Hi all

 

I'm finally feeling serious about swapping my Volvo S80 for a new Superb and have been wasting far too much time playing with the configurator.

 

I'm spec'ing a black magic L&K 280 (with the standard silver alloys and beige leather) and am desperately trying to keep it below the £40k pice list, but really struggling, so I'm hoping someone can help me out! The L&K is fairly well spec'd as standard, but it's missing a few what I'd consider to be essentials, like parking camera and rear sunblinds.

 

The options I've got to keep it <£40k list are:

 

- Metallic paints

- Pan roof

- Rear camera

- Smart light assist + lane assist (don't understand why this only £100 on the L&K by the way)

- Temporary steel spare wheel

 

The things I want but which I can't squeeze into the £40k constraint are:

 

- Ventilated seats

- Driver massage function

- Heated steering wheel 

- Paddles

- Rear backrest release from boot

- Door bins!

 

I'd be grateful for people's opinions on whether my options in vs. out are sensible, in particular the heated steering wheel. Whilst I've never had one and never felt the need either, people say they're great and they seem common in 'luxury' cars.

 

Thanks

Edited 17 May, 20179 yr by Participant

Not sure you would need the pan roof in a car with beige interior; it feels a very open space without it.

 

You can buy the door bins and the temp spare wheel as accessories after delivery so no need to have them on the buy-in spec. (The spare wheel might cost a bit extra doing it that way but?)

 

The heated steering wheel is really only any use if you live somewhere where it gets cold and you frequently have to start off in a cold car.

 

Met paint, smart light and rear camera are good useful extras. The Superb is a big car and although you do get all round proximity sensors as standard on the L&K I have found the camera to be useful for getting into those spaces with low walls etc and to avoid pedestrians and other vehicles when exiting a forward facing parking slot

 

 

Thanks for the reply. The pan roof: I was also thinking it gives you a nice view in towns etc. and is also nice to open up in the summer, making it almost feel like a convertible.

 

The heated wheel: I think it was more that I felt the market would think a car like this, billing itself as 'luxury', *should* have a heated steering wheel, rather than because I particularly feel it needs one. Maybe that's the wrong way to look at it...

 

Camera: yep, that's not up for negotiation - essential on a car like this imo.

 

Good shout about the door bins and the wheel.

Hang on...looking at the config, my spec is £40,985 recommended OTR but only £39,840 RRP!!! So which one counts for VED purposes? If RRP, then all is fine!

 

I thought long and hard about the panoramic sun roof when ordering my Superb.  In the end I didn't go for it and it's not something I regret.  Yes it would be nice but the car - even with black leather - feels light enough with its light coloured headlining when compared with my previous Octavia VRS with black leather and dark headlining.

 

Paddles are really worth it and it's disappointing they're not standard on DSG.  I don't use mine as much as I thought I would (coming from a history of manuals I assumed I'd be driving using the paddles all the time) but they are very useful when you need to quickly change for an overtake or to put the car in the correct gear for a corner.

 

I also went for the rear camera and it was very useful when I first got the car but I rarely use it these days.  I'm sure I'll use it again at some point in the future but currently it's mostly obscured with dirt that it's not that useful without cleaning it first.

 

The ventilated seats are great when it gets hot.  I used to hate sitting in my VRS in hot conditions as even with the air conditioning on full I'd still end up feeling stuck to the seats but not with the ventilated seats.  I don't think I would have another car without this from now.

 

Heated steering wheel is really nice on cold mornings - I went for it because I could but I could also live without it - but having it is great.

 

Rear backrest release from boot is something I've not used yet (I've had no need to put the seats down) but I got it as a convenient just in case.  I wouldn't bother with it if it were that or something else.

 

Just my thoughts based on my experience...

"Information obtained from DVLA confirms that the 'list price' used to determine whether the standard or premium rate is applied is the retail price published by the manufacturer before the vehicle is passed to the dealer for registration. This list price includes the purchase price of any non-standard options, VAT, the purchase price of the battery even if leased, delivery charges to the dealership plus any pre-delivery inspection charges. Note that the list-price is not the same as the on-the road (OTR) price which also includes VED and the first year registration fee."

 

Courtesy of next Greencar.

The wheel does cost a little more if you order it retrospectively, I looked into this myself.  The wheel alone is £100+ via the dealer, you'll also need to factor in buying the toolkit +VAT; it was ~£165 from my supplying dealer IIRC. 

 

Personally I don't see the point of the pano roof in the hatch as the aperture is pretty small and it's not as airy as the one in the estate.  As Sagalout has pointed out the biege interior wold lift the cabin enough IMO.  

 

Check what options such as lane assist and high beam assist can be added retrospectively via VCDS (sorry not 100% familiar with L&K spec)

 

I've had backrest releases in the boot on my two previous cars, not on the Superb - I don't miss them.  

 

I initially spec'd a camera but after a long test drive and various parking maneuvers I realised visibility was fine and parking sensors covered any obscured areas.   It's also a unit which is in the firing line for road spray and crud.  One of my previous cars housed this under the boot badge - engage reverse and the boot badge flipped open to reveal the camera. 

1 hour ago, Participant said:

The options I've got to keep it <£40k list are:

 

- Metallic paints

   Not much choice in this unless you want candy white or pacific blue.

- Pan roof

   (+) I've never been a fan of sunroofs since aircon, let alone 'climate control', became almost standard. For the first time in a couple of decades I opted for one just for the extra cabin light as I chose brown leather.

- Rear camera

   (+) I rely on it more than I expected I would. As mentioned earlier, very handy for avoiding those posts and low barriers when reverse parking.

- Smart light assist + lane assist (don't understand why this only £100 on the L&K by the way)

   (+/-) As L&K has BSD and Lane Assist as standard you're only paying £100 for the addition of Smart Light Assist - which also adds the 'whiskers' in the front headlamps. 

- Temporary steel spare wheel

   (+) As also already mentioned, it costs more to retrofit.

 

The things I want but which I can't squeeze into the £40k constraint are:

 

- Ventilated seats

   (+) Very effective in combination with the aircon (the seat fans suck the air from the cabin). Better than the same option originally introduced in the Superb II. If I was to order again they would feature high on my list.

- Driver massage function

   (-) It wasn't an option when I bought my car. Tried it in a friend's Merc and found it more irritating than useful. Personal preference, of course, but it would not feature on my must-have list.

- Heated steering wheel 

   (-) Again this wasn't an option for me. For the few times a year I would feel the need to use it I'm happy with a pair of £10 faux-leather gloves which, with a wooly beanie, I keep in the centre console. Within a few minutes the need for them expires. Not something I would personally add as a cost option if my budget was constrained.

- Paddles

   (-) I passed on them for my Superb II but chose them for my Superb III, thinking they would be a must-have going from 170 diesel to 280 petrol, but the DSG matched with the 280 is so flexible that I actually rarely find a need to use them.

- Rear backrest release from boot

   (-) I have them but rarely have a use for them. It's almost inevitable that when I do use them I have to go the front because someone left a seatbelt overlapping preventing the seat from folding.

- Door bins!

   (-) It's not going to make much difference to the RRP but it's easily added later.

 

Rear blind is not available for the estate which I assume is what you're contemplating. For the hatchback with it's long sloped rear window it's a godsend when the car's parked in the sunshine, so that's a big (+) but irrelevant to the estate.

Personally I would not drop £40k on a Superb. As much as I like Mike, at £40k there are many other options out there.

1 hour ago, RickTT said:

Personally I would not drop £40k on a Superb. As much as I like Mike, at £40k there are many other options out there.

 

Sort of agree, but it's £34k after broker discounts and I genuinely couldn't find anything as fast and large for this money anywhere else. The 5 series touring and A6 Avant are small by comparison, for example.

 

PS - Mike's a lucky man .

Edited 17 May, 20179 yr by Participant

I couldn't help myself when I saw the title of your thread. 

 

Save your money and buy a nice pair of leather gloves. The bonus is that you can even use them when not in the car... you can't do that with a heated steering wheel.

2 hours ago, RickTT said:

Personally I would not drop £40k on a Superb. As much as I like Mike, at £40k there are many other options out there.

 

I agree to a certain extent but I think that's because it's counter intuitive that a brand highly regarded as good value would sell a car costing £40k.  It does initially seem a lot but when you compare like for like spec, performance and quality then it does seem to be a bit of a 'bargain', especially when you factor in a hefty discount.  It's S4 territory for S3 prices - the S3, now there's a car I would rate as very overpriced.  Audi yawn. 

 

 

I bought an sel estate as many of the extras on the L and K were of little use to me. Instead I specced up the sel with things I wanted: heated rear seats, tri zone climate, tv, rear view camera, back seat boot release, luggage net partition, protection pack, spare wheel, variable boot floor, waste bin, beige alcantara, heated front screen, heated steering wheel, heated washer nozzles, towbar, panoramic roof, colour maxi dot, retractable parcel shelf and rear window sun blinds. These extras brought the cost up to the L and K level but I got everything and wanted and nothing I didn't. The heated steering wheel is just wonderful, I can't recommend it enough. I also love the sunroof, you just can't beat it on a nice day. The auto retracting parcel shelf is a gimmick to be honest but all the other extras are great. 

1 hour ago, Lc6598 said:

I bought an sel estate as many of the extras on the L and K were of little use to me. Instead I specced up the sel with things I wanted: heated rear seats, tri zone climate, tv, rear view camera, back seat boot release, luggage net partition, protection pack, spare wheel, variable boot floor, waste bin, beige alcantara, heated front screen, heated steering wheel, heated washer nozzles, towbar, panoramic roof, colour maxi dot, retractable parcel shelf and rear window sun blinds. These extras brought the cost up to the L and K level but I got everything and wanted and nothing I didn't. The heated steering wheel is just wonderful, I can't recommend it enough. I also love the sunroof, you just can't beat it on a nice day. The auto retracting parcel shelf is a gimmick to be honest but all the other extras are great. 

Wow. With all those extras I can't help but feel you'd have saved money going for the L&K version, even if it came with extras you didn't need?! 

I have most of that list on mine apart from the massage seats which weren't available on my MY17. Heated steering wheel - I love it, one of the most comfy features IMO.  I live in Ireland so no real extremes of cold but it is still really welcome on cold mornings.  In fact, the cabin (especially with all the leather) will always be cold first thing, regardless of climate so I often use it.  I also ordered the ventilated seats and paddles.  The paddles (ordered with the heated wheel) are a relatively low cost option and I find them very useful personally.  The ventilated seats are quite effective when the leather really heats up in the summer months or even if you've had the car parked all day with the windows up.  The only thing I'd say is that you need to use them on full power to work really well and the fan operation can be a little noisy.  The bins were a no-brainer for me and are actually quite useful.  The boot release was standard on mine and while it is a 'nice to have', I wouldn't pay extra for it over other options you might use everyday.

 

On balance, I would certainly consider the heated wheel and paddles as they won't break the bank, add comfort and will certainly make the car more desirable as well.  The ventilated seats are nice to have but IMO would be last on that list based on cost and overall effectiveness.

A mate paid extra for paddles and says they were a waste of money - hardly used as the box is so good by itself.

Heated wheel - TBH I can't say I've ever really been troubled by the wheel being cold.

I once had a panoramic sunroof (another car entirely) and don't miss it at all.

The rear sensors on my current Mk2 estate seem to be pretty good - never yet hit a low wall etc when reversing (fingers crossed) so again can't see the need for a camera.

Massage function? UGH!

 

Metallic paint and spare wheel are must haves though!

 

But - in the end it's all down to personal preference!

sunroof looks huge on the outside but is actually just a normal size on the inside. My roof also creaks terribly at times too with the implication that it has an effect on torsional rigidity too. In France the sunroof is standard on the L&K but if I could have deleted it I would have. The ventilated seats are also standard and are lovely in hot weather.. so my advice would be ditch the pano roof and get the ventilated seats but at the end of the day its personal opinion.