Launch day!

[Nick_H]

Great launch at my local. Showroom was cleared for 4 Superbs. Fresh orange, sparkling wine, canopes and Skoda cupcakes. My little one had 2 and was bouncing off the walls !

All the staff were very friendly and were enjoying themselves.

Well done Bickertons !

[Gary_UK]

Great launch at my local. Showroom was cleared for 4 Superbs. Fresh orange, sparkling wine, canopes and Skoda cupcakes. My little one had 2 and was bouncing off the walls !

All the staff were very friendly and were enjoying themselves.

Well done Bickertons !

Specialist Cars in Aberdeen made NO effort at all. A real let down. I hope Skoda UK are paying attention?!

Regards

Gareth

[pilkers]

Dealer Apathy

 

I have been so excited about the launch of the new Superb and have been counting down the days.  I have bought 2 cars from the Inverness dealership (when it was Delmore); one Octavia (new) and one 6 month old Superb11 (in 2011).  I thought I would get an invitation to the launch, but it could have been an oversight.  Unphased, yesterday I went with SWMBO to Inverness to have a look at the S111.  Imagine my disappointment as I approach the dealership to see nothing to hint at a new model launch.  The only large poster on the front of the dealership was proclaiming that the Fabia was car of the year 2015.

 

Pressing on I looked around for a Superb.  Parked ON THE PAVEMENT was a solitary saloon S111.  No fanfare to draw attention to it and just one small sticker saying "ready to go"!  Still not put off I set off inside in search of a sales person.  As I went through the glass doors there is a reception desk with a non smiling lady "greeter".  She avoided eye contact and suddenly found something really interesting to read on her computer.  I carried on into the showroom.  There was one girl saleslady seated at a desk cradling a phone.  No smile and again no eye contact.  In the 2 or 3 minutes I stood in front of her desk she did not look in my direction nor did she utter a word into the phone. 

 

After about 5 minutes I could take no more and made for the door expecting to be spoken to by the receptionist/greeter.  No such luck.  Having difficulty hiding my frustration, disappointment and anger, I left.  I was so disappointed.

 

I would never give this dealership my business in the future.  I hope the MD of Arnold Clark and someone senior in Skoda reads this post.  You need to train your people in common courtesy.  Not retrain, as this suggests they have been trained in the first place.  Skoda, can we please have a dealer who is interested in customer care in the area (maybe Elgin).  This dealership is costing you sales.  I will probably have a look at the Passat instead.  If this is the way that potential customers who have £30k burning a hole in their pockets are treated, you have no chance.

 

I am going to repeat this post on the Inverness dealership site as I think the hierarchy at Arnold Clark and Skoda need to see it.

 

Pilkers

[reedfarmer]

Hi pilkers what you described seems the same as what my daughter and I experienced from a NON Skoda dealer in Cardiff recently and we walked out in disgust. I really wish you were nearer and I would bring our MKIII around to you when I get it and you can then go elsewhere for your purchase or online should you like it. Don't be put off by non customer friendly people as you may well be hurting yourself but do make sure they get the deserved feedback as it will never change if nobody tells them.....PS go and look at it from a dealer who wants your service.....

Edited 19 September, 2015 by reedfarmer

[SurreyJohn]

I have also had the real apathy like you describe, on a visit to different dealer couple of weeks ago. One guy dealing with a customer and 4 different sets of people queuing at unattended reception desk trying to get some attention whilst 2 other members of staff sat at back of showroom ignoring everyone. The car I went to see (a 15 plate VRs with lots of options) is still unsold, an alternative to the new Superb, which I wanted to compare. But we gave up after 10 mins as both were locked on the forecourt and we didn't even get a chance to sit in either.

Interestingly one of the other families queuing also walked out in dispare, 2 potential sales lost. Not sure why they open on a Sunday to sell family cars as they don't seem to want to sell to families who can only visit at weekends.

If anyone from Skoda head office or Lookers group reads this, PM me and I'll happily name the dealership.

Edited 20 September, 2015 by SurreyJohn

[BillyJim]

If anyone from Skoda head office or Lookers group reads this, PM me and I'll happily name the dealership.

LOL!!! I think you did, as there's only Peasmarsh and Hersham in Surrey, and the latter is closed on Sundays!

 

To be fair I've had some excellent service from them in the past when they were Colbornes, but recently it's gone quickly downhill with ignored/unanswered emails, hung-up phone calls and an apathetic attitude in the sales department when I was looking to order the Superb III.

For that reason I took my business elsewhere.

"Customers for life" - Fail!

[old newbie2]

Don't really understand this launch day, its not as if they have been kept hidden under a sheet, or the brochures have been embargoed

Already looked over one and sat in it at the dealer.

Don't want to do a test drive in a car with a different engine to the one I'm planning on (a petrol 220 DSG) as it will not be representative.

The only thing I would really like is to see a set of decent paint samples (with the panels big enough) so I could compare the hues properly in daylight, but the dealer only has smallish samples for some colours, hasn't even got a sample of the colour I'm tempted to go with. Therefore wont be visiting tomorrow.

If you want to drive a 220 ps, Citygate Skoda in Bushey have one.

 

It's quieter than the diesels, reasonably quick & easy to drive.

Compared with the old 2.0 TSi they've used the wide ratio DSG , similar to the current Octy vRS so the theoretical fuel economy is better , but on the road the car feels lacking somehow.

 

For me the tall gearing. (2K rpm in 6th = 63mph) doesn't work so well in UK motorway traffic, but it might be better on the Autobahns.

(If it had been specified with paddles, then it would probably be easier to keep up with the traffic, IMVHO!)

 

Still a very new car though, given a few more miles & it will probably improve....

 

 

HTH, DC.

You have to remember to switch the "Hill Hold" off, if you want it to creep in traffic, or get off the line smartly....... 

[old newbie2]

Yes - went to Garland Motors (Aldershot) and Winchester Motor Company's joint launch today at Alresford Station. Greetings and free coffee on arrival, test drive of either an Estate (geared) or Hatch (auto)

followed by a free return journey on the famous Watercress line steam railway to Alton and back, then an excellent free buffet lunch in the Pullman Buffet carriage, plus some free new Superb goodies.

 

It's worth being one of their customers!

That's a lot better than the Citygate launch in the Moor Park Golf Club.

 

No address given, wrong post-code & no indication at the Golf Club entrance of indication of a Skoda.event on their grounds!

[Pesmog]

I am awaiting a date for a test drive in Essex  but won't be buying until my current Superb shows signs of wear which hopefully will be 18 months to 2 years. 

[Gary_UK]

Just a quick question regarding the new Superb. The one I test drove was very similar to the Octavia III. One difference I noticed was the climate control OFF button was labelled REST. Pressing it with the climate control on did nothing and I could only switch the CC off by using the Colombus touch screen. Is this normal?

 

Cheers

[chadlington]

From the manual at http://www.skoda-auto.com/en/mini-apps/owners-manuals/superb/

 

REST button will:

 

Depending on equipment fitted:

› Auxiliary heating and ventilation on / switch off

› Residual heat function on/off - after switching off the Ignition, the remaining heat from the engine is used to continue heating the vehicle interior for about 30 minutes

[joeboy1980]

Just a quick question regarding the new Superb. The one I test drove was very similar to the Octavia III. One difference I noticed was the climate control OFF button was labelled REST. Pressing it with the climate control on did nothing and I could only switch the CC off by using the Colombus touch screen. Is this normal?

 

Cheers

What do you mean by 'similar to Oct III?' SIII is in a different territory when compared to Oct III in terms of comfort, quality, features, tech and what not! Did you just mean the climate control switches?

[Gary_UK]

What do you mean by 'similar to Oct III?' SIII is in a different territory when compared to Oct III in terms of comfort, quality, features, tech and what not! Did you just mean the climate control switches?

There were obviously slight differences here and there in terms of buttons, switches, storage, space, technology etc. However, I honestly felt like I was sat in my black Octavia III vRS 184 PS Estate (I was test driving a black SE-L 190 PS estate). They are very similar inside, and I didn't really notice a difference in comfort or quality; the vRS is excellent in both respects and is a similar price to the Superb III SE-L. Clearly the ride on the Superb was smoother and there was less road noise from the tyres, but I didn't notice any significant differences that made me feel I needed to trade in the vRS. A very nice car, don't get me wrong, but just far too similar to my current car. I actually want to test a 1.4 (150) TSi model with DSG gearbox; I think that will be a nicer, more refined experience.

[Coops]

^^ I'll perhaps just order an O3 instead then if they are the same.

[Gary_UK]

^^ I'll perhaps just order an O3 instead then if they are the same.

If I didn't already have the vRS I would be looking at the Superb, and probably will when the PCP term on the vRS runs out at the end of next year. The new Superb offers brilliant value for money. If you spec an Octavia up to match the Superb it will probably cost more money! The reason I bought the vRS (in Dec 2013) and not a Superb II was down to the lower monthly payments for the Octavia, and that was because of a much higher Guaranteed Future Value. The vRS had a high specification (e.g. bi-xenons standard) and high GFV. Hopefully the Superb III will also have high GFVs. It's a shame the bi-xenons are now only standard on the SE-L and L&K Superbs, as they look so much better than the standard headlights. £1295 to have them fitted is a huge extra expense.

 

I used the Skoda Car Configurator to build an Octavia SE-L with 1.4 TSi engine and DSG to a similar spec of the Superb III SE-L (metalic paint, bi-xenons, leather, sunset glass, Columbus, heated front seats, folding mirrors, LED rear lights, electrically operated boot door, electric front seat, adaptive cruise control, chrome exterior trim). The Octavia, with options, would cost £28910! The Superb costs £27355! (with metaliic paint)

Edited 22 September, 2015 by Gary_UK

[Jaytip]

I agree with the size but I was talking about visibility and how much you can see through between A pillar & wing mirror and also between wing mirror and the the beltline

Gotcha. Yes due to the smaller mirror housing it does free up sight lines around it.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[joeboy1980]

I wanted to share few pics of SIII exterior (L&K hatch) taken on Launch day but unable to.....says 'error with file upload'! How else can I attach pictures here? Suggestions plz....In fact each picture is smaller than 2MB but still unable to upload   

[hpoom]

Use imgur and just link it here.http://m.imgur.com/

Edited 22 September, 2015 by hpoom

[joeboy1980]

Thanks, hpoom.

 

See if this link works:

 

http://imgur.com/gallery/DS5IF/new