Sadly, it's time to say goodbye (for a while).

[Twelvebears]

For the last 6 years I've been a proud Superb owner (a 2011 hatch and a 2014 estate) and member of this forum.

 

Unfortunately I'm also a Motability customer and this time around Skoda just aren't the best value, so a shiny new Passat Estate GT 1.8 TSI awaits me for the next 3 years.

 

Just rest assured that I will remain a Skoda lover at heart, who is just driving the wrong brand for a while.  I promise not to become a VW badge snob as a result.

 

All the best and until next time......

[MorrisOx]

Think of it as a Superb in disguise...

[Twelvebears]

4 minutes ago, MorrisOx said:

Think of it as a Superb in disguise...

Well exactly. Bit gutted tbh, means I'm going to have to deal with slightly up themselves VW dealers for the next 3 years.....

[Rainmaker]

Haha MorrisOx nailed it. Apart from some better cabin fit and finish and perhaps some updated tech it's basically is the same car underneath. You can still play out with us here while driving the undercover Superb if you like. We won't rib you too much... promise. What power/torque is the 1.8 TSI in the VW? Same as the continental Skoda units (that they don't sell here)? Is it manual or DSG? A 1.8 TSI manual would be a nice car indeed - I wish my 2.0 TSI was manual! This will be my last Skoda, but I'll never have a bad word to say about the gen3 TSI engine.

Edited 8 January, 2018 by Rainmaker

[Rainmaker]

Never mind, I stopped being lazy and realised I could look it up for myself (I'm also a Motability customer atm). Both cars available in 1.8 are 180ps and both are DSG. Which spec did you go for? For a similar AP I'll be snagging a nice RWD BMW 3 series Sport tourer with the 2.0T (185hp) engine and the 8 speed ZF box myself, but horses for courses. The Passat should be a lovely drive with a nice balance of power and economy. Enjoy it!  

Edited 8 January, 2018 by Rainmaker
Fat thumbs (as usual!)...

[Twelvebears]

8 minutes ago, Rainmaker said:

Haha MorrisOx nailed it. Apart from some better cabin fit and finish and perhaps some updated tech it's basically is the same car underneath. You can still play out with us here while driving the undercover Superb if you like. We won't rib you too much... promise. What power/torque is the 1.8 TSI in the VW? Same as the continental Skoda units (that they don't sell here)? Is it manual or DSG? A 1.8 TSI manual would be a nice car indeed - I wish my 2.0 TSI was manual! This will be my last Skoda, but I'll never have a bad word to say about the gen3 TSI engine.

 

In fairness it's not all bad. It's a DSG and the 1.8 TSI is 180 PS, so only a modest increase on the 1.4 TSI but it produces it's rated torque output from 1250-5000 RPM, so should be a nice drive.

 

One thing I am looking forward to is the standard panoramic sunroof.

[rtj70]

Finally VW realise we do not want diesels. When I demo'd a Passat GTE the dealer was convinced petrol Passats other than the GTE were available. They were a few months later.... dieselgate has had it's advantages.

 

Enjoy the Passat. Not convinced by the digital dash display and to get adaptive lights on a Passat GT is a costly upgrade.

Edited 8 January, 2018 by rtj70

[Rainmaker]

2 minutes ago, Twelvebears said:

 

In fairness it's not all bad. It's a DSG and the 1.8 TSI is 180 PS, so only a modest increase on the 1.4 TSI but it produces it's rated torque output from 1250-5000 RPM, so should be a nice drive.

 

One thing I am looking forward to is the standard panoramic sunroof.

 

Another VW plus - more toys for the equivalent model. That should really brighten up the cabin. I don't know if you noticed my second post before you replied but I was actually just thinking maybe you'd have saved money overall by going 2.0 TSI 220ps and adding the pano roof as an option. Then I checked the Motability price list for this quarter (i.e. Jan > March) and realised they aren't offering the 220 any more, and even the 1.4 TSI is now almost £3,000 AP.  You definitely made the right call there. The Skodas are far too out of their depth at that kind of pricing. They used to be a little bang for buck monster, but these days they're still delivering medium-level cars and starting to ask higher end prices. I don't think that bubble will last but we'll see. VAG bean counter meddling, probably. 

[Twelvebears]

2 minutes ago, Rainmaker said:

 

Another VW plus - more toys for the equivalent model. That should really brighten up the cabin. I don't know if you noticed my second post before you replied but I was actually just thinking maybe you'd have saved money overall by going 2.0 TSI 220ps and adding the pano roof as an option. Then I checked the Motability price list for this quarter (i.e. Jan > March) and realised they aren't offering the 220 any more, and even the 1.4 TSI is now almost £3,000 AP.  You definitely made the right call there. The Skodas are far too out of their depth at that kind of pricing. They used to be a little bang for buck monster, but these days they're still delivering medium-level cars and starting to ask higher end prices. I don't think that bubble will last but we'll see. VAG bean counter meddling, probably. 

 

I had always intended to get a 220 TSI but it got pulled and the prices all shot up, while VW stayed reasonable.

 

Personally I suspect internal VAG politics, Dieselgate and all the amazing press Skoda have been receiving as to why VW suddenly seem better value to Motability customers.

[Rainmaker]

1 minute ago, Twelvebears said:

 

I had always intended to get a 220 TSI but it got pulled and the prices all shot up, while VW stayed reasonable.

 

Personally I suspect internal VAG politics, Dieselgate and all the amazing press Skoda have been receiving as to why VW suddenly seem better value to Motability customers.

 

We agree on that then. Ah well leave them to it, as long as you got a deal that suits you and your needs that's all that matters mate. Have you got long to wait for it? What colour did you go for?    I've been debating leaving Motability after this car (too many restrictions compared to private ownership, for my situation). That said, if I do renew one more time next year I'll be grabbing the 3 series I think. Or maybe even a 1/2 series with the same engine now my wife has bought an S-Max for the little goblins. My own peace and quiet cross-country B road toy at last.  I've missed a manual box and RWD, though modern auto boxes are so good it's not the end of the world. Anyway, I digress.

[Twelvebears]

39 minutes ago, rtj70 said:

Finally VW realise we do not want diesels. When I demo'd a Passat GTE the dealer was convinced petrol Passats other than the GTE were available. They were a few months later.... dieselgate has had it's advantages.

 

Enjoy the Passat. Not convinced by the digital dash display and to get adaptive lights on a Passat GT is a costly upgrade.

 

Yes I must confess I'm not sold on the virtual dashboard, quite like the simple clarity of the VW dials tbh.

[Twelvebears]

25 minutes ago, Rainmaker said:

 

We agree on that then. Ah well leave them to it, as long as you got a deal that suits you and your needs that's all that matters mate. Have you got long to wait for it? What colour did you go for?    I've been debating leaving Motability after this car (too many restrictions compared to private ownership, for my situation). That said, if I do renew one more time next year I'll be grabbing the 3 series I think. Or maybe even a 1/2 series with the same engine now my wife has bought an S-Max for the little goblins. My own peace and quiet cross-country B road toy at last.  I've missed a manual box and RWD, though modern auto boxes are so good it's not the end of the world. Anyway, I digress.

 

I went for the Crimson Red metallic and hopefully it will arrive by end of March. Quite looking forward to getting back to a petrol power plant again.

[MorrisOx]

No question that Skoda is under the cosh a bit within VW Group. Back in November, Reuters reported ‘sources’ in VW’s management and unions in Germany complaining that Skoda was unfair competition because it wasn’t paying enough internally for group components. I also remember an Autogefuhl group test between the Passat, Superb and Mazda 6 which the Skoda won decisively. Bet that went down like a lead balloon in Wolfsburg...

[GoneToBeemer]

7 minutes ago, Twelvebears said:

 

Yes I must confess I'm not sold on the virtual dashboard, quite like the simple clarity of the VW dials tbh.

 

The Active Info Display is amazing - super clear and easy to use. I’d be willing to bet once you’ve used it then you’ll love it!

[Rainmaker]

Very nice, and not a long wait either (assuming you ordered recently). I like a dark red on a big car (see Mazda 6 saloon in soul red, BMW 5 series in Individual red etc). You'll love the new gen TSI engine, it's incredibly flexible and fun to drive as well as fantastic on fuel for a big petrol. I haven't seen less than 30mpg to a tank in my 220 and I drive ~90% very short journeys from cold.

[Rainmaker]

1 minute ago, GoneToBeemer said:

 

The Active Info Display is amazing - super clear and easy to use. I’d be willing to bet once you’ve used it then you’ll love it!

 

I'm in a minority these days in that I prefer proper RWD, manual boxes, throttle cables not DBW, large displacement engines (NA not FI) and so on. I love the simple binnacle in the Skodas, older VAG stuff, BMW etc, and always resisted the idea of a 'digital dash' - especially as early attempts were somewhat laggy compared to a mechanical dial with direct cable connection to the drivetrain. Having seen the newer stuff in BMW and Ford however, I've changed my mind. Some of them also have very nice half way houses with traditional dials and a 'back screen' for extra info. I'm a bit of a convert - vehicle dependent. 

[GoneToBeemer]

1 minute ago, Rainmaker said:

 

I'm in a minority these days in that I prefer proper RWD, manual boxes, throttle cables not DBW, large displacement engines (NA not FI) and so on. I love the simple binnacle in the Skodas, older VAG stuff, BMW etc, and always resisted the idea of a 'digital dash' - especially as early attempts were somewhat laggy compared to a mechanical dial with direct cable connection to the drivetrain. Having seen the newer stuff in BMW and Ford however, I've changed my mind. Some of them also have very nice half way houses with traditional dials and a 'back screen' for extra info. I'm a bit of a convert - vehicle dependent. 

 

Yeah it was a massive selling point for me for the new 5 series I’m currently waiting on - BMW have done a great job on the digital display, but I have to admit the VAG system is more flexible, allowing you to shrink / enlarge the dials in favour of having a huge map there etc . Definitely a long way away from where they were!

 

I remember my S2000 dash...was like something off a 90’s Casio watch haha.