...and I am a very happy man. What a piece of kit! The build quality is absolutely stunning. Did I say I was very happy?

Hatch or Combi?

We need pics!

Are you happy with it?

Is hatch. And is maroon. And I am happy. Very VERY happy.

I love it so much that I refuse to smoke in it.

In the absence of pictures, a few thoughts on how I ended up with a Superb.

The existing family car desperately needed replacing, and with my wife finishing in uni and with a new job to start, it became feasible to buy a nice used car. My son will be 13 in a week, and is already 5' 10" (179cm for our European friends) so I needed something with a lot of legroom in the back. The two choices were a Mondeo or a Superb, and it was an easy choice for me to make - the fact that it is a slightly left-field chice was just the icing on the cake (the replaced car was a Multipla).

So I did some serious research. Fuel economy was a big priority, as the car will be doing about 15k per year. I decided I wanted the 140 rather than the 170 for that reason, added to cheaper insurance and the fact the my wife already has six points on her license make the relative lack of poke a positive rather than a negative. Economy also meant that I'd go for a manual.

What I really wanted was a 140 Elegance manual, but could not find one for sale anywhere - I suspect that most people who order the Elegance new opt for the 170. And so I bought a 140 SE on an 09 plate and frankly, I love it (if you hadn't guessed already!). I have no issue with the missing toys, and it's just such a quality piece of kit. I get great pleasure from the "thunk" as the door shuts, and the dual boot lid is a real "surprise and delight" feature. The performance is entirely sufficient for my purposes, and it smells so nice (leather - mmmmm) that I have decided that I will not smoke in it.

After 28 hours odf Superb ownership, all I can think is "why the hell doesn't EVERYBODY have one?"

It seems that by "maroon" I mean Rosso Brunello. I think. Do I?

I also have a 140 SE hatch and the puzzel of why folks would by any of the competition (Passat, Mondeo, Insignia) is a strange one indeed, but personally I'm glad as I like being one of a relatively small (if growing) club.

Exclusivity without the price-tag.

Awesome

In the absence of pictures, a few thoughts on how I ended up with a Superb.

The existing family car desperately needed replacing, and with my wife finishing in uni and with a new job to start, it became feasible to buy a nice used car. My son will be 13 in a week, and is already 5' 10" (179cm for our European friends) so I needed something with a lot of legroom in the back. The two choices were a Mondeo or a Superb, and it was an easy choice for me to make - the fact that it is a slightly left-field chice was just the icing on the cake (the replaced car was a Multipla).

So I did some serious research. Fuel economy was a big priority, as the car will be doing about 15k per year. I decided I wanted the 140 rather than the 170 for that reason, added to cheaper insurance and the fact the my wife already has six points on her license make the relative lack of poke a positive rather than a negative. Economy also meant that I'd go for a manual.

What I really wanted was a 140 Elegance manual, but could not find one for sale anywhere - I suspect that most people who order the Elegance new opt for the 170. And so I bought a 140 SE on an 09 plate and frankly, I love it (if you hadn't guessed already!). I have no issue with the missing toys, and it's just such a quality piece of kit. I get great pleasure from the "thunk" as the door shuts, and the dual boot lid is a real "surprise and delight" feature. The performance is entirely sufficient for my purposes, and it smells so nice (leather - mmmmm) that I have decided that I will not smoke in it.

After 28 hours odf Superb ownership, all I can think is "why the hell doesn't EVERYBODY have one?"

After my first 90-mile motorway crunch, a few reflections. Let's get the negatives out of the way - I find the "sports seats" to be a bit narrow, and I'm not that big, and the brake pedal is over-assisted for my usual taste. However, I suspect thatthese are both things to which I can become accustomed, and neither has given me the slightest notion that I've bought the wrong car. Damn it, it's all I can do not to go out for a cruise in it RIGHT NOW.

In today's bright sunshine, the paintwork displayed the kind of depth I'd normally expect from one of Stuttgart's finest, the MFD is a model of clarity and intuitive control, something you can say about most of the car's control systems - my wife figured out how to change the stored radio stations in about 60 seconds without recourse to the manual, something that's a real faff in our old Astra.

The fuel economy was 45mpg, and I was not hanging about.

the brake pedal is over-assisted for my usual taste. However, I suspect thatthese are both things to which I can become accustomed,

I second that, you do adjust, but then when you jump into another car you find it lacking initial bite. The superb's bite point is too early though in my opinion and the first time you have to slam on the anchors, your pulse will raise a little as you notice that you are not getting any extra stopping power as your right foot pushes the brake pedal further into the carpet.

Cheers

Steve

Dont worry about the 'sharp' braking it is something you will adapt to & that niggle will go away.

I would personally sooner have that, My Octy has sharp brakes, & when I drive SWMBO's 1.2 fabia, i have to remember to push the brake pedal to stop

Congrats, hope you enjoy her for ages to come. I got my superb about 6 weeks ago after having 2 previous Octavias. They were really good cars (especially the VRS LE.which I still miss, but the Superb is in a completely different league and I'm loving it. Probably because of the occys, I haven't really noticed the braking change, but this is my first dsg, so that probably has something to do with it.

Is hatch. And is maroon. And I am happy. Very VERY happy.

I love it so much that I refuse to smoke in it.

Never say "it's maroon" to a a load of scotsmen. It'll cost you a fortune for the drinks!

Phil.