Please help to choose a car

[LS108]

Hello,

its about time to choose new company car. I will use it for 4 years.

The criteria:

Co2 max 130

Big (two kids, lots of travelling)

Fast

Manual gearbox

AWD

~40t EUR

When I put it on paper, it is clear, that I have to delete some of those points. Majority of awd cars have co2 above 130. BMW 520d xdrive is below, but is comes only with auto box and is too expensive. New Audi A4 2.0 tdi quattro is rather on small side and also too expensive.

Passat or Superb has manual+AWD but I am afraid that 150 hp is not enough for such mass (allthough it has the same 0-100 time as SII 170 hp 4x4 which I am using now).

So long story short, probably I shall skip AWD wish and go for SIII 190 hp with manual box (in Sportline trim, maybe) or Passat r-line with the same engine. However I do not like how Passat looks, so maybe Superb?

I am missing something?

[maffyou]

Plenty of reviews and owner reports saying the 150 has plenty enough power for the weight of the car.

It seems to me the Superb will offer you all of the things you want. Maybe not the speed (how fast do you want it?) unless you go for the petrol 220/280 but then you can't have the manual.

[Vaim]

For what it's worth, the 150hp TSI 1.4 moves plenty fast for me at least.

 

Pretty hard to get under 130co2 AWD and be "fast" though.

[LS108]

Well, being fast is rather subjective feeling. My SII 170 Hp/350 Nm feels not fast, as due to DSG it drives on the edge of stalling. Also it has rather big turbo lag. However if I drive with paddles, it feels more of less ok. Of course with 4 adults in the car and when overtaking in tricky situations I would be happy having 30 Hp and 50 Nm more.

 

My second car, Saab 9-3 2.0 petrol with low pressure turbo (150 Hp / 280 Nm) feels fast most of the time, mainly because of clever gearing of manual transmission. 

 

Also I have to think twice about AWD, do I really need it. Yes, it happens 2-3 times per year, that without AWD I would stuck somewhere and it is nice not to have wheel spin on wet surface. But stronger engine I can enjoy more often. I think. 

[SurreyJohn]

Maybe the new Tiguan, possibly a Volvo V60, Octavia Scout

Depends on how well equipped you want it if you have a budget of eur40k. I also don't know anything of Lithuanian pricing, so not sure what you can get for your money.

An alternative might be to try and get a top spec model that is being discontinued, eg old Tiguan, Volvo V70, old style Mercedes E class etc. Might then get everything in your budget

[LS108]

The most expensive Superb (190 Hp AWD, L&K trim) is 39k EUR in Lithuania (before discount). 

[FRSkoda]

how critical is the 130 co2?

[Legacy]

Would decent winter tyres keep you mobile in winter conditions?  If snow is very heavy, the car probably won't have the clearance that you need to keep moving.  My AWD Legacy was ok in snow on summer tyres but was hard to stop.  My current Superb has DSG and feels like its missing 20-30 bhp over the manual gearbox as the DSG makes it feel woolly and slow to respond. The DSG box and torque curve do not appear to meet very often.  Its the worst €3,000 I've ever spent.

 

I'd recommend that you test drive a manual 150 bhp car that has loosened up a bit and see what you think of the available power.

[maffyou]

The most expensive Superb (190 Hp AWD, L&K trim) is 39k EUR in Lithuania (before discount).

This car fails your CO2 limit, by 2g/km. Does that push you into another tax band (as it does in the UK)?

To me it seems that the 2.0 150 AWD manual is your only fit in terms of the Superb - it matches everything, apart from the "fast" criteria I suspect. Without spending a lot of time researching other marques I can't imagine you'll find something which meets all your criteria. If you want fast, CO2 will almost certainly have to go above 130.

So I suppose you need to decide which is more important for you: fast or low CO2...

[LS108]

130 g is a must - it is not about taxes (we dont have them here) but about company policy.

"Fast" cars with >130g are either FWD Audi A4 (2.0tfsi, 7.5 to 100) or RWD BMW 3 series. But those are to small. Did not yet checked A4 to be honest, apart from youtube. I am 193 cm, by the way.

I even wrote to MTM, they are doing remaps to Passat B8, and local dealers agree to keep the waranty, but no remaps ready for Passat yet.

Most likely I will have to skip AWD criteria. Out of those mentioned it has little additional value, especially having in mind climate change - 10 years ago we had snow cover 5-6 months and now 1-2 months at the best. :-(

And if I skip AWD then either Superb or Passat with manual box and 190 HP diesel are probably most realistic options. I wonder, does anybody compared Passat with Superb?

My colleague at work was choosing between the two, and have chosen Superb, because she did not felt any significant difference (allthout Passat was more expensive).

[Vaim]

This is a pretty good review

 

I feel like the liftback rear of the Superb is a huge advantage over other sedans. If you want to go for the combi, there is no difference of course.

Edited 6 July, 2016 by Vaim

[LS108]

Yes, I am going for estate versions only.

The problem with Passat (not counting that I do not like design of it) is noisy suspension. Also space in the back is smaller than in Superb.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cSiTsYGXXFA/maxresdefault.jpg

Vs

http://www.vwvortex.com/albums/Volkswagen/Passat/Passat%20VIII/(EU)%20Variant%20R-line/Volkswagen-Passat-Variant-R-line-VIII-MQB-642.jpg

Superb looks more expensive :-)

[OllieMK]

How about a new SEAT Ateca?

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[LS108]

I've checked with local dealers - Superb Sportline order will take up to 14 months :-(

[vc-10]

Bloody hell that's ridiculous! Are there none available from stock that would be quicker?

[Prykey]

Bloody hell that's ridiculous! Are there none available from stock that would be quicker?

 

Shouldn't think so, its not being made yet