Hired a couple of reasonable cars over the Easter break, thought it would be interesting to compare a couple of new-model cars with significantly higher list prices to my Superb.

 

Both had list prices in the £60-70k region, a BMW 630d GT and a Discovery HSE.

 

There's little doubt the BMW had significantly better suspension and driveline isolation than the relatively crashy and noisy Superb, even in xDrive M Sport trim and with enormous wheels and tyres. The brilliant 8-speed automatic also shows the crude DSG up in every respect and the BMW employs much more subtle and therefore effective driving mode selection. It did lack a few options/creature comforts that the Skoda provides though, things like rear seat heating and limited self-driving (it did have lane departure warning and adaptive cruise, but wouldn't hold a lane like the Superb). The Skoda also felt roomier, had more comfortable seats than the too-narrow ones in the BMW and the Superb would be, I think, a match for the BMW in terms of pace at legal speeds. The BMW will pile on speed on the motorway in a way that the Skoda just doesn't though, very similar to my old 535d. The satnav was also just brilliant, the main map always at the appropriate level of zoom and all the relevant info in front of you at all times, where the Skoda sometimes makes you hunt for things. Parking sensor camera overlay and birdseye camera were brilliant too. The stupid display key is a total gimmick though, and I'm usually a sucker for things like that.

 

Verdict: There's little justification for the BMW costing twice what the Superb does, with a bit less NVH and some tweaking of the driving modes there really would be relatively little to separate the cars.

 

Secondly the Discovery. It was a nice drive but given the weight of the thing there was no way its 258hp was going to give anything like the shove of the Skoda. Unlike the Superb however, the 4WD system did actually work 100% of the time  Interior was pleasant enough but no huge leap over a Discovery 3 or 4 but the spec was pretty meagre (it was debadged but appeared to be an HSE with a few additional options) and the infotainment really let it down. The satnav - improved on current production I believe - was woeful, really. It was like a TomTom from 2004 with clunky menus and massive input lag . Media handling was little better either, it had iPod integration and Bluetooth but no CarPlay etc. The level of kit was generally a notch or two down from the Skoda. It had a heated windscreen but of the older wire type, no lane assist or adaptive cruise, and the rear lacked the three-zone controls and heated seats.

 

Verdict: The old Disco was, to me, always very impressive and its foibles could be overlooked due to the platform's age. This new one? Not so much. Felt like a smaller car than the old one and I really could not see myself spending the money on one. It was perfect for tooling around Iceland of course and is a completely different type of car to the Superb, but it really did feel like a car from a generation back, maybe two. 

Interesting observations.

 

I was in a Mercedes S Class a few weeks ago, probably cost £80,000 and it was a wonderful machine.  Same size as the Superb in the back and the dashboard was stunning.

Didn't have a virtual pedal though  

27 minutes ago, Mickey43 said:

Interesting observations.

 

I was in a Mercedes S Class a few weeks ago, probably cost £80,000 and it was a wonderful machine.  Same size as the Superb in the back and the dashboard was stunning.

Didn't have a virtual pedal though  

 

I was a bit peeved at getting the BMW as the booking was for an S350, but they pulled the 'or equivalent'. The S-Class would've been a better comparison with the Superb, no doubt.

Interesting comments re the Discovery.  The spec you listed, didn't appear to me like a HSE.  Given that HSE is the model below top of range (HSE-Lux is top of range in the UK).  It sounds more like a mid-range XS you may have hired?

 

I've been fortunate enough to have a little ride in a Disco5 and a friend owns a Disco 4.  I thought space between the 2 was on a level, the Engine, as you say, needs more power.  The Disco4 is much easier to place (with it being really square with a flat bonnet).

 

I didn't go off-road in a Disco 5 but it does have a deeper wading depth.  On-road ride was better in the D5 (probably due to it being lighter), with the D4 being very wallowy on its air suspension.

5 minutes ago, hwr1983 said:

Interesting comments re the Discovery.  The spec you listed, didn't appear to me like a HSE.  Given that HSE is the model below top of range (HSE-Lux is top of range in the UK).  It sounds more like a mid-range XS you may have hired?

 

I've been fortunate enough to have a little ride in a Disco5 and a friend owns a Disco 4.  I thought space between the 2 was on a level, the Engine, as you say, needs more power.  The Disco4 is much easier to place (with it being really square with a flat bonnet).

 

I didn't go off-road in a Disco 5 but it does have a deeper wading depth.  On-road ride was better in the D5 (probably due to it being lighter), with the D4 being very wallowy on its air suspension.

 

It was in Iceland and the spec was a bit of a mish-mash compared to what is currently on the landrover.is sites, never mind the UK site, but the car was about a year old. It would not surprise me if they do a special 'rental model' there, given the number used for that purpose.

 

For instance it had things like leather, keyless entry, LED headlights, front & rear parking sensors, reversing camera and three zone A/C. I had a good poke about the configurators and those are HSE or HSE Luxury items in most markets. Speccing an S (if it's even available with the V6) or SE up with things like that can get very expensive I would imagine so wouldn't appear to make much sense.

Ah.  Yeah, could be market specific

 

My friend's Disco 4 XS (2012 model) has keyless, leather, f+r parking sensors, reversing camera and tri-zone climate as standard.  It just doesn't have LED lights (or LED DRLs).

A couple of months ago I rode in a friend of a friends Merc E250. It was a 66 plate and cost about £40K, I honestly thought a Merc that size would have been more so I was almost impressed at that point. But was I impressed after the ride, not at all. I cannot honestly think of one area where it was better than my Superb 1.4 TSi Se 150 but plenty where it lagged behind. Space front and rear was good but not as good as the Superb. Plastics seemed lower quality, not as nice to touch. The seats had the horrid Artico leather (plastic) covers and in the back you needed velcro on your arse, at least in the front the seats gripped you a bit. The ride seemed noisy (it had tall profile tyres) and when it started the first time I thought it was a diesel (definitely a petrol).

 

Compared to the £19500 I paid for our Superb (brand new inc extras) it was a rip off. Just shows what these premium manufacturers get away with selling a badge. As far as I am concerned he got a £19.5 k car fitted with a £20.5 k badge.

16 minutes ago, skidpan said:

A couple of months ago I rode in a friend of a friends Merc E250. It was a 66 plate and cost about £40K, I honestly thought a Merc that size would have been more so I was almost impressed at that point. But was I impressed after the ride, not at all. I cannot honestly think of one area where it was better than my Superb 1.4 TSi Se 150 but plenty where it lagged behind. Space front and rear was good but not as good as the Superb. Plastics seemed lower quality, not as nice to touch. The seats had the horrid Artico leather (plastic) covers and in the back you needed velcro on your arse, at least in the front the seats gripped you a bit. The ride seemed noisy (it had tall profile tyres) and when it started the first time I thought it was a diesel (definitely a petrol).

 

Compared to the £19500 I paid for our Superb (brand new inc extras) it was a rip off. Just shows what these premium manufacturers get away with selling a badge. As far as I am concerned he got a £19.5 k car fitted with a £20.5 k badge.

 

Agreed on the old E-class which you’ll have been in, but the new shape E-class is in another league to the Superb and a huge step up from the old one.

 

I’m a huge Skoda fan (I’ve had 3) and even contemplated a 4th in the S3 L&K guise. Bang for your buck, I don’t think they can be beaten for what you pay for them & the amount of toys / room on offer, but they are certainly not built to Merc / BMW / Audi quality & refinement levels.

 

2 hours ago, GoneToBeemer said:

I’m a huge Skoda fan (I’ve had 3) and even contemplated a 4th in the S3 L&K guise. Bang for your buck, I don’t think they can be beaten for what you pay for them & the amount of toys / room on offer, but they are certainly not built to Merc / BMW / Audi quality & refinement levels.

 

For me, quality and refinement are two different things. My two Skodas have been as well designed and screwed together as any car I've had, in some cases more so, and that includes brand new VW and Mercedes-Benz. That to me is quality.

 

Refinement wise they can be slightly behind the best, but it's not as if they are rattly buckets of bolts compared to a BMW, rather that the compromises that are inherent in lower list prices are more easily perceived in critical areas like suspension and control feel.

 

I thought it interesting to compare a ~£35k Skoda to a couple of ~£65k motors and the relatively unsurprising conclusion was that in no significant way was the Superb left wanting.