Hi to you all, I'm new to the site and although I'm not currently a Skoda owner I'm hoping to be in the near future

I own a VW Passat Estate 2TDi Sport and I have to say its not the best car in the world. Its noisy and things rattle and squeak. having recently looked at a Superb I thougt it was great, question is "Is it better than my VW?" as its all part of the same group I'm concerned I could buying the same problems but with a different badge.

Has anyone moved from VW to Skoda and found its the best move they have made?

All I can say on the matter is if I was offered a Passat B5 or a Superb MK1 it'd be the Superb everytime, it's better equiped, looks better and is cheaper.

I went from a 54 Passat Highline to a 170CR Elegance

The Passat was a very comfortable drive, nice interior good features, good space, never had an issue with it and a much more sensible buy than the equivalent A4 and significantly cheaper. If you asked me four years ago if I'd buy a Skoda, I would have laughed in your face and was 95% sure that i'd get a new Passat last year, possibly the CC.

So going through the test drive cycle I drove about 7 cars of various shapes and sizes before being told to try an Octavia so went into a dealer to be told about the soon o be released Superb, I had a look at the potential specs and thought...hmm not bad, especially as it was a new car and he old one was just a Passat in disguise.

So ultimately that was my choice after a test drive.

So what is better

1) The drive, despite its size and acknowledging the better engine, its a lot smoother, I didn't consider the 140PD as the emissions on the 170 were better. I find engine noise to be very quiet, and the friends that I have dared to let drive the car have also been very impressed.

2) Interior and boot space. Yes I have been sat in the back a few times and so have some 6 footers, but i'm only 5ft 6, space in the back is amazing especially when the kids are in the back they are far enough away for you to ignore them moaning. Space in the drivers position is also very good given the flexibility of the seat configuration and the memory features you get with the electric seats. OK onto the boot, positives and negatives here, once its open as a hatchback the space is great and fitting 3 large suitcases in is a doddle, but try the same as a saloon and you struggle to get them in as the opening space is just too small, but overall its great as how often do you put three large suitcases in your boot.

3) Visibility through the rear window isn't great, but you have mirrors and parking sensors, and I also went for Park assist, so that more than makes up for the small window. I haven't felt the need for a read wash wipe as the water just runs away anyway.

4) Features, OK I have the elegance spec and if you can afford it its the way to go. I am still after a number of months discovering new things it can do. The Columbus unit is a must have but needs some minor tweaks in terms of the size of the disk drive (sorry I have a large music collection) and the functionality of the Sat Nav Unit, ability to add POI's and having audible warnings similar to what you'd get with the TomTom, the 5 digit post code search has not been an issue, but obviously more up to date maps would be great, and there lots of details on how to add POI's to the base disk are available on this site. would be nice to have a built in IPOD connection as std as that would resolve my disk space issue as long as it gave all IPOD features via the Columbus unit, but that may be a cost option.

Remembering what is configured via the MFD Vs the Columbus has been an adventure, there are just too many options, but thats a good thing. In comparison to the Passat Highline's trip computer there is no comparison.

So in general, I am a lot happier than I ever thought I would have been, losing the Passat was hard, but the Superb was a great replacement, it is a very good vehicle and you get a lot more for your money with the same engine choices you'd get in a Passat. You just have to get past the badge people saying "but its a Skoda", even then I have taken BMW, Audi, Jaguar and other badge merchants in mine and they have been suitabily impressed. I don't think you'll ever see the Prime Minister in one to replace his Jags and Bentleys, but non the less its better than a Passat, and you won't get wved down by people who think you are driving a Taxi any more, but then a lot of those are in Octavias now.

I went from a Passat to a fully loaded 170DSG Elegance as my Company car and have now done 2400 miles in it. I had the choice of almost any large saloon available and chose the Superb on all of the above grounds plus value for money for me and my company. The Passat i had was ok the Superb to date is Perfect. I can take clients in it and all they talk about is how good it is. I can drive it for 200 miles and get out feeling perfect the Passat always gave me bacj ache.Skoda have shown some companies how to do it and well done to them. Its not everything but as a business car its perfect for me. I also own my own BMW and i prefer the Superb to the 5 Series.YES REALLY

Driven many cars including a Daimler (was a barge but had more leg room than Superb)! and must admit I like Audi & Mercedes, been a Jap Car man for years but Skoda have in the last few years won me over, previous Octavia Mk2 was good (46,000 trouble free miles) but the new Superb is brilliant (but not perfect) for my money I would not buy anything else on the market (at the moment). if you asked me over a year ago I would have said Mercedes S Class was the best motor. I feel that Quality matters more than a badge.