Hi,

Given that those ( lucky ! ) people who got their superbs a while ago and have now done the 1,55Km "breaking in " whats your view(s) on it ? ( we have a L&K 4x4 on order ) so..................

I would also be interested to know what the new superb estate is like for towing.

We are considering replacing our 3 year old Mazda CX-5 with the Superb estate 150bhp diesel SE-L (2wd) to tow our caravan (with an MTPLM of 1395kgs) but not sure if it's going to be too light for stability. I have previously towed the van with my Mk2 Octavia vRS and it was fine apart from being a bit low. Was effected slightly by some crosswinds and large HGVs but nothing to worry about. The Mazda is much more relaxing given its greater weight but recent reliability issues means it's time for a change. As I don't have the b+e license yet weight is a major issue and the superb estate seems to fit the bill.

I would also be interested to know what the new superb estate is like for towing.

We are considering replacing our 3 year old Mazda CX-5 with the Superb estate 150bhp diesel SE-L (2wd) to tow our caravan (with an MTPLM of 1395kgs) but not sure if it's going to be too light for stability. I have previously towed the van with my Mk2 Octavia vRS and it was fine apart from being a bit low. Was effected slightly by some crosswinds and large HGVs but nothing to worry about. The Mazda is much more relaxing given its greater weight but recent reliability issues means it's time for a change. As I don't have the b+e license yet weight is a major issue and the superb estate seems to fit the bill.

 

Ditto regarding the B+e,  I would expect the S3 will tow fine, more so when you get a bit of weight in the car too. On my BMW e60, i was within 10kg of the 3500 train weight. (MIRO)

 

I just want to point this out though...

 

Regarding your MTPLM (MAM) of 1395kg (for the caravan) .. The 2,0tdi 150 (2wd - non DSG) in estate form the max weight (MAM) for the car is 2070kg (source https://tools.skoda.co.uk/content/brochure/brochure_superb2015.pdf ) which leaves's 1430kg towing weight ( without the B+e on licence post 1997) ie upto a MIRO of 3500.

 

If you went for the hatch, the cars max laden weight is 2030kg, so you can tow upto 1470kg without the b+e.

 

You need to ensure that MIRO is 3500kg or less.

 

Happy to be corrected if i have made a mistake in my figures.

 

Bet you are close with the CX5 to the MIRO of 3500kg.

 

In regards to the test, a know a few people who have done it, the driving part is easy enough however the process side of doing things in the right order etc can trick people out.... plus its not cheap!

Edited 20 February, 201610 yr by RickTT

Yeah that's exactly my issue when looking at a new tow car. Need something with a decent kerb weight but with a gross weight no more than 2105 (which puts the 4x4 or 190 versions out of the question) The CX5 gross weight is 2105kgs which puts me dead on 3500kgs which was spot on.

Hoping the 150 superb will be more than capable I'm just a little concerned about stability

Edited 20 February, 201610 yr by Dirtydishcloth

Close call with the CX5 then for the limit. 

 

Im sure the 150 will be fine... will be a decent length once a caravan is on the back.. i used to have a 550 on the back of my BMW e60.

Close call with the CX5 then for the limit. 

 

Im sure the 150 will be fine... will be a decent length once a caravan is on the back.. i used to have a 550 on the back of my BMW e60.

 

I am thinking the 150 will be fine. I have a Swift Fairway 550 which is 1326KG (1490KG max), My Mondeo (similar engine) has been the best tow car I have had and I can't see how the Superb is going to be any different. Hopefully better!

 

Thankfully I have B+E

Hi,

Unless things have changed Skoda dont include weight of a driver in their kerb weight quote-- need to add 75 Kg .

Hi,

Unless things have changed Skoda dont include weight of a driver in their kerb weight quote-- need to add 75 Kg .

See below extract for the pdf linked above .

Hi Rick,

I was going on remarks made in road tests of Skoda's ( Caravan club Magazine  , ect ) as to whether they have changed ......

Hi Rick,

I was going on remarks made in road tests of Skoda's ( Caravan club Magazine  , ect ) as to whether they have changed ......

 

No sure, but the Jan 2016 PDF (above extract and below) does state the payload includes the driver @ 75kg, so the max figure quoted does not need any additional ballast adding to it.

 

Edited 21 February, 201610 yr by RickTT

Hi Rick ,

Sorry to disagree BUT -- Skoda Superb January sales brochure 2016, bottom of page45 ( weight ) as follows,-

"Kerb weight is the unladen mass of the vehicle with the body in running order, excluding driver."

Perhaps a perusal of the V5.....

​I was just thinking - if someone is right on the limit using Skoda's figures ( sans driver ) when they add the 75 Kg..................

Edited 21 February, 201610 yr by david 1220

Hi ,

It gets even more strange ! - had a look at the Octavia brochure ( june 2015 ) and the quoted weights include a driver ! but the weights in the Superb brochure ( Jan 2016 ) excludes the weight of the driver !- or that is what it says in my brochure( direct from SUK ) so ,misprint or are they trying to make the superb lighter than it is ?

Think we are looking at this from 2 different points of view.. Regarding the towing element without b+e, it's the max weight of the car, which as detailed is included in the payload which is the MAM of the car at 2070kg in estate form with a 2.0tdi 150 manual

Rick,

I think you're spot on, but Skoda are more than mildly optimistic about the kerb weights of their cars!

Our 2015 Yeti 170 Elegance 4x4 came out at 1580kg (bog standard, no extras apart from fixed tow bar, but full of fuel and no driver) versus Skoda's claim of 1465kg - so 115kg heavier than the brochure! We took it to the local weighbridge who kindly weighed it for £6 because we'll be towing an 1800kg boat trailer with it (or our Superb) and wanted to make sure we're legal.

Turns out that the Yeti with it's 2110kg max total weight and 2100kg towing limit's an absolute winner! But then again, with an 'old' licence there's no need to worry about the 'new' constraints....

Matt

Edited 22 February, 201610 yr by PirateSyrett

Still related to towing, my superb has been made but wondering what towing mirrors people are using, if they are towing a caravan with their superb.

I have just ordered a S3 with factory-fitted towbar. I have a Thule towball bike carrier with a 7pin socket. I'm guessing the S3 socket is 13pin. Is that correct? Thanks in advance.

my dealer said the towbar come with a converter from 13pin to 7 pin for std trailer wiring.

Still related to towing, my superb has been made but wondering what towing mirrors people are using, if they are towing a caravan with their superb.

 

I use Milenco Aeros on my Mk II but fastened on the underside of the mirror rather than on the top as I found the arm blocks visibility.  Hopefully these will fit on the Mk III mirrors (which seem to be going for the world record of "smallest mirrors as proportion of car size" 

 

I have just ordered a S3 with factory-fitted towbar. I have a Thule towball bike carrier with a 7pin socket. I'm guessing the S3 socket is 13pin. Is that correct? Thanks in advance.

 

I went to see my new car at the weekend and tried the towbar. The 13 pin socket is on the left-hand side of the ball meaning that it plugs in at 90 degrees compared to the regular position.  I did ask when ordering whether it was fully wired for battery charging, fridge etc. and my dealer said yes.

 

my dealer said the towbar come with a converter from 13pin to 7 pin for std trailer wiring.

 

I never thought to ask (our 'van is 13 pin) and I didn't spot one with the accessories left in the boot.

 

 

Though the pop-out mechanism is pretty neat, I wasn't that impressed with the cheap looking bit of cord that attaches the release handle on the boot lip to the rest of the mechanism.

Managed to get my Milenco Aeros to fit, just. There's not much clearance between the frame and the glass. The left side being quite easy to fit, the right one being slightly fiddly - probably due to the angle of the glass. Will have another go at adjusting the right one again.

Hi,

Public weighbridge, -- " had a " run in" with our ( at the time ) local one run by a very large sugar company. The weights were nowhere near the expected one for our caravan--- but over the top ! Rang the weights & measures Dpt in the Town Hall explained my problem . The weights inspector explained that weigh bridges have a tolerance of --- 2%  said he would look into it.

Next visit to the bridge -- it was closed for repairs ! on returning later said bridge was spot on--- even indicating an increase of 20Kg when i put extra weight on ( not me - the bridge ! ) When i asked the operator if the bridge had been re-calibrated he just gave me a big grin !

​So bottom line of all this --- they are not infallible .

Hi, I am just looking at a Superb estate and going for a test drive next week. I want to use it to tow the caravan 1600Kg, I think the 150hp might be a bit on the low side so an thinking about the 190hp 4x4??. Does anyone have experiences of towing with the new superb, is it stable on the motorway? 

 

Thanks Richard

I think the 150hp might be a bit on the low side so an thinking about the 190hp 4x4??

 

I'd suggest checking the kerbweight of both versions if you've a 1600Kg MTPLM 'van.  My owners manual states a 1505 Kg 'operating weight' (not sure if that's with driver/fuel or not) for the manual and 1520 for the DSG.

 

Personally I wouldn't fancy towing with that combination but you may be happy to do so.

 

The 190 4x4 is listed as 1635 Kg.