My previous car was a f/l Octavia VRS Diesel Estate with DSG. After 3 years faultless ownership I decided to purchase the Superb Greenline Twin Door. Here are my thoughts for what they are worth:

Clearly a comparison with my previous vehicle is not really valid as it would be comparing chalk with cheese and I would never overly criticise the vrs as it was brilliant. However, in choosing the Superb my priority was to find a comfortable, quiet, refined and roomy motor car that was also economical. Outright performance was not an issue as the use of the car was to be aimed at longer touring journeys.

I chose the Superb over the new Octavia because I liked the quirkiness of the design and preferred it over the new Octavia which I find a little euro boxy. I had always liked the Superb Estate but had never been a fan of the twin door until I saw a gaggle of them at the National Briskoda meeting. I think I had a eureka moment. Before changing my car I also considered the Golf, BMW 1 series, Audi A3, Seat Leon and the Octavia.

Now I have used the car on a range of journeys, here are my initial thoughts:

The 1.6 engine is amazing. The performance is surprisingly good and easily meets my needs. Motorway cruising at 70mph is absolutely effortless and silent. Putting the car into 6th gear and engaging cruise control seems to make no untoward demand on the engine. I did fear that I may have to shift down on occasions but no such action was remotely necessary. I am still bemused as to how VAG manage to get such performance from a relatively small diesel unit. It is staggering. On a recent 420 mile motorway journey the car returned over 71mpg. Fuel economy is beyond belief, albeit that I am a pretty steady driver.

The gearing takes a little of getting used to, particularly 2nd to 3rd gear. I find I have to hold in 2nd a little longer than I would normally expect to, in order to get the baby rolling.

Driving is effortless and serene once on the move. The gearbox/clutch is very light and brakes are very effective (and not over sharp). There is no wind noise. The engine can roar a little if pushed hard through the gears. It is not as quiet as the 2 litre cr unit. One of the issues I actively disliked in the vrs was tyre noise. In this guise, at least, the Superb is almost silent, thankfully. The vehicle also absorbs potholes and road imperfections with hardly a murmur. Again this was an issue for me and I would never return to low profile tyres.

DAB radio and sat nav are nice additions which I value. I was disappointed not to be able to have a heated windscreen (Skoda prohibit this on the Greenline). My previous 3 Octavias were all estates. I chose the twin door Superb because it offered sufficient capacity and I felt the arrangement may prove quieter than estate. It is certainly quiet. One the very best features is the fantastic twin door arrangement. It is so practical and easy to use. I hardly ever raise the whole unit now.

There are not many negatives I can think of at this stage. The door pockets are too narrow and my son misses the ability to store a drinks bottle in the door. (not an issue for me as I try to discourage drinking in my car!). I have not experienced any rattles to date and misting is not present as I use a couple of silica gel bags. I was slightly conscious of my left leg rubbing against the centre console unit on a long motorway journey and I find the heater controls a little fiddly, as they are on the Mk 2 Octavia. The main light switch is obscured by the steering wheel.

Overall verdict:

The Superb is a fabulous car and exactly meets my needs as a comfortable/refined motorway mile muncher. The Greenline offers surprisingly good performance and great economy. A brilliant car that is a little different from the crowd!

Nice little write up / review - the 1.6 units are appealing but I've yet to try one in the Superb, only a Passat and it was pretty uninspiring imo.

There are definately more Superbs around these days which means Skoda are doing something right although I would have liked to see an interior refresh on the FL.

What spec do you have? Elegance?

I went for SE as I didn't want full leather, preferring the alcantara seats.

Coops.

SE for me too as I also prefer the alacantara to leather. I just added DAB/sat nav, window deflectors, boot mat, interior mats and full size spare wheel kit.

I know the car is not fast, per se, but it does go surprisingly well. I actually enjoy the driving experience. I also like how it stands slightly lower with the Greenline alloys. Really pleased and it suits my needs perfectly (being almost mature now!).

Kevberlin, nice review. I had a superb greenline 1.9 and now I have an elegance greenline 2 twin door. The 1.6 CR does not seem to have the low end punch of the 1.9 PD but is far smoother in my opinion and handles DPF regenerations far better (unnoticeable compared to the 1.9PD which became very rough during regens).

I'm glad to hear the 6 sipped box is good as the 5 speed on my greenline 2 is quite clunky, this is highlighted when driving SWMBO's Yeti 1.2 which has the smoothest 6 speed gearbox I have driven.

I also agree with your comment on your left knee rubbing on the console, I have got used to this on both my Superbs but would prefer it not to be so.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy your car, it always surprises my friends how roomy, smooth and comfortable it is and in my opinion is a good value quality car.