Thinking of buying a Superb 280 L and K 4x4. Has anyone towed with one and general thoughts about the car

[slug]

I am looking at buying an estate version of the 280 petrol 4x4 L and K model. 

 

I'm after some advice and thoughts  on the following ares.

 

Has anyone towed a caravan with one?

What are the after market tow bar options?

What are the real world MPG figures?

What is the car like day to day and in general

 

My last Skoda was a Mk1 Octavia VRS that I got rid of 5 years ago after 10 years of problem free motoring.

 

Thanks in advance

[eurotraveller]

- Not a caravan, but a box trailer for other purposes.

- Have factory, hidden tow bar, so don't know.

- If you're concerned about MPG you're probably buying the wrong engine. Best guess: mid 20s.

- The car is great day to day; a joy to drive (relatively, for such a barge). Only downside is seats could be more supportive. But I'd still choose L&K over Sportline; partly also because it's stealthier - not keen on cars that make unrealistic 'sporting' claims.

[PSM]

Can not comment about towing but the 280 is a lovely car to drive. On the economy front I am getting around 30-32mpg on my drive to work at the moment and the car has only done 1200 miles so far (was 24mpg for the first weeks or so and has been improving ever since so hopefully will squeeze a little more). My commute is a mixture of lanes, B roads, A roads and a bit of motorway and about 12 miles each way with a little traffic but nothing too much. I also used to have a Mk1 Octy VRS and achieved very similar figures in that as well. So if you were happy with the Octy fuel economy then you should be OK with the 280. I have seen comments of people getting close to 40mpg on a long motorway run but not seen that myself yet.

[penguin17]

The 220 has the same torque figures as the 280 and apparently has a better MPG, so that may be a consideration if you're worried about economy. 

 

Looking at the thread on diesel economy/MPG, it would seem the 220 TSI isn't far off the 190 TDI in terms of real-world MPG

 

[edwards]

• box trailer not caravan (yet) but hard to remember it is there. I estimate mine was around 1200kg trail weight and the car just felt normal. Much better than my previous 2.0T petrol Vectra estate and a fair bit better than my dads 240ps petrol 2wd mondeo estate. I think a combo of power and 4wd grip.
• I have the factory bar so can't comment, but if you are buying new then deffo go for factory, its so easy to use and you get other bits of the cooling and electrical uprated too. Not that much more expensive than an aftermarket bar with the correct electrics anyway by the time you add fitting and coding.
• MPG around mid 20s on a short motorway run with the box trailer, but not really enough miles to get an accurate figure. If total economy is your thing then prob a diesel would be better but if you are wanting a 280 then its never going to be super economic
• Mine is a Sportline with extras not an L&K, but I would say its a lovely car for long distance work, family trips and suchlike. Effortless cruising and plenty of comfort - the sportline seats are really nice but I think the L&K are different. Can't imagine they are horrible though. Rear camera is really useful, particularly with the towbar as it has 'lookdown' mode and you can actually see the hitch which is great when coupling up.  If there is a downside it is just the actual physical size of the thing when you want to get into a parking space etc, so round town its not so great - luckily the missus has a Yeti which is way better for that kind of stuff, the the Superb is a bit of a 'driveway queen' between outings...

[millerhouse]

Can't help with the car, but I had an aftermarket towbar fitted to my Superb diesel. I chose the Westfalia A40V detachable on the recommendation of the fitting company (Indespension). It's a good towbar, especially if you want a car that doesn't seem to have a towbar - the sockets for the hook & electrics are hidden inside the bumper. However, the downside is that it's a hands & knees job to fit the bar and especially the electric plug as the socket only just clears the bottom of the bumper when it swings down. Fitting the breakaway cable is even worse as the fixed bracket on the towbar socket is tucked up well inside the bumper and is completely out of sight. It all works very well once connected, but a right pain to get there!

John M

[Dazkim]

Mine is the tdi sportsline but I’ve just done my first tow with a 1500 kg Bailey unicorn on the back and it’s towed fantastic. in fact I’ll probably say it’s the best towcar I’ve had in 23 years and I’ve had plenty.

mpg was going to wales in colder conditions was 26.7 mpg and on the return today a lot warmer I got 29.8 and that wasn’t hanging around.

 

 

[slug]

Thanks guys for your comments. Some further research required. 

 

How does odd the DPF system work. Has anyone had issues. Currently have a Zafira B and the DPF system is a joke. Hence why I'm thinking of going back to petrol. 

[Sagalout]

Have a read through this. 

http://pics3.tdiclub.com/data/517/820433_EA288.pdf

 

I cant recall anyone reporting DPF issues on this forum. I had a 150TDI for about 18months, did mostly short journeys and never had an issue.

 

I changed back to petrol a year ago and have never regretted it. The car is so much smoother and quieter so unless mpg/RFL/BIK is a major concern I wouldn't even think about an oil burner. I dont tow but the 280 would, I am sure, be more than enough and with modern petrol engines having torque curves much closer to traditional diesel engines it is just another reason to ditch the oil burner IMO.

   

[BriskodaJeff]

No dpf issues here (190 TDI). It was one of my biggest worries when I got the car but in reality it has been a complete non-event, to the extent that I'd forgotten it even happens until I read your question.  

 

There were some adblue issues on early cars but they seem to have been resolved. If mpg isn't an issue then I would go petrol rather than diesel just based on preference. I don't tow so can't help with that, but realistically any 280ps is surely going to be more than up to the task isn't it?

[kriva]

As far as I know, ordering a new 280PS isn't possible anymore. Order books should open up quite soon for the new version, which will be 272PS, and incorporate a GPF.

On top of that, it will also have a 7-speed gearbox, instead of the 6-speed the 280PS has now.

This might mean one of two things: tighter gears, de creasing acceleration times, or a top gear which is better suited to highway cruising. Current 280PS models will rev at about 3000 rpm for 130 kph.

As for fuel consumption: I get about 30-35 mpg with ours. I tend to do quite a lot of highway driving, but the loud pedal does get used less than frugally when off the highway.

As for towing: No clue, I don't have a towhook installed, but I don't think you'd have any problems.

The 280 engine really is a gem.

[unclerichy]

I tow a 1350kg 'van with my 280 L&K and my holiday tracking spreadsheet says I've towed 6,600 miles with it to date.

 

I have the factory fit towball so can't comment on aftermarket options.  The factory fit is easy to use and the 13 pin electric connection and hutch cable locations are ideal - no crawling under the car for me.  The only downside is keeping the ball rust free - when it's folded under the car it's exposed to water and road crud so needs a regular clean.

 

I also have the reversing camera which makes hitching up fairly straight forward.  The camera has a mode with a bird's eye view of the towball and a coloured radar style overlay to help with positioning..  That said, I use the motor mover most of the time for hitching up.

 

Day to day driving I get about 25mpg and that's mostly my work commute - 7 miles each way in reasonable traffic.  We've just returned from a 280 mile jaunt up and down the A1 and it's returned 22mpg which is my typical towing consumption.

 

As a daily driver the only downside is the built quality - it's not as well built as my Mk II was;  I have an annoying suspension noise that the dealer can't hear and various trim pieces and door rubbers can rattle and squeak.