With reference to Alcantara seating material, I had a Vauxhall Omega  a few years ago and despite the fact the  driver's seat could be moved in every way possible, I could never get comfortable in the  blessed thing. I realised why eventually, the material used  was some form of  velvet or something similar  and which gripped  the trousers so one moved around inside the trousers, which got a tad uncomfortable  at times. So I have gone for leather ever since, but which can be  rather cold at times, and I might add,  rather thin, so much so it was vulnerable to being split, certainly on the backs of the seats. So who has had experience of Alcantara seats and were they stuck to the seats?.

Ive never actually been stuck to the seats in my Octy. Admittedly you arent as free to move around as leather, but nowhere near as bad as the velvet type material you describe. Id say about similar to cloth seats in that regard, perhaps a little bit better.

Edited 1 September, 201510 yr by JungleJames

With reference to Alcantara seating material, I had a Vauxhall Omega  a few years ago and despite the fact the  driver's seat could be moved in every way possible, I could never get comfortable in the  blessed thing. I realised why eventually, the material used  was some form of  velvet or something similar  and which gripped  the trousers so one moved around inside the trousers, which got a tad uncomfortable  at times. So I have gone for leather ever since, but which can be  rather cold at times, and I might add,  rather thin, so much so it was vulnerable to being split, certainly on the backs of the seats. So who has had experience of Alcantara seats and were they stuck to the seats?.

Yup, I hated that material too Tony and have had leather ever since then. Cold in the winter I agree, but they soon warm up with the heater. Wish our MKII had the rear heated seat as standard like our MKI..

For those that have been lucky enough to test drive a Superb III, what is the general feeling on the interior?

 

With my Mk2 I have always felt like I'm sitting ON the car rather than sitting IN the car, I don't get that sense of completeness with the Mk2, tell me the Mk3 is different?

I drove a Mk2 and a Mk3 last weekend. Big difference. Ok, so it was a 2.0TDI compared to a more pokey petrol engine, but I wasn't pushing it. I just kept thinking "limousine" in the Mk3 and "yeah, it's ok, I suppose" with the mk2. The new platform feels a lot better (even the newish Seat Leon was an improvement on the Mk2!)

I drove a Mk2 and a Mk3 last weekend. Big difference. Ok, so it was a 2.0TDI compared to a more pokey petrol engine, but I wasn't pushing it. I just kept thinking "limousine" in the Mk3 and "yeah, it's ok, I suppose" with the mk2. The new platform feels a lot better (even the newish Seat Leon was an improvement on the Mk2!)

Which car had which engine?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The Mk2 was a 2.0 TDI 140 DSG

 

The Mk3 was a 2.0 TSI 220

The Mk2 was a 2.0 TDI 140 DSG

 

The Mk3 was a 2.0 TSI 220

That's interesting are you the first person here to test a 220 ? Not a massive difference between that and the 280 so very interested to hear what you thought about it. Was it also DSG ?

I drove a Mk2 and a Mk3 last weekend. Big difference. Ok, so it was a 2.0TDI compared to a more pokey petrol engine, but I wasn't pushing it. I just kept thinking "limousine" in the Mk3 and "yeah, it's ok, I suppose" with the mk2. The new platform feels a lot better (even the newish Seat Leon was an improvement on the Mk2!)

How does a Seat Leon feel better than a Superb 2 ?

 

Quality, fit, finish, interior ambiance,  noise levels, performance, etc?

 

Serious question, I'd like a Superb 3 to be better than my 2.0 TSi, but since it would cost me at least £20K to change SWMBO & I need to be convinced!

 

Q?, where did you find a dealer with a 2.0 petrol demonstrator? 

 

TIA, DC.

This was a Seat FR and the seat was more comfy, there was more of a sense of connection with the road (and this didn't compromise the ride which was a little on the rough side in both cars compared to the MkIII).

The dealer I was at was in Bushey, near Watford.

Sorry - It's possible that it was a 280 - all I know is that I wanted to try the 1.4 TSI and this was quite a bit more powerful!

 

I'm struggling to think of a reason that it should cost £20k to change unless you've a religious objection to PCH - it seems that the deals are rather more attractive, partly as the Business edition doesn't seem to attract the good finance deals.

Well all I can say is that if it was a 220 or a 280 their will be a massive rush to that dealer lol !!

This was a Seat FR and the seat was more comfy, there was more of a sense of connection with the road (and this didn't compromise the ride which was a little on the rough side in both cars compared to the MkIII).

The dealer I was at was in Bushey, near Watford.

Sorry - It's possible that it was a 280 - all I know is that I wanted to try the 1.4 TSI and this was quite a bit more powerful!

 

I'm struggling to think of a reason that it should cost £20k to change unless you've a religious objection to PCH - it seems that the deals are rather more attractive, partly as the Business edition doesn't seem to attract the good finance deals.

Well, I like my Superb's comfy ride, but I don't expect it to behave like a sports hatch. If I want to be "connected" with the road I can use my EOS or SWMBO's Octy vRS, enjoy either of them, & then sit back in the Super B  when I want a bit of piece & quiet.......

 

As for cost to change, a new Superb 2.0 TSi seems to cost at least £31k & my car's trade-in price is circa £10 / 11k.

I'm sure that a car broker could better the list price, but I've then got the hassle of selling my car elsewhere, & unless I can find free finance, it surely must be cheaper to buy the car outright?

 

You could probably assume that ownership is more important to me renting a car, especially  as being a pensioner on a fixed income, I'd prefer to spend

my own money rather than have to worry how I'd manage to pay off a loan or a rental agreement.

 

DC 

I'm sure that a car broker could better the list price, but I've then got the hassle of selling my car elsewhere, & unless I can find free finance, it surely must be cheaper to buy the car outright?

 

Have you tried http://www.new-car-discount.com ?

 

They will take your current car in p/x, deliver the car to your door (on a trailer) and leave you with ½ fuel, plus if you wish to take their p/x offer they will take your car away when the new one is delivered.

 

You can also pay outright for the car or take a finance deal, the choice is yours.

Have you tried http://www.new-car-discount.com ?

 

They will take your current car in p/x, deliver the car to your door (on a trailer) and leave you with ½ fuel, plus if you wish to take their p/x offer they will take your car away when the new one is delivered.

 

You can also pay outright for the car or take a finance deal, the choice is yours.

Thank you kind Sir.

 

I'll have to look further into the wonderful world of new-car discounting......

Well, I like my Superb's comfy ride, but I don't expect it to behave like a sports hatch. If I want to be "connected" with the road I can use my EOS or SWMBO's Octy vRS, enjoy either of them, & then sit back in the Super B  when I want a bit of piece & quiet.......

 

As for cost to change, a new Superb 2.0 TSi seems to cost at least £31k & my car's trade-in price is circa £10 / 11k.

I'm sure that a car broker could better the list price, but I've then got the hassle of selling my car elsewhere, & unless I can find free finance, it surely must be cheaper to buy the car outright?

 

You could probably assume that ownership is more important to me renting a car, especially  as being a pensioner on a fixed income, I'd prefer to spend

my own money rather than have to worry how I'd manage to pay off a loan or a rental agreement.

 

DC 

 

Old Newbie2 - David, I've just noticed - I'm not sure if you are actually thinking of changing or not but if you are it's worth looking at some of the discounts available, and as already said some will offer trade ins to take place at the time your new car is delivered.

 

If you still don't want to go down that route at least you'll have an idea what the best possible 'cost to change' is and that puts you in a better position when negotiating with your dealer of choice (and if the closest one won't discount go elsewhere).

 

At the moment you can get a Personal Contract Plan with £2000 'contribution' from Skoda on top of whatever discount you can get from the dealer and on top of that the deal is interest free for up to 42 months.

 

OK, you'll still have a fair whack to pay off at the end but the monthly payments are pretty low (and depending on the value of your trade in you may get enough cashback (because the max deposit on a PCP is 30% of the value of the new car) to pay your first year's instalments).

 

The whole thing makes even more sense if you actually have the cash to do a deal - why use your money if you can use someone else's.

 

I know nothing is free and the motor trade is full of smoke and mirrors but it worked for me...and hoping to see my new estate before my 70th in November.

 

...and if I pop my clogs before the 42 months is up.....SWMBO can tell them to come and pick it up, but not until she's saved the cost of a hearse!

 

Jim B

Edited 8 September, 201510 yr by Claymore

 

At the moment you can get a Personal Contract Plan with £2000 'contribution' from Skoda on top of whatever discount you can get from the dealer and on top of that the deal is interest free for up to 42 months.

 

I dont think so.

2.9% APR I believe

Have you tried http://www.new-car-discount.com ?

 

They will take your current car in p/x, deliver the car to your door (on a trailer) and leave you with ½ fuel, plus if you wish to take their p/x offer they will take your car away when the new one is delivered.

 

You can also pay outright for the car or take a finance deal, the choice is yours.

Taking a look at them now. Waiting for a quote. Notice that the APR is considerably higher when doing a PCP, but will wait and see how good the full quote with part ex looks in comparison to my Carwow Skoda Approved dealer quote is. The monthly payment and final payments seem to be lower so it looks good, but I often get fearful from the "seems to good to be true" feeling.

I managed to drop into Lancaster Skoda, Milton Keynes yesterday afternoon (after visiting a client).

 

Was pretty open and upfront regarding the fact that it would be a lease car and I don't have control about where the order goes - needless to say, the Sales Exec was fine about it and showed me round the 2 cars they had in the showroom. Moon White Estate and Business Grey Hatch - both SE-L Executive with alcantara seats.

 

I concentrated on the estate as that's what I'll be getting. Very impressed with the overall car, very smart clean lines. Noticed there were little black wind deflectors on the top outer edge of the boot (where it meets the roof) presumably to help guide wind?

 

Interior wise is certainly a step up from the current one. I wasn't sure how the armrest would work but it works great and supports the left arm, again has the tilt mechanism as per the current but's it not as agricultural! Seats were very firm and comfortable, electric adjustment in the SE-L. Slightly longer in the base which some may prefer. The alcantara was nice too, more plush than my current alcantara. Not fully decided on whether I go for full leather or this.

 

Had a quick nose from the hatch as well - both cars are very Audi A6-esq and more A7-esq from the front.

 

They also have a Business Grey estate on the road (all three are 190 DSG) - he has offered a test drive and I will be hopefully arranging that soon.

 

It has certainly confirmed my thinking of SE-L Estate - just need to decide on interior material, alcantara is FOC on the SE-L

Maybe I should have another go at describing the difference between Mk2 and Mk3.

 

Mk2 felt quite "medium smooth" to me when driving. An improvement on my Volvo C70. I confess to being surprised at how smooth the sporty Leon was as well - I was expecting it to be more bone-shaking that it actually was.

 

The Mk3 was, to my mind, like driving a limousine. Very smooth, but not whale-like - it's hard to explain the paradox in driving something that combines softness with a sense of purpose.

 

I'd be interested to hear others' views on the difference ;-)

 

Also, David, do take one for a drive if you get a chance (although it could indeed get to be expensive!). Not sure how old you are, but maybe a PCH deal makes even more sense to a retired person? 

Although I've ordered a Superb III I haven't driven one but from all of the reviews I've read I'm sure it's even better than my Series II (pre facelift).

 

That one is a 1.6 litre 105ps 5 speed manual Elegance Greenline Hatch.

 

It's by far the best car I've ever had (but that's a background of company cars whose pinnacle was a VW Passat, then the best I'd had).

 

My Greenline is extremely smooth and yes limo like, the feet of anyone lucky enough to get in the back have their own postcode.

 

Understand that the vehicle I had prior to that was a 3.0 litre diesel Kia Sedona which I loved and despite it's quoted 0 - 60 time of something shy of 15 seconds I still smile at the memory of the numpties who used to pull out into the overtaking lane on exit from roundabouts disappearing into my rear view mirror.

 

Against that background the performance of the Greenline was frightening  and with the bonus of sometimes better than 60 mpg on trips even with a large roofbox on the top (not enough room inside!) and £30 road tax.

 

If I get a bout of gethomeitis at the bottom of the M1 this thing will shift, and it still does it smoothly, confidently and quietly.

 

I have no idea whatsoever how I'm going to use 150ps under the hood of the L&K 4x4 when it comes.

 

I should say if it comes as I now have a PCP interest query - yes MandP is correct David - it's now 2.9%

 

JimB.

Maybe I should have another go at describing the difference between Mk2 and Mk3.

 

Mk2 felt quite "medium smooth" to me when driving. An improvement on my Volvo C70. I confess to being surprised at how smooth the sporty Leon was as well - I was expecting it to be more bone-shaking that it actually was.

 

The Mk3 was, to my mind, like driving a limousine. Very smooth, but not whale-like - it's hard to explain the paradox in driving something that combines softness with a sense of purpose.

 

I'd be interested to hear others' views on the difference ;-)

 

Also, David, do take one for a drive if you get a chance (although it could indeed get to be expensive!). Not sure how old you are, but maybe a PCH deal makes even more sense to a retired person? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm 68...., but been retired for quite awhile. 

 

I've taken the Superb out today & I'll use it for the rest of the week, just to get used to it again..... (Last week we were away house hunting in 'er indoors vRS, & since returning I've been out & about in my EOS, so I need to 

re-set my driving style a little.)

 

Only managed 20 miles today so far, noted that I'm still happy with the interior quality, but will have to get used to the longer wheel-base & the "lazy" ride compared to the others.

 

The basic performance of all the cars is very similar, not so surprising since they all have the same 2.0 TSi / DSG  powertrain, making app. 200+ bhp, but the extra oomph is more noticeable in the Superb,

possibly 'cos it's not what you expect from a big silver barge!

 

I will seek out a test drive soon, but none of the local dealers have any cars yet. Whilst on our travel we have managed to find & sit in an SE-L + a L & K,& they were quite impressive.

Apart from the obvious electronic improvements that are available on an MQB platform car, it's not easy to define just what we would get over our current Superb.

 

A test drive will provide many answers, hopefully positive.

 

As for the Leon, a Cupra estate "might" be a suitable alternative to a Mk3 vRS  wagon, but it's still one of the smallest MQB models, & can't really compare with a Superb Estate.

 

I'd be more tempted to try a 240 ps petrol Mondeo wagon, or perhaps an Insignia Tourer, rather than drop down in size.

Although I've ordered a Superb III I haven't driven one but from all of the reviews I've read I'm sure it's even better than my Series II (pre facelift).

 

That one is a 1.6 litre 105ps 5 speed manual Elegance Greenline Hatch.

 

It's by far the best car I've ever had (but that's a background of company cars whose pinnacle was a VW Passat, then the best I'd had).

 

My Greenline is extremely smooth and yes limo like, the feet of anyone lucky enough to get in the back have their own postcode.

 

Understand that the vehicle I had prior to that was a 3.0 litre diesel Kia Sedona which I loved and despite it's quoted 0 - 60 time of something shy of 15 seconds I still smile at the memory of the numpties who used to pull out into the overtaking lane on exit from roundabouts disappearing into my rear view mirror.

 

Against that background the performance of the Greenline was frightening  and with the bonus of sometimes better than 60 mpg on trips even with a large roofbox on the top (not enough room inside!) and £30 road tax.

 

If I get a bout of gethomeitis at the bottom of the M1 this thing will shift, and it still does it smoothly, confidently and quietly.

 

I have no idea whatsoever how I'm going to use 150ps under the hood of the L&K 4x4 when it comes.

 

I should say if it comes as I now have a PCP interest query - yes MandP is correct David - it's now 2.9%

 

JimB.

 

 

 

Thanks Jim, I've spoken to a Skoda dealer to day & they confirmed the 2.9% rate.

 

I need to compare both PCH & PCP if only to see if they do make financial sense, but this is all new to me, all the cars purchased in the last 10 years have been trade-inns + cash,

before that my late wife was disabled enough to have a mobility allowance, so we used the Motability contract hire scheme instead. Before that, we either spent our "spare" cash, got personal loans from our bank or finance company HP.

 

It's a whole new financial world out there (for me) & I'm easily confuzzled.

 

Thanks for you thoughts & information, 'tis most useful.  DC 

David, if you think you're confuzzled you should be here right now where I hardly slept at all last night worrying about paying too much, sent a long email to my short....but soon to be long suffering Skoda salesman and far too much of today with a calculator trying to figure out what I was doing. As usual of course, just to increase the tension, it appears to be my sales guy's day off, so no reply yet.

 

You and I are old enough to remember seeing that old trick, usually in western movies, with the pea under one of three cups where you see it going under one and the three are then rotated rapidly around each other and you have to guess (with financial penalty if you fail) which of the now stationary cups the pea is under.

 

Motor trade financial deals are, in my opinion,  based on that trick.

 

And to ensure you have no thinking time it's often (but not in my case this time) a case of 'if I can come up with a deal now will you buy?' ...and the logic element of the brain often jellifies  and emotion takes over....danger!!!!!

 

I have many years of personal experience at the rod end of this philosophy but still sometimes get into a bit of a 2 & 8 when on the hook end, it's human nature.

 

I looked at a lot of options before I signed on the dotted line and before you say anything, this time I was happy to adopt the philosophy that I didn't want to be richest stiff in the cemetery - I'm definitely not rich, it's just to make the point that maybe this time I should get what I wanted instead of thinking about what it might cost.

 

Another factor was finally realising that 'options' on top of a designated model in a range will realise nothing when you trade the car in so if the next model up in the range has many of the features that you want (and no doubt many that you wouldn't ordinarily pay for) then go for the next model up because those included extras that you would have otherwise have paid extra for paid for will actually be worth something come trade in time as part of the locked in valuation of the higher level model.

 

I had options from a few online traders but I'm going to say that from what 'body language' you can sense from that world I would have happily dealt with two of them . One in particular became my favourite because they offer a trade in deal with you retaining the car until your new car is delivered by trailer or collected by you. Both however were professional, communicative and gave the impression that they knew what they were doing and cared about their own reputations.

 

Anyway, after a lot of faffing around (the salesman at the Skoda dealer who I bought my current Superb from actually refused to give me cost to change because he thought their figure it would insult me  ) I received contact from another guy at the same dealership after I had expressed interest on their web site (you know the pop up chat thingie) although it was actually the web site of a different dealership under a common 'umbrella company'...you couldn't make it up!

 

I went to the the Skoda dealer to discuss a deal and for them to inspect my low mileage Superb to see what they could do re the trade in value.

 

I won't bore you, or anyone else, further by detailing the model that I decided to buy but the list price, including quite a few options including the sexy tow bar and pano roof comes to £34,835.

 

Here are some numbers;

 

Retail on the Road price                   £34835

 

Skoda Dealer's discounted price      £32835

 

On line dealer                                    £27684

 

Saving                                              -£5151  (no brainer eh?)

 

Skoda Dealer better P/E  value       - £1000

 

Difference now                                 £4151

 

Skoda contribution to PCP deposit -£2000

 

Difference now                                 £2151

 

Lower cost finance from Skoda       -£1500 (@ 2.9% APR. not zero)

 

Final difference                                £651

 

......and with the knowledge that the P/X had been inspected and agreed I went with the Skoda dealer (not I have to say my nearest local Chesterfield dealers who after 6 weeks haven't even rung me back to discuss a sale or offered the test drive I requested  via Skoda UK)

 

A long and maybe convoluted message but intended to show some of the many variables in a deal which contribute to the buying decision.

 

Be prepared.

 

Edit: In case it isn't obvious, there's no point having a good online deal in your pocket and not giving your local guy the opportunity to compete with it. In fairness to the online guys however, never disclose their identities because it is inevitable that concerted action will be taken to neutralise their effectiveness in getting you a more reasonable deal in future.

 

JimB

Edited 9 September, 201510 yr by Claymore

Ha! Quite a similar analysis to mine. However, I ended up going. Down the PCH route.

This was only viable because I didn't need too many extra options (2 year lease deals make a mockery of these).

My local dealer, despite giving about £1300 discount on top of the skoda UK deposit contribution/low cost finance, was going to come out to £2000 + £300/month on a PCP deal, then after 3 years the car could be purchased for about £10k. So that's £12,800 for 3 years ownership followed by the right to buy at about market value. Compare that to my PCH deal where I'm paying £1500 + £222/month for 2 years (could've done about £240ish/ month for 3 years) do that makes £6800 for 2 years ownership - surely a no-brainer?

Like I said, if you like options then the game changes. I'd have loved a Canton audio system, but that would add the £600 spread over just 24 months (or 36 months, I guess) - about £25/month - it all adds up. Also a sunroof would be nice ;-)

In summary, I think there's more to this than smoke and mirrors: I'm convinced that Skoda UK are subsidising the contract hire business for some strategic purposes and it would be rude not to help out.

Edited 10 September, 201510 yr by thewinelake

I too went with a dealership as opposed to online - it's 30 minutes from my house, I've had great service from them, and a good relationship with the sales manager there. After placing the order I then worked out the difference between a discount from coast 2 coast and the price I paid. Of course the C2C deal was cheaper, but not that much so when taking into account the cost of the finance, and my perceived risk of not having a dealer on hand if there are any issues with the car. (I do appreciate that any dealer can handle warranty issues on a car bought from C2C).

 

I was in a lucky position that the discount I negotiated with the dealer + a guaranteed part ex. price on the Mk II meant I could afford a 50% deposit outright and 24 monthly payments of the balance on a Skoda finance 0% Hire Purchase. I also wanted to own the car outright as soon as possible.

 Of course the C2C deal was cheaper, but not that much so when taking into account the cost of the finance, 

 

If you go via the broker, do they not then simply give you the option of taking the current Skoda UK/dealer finance campaign offer direct?

This has sort of gone off topic a bit... but here goes.

 

Local Skoda dealer Total payable on 42 month PCP for Superb HAT 1.4TSI 150 SE L EXEC DSG with metallic paint, rear camera and Park assist:

Total payable £28,379 / £271 pm / 9280.80 final payment / 5925 trade in / £2000 dealer contribution

 

Best offer from a Skoda Dealer via Carwow.co.uk:

Total payable £27,188 / £247.01 pm / 9280.80 final payment / 5650 trade in / £2000 dealer contribution

 

Offer from new-car-discount.com:

Total payable £24,036.96 / £212.80 pm / 8820.36 final payment / 6500 trade in

 

Seems to be a saving of £4342.71 over my local dealer and £3151.25 over cheapest dealer offer that my local one couldn't match!!!  Looks like I'm most likely going with new-car-discount! (All thanks to Gizmo for suggesting them).

I'm guessing the total payable figure for Skoda dealers includes the £2000 they will be contributing, so that would make the car only £2342.71 cheaper than local and £1151.25 over best dealer! Unless there is some big negative to them that is, I assume there is no "Trade in" for a new PCP like Skoda Solutions available.

Edited 10 September, 201510 yr by Zapirian