Which one to get

[Fatso]

I'm seriously thinking about getting a new Superb but I'm still pondering a few things. I've decided the SEL Executive would give me the spec I want but I'm still undecided which bodystyle and engine to go for.

 

I like the look of the hatch, but I'm also thinking if I get such a large car I might as well go all out and get the estate. Does the bodystyle make much, if any, difference to handling, fuel consumption or refinement levels?

 

I use my car to potter round town a couple of times a week but most of my journeys are 40-50 miles each way on the motorway with the cruise control set at 70mph and several times a year I do longer (300 miles plus) trips, so I'm thinking about staying with diesel. I think for my usage the 150TDI would be ok, and from what I've seen on this forum there's not much in it against the 190 TDI, which some say is a bit noisier, and I'm not sure I want to be messing about with Ad-Blue. However... I do like the sound of the 220TSI, so I'm wondering what sort of fuel consumption figures that gets while cruising at 70mph?

 

I'm not keen to spend lots on optional extras, but I'm a wheelchair user so I can't reach the button on the boot when it's open, the dealers have told me that the powered boot works off the key fob, but from what I can make out (again, from you lot on here) the remote power closing option is only available with KESSY, is that correct? I would also be interested in what sort of changes can be made with VCDS.

 

The only downside I can see with getting a Superb is the dire choice of colours, it's black, silver or various shades of grey, I want a purple one as per the Czech configurator, what are my chances?

 

Any help or tips will be gratefully received.

 

 

[Lol6]

I have a 150 tdi manual which I find to be decent transport.  Others will tell you that the 2.0 TSI is the better car and I have no reason to disbelieve them.  Just try getting a test drive of one!  My driving is mainly country lanes with a little motorway and some town work plus a little towing, approximately 10,000 miles a year.  My calculated fuel consumption, i.e. not relying on the computer in the car, is 47 m.p.g. overall.  With more motorway cruising it would be well over 50 m.p.g.  From what others have said on the forum I believe the TSI will give 40 m.p.g. cruising and low thirties for general use.

 

You will pay more for an estate over a hatch so I guess you will need to decide on your personal needs.  Both are capacious.  Any difference in fuel consumption or refinement will be marginal.

 

i do not have KESSY so cannot respond to that part of your enquiry with any assurance.  All I can say is that on the sel you can open the tailgate from inside the car and with the key but to close it you will need to push a button on the bottom edge of the tailgate.  If you are wheelchair bound I fear you will struggle to reach it.  It may be possible to change to remote closing via VCDS.  IF @Sagalout reads this he may be able to assist you.

 

i agree with you that the paint colour choices are poor.  Someone said to me yesterday that you should be able to demand any colour within the Skoda range and they should be able to supply it.  I have not heard of that before and even if they agreed to do it no doubt it would add substantially to the already long waiting time on a new car order.

 

Goood luck with whatever you decide.

[penguin17]

Test drive.  Test drive.  Test drive.

 

Coming from a Leon estate I was adamant I'd need the estate in the Superb too.   It turns out I really didn't.  Load space and practicality on the hatch are more than adequate for my needs.  I did test drive a 150 TDI SE L hatch and estate back-to-back and could detect more road noise from the rear of the estate but this is likely to be true of any car when comparing the hatch/saloon to their estate variant. 

 

I personally prefer the 150ps TDI unit to the 190.  I p/x'd the 150ps Leon for the 184ps Leon and was very underwhelmed and somewhat disappointed.  I found the engine to be less smooth and the power delivery was all at the top end.  Which meant working the engine harder (even more noise).  I did try the 190 in the Superb but found it to be exactly the same.  In the real world, I just find the 150 much smoother and nicer to drive.  Also looking at the thread on here regarding Ad-Blue faults (there's threads on other VAG forums too), I'd be put off from cars using it though it may be introduced on petrol engines in the near future too, so it may be unavoidable at some stage. 

 

I'm close to 4k miles in mine and MPG (90% motorway mileage, same route) has now stabilised at just over 50 MPG, from tank-to-tank calculations.  My trip computer is 1.5-2 MPG over optimistic.  I've seen just over 60 +MPG on longer trips so I'm perhaps getting high 50's. 

 

I have KESSY and power tailgate and the boot can be opened via a button near the gear lever, via the key fob or via the boot release on the hatch itself.  The boot can be closed via a button on the underside of the boot hatch or via the keyfob.  It can't be closed from the button next to the gear lever and this can't be changed via VCDS but apparently it can be changed via VAG Can Pro.  I specified the power tailgate on my Sportline due to shoulder mobility issues and the onset of arthritis in my left shoulder and would definitely specify it again on future cars.   The car had KESSY as standard but I really like using it and again, would specify it again in future, if it wasn't standard. 

 

I agree on the colours, the choice is very limited but like most cars, some colours suit the hatch more than the estate and vice versa.  Wheel choice also makes a big difference IMO.  

Edited 17 May, 2017 by penguin17

[Fatso]

I can't take a test drive because I need hand controls, and the dealers don't have any vehicles with them fitted.

 

My sensible head is saying go for the 150 TDI, for my usage, cruising on the motorway (and PC Plod's camera club is very keen on one of my main routes  ) it would be more than sufficient. The 220 TSI would be nice, but 40mpg is only just about acceptable, especially for my longer trips.

 

I think I'm going to need KESSY, it's when the boot is open that I can't reach the button on there to close it.

 

A better choice of colours would be nice, but to be honest when I'm in my car I don't take that much notice of what colour the outside is. I'm also the sort that gets my car washed twice a year, whether it needs it or not  .

[CheshireBumpkin]

21 minutes ago, Fatso said:

I can't take a test drive because I need hand controls, and the dealers don't have any vehicles with them fitted.

 

My sensible head is saying go for the 150 TDI, for my usage, cruising on the motorway (and PC Plod's camera club is very keen on one of my main routes  ) it would be more than sufficient. The 220 TSI would be nice, but 40mpg is only just about acceptable, especially for my longer trips.

 

I think I'm going to need KESSY, it's when the boot is open that I can't reach the button on there to close it.

 

A better choice of colours would be nice, but to be honest when I'm in my car I don't take that much notice of what colour the outside is. I'm also the sort that gets my car washed twice a year, whether it needs it or not  .

 

I can thoroughly recommend the 150 - my driving is predominantly country lanes and rural A roads and I average c. 50mpg with this type of driving. On a weekly longer trip of around 50 miles on A roads and motorway I average c. 60mpg.

 

I've never felt power was lacking - especially in the 40 - 70mph range where I'm always impressed with the safe overtaking ability that is crucially important on the roads around me.

 

As a final note regarding the boot. I don't know if this would work for you, but it is possible to set the height the boot opens to, so for example it could be set to raise no higher than the extended reach of your hand to the button to close it. Whether this would give you enough of an opening to load and unload whatever you need, I don't know - but it's worth thinking about before paying for KESSY necessarily. Whilst you may not be able to test drive the car, I would expect a dealer to give you the chance to test this if you went in.

 

Good luck!

[Fatso]

I've had a VAG diesel before, a 140 TDI with DSG in a Scirocco, so I can imagine the 150 in a Superb even though it's a bigger car should be fine. (The 2.0 CDTI in my current GTC is like a bag of spanners!  )

 

60mpg sounds good to me, and 50mpg would be acceptable, I have to drive down to the south coast several times a year and I'm used to doing a return trip without refuelling.

 

I've tried reaching the boot in the dealers, the estate is just about doable (but would probably become annoying on a daily use basis), but the hatch seems to go beyond my reach, I think I'm going to have to stump up for KESSY.

[Sagalout]

"Does the bodystyle make much, if any, difference to handling, fuel consumption or refinement levels?"

 

I recently traded out from a 150TDI DSG Estate to a 220TSI DSG Hatch.

 

The diesel is a perfectly adequate car for everyday driving. My usage is not a million miles from yours and I achieved an average of around 50mpg over 12000 miles. The ride is comfortable and the diesel engine is pretty quiet on the move. Around town and for short journeys you know it is a diesel! The DSG box is not good at slow speeds between 2nd/3rd gears.

 

The petrol is a completely different car. Much quieter and smoother in most situations but especially on those short runs or on country roads. It feels much lighter on the road too. It is fast 

Early days but I am getting between 35-40 mpg average on run about. The one longer journey ( motorway at 60-70 mph) I averaged over 45mpg BUT I am still 'running in' so that may drop  

 

I think that the road noise from the rear of the car (mainly tyre noise) is also less in the hatch than in the estate so it all adds up to the right decision for me.

 

I always used premium diesel in the TDI as it helped with the short runs and improved mpg by a whisper; I use Shell V Power in the 220 TSI. The price is actually about the same.

So, if you calculate the difference in fuel costs between the diesel and the petrol for 10000 miles per year it is no more than about £500 per year. That is worth every penny for the difference in the car for me. 

 

The difference between the hatch and estate re boot storage space is not that great. The hatch obviously slopes down at the rear so height is compromised but the floor pan is the same size (actually a few mm longer I think) and is really deep. If you need to carry large items with 'boxy' dimensions you may find the estate more useful unless you can travel with the rear seats down.  

 

Hope that helps. Have you thought about the 1.4 TSI if you dont need all that power? Comments in the forum suggest that is a good comparison with the 150TDI.

[facet edge]

I have the 1.4 tsi and I am very pleased with it. It  has power to spare, cruising at 70 on the motorway is no problem at all. The engine is extremely quiet, it really does go well.

You have to take into account the witch hunt against diesels as well. There's no telling what penalties they might throw at you in the future.

[Fatso]

I tend to do more longer journeys and a couple of round town trips, so I'm thinking diesel is more suited to my usage.

 

The extra cost of petrol isn't too bad, but I do nearer 20,000 miles a year so somewhere near a £1,000 extra (£20 a week doesn't sound quite so bad though  ) It's the fewer trips to the filling station that appeal to me.  As for the noise of the diesel, I always have music playing in the car so I possibly wouldn't notice.

 

I don't really carry much stuff around, just a laptop bag and maybe an overnight bag and sometimes a couple of small suitcases. An estate would be more of a 'lifestyle' vehicle for me.

 

I would prefer to stick with a 2.0, for the power and the torque, and also because we have hills near where I live and I'm a fairly hefty chap and some of my passengers aren't particularly light either. I've seen a couple of posts on this forum that the 1.4 might struggle under those circumstances.

 

I'm thinking of sticking with diesel now, but maybe returning to petrol when I don't need to do so many miles in the future, and I'm assuming it will be a while before EU6 diesels are taken in by the anti diesel witch hunt.

Edited 17 May, 2017 by Fatso
Missed a bit.

[lol-lol]

As long as you do not plan to keep the diesel too long, like in to the next decade, or visit cities such as Leeds or if you do then expect to pay a high entry fee for taking it in to the city as this is what appears to be on the cars for diesels without SCR as it is likely to be those models paying the extra fees.  Skoda has not completed the full program of fitting all their wiesels with SCR systems last I heard. 

[Fatso]

I do visit Leeds quite regularly, but I'm not intending to keep the car for much more than 3 years, basically I'd like to change it when the warranty expires.

[penguin17]

By the time the government and local authorities really clamp down on diesels their petrol counterparts will probably become ~10% more efficient anyway.  

[cyberkank]

I have done extensive test driving the 190TDI, 220TSI and 280TSI in Australia. 

I found that the 190TDI is a bit noisy and less refined than the petrol variant. Especially when the engine is cold, the vibration actually a fair bit more noticeable too. The initial turbo/diesel lag is a bit more noticeable too until you get up to about 40km/h.

Although I ended up with the 280TSI due to it being the only one with 4x4 and sportline trim here in Australia and it is a bit more fun to drive.

Overall though I found the 220TSI is more than adequate for more sensible drivers as it is very refined and the real world fuel consumption is not that worst than the diesel 190.

Here are the fuel consumption I was getting in Australia:

190TDI: 6.2/100km

220TSI: 7/100km

280TSI: 9.5/100km

 

The 280TSI is by far the worst in fuel consumption between the three models.

Edited 18 May, 2017 by cyberkank

[iamdrew]

I have a 1.4Ti 150 SEL Estate and am absolutely delighted with it.  I would recommend you test drive the petrol one.  The performance is excellent - I still find it hard to believe that the engine has only 1.4l capacity.  

 

I'm not sure how you arrived at £1000/yr premium for 20k miles.  I worked it out to be approx £480 which given the cost difference of the initial purchase of just over £900 gives you almost two years at no cost differential.  The calculation was based on real world fuel consumption from honestjohn.co.uk - 2.0TDI 150 was 55.6mpg and 1.4TSI 150 I assessed as 44mpg (being 80% of the median of the official mpg - nobody has submitted real mpg for the 1.4TSi yet, although mine is doing approx 46mpg)

So...

• 2.0TDI 150: 20000/55.6*4.5 = 1619 litres/yr : Fuel cost:  1619 * 118.9 = £1924.99/yr
• 1.4TSI 150: 20000/44*4.5 =  2045 litres/yr : Fuel cost: 2045 * 117.9 = £2411.05/yr

Difference = £481.06/yr

 

I know that these are estimates and that your local fuel prices will vary, but I hope it gives a reasonable indication. Oh!  And the 1.4TSi attracts an extra 20 quid for the first year road tax.

[Rainmaker]

This question rings a bell somewhere. Have you posted about it in the past? No probs if you have, I'm just curious as to why I seem to remember it lol. As far as I know, which granted isn't much, the boot will remote open (even on SE-L) but I don't think it has remote close. I know they removed the remote close for the sunroof for 'safety reasons' as well. I may be wrong however, so I'm happy to stand corrected. You can, however, definitely set the opening height of the electrically operated boot (SE-L and above) which may be useful for you? The hatch is generally a little more refined and has a little less road noise than the estate. The hatch load area is cavernous as it is, easily taking a double pram, baby gear, a week's shopping and leaving as much room again to spare for us. So the estate only really gains extra height above the parcel shelf area, if that's important to you.

 

As iamdrew and others have said, there isn't actually a massive gulf between the petrols and diesels in real world usage. Even my 220 will return good economy if you don't take the pee with hard acceleration to the red line etc. I tend to do shorter journeys, but on the motorway for 50 miles or so I'm having a bad day if I'm not well into the 40s MPG. Here's a recent one, albeit with a long stretch of cameras at 50 for roadworks:

 

 

Mostly at 70mph (about 1,900rpm in 6th) I'll see 42 to 45mpg on the motorway, and about 38 to 40mpg at 80mph (about 2,100rpm in 6th). I don't hang about or gently accelerate though! The diesels will no doubt do better but week to week in the real world you're only talking a fiver or less really for most people. I worked out at one point that switching from a 2.0 TDI I'm now paying £3 a week more (using V-Power unleaded) than I did for a smaller diesel on the cheapest fuel I could find. The 150ps 1.4 TSI is no doubt even cheaper again. It will really come down to what you prefer. I'd strongly suggest you try both if you can, even if it's as a passenger, to get a feel for how they drive and respond. Most dealers won't have petrol Superbs but you'll find quite a few with Octavia VRS with the same engine.

 

With a DSG it's not so much of an issue as the diesel's short power band is somewhat hidden by the auto box. With a manual however you'd see a much bigger difference. The diesel will pull hard from low down but then after about another 1,000rpm it will run out of breath and require gear changes quite quickly in succession. The turbo petrols have just as much low down grunt, but will happily continue revving and pulling hard for another 4,000rpm+ without issue. It gives a lot more flexibility (and enjoyment) imho, having driven both extensively.

[T00mm]

Wheelchair user here myself.

 

On my Audi it had power boot close.

 

If I held the button on the underside of the boot when it got to the preferred height it used to program the boot to only go up a certain distance. Would this not work for the Skoda too?

[Fatso]

iamdrew, Sagalout said they spend approximately £500 extra on petrol over 10,000 miles in a 220TSI as opposed to diesel in a 150TDI, so I was assuming double the miles would double the cost.

 

Rainmaker, not me, I only signed up on Tuesday, this thread is the only posting I've done here so far. Anyway, I'm thinking of getting a larger comfier car due to my usage rather than for the extra space. I'm usually in the car on my own during the week. I often have my ladyfriend with me on a weekend, and sometimes she brings her son along, but as he's 29 we don't need to worry about a double pram and baby stuff  

 

I'm very interested in a 220 TSI now I've seen your 48.1mpg, I could live with that, especially considering my current diesel has averaged 44mpg since I got it.

 

You and TOOmm both mention setting the boot lid opening to a pre-set level, this would be an option but I would have to check it out and it might not be suitable for others using the boot?

[Rainmaker]

1 hour ago, Fatso said:

iamdrew, Sagalout said they spend approximately £500 extra on petrol over 10,000 miles in a 220TSI as opposed to diesel in a 150TDI, so I was assuming double the miles would double the cost.

 

Rainmaker, not me, I only signed up on Tuesday, this thread is the only posting I've done here so far. Anyway, I'm thinking of getting a larger comfier car due to my usage rather than for the extra space. I'm usually in the car on my own during the week. I often have my ladyfriend with me on a weekend, and sometimes she brings her son along, but as he's 29 we don't need to worry about a double pram and baby stuff  

 

I'm very interested in a 220 TSI now I've seen your 48.1mpg, I could live with that, especially considering my current diesel has averaged 44mpg since I got it.

 

You and TOOmm both mention setting the boot lid opening to a pre-set level, this would be an option but I would have to check it out and it might not be suitable for others using the boot?

 

No worries, someone must have asked something similar at some point. Welcome, either way. Don't take much stock from my 48mpg, I'd be lying if I said it was a regular occurrence. As I said before, it was a mostly 50mph run through camera monitored road works on my way home from a day out driving in Yorkshire and the Lakes. My normal real world economy is listed above, but for me that's still more than satisfactory. Again, note that my driving is generally mostly around the town/city, and I can be heavy footed when the mood strikes. Some of the other owners on here are closer to 38/40mpg to a tank as they do more longer drives/commutes than I. Being honest I don't particularly care about economy, as I care more for the driving experience and anyway the engine refuses to drop below low 30s MPG even if you hoof it, so it's not a concern for me.

 

Regarding setting the boot and having other people use it also: You can set it to a predefined level by first starting the boot opening by pressing the external button, and then hitting the button on the inside of the boot lip (the one that normally closes it) as it does so to then stop it mid-way. At that point, with the boot 'frozen' at your preferred height, you press and hold the interior button until the car bongs/chimes, and it'll remember it from there on in. If someone else wanted to use the boot (or if you wanted to change the height setting) they/you can just gently push the boot lid manually to a different height. Repeating the hold/bong procedure at the new height would reset the memory to that level, else you can just close the boot and it'll open to the usual pre-defined height again next time. 

 

Personal advice from another disabled (non-wheelchair using) driver - test the car, then test it again, and then test it some more. If your dealer isn't very happy/cooperative with this, find a new dealer. You're a paying customer at the end of the day. Make sure you can get the seats 100% comfy for long drives, not just a spin around the block. The seats on the Skoda aren't fantastic compared to some others imho (e.g. Volvo, BMW, Mercedes, Ford or Vauxhall). They're supportive and electrically adjustable (drivers' side only on SE-L, though you can pay for the same on the passenger side as an optional extra), but can be a bit firm even with Alcantara rather than leather. If you're tall like me the seats are too short to give adequate shoulder support which can cause issues on long runs. 

 

Make sure you're happy with how the car rides and feels over bumps, pot holes etc too as again imho the new mark 3 car is a step down from the mark 2 in this area, and not as compliant as some of its rivals over UK roads. 

 

I'm not trying to put you off, far from it. They're great cars and decent value, and they do 'all round' very well indeed. I just know having lived with one for over a year now that they're not perfect - as with any car - and hopefully you'll test it with eyes open rather than having stars in them. Make sure you test similarly priced rivals, whether a Mondeo, the new Insignia (which is meant to be rather good actually), an i30, 3 series (a 330i is a similar or even lower price to a Superb via a broker last time I checked) or what-have-you. The VAG engines (e.g. 220ps TSI) tend to give amongst the best power:economy balances of comparable marques. Ford, for example make comparatively great driver's cars but they do like to drink compared to VAG engines of similar power. A Ford 1.5 EcoBoost 160ps will return similar economy to the VAG 2.0 220ps! Just shop around until you can't stand it any more and make sure you're fully comfortable, happy with the car, and that it suits your individual needs. 

 

Again just personal advice which you can feel free to ignore. Sorry for the wall of text.

Edited 18 May, 2017 by Rainmaker

[Gerrycan]

If you are looking at cars the size of a Superb, I would not waste your time looking at an i30 or 3 Series, but otherwise the recommendation about checking out comparable competition is good advice even if only as a passenger for ride characteristics or checking out ease of access.

My Octavia has quite wide sills (bit of a problem for my less nimble in-laws) which could also be a feature on the Superb as well (I presume it is for protection from side impacts).

If roof-rails are useful to you then they are only available on the estate of course.

Edited 20 May, 2017 by Gerrycan

[facet edge]

My Octavia has quite wide sills (bit of a problem for my less nimble in-laws) which could also be a feature on the Superb as well (I presume it is for protection from side impacts).

 

The superb also has wide sills, my 88 year old mother in law almost needs a climbing rope to get out of the back seat!

 

[Gizmo]

The estate is supposedly a bit more boomy inside (stands to reason really) but I have not driven one so cannot say this for sure.

 

I was underwhelmed with the 150 I test drove, granted the 190 did not feel much quicker (until you look at the speedo) but it is far from slow, as for adblue, you only need to top the tank up (at the same time you fill up... from an adblue pump) every 7,500 - 9,000 miles, it really is no faff at all, I am  on 25K miles and only had to top it up twice (with 3,000 miles of adblue remaining)

 

MPG... my long term average is just above 47mpg, but I do not hang around, I can easily get this into low to mid 50s.

 

VCDS cannot close the hatch but VCP certainly can (@andyvee is in Rossendale and he has VCP)

[killie97]

Another aspect to your enquiry mate.  I have hand controls on my Superb 3 estate, and I was absolutely astonished at the effort required to use the accelerator.  The power is not immediate ( as you might have read on other threads ), and therefore requires this additional effort because you are obviously " pulling " as opposed to " pushing ".   The ACC is a great boon, but I actually took the car back to the fitter to make sure the controls were set at optimum usage.  He checked everything over, and confirmed they were.   Just something to consider along with all the other decisions.  Best of luck to you with your search. Cheers.

[Fatso]

@Rainmaker, I'm 6' but quite long in the back, the demonstrator at my local dealers was a Sportline, it seemed comfortable enough but does it have different seats to the SE L? I'm hoping to get in later this week and check a few things out, including the seats and other access issues.

 

@killie97, thanks for the advice, would changing the throttle response to the Audi setting, or using sport mode help with this I wonder? I would consider having a few changes via VCDS anyway, so it might be worth considering.

[cyberkank]

5 hours ago, Fatso said:

@Rainmaker, I'm 6' but quite long in the back, the demonstrator at my local dealers was a Sportline, it seemed comfortable enough but does it have different seats to the SE L? I'm hoping to get in later this week and check a few things out, including the seats and other access issues.

 

@killie97, thanks for the advice, would changing the throttle response to the Audi setting, or using sport mode help with this I wonder? I would consider having a few changes via VCDS anyway, so it might be worth considering.

 

I actually drove both the L&K equivalent in Australia and the sportline. The seat of the sportline looks nicer than the L&K and provides more lateral support when cornering at speed. I find the L&K have more comfort and better shoulder and head support. Also having the perforated leather with air-cond seats on the L&K is a big plus. Between alcantara (sportline) & full leather (L&K) they both have pros/cons so pretty much evens out there.

However, the sportline seat do look sexy though. Depends if you want look over function. 

[Superb170]

5 hours ago, cyberkank said:

Also having the perforated leather with air-cond seats on the L&K is a big plus.

I'd say its an absolute must in Oz!!