Skoda Superb DSG 190 vs BMW 520d

[Speedman]

Hi all,

 

Would be grateful for thoughts on this - I know the list price is £41,600 for the BMW 520d luxury with auto but I have been offered a pre-reg model for £29,800 cash price.

 

The Skoda has more equipment (I am looking at the SEL Exec with a few extras) but would be grateful for opinions.

 

My initial concern was future servicing cost but BMW have offered me 5 years servicing for £575.

[DarrellGB]

I've driven both and would take the Superb, see if you can get them on an extended test, there's nothing between them quality wise but just see how people respond to you in the BMW

[micloi]

Also a preregistered superb would cost much less I assume?

[skodarog]

hi, wow, thats certainly some discount.

 

i purchased an estate SEL-exec 190 dsg last November. at the same time i was offered a brand new E-Class AMG Black 2.2 for about £4k more. On reading the reviews, it seems that the Merc was a better driving car, but the Skoda the better all rounder. The reason i chose the Skoda was because it was a brand new model rather than taking the last of the E-Class before the new model hit the showrooms as they were getting rid of old stock. In hindsight, i'd still like the Merc design, but do not regret the skoda.

 

My Father-in-law has just purchased a brand new 520d - again he was offered a cracking deal as they are due to release a new 5 series soon. The BMW looks more impressive when they are side by side, and internally the BMW does now look good. The issue i had with the beemer was that it is tight getting 3 kids in the back (2 of mine are in car seats) - the seat belt buckles are a nightmare to get to. The skoda in comparison is easy; more width and loads more leg room.

I paid c.£30k for my Skoda - i'd certainly think of a BMW 5 series at that price - if i didn't need the width then i'd certainly get the BMW, but for practicality at the minute i'll need to stick with the Skoda.

good luck with your decision!

[sandervdw]

The Skoda is going to be more practical. But to be fair, the BMW will be much more fun to drive. If they are both in the same pricerange, I would (no doubt) go for a well-specced BMW5...

[john999boy]

The BMW is the no1 comfort car.

[Lol6]

I reckon the biggest reason for that price was due to it's imminent replacement. I was offered something similar but chose the Skoda on value for money, practicality and the aggression of other drivers towards BMWs. Not on handling or the steering however.

[sandervdw]

I reckon the biggest reason for that price was due to it's imminent replacement. I was offered something similar but chose the Skoda on value for money, practicality and the aggression of other drivers towards BMWs. Not on handling or the steering however.

I am a current BMW-owner, and I can agree that people tend to drive (and certainly park) differently when they see you owning a BMW. My previous car was a Ford Focus Clipper which has a similar size to my BMW. But in the same street, I now have a much harder time leaving my parking spot. People tend to put their cars really close to BMW's.

[philpix]

Don't get a beemer if you get winter snow. My neighbour here in the Pennines can't get his out of his drive let alone anywhere else.

[nightrodspecial]

Hi 

i had a BMW M SPORT 520D and to be honest my superb 190 feels just as quick and i find it more comfortable and more hi tech inside.

The gap may widen with the new 5 series but at the moment i would take the Skoda over the 5 any day.Another thing i like

is the rarity although i am sure that will change as it is a great car.

[RickTT]

The F10/F11 are now coming to the end of their life cycle, however they are still really good motors competing hard with the latest releases across the market.

 

I have spent time in a F10 and around 4 years in a E60, the E60 which as a model was around for the best part of 8 years.

 

If the 520d SE Lux or Bussiness edtion would of cost me the same price as the Superb, I would of gone with a F11.

 

In regards to the RWD element... a good set of winter rubber fixes that.

[cnc]

The BMW has a great engine and auto gearbox combination, it's a big comfy armchair ride, quick when you want it to be but very economical when you drive carefully, and it has the badge appeal that makes people take notice of it and it will be easy to sell on when the time comes, plus it should command a good part exchange price especially given the initial discount on offer so you shouldn't loose too much money.

 

As much as I love my Superb given the price you have been offered I'd go for the BMW - as much as it hurts me to say it.

[Speedman]

Thanks for all the replies. I went for the test drive today and the car drove well but will probably not go for this car due to the future running costs. On the test on mixed dual carriageway and some relatively free town roads the car only managed 35mpg. Secondly, the future servicing costs, whilst the service officer is very good, (5 years/60,000 miles servicing for £575), as an example of costs a set of brake pads (not discs) are £650. Also, after 60,000 miles what is described as a simple oil change service is £350, and the main service is approx £700.

 

The discount is so good because the car was pre-registered to meet a sales target, then sold to a customer who cancelled at the last minute so it has had 2 owners and never left the showroom. Had 9 miles on clock at start of test drive.

[fenechy]

Just got rid of my 530d for the L&K estate. The BM was 12 years old so on the tech front there is no comparison. But what surprised me is the difference in power between a 500nm torque BM and the 150 Skoda. Not that much of a difference considering the numbers. But what difference there is has saved me a stack of money on fuel! You seem the BM just begged me to floor it in every situation. In the Skoda I go for the Eco setting as often as I can and love aiming for that 60mpg figure. It is comfy, limo like and such a pleasure. The BM was fun but the wife and kids are grateful of my chauffeur driving style these days. If you want fun go with the BM. If you want relaxation... And just about everything else, go with the Skoda.

[inaaris]

All in all I would say that it is pretty wrong to say that there is no difference between Skoda Superb and whatever premium car (Audi, BMW and So on).

In the practical sense Skoda is the better choice, there is no doubt about it. You just get more from the money you pay and that is as easy as it is.

I have driven basicly Audi all my life and the new S3 is the first Skoda I have.

When it comes to the comparisment I would say that a well-kept 10 year old Audi (2007 build) will beat your new Superb in many things.

Build-quality is what is the main difference in my experience. Dashboard, transmission smoothness (yes, a 10 year old well maintained CVT or Tiptronic is better than the brand-new DSG) and suspension. Everything is better. Both the 2006 A4 and 2009 A6 were better in my opinion.

Where the scissors come  in? Maintanence and costs are what make the biggest difference. Maintaining a Audi or BMW (basicly , it does not matter how old the car is) will cost a lot. No matter, if its a new car or a used car. Some of you mentioned that brake maintance (all new components) costs a lot. But bear in mind that there is no logic that will cost less in a VAG flagship, doesent matter if its the Audi or the Skoda, aslong as they are in the same class they will cost the same. Meaning, if it costs around 600 EUR´s for the BMW , then it will propably cost around 450 - 550 for the Skoda (in Estonia, my brake maintenance costs somewhere around 500 EUR for the new S3). 

Skoda is not a bad car. And when it comes to practicality, its a better choice and it comes from the mouth of the guy who will always be the biggest fan of Audi. And as obvious as it is Skoda costs less.

As for the decision you are about to make. Its really simple for me , I will never drive a used premium car ever again. The reasoning is simple, the prem cars feel the best but it doesent come free. So if your the guy who wants the best feeling and isint neat on  costs-effectiveness then ofc go for the BMW / Audi / Volvo or whatever you choose.

If not, then Skoda is the best choice and is one of the only choices who actually gets really close to other prem´s for the money you pay for the car (SIII is pretty much already comparable to A4, A6 , 5th series when it comes to the overall rating of the whole car). Others are still trailing hard or cost a lot more than the S3 does (VW Passat).

Edited 12 August, 2016 by inaaris

[philpix]

UK owners do not have to use Skoda dealers for routine servicing in order to still keep within the warranty.

[RickTT]

My E60 was around 1850kg kerb weight... that 300kg has been lost somewhere on the superb.

 

The price above for pads is wrong. its a 1.5 hour job and the pads are around £95 OEM. -

 

I got OEM discs and pads for the E60 for 250 fitted from BMW.

[MartiniB]

As for the decision you are about to make. Its really simple for me , I will never drive a used premium car ever again. The reasoning is simple, the prem cars feel the best but it doesent come free. So if your the guy who wants the best feeling and isint neat on  costs-effectiveness then ofc go for the BMW / Audi / Volvo or whatever you choose.

If not, then Skoda is the best choice and is one of the only choices who actually gets really close to other prem´s for the money you pay for the car (SIII is pretty much already comparable to A4, A6 , 5th series when it comes to the overall rating of the whole car). Others are still trailing hard or cost a lot more than the S3 does (VW Passat).

just be ready couple of parts aren't same - they are developed by VAG's department "exact part, just little bit worse" :(

visible:

gasoline exhausts like diesel

Washer nozzles

Rear disc brake wear

Heated Windscreen

Noise in rear suspension

Door Chrome

 

i believe there are couple others which we will never know

[hamro]

Just an update to this thread as I have just replaced my 2011 Superb with an bmw 520i msport estate. I got a cracking deal on a preregistered 2019 £46k car for £27.5k. I thought about another superb but was slightly put off by the dsg box, although I had no problem with mine, and fancied something different. Still not sure I made the right decision, I looked at the e class, Volvo v70 and the Jag Xf. The BMW is not as practical as the Superb has less room in the cabin  and the boot, but it does feel more premium to drive. I have had bmw before and remember having similar beefs with the specification, mine has the comfort pack, where you get stacks of technology that sounds good but does not really add up to a lot in everyday driving and also has some surprising omissions. For example the map display in the superb showed the current speed limit, which I found really useful, you don’t get this unless you spec the technology pack on the beemer. A couple of other things I discovered is  I don’t like is a stop/start system that has to be overridden every time you start the car and blacked out privacy glass on the rear windows which makes it quite hard to see out on a dark winter day. I suspect these features are becoming standard on most modern cars. The other thing is how noisy the engine is outside the car with a weird farty exhaust note although you don’t hear either in the car.  Sounds quite ungracious after being fortunate enough to go to a new motor but thought other Superb owners might be interested, I did 65k in mine In  8 years and think it was one of the best I have owned.

[Gizmo]

44 minutes ago, hamro said:

Just an update to this thread as I have just replaced my 2011 Superb with an bmw 520i msport estate. I got a cracking deal on a preregistered 2019 £46k car for £27.5k. 

 

Not so great when you need to tax it though at a whopping £465 every year for the next few years 😮

 

I moaned when mine went up an extra 50% this year.... from £20 - £30!

[hamro]

Good point gizmo, forgot to mention the extra tax £1600 over 5 years despite the lower emissions. Typical of this governments hidden taxes, anyway it is what it is, still good value at about the same price as a superb sel.

[silver1011]

It all depends on where your priorities lay.

 

The BMW will cost more to run, but is a better car overall in numerous respects.

 

Skoda still represent value for money, and the Superb has always been a great example, especially in terms of equipment, interior space and running costs.

 

If price / costs aren't one of the highest priorities then I'd go for the BMW.

 

But, having just swapped my MkII Superb for an E-Class I underestimated the practicality constraints moving from a hatchback to a saloon.

[toni8b]

 

[facet edge]

20 hours ago, silver1011 said:

 

But, having just swapped my MkII Superb for an E-Class I underestimated the practicality constraints moving from a hatchback to a saloon.

I was looking at a Merc and suddenly realised it didn't have a hatchback.

I find that so useful in not sure that I could go without it. I suppose I could get an estate but then I read all the problems people were having with the electrics on the Mercs and it put me off.

Edited 27 December, 2019 by facet edge

[silver1011]

I was surprised at how much I miss the ability to carry anything I want, whenever I want.

 

Unfortunately fold down rear seats were an option on the E-Class saloon, an option that the original owner didn't specify, making it even less practical.

 

Should have paid the extra £500 for the estate, but it is a bit Volvo looking, very boxy. Standard air rear suspension on the estates too which I didn't want.

 

Don't worry about the electric boot lid on the Superb estate, they're pretty robust, if not annoyingly slow.