Waiting in showroom to pick up my car from service yesterday. Noticed a poster with the model list for the new Superb.

At the top of the list was the "TSi" ( are those the right letters?) available in the bottom 2 spec levels. What is significant is that unlike all the other engines it did not mention engine capacity just that it was 125bhp.

I think they are worried that most folk would think "1.4 in a f$$$ing great car like that? No way!!"

They probably have a very valid point! We are very slow to take on new ideas.

Yeah everyone who I have mentioned the 1.4TSi engine to have basically laughed at me. Even after I still explain it is more powerful in all respects than the old 2.0MPi engine and on top of that it is hugely better on fuel and emissions. I still don't think it will be a massive seller just like the old 2.0MPi wasn't. I think we'll sell more 1.8TSi than the old 1.8T though.

Yep , spot on.

People would dismiss a 1.4 in a car that size without driving it , so just putting the power output may convince them otherwise.

It's not that long ago that a 2 litre normally aspirated engine was at about the same level - the Mk1 superb for example

Waiting in showroom to pick up my car from service yesterday. Noticed a poster with the model list for the new Superb.

At the top of the list was the "TSi" ( are those the right letters?) available in the bottom 2 spec levels. What is significant is that unlike all the other engines it did not mention engine capacity just that it was 125bhp.

I think they are worried that most folk would think "1.4 in a f$$$ing great car like that? No way!!"

They probably have a very valid point! We are very slow to take on new ideas.

Good move by Skoda.

I've seen a number of people on this forum voicing just that criticsm and thats from people who really ought to know better :P

125bhp seems pretty low for a car that size, no matter how many CCs are making it IMO. Admittedly, both my previous cars had slightly less than that, but the Megane was smaller and (realistically speaking) only a 2-seater, and the Xantia, while being a comparable sort of size, had quite a bit of plastic to save weight AIUI...

125bhp seems pretty low for a car that size, no matter how many CCs are making it IMO.

130bhp in the current model is plenty to make the car shift!

130bhp in the current model is plenty to make the car shift!

Yeah, but that's with the torque of the diesel. I mean fair enough, back to the OP's point, 125bhp probably is plenty to make decent progress, and technically as long as the car does 70mph, then anything more could be viewed as extravagant ( ) But I suppose it depends on where Skoda sees the Superb sitting. For example, you can get a C5 or a 407 petrol with the same power, but you can't get an E-Class or a 5-series petrol with less than 180bhp...

125bhp seems pretty low for a car that size, no matter how many CCs are making it IMO. Admittedly, both my previous cars had slightly less than that, but the Megane was smaller and (realistically speaking) only a 2-seater, and the Xantia, while being a comparable sort of size, had quite a bit of plastic to save weight AIUI...

Depends very much on your driving style - obviously a VRS driver would never be satisfied with 125bhp but for the family guy who wants plenty of space and enough power to potter round town with the occasional motorway jaunt then 125 is more than enough.

There's plenty of bigger engines for the power junkies

I wouldn't like to see that size of car with 125bhp fully loaded. I accept that those that pick that engine will perhaps only do that for holidays in the summer, and bigger engine or diesel would be a smarter choice for those that will be going fully loaded.

fwiw, I recall my 1.6 octy being noticeably more sluggish with 5 people and luggage on board. The torque of a diesel disguises this fact though, and haven't really noticed the issue in either of my last 2 diesels.

i quite liked the idea of a very small petrol engine namely the 1.4 tsi being the cheapest new superb on offer......and having priced up the options available on the skoda website i can get the 1.4 tsi up to a reasonable spec car...with more options than my present facelift superb....ok it wont have the torque of my 140bhp diesel, but there's only 15hp less and the gear box ratio's i imagine will still propel the car to 125mph...and lets face it, the new superb is a luxury cruiser, and to drive it hard or fast is pointless.

At the end of the day, it would be icing on the cake just to own a new superb 1.4 tsi with quite a few optional extra's and no one cud tell the difference between the 140bhp or 160 bhp tsi models....except the 1.4 could have nearly £1100 worth of options for the price of the 160 tsi

If it is capable then I think it's amazing how well engine design has come forward over the last few years, since you can get a 1.4 petrol in a fabia and the same size (albeit completely different) in the flagship model.

Just remember the mazda rx8 is only a 1.3 so don't let the engine cc cause a preconception, just go for a test drive.

With the number of hills I drive over in Scotland I can't see me moving away from a diesel myself, but that won't be the same for everyone.

Last week i tested the new superb 1.4 tsi, 125 bhp in Cyprus.

I loaded the car with 3 people (4 with me) and i went for a test drive. The power was impressing and i was doing 120 km/h without even noticing it. The acceleration was excellent and the interior of the car (elegance) felt like a limousine. I currently ride a DL 650 Suzuki and i am used to fast starts and plenty of power whenever i need it. I felt the same in the ''small'' superb.

I had to go for the test drive because i thought the 1.4 litter engine was no good for the size of the car. I was wrong and i think i will buy the car and make me a proud Skoda owner.

The only thing is that i can't find a 1.4 tsi owner in order to see if he is happy after the purchase and if the power is the same as the test drive.

It's an amazing car and value for money..

My only worry would be the engine going tired early, it's ok driving a new one, but what will it be like at 50k with some ring wear etc, it's a great idea in theory and if it does work then it's a victory, but the Astra engine in a 7 series comparison will always raise an eyebrow.

Yeah, but that's with the torque of the diesel. I mean fair enough, back to the OP's point, 125bhp probably is plenty to make decent progress, and technically as long as the car does 70mph, then anything more could be viewed as extravagant ( ) But I suppose it depends on where Skoda sees the Superb sitting. For example, you can get a C5 or a 407 petrol with the same power, but you can't get an E-Class or a 5-series petrol with less than 180bhp...

I tend to agree 130hp might be ok if it comes with bucket loads of torque but a 1.4 petrol just wont deliver that and the suberb is a big car , get it fully loaded and i reckon the 1.4 would be just too weedy and you would need to thrash it to make decent progress

I have to say i wasnt especially impressed with the 170hp diesel , didnt feel quick to me

"there's no substitute for cubes" i think was once said.

it may have 125bph but how many revs is this peak powere achieved at ? does it need a lot of revs and thus working the engine hard.

I would not want less than the 160BHP i currently have in such a big car

125bhp is about what a normal N/A 1.8 16v engine makes, which are seen as fine for a normal family hatch.

The 1.4 TSI makes the same power, with more torques, better economy and lower emissions. What's not to like?

Many people say "only 1.8 litres?" when I'm telling them about my car's engine. So if these "experts" think that 1.8 is small, they would directly laugh at an 1.4...

Anyway it's curious how almost everyone think 125 BHP is low for this car... considering the fact that the previous Superb "best seller" was the 1.9 TDI which was 130 BHP, and nobody told about poor acceleration or things like that.

I had the opportunity of testing this "small" engine in a Passat Variant and certainly I didn't feel any lack of power . If the Superb Elegance would have been available with this engine, I'd definetively have gone for the 1.4 TSi.

Its hard to compare like for like in the new Superb range as there isnt a 130hp diesel to compare but if you compare the 140hp diesel i can see no benefit

Firstly the petrol has 200nm of torque as opposed to the 2.0 140hp diesel which has 320nm of torque

Secondly the 1.4 engine has its peak horsepower 1000rpm further up the rev range than the diesel at 5000rpm, i think most people who drive diesels rarely need get to the peak hp rev range but ride the torque and shift at 3000rpm ish

Of course figures are one thing and on paper there is little difference in the 0-60 (3/10ths of a second ) but i reckon the 50-70mph overtake would be in the diesel favour and that torque would make the diesel "feel" a lot faster as its torque that the driver feels also the extra power at lower rpm would make the diesel car feel more relaxed on the motorway and I am sure you would have to push the petrol a lot harder to make good progress

However I am sure there will be a market for the 1.4 car and it seems quite a good engine especially if you dont do a lot of fully laden motorway work so amongst the retired crowd it may be popular or for the diesel haters perhaps but personally i think the Superb is a bit too large and heavy for such an engine certainly for families or fleet users

I dont think the resale value will be as strong on the 1.4 either but then again it is very cheap lot of car for £15k

Then there are people who don't like the devil's fuel

Then there are people who don't like the devil's fuel

like me !!

still think it is worth the extra grand for the 1.8 over the 1.4

also you can only get the 1.4 in the S model so if you want a higher spec car and dont like diesel then its the 1.8 or the 3.6 !!

What if you could buy the 1.4 (elegance version with 17'' alloy wheels instead of 18'' wheels) at a price of 23.900 euro?

Is this a good deal or not?

What if you could buy the 1.4 (elegance version with 17'' alloy wheels instead of 18'' wheels) at a price of 23.900 euro?

Is this a good deal or not?

Not here it wouldn't be, that would be the same money as a 2.0 TD SE DSG.

One thing people doesn't usually think about is the weight difference in cars with different engines. 2.0 Tdi is 65kg heavier that 1.4 Tsi.

Also the max. torque range in the 1.4Tsi is a lot wider in both ends than the diesel. The perfomance is quit good IMO for the small engine because the Tsi is only 0.3 sec slower from 0-100km/h than the diesel.

One thing people doesn't usually think about is the weight difference in cars with different engines. 2.0 Tdi is 65kg heavier that 1.4 Tsi.

Also the max. torque range in the 1.4Tsi is a lot wider in both ends than the diesel. The perfomance is quit good IMO for the small engine because the Tsi is only 0.3 sec slower from 0-100km/h than the diesel.

It might have a wider torque curve (not convinced the book is right there though) but it has 50% less torque than the diesel and i'd put money that the diesel will be making more than 200nm of torque from 1000rpm all the way to 4000rpm

As i said before it would be interesting to compare the 50-70mph typical overtake rather then the 0-60 time as i would expect this to be more pronounced in the favour of the diesel

The fact the towing capacity of the 1.4 is reduced by 400kgs over the diesel speaks volumes as well i feel

The 1.4 TSi 122bhp produces 200Nm of torque from 1500rpm to 4000rpm which is, in the real world, very usable. Add in the economy and low emissions and this petrol engine, in my opinion, makes more sense than a oil burner for low to medium annual mileage folk.

Would be:-

1) Fantastic in the Fabia

2) Great in the Octy.

3) More than adequate in the Superb.