Evening all,

 

First post in the Superb section 

 

Anyhow, my father in law is looking for a new car and took a test drive in a Vauxhall Zafira yesterday and found it uncomfortable, I'm quite glad about this  .

I suggested they go have a look at the Superb and they asked me to go with for a test drive today.

They got to drive an SE auto diesel 140 model which was amazingly comfortable. It's the first time I have really looked or been in a Superb and I loved it, and so did my father in law 

They are looking at the manual SE 1.8TSI, adding sat nav but it has pretty much everything else they wanted. What's the opinion on the 1.8 engines, anything else we need to look at/advise of?

 

The sales person did suggest the Octavia if they want a smaller car but price wise it doesn't make sense to me, 21k for an Octavia or 22k for a Superb. Also the way they drive and the journey's they do I would suggest the Superb over the Octavia.

 

Any advice much appreciated 

The 1.8 turbo engine is an absolute peach, rivaling V6s in its smoothness.  It's brisk rather than rapid, but has astonishing torque for a petrol engine - it can be punted pretty much everywhere in 6th.  It has a chain cam, so no costly cam-belt changes.The manual gearbox is also a delight and complements the engine perfectly.  It's a great, great car for wafting.

 

Downside: the economy isn't fantastic - I drive like a nun over mainly A-roads and average 35mpg over 18 months.  Out of habit (nun? habit?), I still rev beyond 2500rpm when changing gear, though; if you change up before 2000rpm you will improve on my economy.

 

Best car I've ever owned, by a country mile.

I agree with Ned regarding the engine. I though have an average (maxidot) mileage of 40+MPG over 13 months. I don't know if that's got anything to do with the fact that I, unlike Ned, have the DSG box.

Blimey, only 35mpg with an occasional foray beyond 2.5k? How about a petrol vrs making 37mpg average; driven sometimes like it's been stolen, other times "sedately". That's vfm.

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

I, too, agree with Ned. I do have a manual and over 9000 miles have averaged better than 30mpg - which is pretty much what I expected. it's incredibly smooth and quiet. Like you I drove the 140 TDI DSG.

 

When I collected the car, I had real difficulty in clutch control for a few miles as I couldn't hear the engine. That's the sort of "problem" I want to get used to!

I, too, agree with Ned. I do have a manual and over 9000 miles have averaged better than 30mpg - which is pretty much what I expected. it's incredibly smooth and quiet. Like you I drove the 140 TDI DSG.

 

When I collected the car, I had real difficulty in clutch control for a few miles as I couldn't hear the engine. That's the sort of "problem" I want to get used to!

Yeah, I know what you mean about the quietness...I once got out of mine in a petrol station and forgot to turn the engine off because I couldn't hear it. I actually filled the car with fuel while it was still running!

Thank you everyone, they are both really excited about the idea of the Superb so will update on here should they order at some point

 

Now just to convert the wife's car to a Skoda

I had a 1.8 TSi Octavia and the engine was fantastic.

I would say my average mpg was 38 and if I took it really steady it would do up to 48 mpg.

I did drive it hard most of the time and it will easily cruise into 3 figures.

I did 98,000 mile in 2 years with no major problems.

I had 2 front shock and a water hose replaced under warranty in 2 years of driving it.

If their annual mileage is low enough to make financial sense with a petrol engine then surely that's case closed?

 

I like diesel engines but it's the 50+ MPG that forces me into one.

 

The 1.8 TSi engine is renowned for being a peach and they attract a much lower screen price used so it would be a no-brainer for me given the choice.

I have a 1.8 TSI with a manual box and agree with Ned. It's a good engine and plenty pokey enough. Ideally I would have had the 2.0 TSI but couldn't find one in budget. I can comfortably get 38-39 mpg on a run, but basically average 35 mpg with mixed driving.