have driven new superb from new for over a year now as a taxi and i have hated every minute of it.i cant believe why this car is so well regarded and why the reviews have been so favourable.i have even seen reviews comparing this car to an e class merc.are you kidding or what?the only comparison is that they are both called motorcars.yes its cheaper than most if not all its competitors to buy and run and yes the leg room in the back is unbelievable but as the person paying for it i only really care what its like to sit in the front and thats the problem.the drivers seat and cabin space is not spacious at all and the seat is far too high with very little adjustment.the car doesnt feel big when your driving it.in fact the car doesnt feel like anything when your driving it.i mean whats to like?i have the 1.9tdi and its just so boring.i would imagine the newer 1.6 derv is much the same.all the power is at the start of the pedal and dissapears almost immediatly.im afraid to overtake in mine.and the car feels really light for such a big car which means your getting no feedback from what the car is doing on the road.it understeers very badly and feels so stiff in every way.its so uninvolving.i think the previous superb was a much better and much more comfortable drivers car.i cannot find any bad reviews on these cars anywhere so this will probably go down badly with most of you but it would be interesting to know if anyone else feels the same as i do.surely im not the only one.oh and just to finish off,why are the dealers trying to and mostly succeeding making people pay for new clutches when they know the dmf is causing them to go.mine was faulty from day one and they still tried to charge me for a new one.it might surprise you how many people pay up for it.

It does worry me what you say. You did not go for the DSG. The DSG is a must for high mileage driver, it transforms the driving experience. I do about 1,000 miles a week and I would hate driving that much without an auto box. The "S" pec is pretty good IMO but the choice should either be the 1.8 TSI or 2 litre 140 hp diesel with the DSG. 1.8 TSI DSG has the edge for fun driving but still has reasonable economy and lowe servicing cost ie dry clutches. This is what I will probably chop my current Octy2 L&K in for same engined Superb and I look forward to the even more comfortable ride etc.

Superb Mk1 was the worst handling car I have had since tranverse leaf suspension Truimphs, awful. Liked the 1.9D 130hp in the Octy 1 and Superb 1 but with no DSG available then they had to go despite excellent economy but mid sized TSIs are relatively cheap to buy and run.

Edited 17 October, 201114 yr by lol

when i read the charlie h comment i started to laugh.

He say that he didn't understand why the people compare superb with e class merc or bmw but he buys the cheapest superb from the market.

"i have the 1.9tdi and its just so boring" but you choose the engine.

I believe that you wanted to buy a Maybach with a price of Dacia Logan.

Prices for Skoda Superb start from 18.576 EURO (16.206 pounds) and ends around 40.000 euro (34.898 pounds) with extras.

I think is a big, no is a very,very big difference between 16.206 pounds car and a 34.898 car (is more than double price).

As you have the car for taxi the purpose of it was to have enough space on the back seats and on the truck and also to have a very good mpg.

If you bought a 25.000 pounds superb (not a 34.898 pounds one) you get top extras like good ventilated leather seats with electrical adjustment with a lots of options.

has anyone who replied to this post ever considered buying a used car?is a 2 year old luxury car not a better option than a brand new standard car.if you read the first post you will see that that the dealer tried to charge me for a new clutch which i reported faulty in first week of ownership.at the end of the day is the point of a brand new not about reliability and peace of mind?and for you guys who ask why i posted this,why dont you read the post properly.i thought this was an open forum.i didnt realise it was the skoda appreciation society.seems to me that your trying to convince yourselves that skodas are a good car.for those of you who tried to help me thanks.to the rest of you im away for a drive in my new e class.see ya.

has anyone who replied to this post ever considered buying a used car?is a 2 year old luxury car not a better option than a brand new standard car.if you read the first post you will see that that the dealer tried to charge me for a new clutch which i reported faulty in first week of ownership.at the end of the day is the point of a brand new not about reliability and peace of mind?and for you guys who ask why i posted this,why dont you read the post properly.i thought this was an open forum.i didnt realise it was the skoda appreciation society.seems to me that your trying to convince yourselves that skodas are a good car.for those of you who tried to help me thanks.to the rest of you im away for a drive in my new e class.see ya.

Charlie, I went that route. I didn't even thinking about new car. I was shooting for 2 year old premium segment with factory guarantee and certification. I was shooting for estate, BMW 520 and Audi 6, new Merc E was too new didn't liked new. I wanted auto transmission, panorama roof, and the rest is mid speced equipment from premium (xenon, parking, navi, dancing lights, etc...). I was looking German cars for import, and after deducting VAT and adding customs, car cost was 10% higher than list price on net (mobile.de). With decent mileage, up to 50k km price was in range 30-34k EUR. For the same amount I had option to get similar or better equipped Superb, new with exact coloring I wanted. And to be honest, Superb with black leather, white stitches wasn't even option and I didn't consider Superb, unless dealer later offered me demo car with ivory leather. Only than I started to research and include Superb. I ended up with 34.5k EUR Superb... I also found some things that bothers me, you can read more on my first look on Superb:

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/212664-first-impressions-after-5-months-140ps4x4dsg-estate

Hey guys don't you see that we are the stupid ones because we bought a third class car.

He is now selling the superb and with that money he will buy a e class merc from 1999 =))

Yes this is a open forum but if you want to undermine a car you should come with proofs.

Did the Superb not make you any money during the last year or so? As surely if you're using it as a taxi that is its main job.

charlie h, I'd get my computer keyboard look at too, if I was you. Your Shift key isn't working.

I'll never understand why taxi drivers still choose manual gearboxes...

Just nonsense.

2 big reasons:

Because of the costs:

- low fuel consumption

- smaller acquisition price

has anyone who replied to this post ever considered buying a used car?is a 2 year old luxury car not a better option than a brand new standard car.if you read the first post you will see that that the dealer tried to charge me for a new clutch which i reported faulty in first week of ownership.at the end of the day is the point of a brand new not about reliability and peace of mind?and for you guys who ask why i posted this,why dont you read the post properly.i thought this was an open forum.i didnt realise it was the skoda appreciation society.seems to me that your trying to convince yourselves that skodas are a good car.for those of you who tried to help me thanks.to the rest of you im away for a drive in my new e class.see ya.

Sir, I suggest you should follow your own advice. No offense, but reading your post properly isn't really the easiest with your typing style... So you encountered a bad dealer, so what? You bought the cheapest version (for professional use, without out a proper test?) and expected premium standard. Thats your choice and your sad experience. Bad luck, but thats life. We all now you don't like it by know, but most of us like the car, thereby joining this forum. If we don't have your experience why should we complain? Just because you do? Superb wouldn't have won that much attention from the motor journalists and the rest of us if it's that kind of lemon you think it is. Where did you ask for help? Just sympathies for your complaints. And why on earth paying for a new clutch on a new car? Sorry, but I think you are better off with your Merc. Good luck with it.

No car and no one, least of all me, is perfect. But I for one don't recognize your experience. I knew since day one that Superb isn't a drivers car with the sporty handling of a BMW or a Mondeo for that matter. This still stands and I like it because of that. Long drives are relaxing, don't feel the need for sport there. Just comfort and efficiency. Best car so far IMHO. But thats me.

/Superbjoser

I have owned several premium brand cars in the past, the last being a Mercedes C class. I part exchanged it to buy my first Octavia, and the Octavia was a far better car to drive and maintain than the Mercedes ever was.

I bought my Superb elegance nearly 2 years ago as a secondhand ex. Skoda car, it had 13K miles on the clock when I bought it and it was a lot cheaper than buying new. I dont regret it one bit, and to me its a better drive than the Octavia, so at least in Elegance Trim with the DSG like I have its an excellent comfortable car to drive. My PD140 2.0TDi is now on 41K miles, and has completed 2 trips from the UK to the Costa Del Sol and back again via Calais, 2 trips of more than 4000 miles total each and the last one was just as effortless than the first one.

2 big reasons:

Because of the costs:

- low fuel consumption

- smaller acquisition price

Sure? Those reasons are not too big:

- The DSG gearbox has LOWER fuel consumption than the manual

- Tha adquisition price is smaller in the manual... but if you add the maintenance costs in a high mileage (for example a taxi), they will probably be higher in the manual (clutch and more).

A car without air conditioning is cheaper than other with air conditioning, but if you live in the Sahara and you choose the first one it's not a very clever decision. If you drive a taxi and you choose manual, it's neither a very clever decision. Just that.

Sure? Those reasons are not too big:

- The DSG gearbox has LOWER fuel consumption than the manual

- Tha adquisition price is smaller in the manual... but if you add the maintenance costs in a high mileage (for example a taxi), they will probably be higher in the manual (clutch and more).

The DSG when coupled to the TDi uses more fuel than the manual (the TSi DSG is 1 - 2 mpg more efficient), the DSG also requires a pretty expensive oil change every 40K (IIRC).

However if I was using it as a taxi (so lots of town driving and start/stop all day) then IMO a DSG should be considered, even though it costs over a grand more than the manual.

For me however as I do not do much driving in heavy traffic, coupled with the problems some DSG boxes have and the fact that the one I test drove left me very underwhelmed (purely from the DSG) I will be sticking with manual for a bit.

2 big reasons:

Because of the costs:

- low fuel consumption

- smaller acquisition price

The DSG cost less than a thou as an extra with the VAT off offers being on the DSGs as well as manual.

The DSG (7 speed) is about 5% more fuel efficient than the manual (6 speed) on the 1.8 TSI so you start recouping the initial buy price as well as having a higher resale, particularly for the dry clutched autos.

Have they not done a 7 speed diesel DSG yet matched to the 1.6 or 2 (110hp) litre diesel as they have with other VAG cars?

Edited 19 October, 201114 yr by lol

Personally, the reason I'm always praising the Superb is not that it is a cheaper alternative to a BMW, Merc or Audi but that after 6000 miles it still impresses me with the comfort, versatility and from the driver's seat it is a great place to be when stuck in traffic! I have the SE model so has more toys than the S model but less than the Elegance. The other reason for praise is value for money - just over £18K for a fast, comfortable, spacious, well built, well-engineered estate. That's only slightly more money than a top spec Fiesta or Corsa.

I can sympathise with the OP - I can never understand why the motoring press rave about the Ford Fiesta - having owned the previous generation (for all of six months) and driven the latest model a few times, I can't understand why they are so highly rated.

Each to their own, I guess.

Glen

I thought taxi drivers knew everything - now I'm certain!!

Think I will take this opportunity to reiterate: I love my Superb II, best car I have ever had.

Here here top class car in every way have my 2010 170cr elegance a year this week and it still feels and drives like just out of de showroom........SUPERB ? I think so

I'm a huge SAAB fan and been driving only SAABs since 1996. Before that I had some Fords (a.k.a. Fix Or Repair Daily). Due to change of the employer I had to choose a brand new company car and unfortunately SAAB wasn't among the car brands anymore.

So what to choose then, when CO2 emissions were the most important criteria for the company? I had to choose between Audi A4 TDi (too small for me & my family), BMW 316d (see Audi explanation), Citroen C4 (absolutely no thanks!), Ford Mondeo Ecotec (never again), Skoda SuperB Greenline, VW Passat Bluemotion (smaller than Skoda, approx. same price) and Volvo V60 eDrive (see Audi explanation).

So I chose Skoda SuperB. After test driving it, my wife told me to order a combi (=estate) instead of hatch which was my original choice. OK, fine with me...

Now I've driven 1500 kms with that SuperB and I'm really pleased with its characteristics, space, handling, fuel consumption etc. I would've never experienced that if I would've been able to have another SAAB. It's definitely not within a "premium segment" (compared to BMW and Mercedes for example) but it's really bang for the buck.

The most unpleasant thing has been that engine growl described in another topic of this forum. Another thing is the lack of appreciation and acceptance from some people (quite surprising some of the ladies have something against Skodas) but it doesn't bother me since the car itself is just great. I think Skoda brand reminds them of those rear mounted engine models (120 etc.) from 70's-80's. Well, SuperB has nothing to do with those 120s except the brand. Maybe Skoda should've introduced SuperB with a different name than Skoda (a la Lexus, Infiniti, Acura etc.)?

Perhaps the problem can be identified by the fact that many love it while you do not.

You have bought a 1.9 PD base S model, presumably to be a big and cheap taxi. Therefore your objectives were different to many Superb owners, who go for a decent spec and power-plant as a way to exec quality on a budget.

The question I have, if size is presumably a priority, is what else you possibly think you could have got for the same money which would have been better??

Rather than ranting about your car (which would be in no way comparable to mine, so I really can't appreciate your point), why not stop and think about what you could have done to improve things - i.e. Test, or at least properly understand the differences between the car you drove and the one you ordered. That's what the brochure is for.

Either dig a bit deeper for a decent model or get a top end Octavia.

I wouldn't argue with the bloke. It is well recognised with all concerned, owners and motoring journalists, even Clarkson's lot, that the Superb is of excellent quality. In fact there was a test done by one major Motoring Magazine ( which I have somewhere ! ) in which 4 cars were tested, Bentley Continental at £125k, BMW Series 7 at £75K, Audi 6? at £45K and Superb at £25K, the net result being the Skoda came out on top, better built than the Bentley! So he should go off and buy his Merc but to make sure he gets a good Breakdown cover and Company as they have got a dreadful reputation for reliability, the last " decent " one apparently being built in 1995. When I was considering the Superb, I did look at Mercs but the cost of the extras which Skoda supply as standard put the Merc right out of the question. If I remember correctly, even a radio was EXTRA!!. And don't let us forget the service charges?. Perhaps he might change his mind when his Merc is stuck at the roadside full of passengers and the Superbs whizz by.

The one thing that I noticed when sitting in one is it's too narrow for a car of it's length and like the 300C the seats feel like they are from a car the size of an Octavia rather than a BMW/Volvo competitor.

The one thing that I noticed when sitting in one is it's too narrow for a car of it's length and like the 300C the seats feel like they are from a car the size of an Octavia rather than a BMW/Volvo competitor.

I suppose it's intended to be a 4-seater car instead of regular 5.

I wouldn't call it a BMW/Volvo competitor because Audi A6 is the one for that task.

But I would think it as a cheaper alternative to Audi A6.

I suppose it's intended to be a 4-seater car instead of regular 5.

I wouldn't call it a BMW/Volvo competitor because Audi A6 is the one for that task.

But I would think it as a cheaper alternative to Audi A6.

It's size rather than class I was comparing.

I thought taxi drivers knew everything - now I'm certain!!

Steady on fella,don't tar us all with the same brush.

For the record folks,i am a taxi driver,and owned a Superb II for almost two years and loved it.I sold it to my taxi driving mate who also loves it,and get's asked regularly if it's a new car (it's now 2.5 years old).

The reason taxi drivers buy manual cars was pointed out in an earlier post-cost.The auto is more expensive to buy and it is worse on fuel.Yes the manual 'box would need new clutches but when you factor in that a clutch will last anything upto 100K and cost about £600 to replace then you are only talking about 1.5-2K for clutches in the life of the car,where-as an autobox would be MUCH more expensive in the event of something going wrong.

Having said all that,i have a new superb on order and as i'm fed up of changing gear(i think my local council had a job lot on traffic lights)i have decided to treat my self and have an elegance with DSG.I only hope to god that i can shut up the nay sayers and auto 'box doom mongers who work with me by buying a good un and nothing going wrong with it

Steady on fella,don't tar us all with the same brush.

For the record folks,i am a taxi driver,and owned a Superb II for almost two years and loved it.I sold it to my taxi driving mate who also loves it,and get's asked regularly if it's a new car (it's now 2.5 years old).

The reason taxi drivers buy manual cars was pointed out in an earlier post-cost.The auto is more expensive to buy and it is worse on fuel.Yes the manual 'box would need new clutches but when you factor in that a clutch will last anything upto 100K and cost about £600 to replace then you are only talking about 1.5-2K for clutches in the life of the car,where-as an autobox would be MUCH more expensive in the event of something going wrong.

Having said all that,i have a new superb on order and as i'm fed up of changing gear(i think my local council had a job lot on traffic lights)i have decided to treat my self and have an elegance with DSG.I only hope to god that i can shut up the nay sayers and auto 'box doom mongers who work with me by buying a good un and nothing going wrong with it

Sorry for the slight!! In fact I drove cabs for a while when I first got out of the army. Found it more dangerous than a jungle patrol. Got belted one night by a drunk and gave it away.

Good decision on the new car. My DSG box is smoother than a glass of Guiness!!

DSG is better than auto anyway, you probably lose 10% over a stick, only downside is the cost of replacing it, it's 5k for a full box and Mech, and you will need a DMF before it's hit the 100k mark, other than that you will be pleased you picked a DSG, it's the way forwards, and backwards if you get my meaning