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Considering a 280 4x4


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Hi all.

 

i currently run an Alfa 159 TI Sportwagon which a great looking car but it’s now 7 years old and I need a replacement performance estate that works with 2 boys under 9 and golf clubs. I like something different and before Alfa’s I had time with Seat Cupras and a Golf R32 mk5 so have experienced the VW brand and the TFSI engine with a Revo fettle. Was considering a vRS 245 Octavia but was thinking perhaps even better would be one of these. Can anyone tell me what the handling is like and as an every day driver (10k miles per year max) what these are like to live with?

 

cheers,

iain

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I've had a 280 sportline for 2 months now and I find it a comfortable car to use every day.  The power is effortless and it handles well for it's size, but it's no go-kart.

I did not choose the DCC and I am happy with the ride without it.  The road noise seems quieter with the 4x4 suspension setup than when I tested a 2wd one.   I would not compare it to a Seat Cupra or Golf R as they are different and smaller cars and they have a harder, sports focus.  I'd say it was more like your Alfa or an Audi A4 in that it's a chuckable bahnstormer than a very hot hatch. 

 

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11 hours ago, Robbo2006 said:

Hi all.

 

i currently run an Alfa 159 TI Sportwagon which a great looking car but it’s now 7 years old and I need a replacement performance estate that works with 2 boys under 9 and golf clubs. I like something different and before Alfa’s I had time with Seat Cupras and a Golf R32 mk5 so have experienced the VW brand and the TFSI engine with a Revo fettle. Was considering a vRS 245 Octavia but was thinking perhaps even better would be one of these. Can anyone tell me what the handling is like and as an every day driver (10k miles per year max) what these are like to live with?

 

cheers,

iain

Hi,

 

I've had mine a month now, it's an l&k 280 estate with 19" wheels.

 

Before this I've owned a number of BMW's and Audi's with sports suspensions over the years , coming back to a petrol is a delight especially with the 280 engine. Speed is there on tap when I need it.

 

Handling wise it's fine , it's no race car but handles well. I also have the DCC as standard in mine.

 

I have set everything else to sport apart from ride.

 

I was considering a Golf R estate but this ticked more boxes and was amazing value for money. I got through a broker so saved just under 8k on list. Look at drivethedeal, carwow or some of the other brokers. I got mine through coast2coast, brilliant discount and very efficient. Not the best communication but I ordered easily and they just contacted to say when to pay and deliver.

 

So far really happy with my purchase, it allows me to have a bit of enjoyment and also meets all my family requirements .

 

Edited by Sw1
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If you can get DCC I would though, allows you to tighten it up or back it off when you want, it's quite effective compared to similar systems I've used in the past in Audis, far greater range between Sport and Comfort.

 

Perhaps betraying its relatively humble origins, is does drive like a Golf-sized car rather than an E-Class or similar. It doesn't have the front end to give you huge confidence like the best do, but it's an accurate enough steer. Don't expect much throttle adjustability or tail-out action though, it feels resolutely FWD in most respects.

 

I'd be interested in trying the 245 vRS, probably not much in it in terms of outright pace and it has, I would suspect, a better gearbox than the Superb with hopefully better gear ratios. The Octavia is generously sized but can't hold a candle to the Superb though.

Edited by juux
typo
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Having had a couple of Subarus before, I find the 280 L&K with DCC, set to sport is just about firm enough. Normal is a bit wallowy at times and Comfort is basically no damping at all and makes me sea sick. I don’t know what the non-DCC suspension is like but I be a bit worried it might be on the soft side if you want sports handling! I use Normal around town, and always go to Sport on the open road.

 

It is a big car but it is effortless to drive swiftly, whilst obviously lacking true sports car handling. I’m lucky that most of my journeys are across rural Scotland with no villages, traffic lights, roundabouts etc and no speed cameras or radar guns! It’s great for that.

The engine is a real peach! The only two things I didn’t like were the throttle response (fixed by a pedal box, in my case the Racechip one) and the normal moving off from a crawl response from the DSG gearbox eg entering a roundabout. It seems to engage the clutch rather slowly and restricts engine power whilst it is doing it, and unless you use a lot of throttle, changes into D2 almost immediately (if it isn’t already in D2). If you use plenty of throttle it is still a bit slow to move off, then just when you no longer need it it goes off like a rocket! I could leap forward much more swiftly and controllably with my manual Subaru. Of course launch control ... well ..l launches you impressively, but it’s perhaps not the sort of thing you want to use routinely entering an urban roundabout! Using  DSG in Sport helps, but it’s a pain to have to remember to select it before moving off at the roundabout, and then delelect it to avoid trundling along at 30mph and 3500 rpm!

 

Set against the non-sports-car handling is a huge carrying capacity and a generally spacious and luxurious feel with plenty of gadgets (in the L&K at least). I suppose if you consider it a Grand Tourer rather than a sports car you won’t be disappointed.

 

Overall, I love it!

 

Edited by nicknorman
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@nicknorman I just select sport on the gear stick by knocking it back when I want the oomph.  Simple to knock back into DSG when you've pulled away. Smiles all around.

 

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Just now, Bud said:

@nicknorman I just select sport on the gear stick by knocking it back when I want the oomph.  Simple to knock back into DSG when you've pulled away. Smiles all around.

 

Sure, I do that too. But I still find it a bit annoying to have to do it on a supposedly “automatic” box and sometimes I forget or expect not to need to pull out swiftly, then realise I do but haven’t had time to select S. I don’t know why they programmed the DSG to be so sluggish initially pulling away in D with say 1/2 throttle. Using Sport mode is a work-around, not ideal!

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What is quite funny is we also own a 190 Diesel Kodiaq, when I get back in the Superb I forget how much power it has until I put my foot down in S mode.

 

I've gotten so used to flipping from S to D mode having had the same issue in the Audi A6 with S-tronic and the Kodiaq, I typically flip it into S mode when approaching junctions or needing a turn of speed. I also specced up the flappy paddles in case I want to override it. The Kodiaq doesn't have these and I did missing having the option to override the DSG.

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It drives like a diesel if you don't floor it and drive it in D. Huge turbo lag, and grumbles like one of those small diesels.

 

Put in S and it's a totally different car. Yes, you can floor it in D and it will temporarily switch to sport mode but it will take lots of time to spool up the turbo.

 

My only regret is not getting the paddles. I'd say I drive half the time in S.

 

Also, in turns it's like a boat, even with sport suspension.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've had my 280 Sportline about a month now, (no DCC, reviews seemed to suggest its impact was minimal, mistake? not sure).

Still in the run in period so haven't had truly spirited drive yet, but I love it for what it is, previous car was a BMW 530d with a remap and my track toy is a Cayman. Does the Superb handle like the BMW, no, the BMW was definitely tighter but this is a family car brought for space and comfort and the handling certainly isn't bad, its more than capable of going at inappropriate speeds on the road without getting into trouble (and tbh after the Cayman any family car, BMW included, feels a bit like a bath tub!)

I'm 6'4" and have 2 boys (5 and 9) in the BMW they just didn't fit anymore, the angle of their legs off the child seats meant their feet just didn't fit behind mine - the Superb on the other hand is just huge.

 

My only gripes so far are

a) the Start/Stop with DSG tries to kill you at every junction - pull up, engine stops, but you don't notice as it is so quite anyway, go to pull out and get a seconds delay while the engine starts meaning you miss the gap and have a car bearing down on you - far too many near misses

b ) (and this is common to every modern car) the lack of taillights as DRLs I'll never understand the rational behind that decision.

c) the Perrelli P7s, they slip too easily, if they don't improve with a few more miles I'll ditch them and get some PS4Ss.

 

Both a & b can apparently be "fixed" with VCDS.

 

Paddles are a must - the DSG is good but it is only reactive not predictive, to drive it well you need to be able to give it a hint now and then.

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