Disappointing ride quality

[Lol6]

I have now covered nearly 500 miles in my Sel 150 tdi hatch.

My first impressions are of a well built, solid, comfortable, economical and hopefully reliable car, excellent for travelling from A to B, albeit in an unexciting way.

All of this I expected having read reviews, this forum and my own road testing. What has surprised me is the disappointing ride quality which I did not notice in the road tests I had. I specified DCC to try and lock the car down and add some heft to the light and lifeless steering when wanting to corner rapidly. I did not expect the need to have the car in sport mode all the time to counter the content jiggle and sway apparent in the other two modes. Comfort is anything but. It is like being on a boat in a swell. Normal is better but any pothole, regardless of size, is noted by the unseemly noise of a wheel crashing into it, belying the air of limousine like quality the car is supposed to be offering.

From reading this forum, I am aware of the risk of suspension blocks not being removed but I raised this with the dealer prior to PDI and was assured it had been done. I doubt the "bounce" action would be so noticeable if it had not and the ride in sport mode is far more reasonable other than the pothole crash as would be expected.

I have read loads of reviews on this car full of praise with virtually no criticisms so I am wondering whether the problem lies with me. Am I expecting too much or is it just that I was spoilt by the ride and handling qualities of a 10 year old Mazda 6 which I let go for the Skoda?

My suspicion is with the tyres. The car is running on Pirelli Cinturato P7s currently. The other possibility on this car I believe to be Continental Sport Contacts but I was pleased to have the Pirellis as I have had Conti's on a Volkswagen Bora my wife now drives and they did the ride no favours at all.

I am wondering whether any owners have had or are having a similar experience to me, have reached a mileage where they are considering changing, or have already changed their tyres and what the choice is, or was, as replacements. My car is on 18 inch wheels.

Any advice anyone can shed on this little conundrum will be appreciated. Thank you.

[Norian]

@Lol6: have you checked tyre pressure ? Don't rely on the dealer checking that for you prior to delivery. I know it's on their PDI but they ignore that. From the factory the wheels are overinflated in order to compensate for an undefinite storage prior to delivery to customer...

P7 Cinturato behaves like plastic when overinflated and that could explain some thing you encountered. It's worth looking into, quite an easy check actually. 

[Lol6]

Hi Norian,

Yes I have. I have always checked tyre pressures weekly on the three cars under my wing.

In accordance with the guide they should be 32 psi for a normally laden car. I have an accurate gauge, not just one attached to a foot pump. To their credit the dealer had them bang on.

[Columbo]

I have now covered nearly 500 miles in my Sel 150 tdi hatch.

My first impressions are of a well built, solid, comfortable, economical and hopefully reliable car, excellent for travelling from A to B, albeit in an unexciting way.

All of this I expected having read reviews, this forum and my own road testing. What has surprised me is the disappointing ride quality which I did not notice in the road tests I had. I specified DCC to try and lock the car down and add some heft to the light and lifeless steering when wanting to corner rapidly. I did not expect the need to have the car in sport mode all the time to counter the content jiggle and sway apparent in the other two modes. Comfort is anything but. It is like being on a boat in a swell. Normal is better but any pothole, regardless of size, is noted by the unseemly noise of a wheel crashing into it, belying the air of limousine like quality the car is supposed to be offering.

From reading this forum, I am aware of the risk of suspension blocks not being removed but I raised this with the dealer prior to PDI and was assured it had been done. I doubt the "bounce" action would be so noticeable if it had not and the ride in sport mode is far more reasonable other than the pothole crash as would be expected.

I have read loads of reviews on this car full of praise with virtually no criticisms so I am wondering whether the problem lies with me. Am I expecting too much or is it just that I was spoilt by the ride and handling qualities of a 10 year old Mazda 6 which I let go for the Skoda?

My suspicion is with the tyres. The car is running on Pirelli Cinturato P7s currently. The other possibility on this car I believe to be Continental Sport Contacts but I was pleased to have the Pirellis as I have had Conti's on a Volkswagen Bora my wife now drives and they did the ride no favours at all.

I am wondering whether any owners have had or are having a similar experience to me, have reached a mileage where they are considering changing, or have already changed their tyres and what the choice is, or was, as replacements. My car is on 18 inch wheels.

Any advice anyone can shed on this little conundrum will be appreciated. Thank you.

 

Mine is exactly the same. Road noise and hard suspension are so disappointing I've decided to sell after 200 miles.

 

66 Plate L&K 2.0 TSI with an equivalent 16% discount if anyone's interested. Cappuccino Beige/beige leather trim. Have a look for it in Autotrader.

[Nick_H]

Mine is exactly the same. Road noise and hard suspension are so disappointing I've decided to sell after 200 miles.

 

66 Plate L&K 2.0 TSI with an equivalent 16% discount if anyone's interested. Cappuccino Beige/beige leather trim. Have a look for it in Autotrader.

 

Ouch !

[Lol6]

Hi Columbo,

Firstly, I do not "unlike"" your note. I just pushed the wrong button, so apologies.

Secondly, sorry to hear you are selling but at the same time will be interested to know if you get a result!

Good luck.

[Coops]

I've covered nearly 18k miles in my 150 DSG Combi - it's running 19s and I don't particularly have an issue with the ride. It doesn't have DCC.

 

Yes it's a bit wallowy at times but then again I didn't have it to sprint from point to point, I had it to munch the motorway miles in relative comfort.

 

I'm not in a position to change it just because of the ride.

 

This could change when the tyres become worn and I replace.

[Columbo]

Hi Columbo,

Firstly, I do not "unlike"" your note. I just pushed the wrong button, so apologies.

Secondly, sorry to hear you are selling but at the same time will be interested to know if you get a result!

Good luck.

Thanks.  Had over 90 'clicks' on Autotrader so far. 

 

Although I can imagine most will be very sceptical of someone selling a car privately with just 200 miles on the clock!

[mrburns]

Mine is exactly the same. Road noise and hard suspension are so disappointing I've decided to sell after 200 miles.

 

66 Plate L&K 2.0 TSI with an equivalent 16% discount if anyone's interested. Cappuccino Beige/beige leather trim. Have a look for it in Autotrader.

 

Mine is dead quiet and a blessing on road noise.

 

My previous Lancer was noisy due to harder rubbers in the suspension.

 

If you are unlucky to traverse motorways with the old "open" tarmac then whatever you have you will get a lot of road noise. However they are resurfacing with the tighter and smoother smaller tarmac and that leads to a much quieter drive.

 

Look in the left lane of motorways and you will "hear" what I mean.

[MartiniB]

i believe Superb III is quieter than any Mitsubishi; Nissan; Toyota,

but it is lot louder than my previous 1992 Audi 100, 2009 Hyundai Sonata and neighbor's 2015 Peugeot 508

 

and dealer can't give answer does my car got

2B1 = Additional exterior noise suppression

[Nick_H]

Thanks.  Had over 90 'clicks' on Autotrader so far. 

 

Although I can imagine most will be very sceptical of someone selling a car privately with just 200 miles on the clock!

 

I don't think so. Just be honest and tell them you don't like how it rides. It still has 3 years warranty so the prospective buyer cant go wrong really.

[RickTT]

The road noise is due to the UK road surfaces.. (ok yes.. sound proofing too) but when i travelled over the english channel over north europe it felt like a different car as the road noise disappears.

[Columbo]

The road noise is due to the UK road surfaces.. (ok yes.. sound proofing too) but when i travelled over the english channel over north europe it felt like a different car as the road noise disappears.

 

UK roads aren't the best. But they didn't trouble my 14 year old Camry. Very hushed.

[SteveHut]

I find the ride to soft as well even in sport mode selected in DCC and mine is on 19's and also find it noisy but this is probably down to the P7's with 21k still have 5mm of tread. Will change them for Contis or P Zeros, more than likely though winters also on 19s, will being going on soon so be interesting to compare noise levels.

 

Be interesting to see if the Sportline has any noticeable changes in the ride? Think when the Superb is due for replacement will go back to A6 and have heart rule rather than my head as the Superb was the sensible choice.

[MartiniB]

I don't think so. Just be honest and tell them you don't like how it rides. It still has 3 years warranty so the prospective buyer cant go wrong really.

are you joking? answer from Škoda will be "simple clever" - not a fault but standard phenomenon

[philpix]

Mine is exactly the same. Road noise and hard suspension are so disappointing I've decided to sell after 200 miles.

 

66 Plate L&K 2.0 TSI with an equivalent 16% discount if anyone's interested. Cappuccino Beige/beige leather trim. Have a look for it in Autotrader.

Had a look at your ad in AutoTrader and noticed a Sportline for sale too.

[Nick_H]

are you joking? answer from Škoda will be "simple clever" - not a fault but standard phenomenon

 

Ahh... Latitude E6230 ? maybe a 6220 ?

[roughrider10]

Mine is exactly the same. Road noise and hard suspension are so disappointing I've decided to sell after 200 miles.

 

66 Plate L&K 2.0 TSI with an equivalent 16% discount if anyone's interested. Cappuccino Beige/beige leather trim. Have a look for it in Autotrader.

Only 200 hundred miles, you have hardly given it a chance really, such a shame, how long did you have to wait for it from the order date?

I had test drives in many different cars before e I purchased the Superb, I have to say that the Superb was one of the quietest to be honest, the C Class was noisier I thought.

[MartiniB]

I had test drives in many different cars before e I purchased the Superb, I have to say that the Superb was one of the quietest to be honest, the C Class was noisier I thought.

just question how long were test drive?

Latvian dealer "Karlo Motors" gave only one hour :(

while VW gave 24h, Subaru, Hyundai, Honda and Peugeot all weekend

 

just after received my Superb i can say problems are equal as with VW Passat on bad roads

[Columbo]

I find the ride to soft as well even in sport mode selected in DCC and mine is on 19's and also find it noisy but this is probably down to the P7's with 21k still have 5mm of tread. Will change them for Contis or P Zeros, more than likely though winters also on 19s, will being going on soon so be interesting to compare noise levels.

 

Be interesting to see if the Sportline has any noticeable changes in the ride? Think when the Superb is due for replacement will go back to A6 and have heart rule rather than my head as the Superb was the sensible choice.

 

I can't believe there's much difference between peoples perception of hard or soft suspension. We can all identify whether a cars ride is soft or hard.

 

To me, if some are saying their cars ride is too soft in sport mode and others are complaining it's too hard in comfort mode, then it points to a problem with how Skoda screws the cars together at the factory, or maybe some computer glitch that produces differing results in individual cars.

[Oldgits]

Thanks.  Had over 90 'clicks' on Autotrader so far. 

 

Although I can imagine most will be very sceptical of someone selling a car privately with just 200 miles on the clock!

Apart from the negatives you've described, do you like the car in every other way?

I only ask because it seems such a shame to possibly take a substantial financial loss on such a new acquisition. Would it be worth investing in a different set of tyres to see if that improves the ride? Granted it's going to cost you £600 approx but maybe pay off ultimately?

[Columbo]

Apart from the negatives you've described, do you like the car in every other way?

I only ask because it seems such a shame to possibly take a substantial financial loss on such a new acquisition. Would it be worth investing in a different set of tyres to see if that improves the ride? Granted it's going to cost you £600 approx but maybe pay off ultimately?

 

A few have tried swapping and the improvement in road noise, if any, has been marginal. I also have a noisy engine. The stop/start is very noticeable and yet another poster has praised it for being so quiet he can't even tell when the engine has restarted. Another example of Skoda selling different cars to different people. As others have reported, there's also, a sort of 'boom' possibly coming from the chassis which affects my ears on occasion.

 

Beautiful car, looks stunning. I just wish it was as quiet as others obviously are. But for me anyway I just don't enjoy driving it and I'm happy to take a small loss.

[Silverage]

I've got a 2015 190 TDI 8th generation Passat, which is a Suberb III with slightly different clothes on. It has 18" wheels with no DCC and I find the ride quite harsh. Usually good handling is a benefit from a firm ride, but the car doesn't excel in this respect either.

I put winter tyres on last year and took the opportunity to get them on smaller, 16", steel wheels hoping that would improve things a bit, but it didn't make a great deal of difference.

[MartiniB]

@Oldgids

huge problems:

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/410523-rattles-vibrations-mediocre-handling-questionable-paintwork-and-other-general-negativity/?p=4707765

[Rainmaker]

I can't believe there's much difference between peoples perception of hard or soft suspension. We can all identify whether a cars ride is soft or hard.

 

To me, if some are saying their cars ride is too soft in sport mode and others are complaining it's too hard in comfort mode, then it points to a problem with how Skoda screws the cars together at the factory, or maybe some computer glitch that produces differing results in individual cars.

 

Not necessarily. Our outgoing Mazda 6 (2015 model) was just right in my eyes. Firm, supportive, flexible chassis and you could really feel the road through it without it going to excess. Direct steering and decent feedback made it a nice driver's car, albeit I wish it had more power (145ps 2.0 NA petrol). In comparison the Superb is a bit too wallowy for my tastes, and really betrays its size in the bends. My wife, conversely, thought the Mazda was spine-jarringly hard and the Superb is just right... Same two cars (not even just two 'of' the same car), but two very different perceptions. I want the Skoda engine in the Mazda shell with the NA throttle response.