite a few idiots in small "sooped" up cars who see the Skoda badge and come right up my 888*** trying to move me over. Slip down a gear with the Tip not the kick down and it will pull away and leave them with an astonished look and they also look quite a prat to the lovely girl by their side :-)

I had a few makes of car over the years and they have all had their supporters and their critics. It is, I believe, a matter of luck and how you treat the car as to the number of problems it has. I have this car for a year and some small items have been replaced, mainly to do with internal lights and mirror lights.

All the toys are a joy. A lot of car for the money and just eats motorways.

[Bluefox]

It also [sic] has the following options that are exclusive to the Edition 100 and cannot be bought!

Limited edition Piano dashboard / interior trim finish (Gloss black, that should please you wood haters!)

You can buy that from the dealers.

The bits for the dashboard are, erm, £600 ex vat.

Bargain

[Tech1e]

I'd add my 2p in. The 2.5 TIP box is not a thing of greatnest, its w@nky old Audi box long since dropped by them, it doesnt go well with the V6 leaving large lag gaps in acceleration, add to that the fact the engine (as a lerned Rotodiesel has said) is a crap old school clunker that belongs in a tractor.

Can you tell i dont like them? Thats because i've worked on the b@stards.

[Penpusher]

I agree with all Tarzey and Raptor's comments on the V6 Auto and everyone who has been in the car has been both surprised and impressed with it. I am very happy with it and so far there has been nothing wrong that has required a warranty claim (its 16 months old with just over 12,000 on the clock).

You can also see my comments after we covered over 2,700 miles on a trip to Hungary about 6 weeks ago in the thread "Impeccable Superb 140" on the previous page in the Superb section.

[Allams Skoda]

V6 TDi Tip isn't particulary great on fuel, but sure does drive very nice and is very torquey.

What is your budget?

If you are thinking of going down the PCP route you may find an Octavia DSG will have stronger residuals and therefore cost the same or less than an older Superb.

[rotodiesel]

Superb residuals are truly apalling but if you want a safe comfortable motorway cruiser, a 4 cyl diesel takes a bit of beating.

For the same money you can get a far better Superb than you could an Octavia and it will have a better spec. Buy it cheap, get it independently serviced (or do it yourself) and run it into the ground and it's not a bad deal - if you buy the right version.

The expensively trimmed Superbs remind me of the Vanden Plas Allegro. The car has such lousy dynamic qualities it's ridiculous to dress it up. The base model is at least reasonably honest.

(Takes cover!)

rotodiesel.

[skodanut]

there's nothing wrong with the later revised superbs with 6speed gearboxes.......the fact i bought mine new with no previous owners lets me know that i'm responsible for its running and performance ..and so far after a year and 16500 miles its been perfect......ok it had a cppl warranty issues but even the older superbs had those.......and i am more than pleased with my purchase

[Bluefox]

The expensively trimmed Superbs remind me of the Vanden Plas Allegro.

LOL!

That is the funniest thing I've heard all week, good skills!

*Sits back and watches Rotodiesel get pelted with half eaten pork pies*

[mikes]

We're getting into fanboy territory here! Anyone with a V6 will sing its praises (I have one). Anyone with the 1.9 will quote economy, reliabilty, envy at not buying the 2.5, etc.

Things change. Would I buy one now with the impending tax changes - No. Was I right to buy one when I did - Yes.

OK, it's old technology but in my experience it's reliable and economical and serves its purpose well (motorway cruiser). On a recent trip on the autobahn you could set it at 100 and marvel at the quality of ride and smoothness. Build quality is as good as Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi at half the price. I had a 1.9 A6 for three years and the engine was was truly pathetic in a car that size.

Run the Superb into the ground (it will go on forever if properly serviced). Take out an extended warranty if you're worried.

As for the bonkers Vanden Plas comment, this applies to any vehicle that has had the parts bit emptied on it. Try pricing up an A6 with big engine, heated seats all-round, privacy glass, leather, Tiptronic, etc etc and see if you can get a, low mileage, year old example for 13K?

Enjoy the car, enjoy the toys. There will always be a better one coming along.

[Allams Skoda]

The Superb residuals are not that bad. Go and buy a £20k citroen C5 and I'm sure you'll be happy with your 88% loss after 3 years.

[c.bilham@btinte]

My 04 V6 Tdi manual is absolutely brilliant.

We bought this car 6 weeks ago as a back-up for our chauffeur fleet and have done 3500 miles with it and it is returning 42.3 mpg

We also run Mercedes E class and Jaguar XJ6 cars and our customers have been delighted with the space and comfort in the rear

[Dr Zoidberg]

its been perfect......ok it had a cppl warranty issues

That's an odd definition of perfect you have there