First 5000 miles

[philpix]

Took delivery of my 280 L&K 4x4 hatch in October '16 and after some careful running in (thanks Rainmaker) the 280 engine is nicely loosening up.

I initially had ordered a 190tdi but that was not to be after the NCD fiasco.

I'm so glad now that I went for petrol. The car is a peach of a drive.

I came from a S2 tdi Elegance estate again 4x4 and it gave me six years of trouble-free pleasure. The S3 however is a big step up in quality.

I preferred the hatch this time because I love the styling over the estate.

I can still carry my Labrador and there is stacks of space in the back. I couldn't justify the extra cost of the estate.

 

The things I love....

 

ACC...just brilliant on the motorway

DCC....good choice of comfort or stiffness

Factory fitted tow bar...expensive but so clever. Fitting my bike carrier is a breeze 

DLA....works brilliantly

TSR...that too is great

Rear wiper...I was unsure but now think it's essential

Rear camera...is a great help for parking

Heated windscreen...yes

Kick opening and closing of the hatch is really helpful with hands full of stuff

Sunroof adds a feeling of airiness in the cabin

I love the power of the 280 engine and is a perfect match for the DSG box

Had a few VCDS mods done (thanks micloi) DRL whiskers on, rear lights on as DRLs, "Audi" accelerator setting, off-road info screen

Ventilated?heated leather seats are super comfy 

AppleCarplay is brilliant and Siri works well. I use the navigation on there instead of the Columbus

 

The things I dislike....

 

The headlights are IMO poor and not as good as my out-going S2

The slow accelerator pedal response (a pedal box add-on methinks)

Water runs into the boot from the raised hatch

 

So, to sum up,

 

It's a lot of car for the £39k list price.

A quality ride and a real pleasure to drive and as i've found out today handles well in the snow with winter alloys and tyres on.

Edited 12 January, 2017 by philpix

[john999boy]

"Audi" accelerator setting

 

I'd not really noticed that before and Googling didn't really bring up anything relevant so had a look on Brisky and found this info.

Is it something that could normally be set in an individual driver profile or would it automatically be set in the Superb equivalent of what I would call 'Cupra' mode? What differences have you actually noticed with it enabled?

[nicknorman]

I found the "Audi" throttle setting made no noticeable difference on my MY2016 280. The Racechip Response Control is however well worth the money and transforms the throttle feel.

[Superb170]

I agree with you on the headlights and the water run off in the boot.  The high beams are definitely not as good on the SIII.  There was a nicely defined arch at the top of the beam on the SII and it just tampers off too low on high beam on the SIII.

[BillyJim]

Had a few VCDS mods done ... "Audi" accelerator setting,

---

The slow accelerator pedal response (a pedal box add-on methinks)

Too true!!!

I'm on my second Racechip Response Control as the first one induced ESC and other related errors but the warranty replacement has been faultless. The two weeks I endured without Response Control, whilst waiting for the replacement to arrive, merely served to remind me that I really don't want to be driving my Superb III without it.

 

I'd not really noticed that before and Googling didn't really bring up anything relevant so had a look on Brisky and found this info.

Is it something that could normally be set in an individual driver profile or would it automatically be set in the Superb equivalent of what I would call 'Cupra' mode? What differences have you actually noticed with it enabled?

It's strictly coding - it's either SEAT/SKODA/VW (the default setting) or AUDI and there's no other means to enable/disable it.

Yes, there was a perceived improvement compared to the SEAT/SKODA/VW setting. The AUDI setting seemed to make the engine respond a bit livelier to the throttle but only once the vehicle was already moving. It didn't overcome the two worst features of the throttle mapping - the lag before the engine responded when applying throttle from tickover and a similar lazy response if applying throttle while the revs are dropping (whilst slowing). Two features you really don't want when negotiating busy junctions and roundabouts.

Edited 12 January, 2017 by BillyJim

[Prykey]

I've even adjusting how much the tailgate opens (electric tailgate) to try and stop water from entering the boot when it opens but this hasn't been 100% effective :( 

[GoneToBeemer]

Out of interest, what sort of economy have you seen?