Interesting. I was surprised it beat the Focus RS. Has anybody tried out Launch Control on the 280 yet. I see the manual mentions it.

 

Never .... ;-)

Interesting. I was surprised it beat the Focus RS. Has anybody tried out Launch Control on the 280 yet. I see the manual mentions it.

once. seems to work. for me the car is the car and i prefer my motorcycle for fun, car cant beat anyway

Me too, the FWD on my old Superb makes "launching" a waste of time, but, one day we will see if the Haldex on the Golf

solves the problem.

 

DC

Superb 280 for under 26k?

 

http://www.simpsonsskoda.co.uk/used-vehicles/6358878-skoda-superb-2.0-tsi-se-l-executive-dsg-4x4-5dr-start-stop/

Edited 16 August, 20169 yr by micloi

Finally ordered...

 

280 SE-L Executive Estate 

Petrol Blue

DCC

Paddle shifters

Electric front passenger seat

Ventilated seats

Heated windcreen

Heated washer nozzles

Retractable parcel shelf

Variable boot floor

Space saver spare wheel

Colour maxidot

Traffic sign recognition

 

I had wanted the LED interior light package, but Skoda rather stupidly (or greedily?) insist you order KESSY if you want the LEDs.   So I stuck two fingers up to that one.  I also thought about the Phoenix 19" alloys, but, as good as they look, I couldn't justify the extra cash.   Also, having been lucky to have had a 5 day test drive of four Superb estates (3 280s and 1 190TDi 4x4) of differing specifications, I found a noticeable increase in road noise with the 280 that was riding on 19" wheels.  I thought the ride was a tad more fidgety in Normal DCC mode too.

 

Over my extended test drives, I was impressed with the fuel economy that could be achieved (at least according to the trip computer...not sure how accurate they are).  In Eco mode on good A roads and dual carriageway and making full use of Coast function, I routinely saw high 30s - low 40s.   Note:  this was driving sensibly, not slowly...the two are different;)  

 

On one trip from Leicester to Stamford on the A47 in Eco mode, I saw 46mpg average at journey's end.  On the other hand, when I indulged in some press-on driving, I was seeing 25-28mpg (but that's no worse than my ST).    What impresses me is that if you choose to drive economically, the 280 can deliver.  Compare to a 190 TDi, which averaged 49mpg in Eco mode.   

 

I'm going to really miss my Focus, but the Superb won't disappoint on straighline performance (the ST will leave it for dead on a twisty B road, mind) and comfort.

Edited 21 August, 20169 yr by dmc77

Interesting. I was surprised it beat the Focus RS. Has anybody tried out Launch Control on the 280 yet. I see the manual mentions it.

 

How is launch control on the 280 activated?

I also thought about the Phoenix 19" alloys

 

==========

 

My mistake...I meant the 19" Sirius alloys

How is launch control on the 280 activated?

Traction control off

Into sport mode

Foot hard on brake

Foot full down on throttle

Foot off brake

Does this increase the speed of the "step off"?   I noticed when testing the 280 thta, even with sport mode engaged, there was slight but noticeable delay before the car took off.   Guessing this is particualr to the Superb's DSG setup?    I drove an Audi A5 3.0 Coupe a few years ago which had the (admittedly) 7 speed DSG box and when you floored it from rest, the take off was virtually intantaneous with none of the Superb's delay.

To be honest I've only used it a handful of times so can't really say. Yeah I think their is a slight delay when you boot it off the line In Sport mode.

Overall though I love the DSG and I was a die hard manual bloke. It does take a bit of getting used to but I can say hand on heart that in 6k miles I've not had ANY problems with the car bogging down at islands or not been in the correct gear when I want....

Could be because on any drive I will probably use all modes.

Hi All,

 

Just driven down to the South of France, 800 odd miles and have noticed that the the exhaust pipes at the rear where the the pipes have flaps, on two of the four outlets. The two that have flaps that open, when you give it some beans are not closing.

 

This makes the idle and slow speed a bit noisier, but when driving at 50 to 60 miles an hour it tends to want  to change down at the drop of a hat, then you get all the power and the noise of a sports car. Just like its in sport mode, but it is not. SWMBO thinks I do it on purpose.

 

Any one else had this, or is it a call to MK? . 

 

Car has done almost 3,000 miles and has averaged between 29 and 34 MPG on this trip.

Edited 21 August, 20169 yr by Mayoboat

Been driving my 280 for a week or so and have now just fitted the RaceChip Ultimate.

It seems to have given a bit of extra kick lower down the rev range, though not had chance to do many miles in it.

 

I'll report back on milage after I do another few hundred miles (same route) with chip installed

Current average mpg (pre-chip) @pump 35.7 (MaxiDot rekoned 36)

To be honest I've only used it a handful of times so can't really say. Yeah I think their is a slight delay when you boot it off the line In Sport mode.

Overall though I love the DSG and I was a die hard manual bloke. It does take a bit of getting used to but I can say hand on heart that in 6k miles I've not had ANY problems with the car bogging down at islands or not been in the correct gear when I want....

Could be because on any drive I will probably use all modes.

 

Thanks Nick.

 

I'm a die-hard manual bloke too (having said that, I've always had a sneaking love for old-school autos...I owned a 1974 Pontiac Grand Prix many years ago).

 

I wasn't meaning to diss the DSG...I loved my test drives with the various 280s - which is why I've orderd one.  Oddly, I found no hesitancy in pulling away when I applied normal throttle pressure; the slight hesitancy was only apparent when flooring it - it's like the DSG brain can't keep up with the human version when the going gets tough...good news for us humans I guess.  

 

It wasn't a deal breaker, that's for sure;)

Edited 21 August, 20169 yr by dmc77

Thanks Nick.

 

I'm a die-hard manual bloke too (having said that, I've always had a sneaking love for old-school autos...I owned a 1974 Pontiac Grand Prix many years ago).

 

I wasn't meaning to diss the DSG...I loved my test drives with the various 280s - which is why I've orderd one.  Oddly, I found no hesitancy in pulling away when I applied normal throttle pressure; the slight hesitancy was only apparent when flooring it.  It wasn't a deal breaker, that's for sure;)

That's ok mate I didn't think you were dissing the DSG lol ! It appears to be a love it or hate it thing. Theirs 2 camps here. The people who leave it in auto all the time and the people like myself who enjoy all the modes.

While I can understand why you woud leave it in auto all the time and that's fine the leave it in auto group seem to have a problem with us mode swappers :-)

No probs Nick:)

 

Guess I'm a manual guy at heart but am seduced by technology (which I try out, and then insist can't possibly be better than good old-fashioned stuff lol)

 

Paddles were a good compromise on the option list.

Edited 21 August, 20169 yr by dmc77

If you'd be so kind, I've be very interested - as I'm sure would everyone else - in reading how it affects the driving dynamics (and maybe even the fuel consumption) on your next continental jaunt.

Hi,

Part 2 of my RaceChip review.

Just come back after doing 2500 miles in a week around the Germany-Austria-Switzerland borders with the 350 RaceChip Ultimate fitted to Carrie McCarface.

I'm using the maxi dot figures, so the figures below are only a guide.

 

Fuel consumption:

I fuelled with whatever was available, so a mixture of Super Plus 98 RON, Shell V-Power Racing 100 RON and Aral Ultimate 102 RON. The only difference I could detect was in price.

Seldom exceeding 130 km/h (80 mph) resulted in an average 40 mpg. Compared to my previous 35 mpg without the RaceChip, it showed quite an improvement (actually exactly the figure RaceChip claim, 1 l/100km).

When pushing it to the maximum and holding it at 257 km/h (160 mph¹) it returned 23 mpg. As I hadn't been in a position to sustain that speed over any distance pre-RaceChip I don't have a comparison, but it's identical to the result I was previously getting in congested stop/start traffic.

 

Dynamics:

At 200 km/h (125 mph) the DSG still kicked down from 6th to 5th, regaining 6th at about 230 km/h. Giving it loud from any initial speed does result in abrupt gear changes. You can see the rev counter needle drop instantly as each gear engages and the subsequent pick-up is instantaneous.

I did some alpine driving and the extra 100 Nm torque came into play. No matter how steep the gradient the car just kept pulling, behaving more like a diesel engine than a petrol engine.

On the autobahn I was able to keep up with all of the big boys, though often leaving them disappearing in my rear view mirror too. In a week of heavy autobahn use I only recall moving out of the way once and that was for a Carrera S.²

Off the autobahn is where I had the most fun. I disagree with those who say the Superb has too much body roll, certainly where the 4x4 is concerned. Thanks to the Haldex system the car was always firmly planted on the road. Yes, sports cars do it better, but this is a large saloon and at the end of the journey my spine is still intact. Overtaking really was a doddle, though overtaking on a bend resulted in, on more than one occasion, horns blaring and lights flashing. Sad to say these are the people who look no further than the bend and think you're being reckless. If they looked beyond the bend and saw the same empty road ahead that I could see...well, there is a reason these types of bends have broken instead of solid lines (which I hasten to add I would never cross). It's also an indication of common sense being applied to road markings over there, which make the roads much more enjoyable to drive - that and the total lack of potholes.

 

¹ Allowing for speedo error, the RaceChip doesn't override the 250 km/h (155 mph) limit. I still had about 1500 rpm below the red but simply couldn't use it.

² No, not because I was holding everyone else up.  :no:  And...in the forlorn hope that the driver of a blue Jag F-type S in racing trim leaving the Nurburgring ever happens to read this: Being overtaken by a Superb doesn't mean you need to drive like a total c---, especially when the back of your car displays the logo "Drive for Safety" and you do the exact opposite.   

 

Off topic, but mentioned elsewhere...

Dynamic Light Assist. According to the manual this is supposed to revert to Light Assist (dipping main beam without masking). I can now categorically state that the DLA was masking the main beam despite the lights being automatically switched to driving on the right

Umbrella quality. Thanks to a couple of downpours on an otherwise bright sunny day I had the opportunity to actually use the supplied brolly. Worked perfectly.

On the M25 on the return journey the car suddenly threw a hissy fit. Faults flashed up: from what I recall - ESC disabled, front assist disabled, ACC disabled, passenger safety system disabled, and virtually no response on the throttle. Pulled into the Cobham services, switched off, started it up and everything was tickety-boo again! No idea if this was a glitch caused by the RaceChip or just the car electrics.

 

Alex.

...........after reading this can't wait to get back on German roads at the end of October, even with my paltry 280hp!

Alex someone has reported those symptoms on another thread recently... Have a search ..

Alex someone has reported those symptoms on another thread recently... Have a search ..

 

That was me mate, and yes very similar... I'll inbox you Alex. Great news about the trip otherwise, and 40mpg is a very significant jump (%) so you must be thrilled. To be touching 80mph in a 280 and still knocking on diesel's door for economy; well you can't complain at that. Interesting to read your observations of the vexed overtakees, who as you say have no concept of scanning into the distance. You probably gave them quite a surprise when you 'came out of nowhere' and woke them up as you blasted past! Somewhat assuaging to know it's not just a UK phenomena.  

I'm using the maxi dot figures, so the figures below are only a guide.

 

Fuel consumption:

I fuelled with whatever was available, so a mixture of Super Plus 98 RON, Shell V-Power Racing 100 RON and Aral Ultimate 102 RON. The only difference I could detect was in price.

Seldom exceeding 130 km/h (80 mph) resulted in an average 40 mpg. Compared to my previous 35 mpg without the RaceChip, it showed quite an improvement (actually exactly the figure RaceChip claim, 1 l/100km).

 

Dynamics:

 

At 200 km/h (125 mph) the DSG still kicked down from 6th to 5th, regaining 6th at about 230 km/h. Giving it loud from any initial speed does result in abrupt gear changes. You can see the rev counter needle drop instantly as each gear engages and the subsequent pick-up is instantaneous.

 

Alex don’t get too hung up on the maxidot figures, when I fitted the DTUK box to the Yeti the MPG display went miles out.

 

These abrupt gear changes.... do you mean quite rough as in the engine rocking etc?

Does anyone have the front assist warning symbol trigger fairly often?

For me it is usually at least once a journey, twisty ish A roads, or traffic at large roundabouts. It has not actually braked for me yet though, just beeped and flashed red.

P.S. The first time I saw the symbol I thought it was warning me of excessive stereo volume with the roof open. Was testing out the canton at the time

In 6k Miles Ive had it flash 5 times ish .... Always with ACC engaged. 2 Braking. Usually fast A road with someone exiting. You can see you have bags of space but car throws the toys out of the pram .... Now anticipate it in those situations and apply gentle throttle which stops it.

That's ok mate I didn't think you were dissing the DSG lol ! It appears to be a love it or hate it thing. Theirs 2 camps here. The people who leave it in auto all the time and the people like myself who enjoy all the modes.

While I can understand why you woud leave it in auto all the time and that's fine the leave it in auto group seem to have a problem with us mode swappers :-)

For us, there are no rules re. how to use the DSG, pottering around town in normal traffic usually = "D", scooting away from a stoplight = "S" if the competition

looks to be quickish, the paddles for when you'd need to change down on a manual & the DSG can't (yet?) read the road as well as the human eyeball.

 

We don't seem to use "S" much though, except I like to drop into it to get a little more engine braking, whereas SWMBO just brakes hard & late.

 

Our old cars don't allow you to use "S" in manual mode, but the new ones in your Superbs & our Golf can do so, it seems to give better throttle response

without having to drive around at the red line all the time.

 

Most DSG users will just treat it like a conventional auto, which is what it's meant to emulate, but there's enough options built into 

it to allow enthusiastic drivers to have fun, as & when they want to. 

 

At least we do have that choice, whereas with a manual you just have to do the work, all of the time........

 

Cheers, DC

Alex don’t get too hung up on the maxidot figures, when I fitted the DTUK box to the Yeti the MPG display went miles out.

I don't. I only use them because they are the only reference I have as I can't be asked to keep records to determine the exact fuel consumption nor check how accurate the speedo is.

I was aware, however, that those "Your speed is..." signs in villages and roadworks in Germany show 2 km/h less than the maxi dot speedo at both 50 and 80 km/h.

These abrupt gear changes.... do you mean quite rough as in the engine rocking etc?

Not that bad, but you're certainly aware it's changing gear, and only on the up-shifts. No different to driving with a manual box on a race circuit, where time out of gear is time lost.

Accelerate smoothly and you're barely aware of the gear changes, if at all. Give it some on the pedal and those changes definitely become "racy".

Anyone that's driven at speed on the autobahn will know that vehicles are usually quite good at moving out of your way, even if it's a short gap between the vehicle they're passing and the next vehicle, but unless you pass them pretty quick they'll just move out again and baulk your progress, so you really need to make use of that rapid acceleration if you want to make headway. It's fair-dinkum by the other driver - I gave you the opportunity to pass and you didn't take it.

Superb 280 for under 26k?

 

http://www.simpsonsskoda.co.uk/used-vehicles/6358878-skoda-superb-2.0-tsi-se-l-executive-dsg-4x4-5dr-start-stop/

It's a 220, their 280 is £6K more.............