After two yellow Octavia vRS's (one '06 plater and my current '14 car , with a Leon FR and Audi A5 in between, all company cars) the time has come to look at my next vehicle ...

 

With the Octavia order books currently closed a Superb is looking like an option ; indeed, I test drove a 280PS 4x4 earlier in the week - what a car !

 

Any thoughts on 220PS 'vs' 280PS 4x4 , especially around daily usage and fuel economy, would be greatly appreciated ...

I have the 2016 220PS model and chose it specifically for the power and economy. Money was not an issue and after test driving a 220PS station wagon we decided that 220PS was more then enough grunt for the car. Me and specifically my wife are not some "oldies" that just cruise everywhere.

Over here in Australia along the coast are plenty of hilly driving to prove that the car handles them with ease.

We get excellent fuel economy and the tank range is 1000km+. Even in the city with constant stop/go you should get 850km+ out of the tank without any hassle.

4x4 or All wheel drives create more resistance and require more power compared to a pure rear or front wheel drive.

So if I would have to make the decision again....it would be the 220PS model that we have..no regrets.

I usually ignore these "which one should I go for" or "which one's better" threads as it's a personal choice that shouldn't be dictated by a popularity contest where most participants will tell you that whatever they happen to have is the better option (as above   ).

It's also hard to judge one model against another as few will have regularly driven both, other than possibly a short test drive. Hardly a fair comparative long-term evaluation.

There are dedicated threads for both the 220 and the 280. Have a browse through them and see what their respective owners think.

 

Firstly, both are let down by a mediocre throttle response mapping that requires you to "work" the throttle hard to get the best out of them, but to be fair this seems to apply to the diesels too and it isn't entirely restricted to just Skoda's cars.

The "Audi" option using VCDS offers a small improvement but you'll get the best with DSG in Sport or even better, and I'm a strong advocator of them, a throttle remapping tool like the Pedal Box or Response Control.

 

If your primary concern is "daily usage and fuel economy" then the 220 may be the better choice for you, typically giving 5-10 mpg more than the 280. Both engines are actually amazingly frugal for the amount of power they produce.

Both will provide more than enough power for most drivers, belying its benign outward appearance, but if you want to have a bit more grunt (and fun?) then the 280 gives you that and it can put down that power onto the road without the shenanigans of screaming engines and wheels spinning (so I kinda guess they won't be popular with boy racers), it holds better in the bends - much more than your butt-in-seat feedback tells you, and at its maximum limited speed of 155 mph (on the autobahn) it's one of the most rock-solidly stable and comfortable "family" cars I've driven at that sort of sustained speed and distance (and I've driven many - usually with flashy lights and woo-woos, so I was kind of allowed to  ).

 

I'm retired now. No more commute to work for me but passionate about my driving. Trying to avoid motorways like the plague and doing my best to keep my 30 years of driver training honed. So for my personal circumstances it just had to be the 280.

 

BTW the Haldex system provides 95% FWD and 5% RWD under normal driving conditions. The "loss of power" is minimal compared to older generation 4x4 systems and it giveth far more than it taketh away, amen.

 

So, IMHO, if you want a car with a good bit of grunt that's primarily for your daily commute but enjoy some occasional fun on the side, go 220.

If you want to get the most out of the car on out-of-town roads, in adverse weather or on continental high speed roads, go 280 4x4.

Hopefully neither option should be a disappointment to you.

Agree with BillyJim. It’s such a personal thing; how can others ‘advise’? Furthermore, I bet that, 95% of the time, the people asking already know the answer in their heart of hearts.

 

For me, as a high-mileage user, it was going petrol – in which case the 280 was always going to be the only choice – vs. going diesel yet again (but also 4x4). I agonised over that quite a lot. But I was finally honest with myself and acknowledged that I simply wanted the change. I’ve never looked back since.

thoughts on 220PS 'vs' 280PS 4x4

Choice list:

1. less powerful non VAG vechile as Peugeout; Hyundai by same money

2. less equiped(if stay in same price tag) non VAG Car as BMW; Mercedes Benz; Audi (yes last one is VAG, but components there are different)

3. 280ps 4x4

220ps isn't choice cause lot of unexpected surprises

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/410523-rattles-vibrations-mediocre-handling-questionable-paintwork-and-other-general-negativity/#entry4707765

thanks all for the feedback, some useful comments in there.

Peugeot, Hyundai - err, no.

Reason for a Skoda over BMW, Merc and Audi is the level of equipment & features for a lot less money.

Peugeot, Hyundai - err, no.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/413447-still-undecided-about-ordering-a-superb/#entry4728379