I currently run an octavia elegance tdi which has been a brilliant workhorse. I am considering buying a 1 - 2 year old estate, and am considering a Superb, Audi A6 or perhaps a Volvo XC70/XC90. Looking at the Superbs and Audis for sale 1 - 2 years old, I'm a bit surprised that the price gap has closed so much ( I am looking at higher spec Skodas, Elegance etc).

 

For the difference involved, is it still worth investing in a Superb? When the time comes, I will be test driving both. My perception at the moment is that the Audi quality will probably be a bit better, the handling will probably be better, the ride may not be quite as compliant as the Skoda. Refinement will probably be better in the Audi, a major point for me. The biggest disappointment in Skodas for me has always been the meagre nature of the sound insulation and lack of attention to NVH. I have added loads of sound insulation to my Octavia, which helps a bit.

 

My Octavia has been great and utterly reliable. I also have a soft spot for audi, and the 1989 audi 90 2.2 I once had is possibly the best car I've ever had.

 

I might expect some bias on a Skoda forum, but any thoughts? Anyone ever been through the same process?

Edited 16 May, 201511 yr by harrylime

I think the Mark 2 versions were the best bang for buck. Octavia II, Superb II.  They offered alot of the VW/Audi experience at a fraction of the price. The current Octavia III and the upcoming Superb III have grown an identity and as such demand a higher price.

 

I do Vagcom-mods as a side job, and I get all kinds of VAG products over. Everyone who sais their Skoda is every bit as good as an Audi, or that Audi's are overpriced, doesn't know or doesn't want to see. The interior is so much nicer, finish is better, build quality is better,... . I can understand Skoda vs. VW, but Audi for me is way out there. Their cabins are just sorted.

 

Regarding the sound insulation, I also routinely spend time demolishing dashboards. Where a Skoda has hard plastic with plastic tabs (creak city...), VW have a little rubber grommet on the tab, and Audi will have a felt liner behind the plastic and a rubber grommet. Simply taking out a piece of trim on an Audi will cut your fingers to bloody shribbons, while the same piece of trim in a VW or Skoda will likely come out alot easier. There is a difference...
 

I already told my girlfriend, we're planning on buying a house soon, should the Superb have to go for some reason it'll be replaced with the cheapest nastiest car I can find. But if there ever is another moment where I can buy a car that I really want to drive, it's definately going to be an Audi. Sure, every car can be a lemon, and Audi drivers are cocks (sorry), but when I drive my car I tend to spend most of the time inside the cabin (really!), and when it comes to cabin comfort in the VAG group, Audi's simply do it better...

 

Just my opinion...

Hi Harry,

I would reluctantly agree with too tall, I've struggled with the seats in my Superb, but just had a test drive in an audi A8 and the seats were superb (pardon pun!)

The cost differential is still huge though. If I wanted an a6 of similar spec to my Skoda, it would cost around 40-50% more for similar age and mileage!

Reason I an reluctantly agreeing is that I currently have my Superb 2.0tdi 4x4 twindoor for sale, and wouldn't want to put you off!!

Not sure why you need the estate, but if you don't have dogs, there's very nearly as much space in the twindoor boot and it'll save you a couple of grand over the equivalent estate...

Let me know if you're interested - you can see my thread in the for sale section and it's also on fleabay...

Z

When I ordered my MKII Estate I very nearly cancelled the order (long story but suffice to say I will never buy another car from or recommend Broadspeed to anyone!)

 

The upshot was to get a similar A6 estate I was looking at another £10K ... and it still would not of been as highly specced as the Superb.

 

Having owned VW’s, Audi’s and Skoda’s I can honestly say that Škoda are better than VW (build quality) but not quite as good as Audi... but they are also no where near as much to buy and are better equipped as std.

too tall

thank you for that. Based on what you do, I would definitely class yours as an informed opinion and it is very interesting. Zeddicus, we must be looking at different ads because the differential is not that great. There may be a few thousand in it, generally, for skodas with a decent spec, but I value refinement so it may be worth it. I currently run a lexus LS400 on a classic policy and that is a 4 litre V8. It is possibly the best engine ever produced (and the only engine ever to have FAA approval for use in an aircraft) and is totally silent, so it has raised the bar for me. Lexus had 60 engineers working full time on noise vibration and harshness on that Lexus, so it's a hard act to follow.

 

Interestingly, when I bought my Audi 90, I was also looking at a Vauxhall Cavalier and initially  preferred the drive in the Vauxhall. However, the longer I owned the Audi the more I appreciated its qualities, the wonderful build quality and the exquisite 5 cylinder petrol engine, which was smooth, powerful and did a consistent 32mpg. It was also relatively simple and easy to work on. I'm not sure cars have improved that much when I hear about common problems with quality cars such as  DMF failure, DPFs, electronic problems, turbos and swirl flaps etc etc.

 

thank you both for responding, I'm hoping for some more comments and opinions

Just a quick point:

From my experience of owning a mk2 Octavia VRS prior to my current Superb.............the Superb is a much more serene place to be. Cabin noise is minimal. I believe the Superb is a really great car.

Good luck with your search.

For the benefit of any others as stupid as I am for not knowing what NVH is, I think it must be Noise, vibration, and harshness

Yes, looking again, I think the differential is around £7000, the cheaper Audi I looked at was a manual. I haven't studied spec in any detail but looked for elegance spec skoda. Bit more of a difference than I thought. . I'm still very much open minded and it's possible that a Superb with extra insulation might work. I can't abide creaks and squeaks in a car though, they drive me nuts.

On the debit side of the equation for audi is that Too Tall is right, Audi drivers do drive like cocks, it is a sweeping generalisation that happens to be true, they've taken the mantle from BMW drivers, like the Q7 driver who drove right up my chuff on the M1 the other day

It will probably come down to the test drive and perhaps on what discount I can get

sorry nvh is noise vibration harshness

Quiet tyres will sort out a lot of the noise coming into the cabin.

It will probably come down to the test drive and perhaps on what discount I can get

 

I will say I 'accidentally' walked into an Audi showroom a few weeks ago and got a quote for an A6 Avant. This was right before the A6 Facelift was due to be released, and I was surprized by the result.

 

My Superb Elegance (xenons, heated leather, electric boot, park assist and sound system) was 32.000 EUR on the invoice when new.

 

The A6 with xenons, heated leather, electric boot, park assist, rear view camera, big navigation system was 39.000 EUR. This was without any negotiating on my part, just the salesperson throwing an invoice together based on the Superb's spec.

 

Honestly expected it to be more of a difference!

 

It's true, if you go wild and you spec things like the LED headlights, HUD, or night vision assist, it gets crazily expensive. On the other hand you can find plenty of young used cars on mobile.de (great german site for second hand cars) that have very high spec, low mileage and a very good price...

Tell you what is a bargain for those in the know, although a bit smaller and discontinued now. A Seat Exeo estate, if you can get a 2012 with low mileage, it's an Audi a4, older model

Tell you what is a bargain for those in the know, although a bit smaller and discontinued now. A Seat Exeo estate, if you can get a 2012 with low mileage, it's an Audi a4, older model

 

For anyone looking for a no-nonsense car it's a great choice. I always found their interiors extremely lacking though.

I've had both as company cars, an A6 S Line and currently have a Superb Elegance Estate. I'm no badge snob and enjoy driving around with the Skoda badge on the bonnet, although I can understand why some people can't see past the Skoda image of years ago - they just need educating. I'm perfectly happy with the Superb which is very well equipped in Elegance trim, even better in L&K, but as it's a company car the list price and emissions played a big part in my decision to go Skoda, and I don't regret it at all.

 

Drive both is the only way to see which you prefer for starters, then add in the price/equipment differentials and see how you feel. 

 

https://www.carwow.co.uk/blog/Skoda-Superb-and-Audi-A6-compared

I test drove used versions of the Audi A6, BMW 5 series and Merc E-Class (all in estate form).

TBH, the Superb was better inside quality wise than the BMW and not far off the Audi although you can see where costs are cut back such as plastic seat trim ( but by the same token you can see how much kit and trim is used on the Skoda from the Audi)

The Merc had cheaper bits of stuck on trim in some areas but higher quality switches and generally a slightly more upmarket feel BUT for the saving over all those above in used form the Skoda won hands down. I admit I'm a convert....surprisingly so.....but I think VAG know that.

The new MK3 superb will trouble Audi and VW let alone the other two marques in my opinion.

For anyone looking for a no-nonsense car it's a great choice. I always found their interiors extremely lacking though.

It's the interior out of the Audi convertible.

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It's the interior out of the Audi convertible.

 

It's based on the old A4 B6 interior (2001). And it's nowhere near as well put together...

 

The A4 B8's interior (released in 2007) is about a gazillion times better, and still considered as the industry benchmark. And this is being replaced by the new A4 (sometime this year)

Edited 16 May, 201511 yr by Too Tall

This is a question I have asked myself on the last two occasions I was changing my car and TBH it's starting to get a bit more difficult not to be tempted by the premium brands. An important point to remember here is that the Superb straddles a few segments, so which one should you compare it to?

If it's an A6, well there is a 30-40% price differential and if buying new this is substantial. It's less of a gap in the second market as the price differential is less, partly due to the Superb holding its value quite well.

In reality, the Superb sits somewhere between an A4 and A6 so the price differential is slightly less if you look at it that way. If you then compare it to Passat/Mondeo/Insignia, well it doesn't seem that great a bargain but I'd argue that it competes in a class above these- although Skoda is pitching the Mk3 against these directly!

To answer the question, I think Skoda (well the Superb anyway) is still worth it but only just in the higher spec models. A low mileage, slightly used Audi with most of the warranty left is becoming that bit more tempting!

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I only buy used so the price difference between an A6 and Superb was closer but at the time (2 years ago) the Superb was clearly better value for me.

 

Whilst the old Skoda, VW and Audi debates will rumble on long after I have gone I am happy to accept that Audi sets the standard with regard to interior quality.

 

I buy my cars nearly new (to get the best post depreciation price), still in warranty and via a franchised main dealer and run them until they die. Therefore long term durability is the most important aspect for me. One that I will happily sacrifice soft touch plastics for.

 

The engines, gearboxes, electronics and the vast majority of the other oily bits are all shared across the VAG family. Sure the premium brands get the latest technology sooner but again I'm happy for them to test and prove them out.

 

I like driving a car that is admired by others, call me vain? So I can relate to those choosing to pay a premium for the four rings on the grill. In the end though I simply could not justify the extra cost for an Audi given my particular buying requirements.

 

I can see past the Skoda badge, I'm on my third but wouldn't hesitate on buying outside the brand if the right car was available. As it stands my Superb is a great car and long may it continue, I need at least another 5 years out of it at 30K / year, it's already on 70K!   

I did just have a look at what I could get for the money I paid for my Superb (£12,500 - 2011 CR140 SE Twindoor on 14,000 miles, 2 years ago).

 

I could have this with a £1,000 in my pocket!

 

Volkswagen Phaeton 3.0 V6 TDi 4Motion, 2010 with 85,000 miles...

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410168267377/sort/default/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/model/phaeton/make/volkswagen/channel/cars/postcode/yo325zs/radius/1500/usedcars/page/5?logcode=p

 

A lot of car for not a lot of cash.

 

Not sure the 33mpg would suit my 120 mile round trip commute though 

 

Edited 17 May, 201511 yr by silver1011

Audis may be closer in price as they get older, but as I know to my cost, that is because the depreciation in real terms is high. I bought a 6month old A4 3.0 Tdi Quattro Avant in 2009. When I sold it at 5 years old, the 6month old Superb 170 4x4 I replaced it with cost almost exactly the same as the depreciation on the Audi over the 4 1/2 years I owned it. The Audi dealer said that Superb's depreciate more in percentage terms than A4's, I pointed out in actual cash terms the Audi was bound to be worse-the Superb is not going to be worth £0 when I sell it at 5 years old is it? He had no answer to that.

On the quality front, the Audi was one of the first B8 models, and I can honestly say the only real thing I miss is that engine

Read in a recent article that the ride quality of the new Superb is not too different to that of a Rolls Royce!

I did just have a look at what I could get for the money I paid for my Superb (£12,500 - 2011 CR140 SE Twindoor on 14,000 miles, 2 years ago).

I could have this with a £1,000 in my pocket!

Volkswagen Phaeton 3.0 V6 TDi 4Motion, 2010 with 85,000 miles...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410168267377/sort/default/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/model/phaeton/make/volkswagen/channel/cars/postcode/yo325zs/radius/1500/usedcars/page/5?logcode=p

A lot of car for not a lot of cash.

Not sure the 33mpg would suit my 120 mile round trip commute though

Phaeton.jpg

Why get a Phaeton, when you can get a newer A8, and have even more change in your pocket: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201505173548666?atmobcid=soc3

That can't be legitimate surely?

 

A 2012 A8 with 34,000 miles for £9,000, that's cheaper than a Superb!

That can't be legitimate surely?

A 2012 A8 with 34,000 miles for £9,000, that's cheaper than a Superb!

No, they've missed out a 1 at the beginning by the look of it. If only they had a click and collect button though.