First *72hr with a MY19 Sportline 272 [Yearly review]

[newbie69]

As of yesterday, I am officially a Briskodian again after having got delivery of a Quartz Grey Metallic MY19 Sportline 272 4x4 DSG7 with black 19" Supernovas and what better to do on a Friday evening than to write down what a nearly 2 days of being with the car feel like, before going out to play with it again. Pop-corn and beer/sodas are highly recommended 

I posted some pics here already so let's not repost:
 

First of all, I had decided on the specific combo (regarding color, options, drivetrain) solely on my experience with the MQB platform and on the information available online (mostly in this forum), I had never seen one in the flesh let alone drive one so it was a pretty anticipated moment in many aspects.

At first sight (from the outside) the car impressed me more than I expected from the pictures I'd seen, and I put it down to the wheels which are more to my like than all the Sportlines with Vegas which is all I had ever seen so far. Still, I am a sucker for the full black VW Pretorias which I had bought previously and I don't want to go 19" for winters so Supernovas will be going on sale pretty soon (If anyone fancies a practically brand new set of them at a bargain price keep an eye on the ads section - need to remember to renew my Freedom membership first). Moving in the cabin the positive impressions continued and in fact were amplified, everything feels nice and well thought after but more importantly there is a discreet air of sportiness which I didn't expect. There's a few things that contribute to that: The leather steering wheel, the specially textured plastic panels and alcantara on the doors, the beautiful Sportline seats, the ambient lighting, the Virtual cockpit's Sports skin. Coming from a GTI Clubsport I am surprised to say I don't feel like I've made a compromise (at least in the cabin design and feel department). On the contrary and especially after sunset, the cabin is a real pleasure to spend time in. Pick your color for ambient lighting, set the footwell light intensity, choose the cockpit view (and main screen) that suits your mood and you soon forget about all other trouble. 

For this, the refined character of the car plays an important role clearly. Haven't red-lined it yet (and don't plan to for the first few hundred km) but I  tried some part-throttle decisive accelerations from low speed and everything simply happens in a very effortless and reassuring manner. There are no weird noises, vibrations or nervousness, just a solid feel of efficiency. Steering is rather dumb and clearly less information passes through it than in the Clubsport but at least it's predictable and never really becomes unpleasant. I so far prefer at its Normal setting as Sport is just heavy for no apparent reason (same story on the GTI and R though). It's natural environment would undoubtedly be swallowing miles on the Autobahn, at "Autobahn-exclusive" speeds. Quiet, planted and comfortable. The stuff that keeps the entire family happy.

Which brings us to suspension. That was my biggest wonder and one that had been giving me second thoughts on whether a move to such a car was actually a wise choice for me. The short version is that it's not as bad as I thought it would be. For anyone with "sporty drive" worries save yourself the time and just set DCC to Sport. That mode provides rather bearable dynamics and body responses, which could even go as far as provoking a bit of "throwing it around" approach when on the right road (and in the right mood), ok I said a bit... On the plus side It never becomes crashy and even the harshest of anomalies are filtered nicely. You could easily leave it there and drive it in Sport DCC all of the time. The question is how much you want to isolate the road from you. Because on Comfort that's exactly what happens. I have driven various cars over the same roads near my place and I have to say I can't remember another car that dealt with the potholes and curbs like a Superb does on Comfort, I did giggle on two occasions. Of-course cornering hard in this mode immediately reminds you of  "inertia and centrifugal forces in cars 101" so it won't be the #1 choice for fast driving. The important thing for me is that although it could be clearly improved,  it didn't feel like I need to go and look for coilovers tomorrow morning. Rather I think I will take it easy and start with a rear ARB (not decided yet) but the car can be enjoyed as stock too.

Last, performance. This can vary a lot depending on where you're coming from but if, like me, you've been driving 350+ bhp hot-hatches in the past, it won't blow your shocks off at all. From 0 to 60kmh (40mph) it can be a bit fun due to the instant pull the AWD offers - particularly the moment where it did push me back when accelerating from as low as 15km/h, on a 4deg afternoon, with brand new summer tires that are typically crap under the same conditions on equally powered FWD cars almost brought a tear of joy in my eyes. But above 60-80km/h the fun (for what I am used to) is over and the car just accelerates reasonably but not impressively. Needless to say it cries out for some extra power to be released and the red JB4 carton box I got next to me should take care of this in due time. It would also very clearly benefit from a pedal box, even more than its FWD relatives. In a GTI or Cupra, the added throttle was sometimes enough to overwhelm the front wheels, this is not an issue on a AWD car so with the pedal box you would just instantly floor 'n' go. As stock, you can expect the known lazy VAG throttle response almost up to the middle of the pedal travel, then it somewhat wakes up. This will be probably fitted during the weekend. 

Overall? Very happy. This was primarily a choice due to the extra comfort, practicality and luxuries it offers compared to the average hatch or hatch derived estate/SUV and it absolutely delivers in these fields. The performance deficit compared to a hot-hatch is an easy one to address, the handling a bit trickier but the latter was already becoming a second order priority due to the type of driving I do on a daily basis.


PS.1 One word on the VC in particular as it's probably the most fancy new feature for me. Although it's not a revolution of some sort (you still look at the same values in front of you, just in a cooler, adjustable arrangement)  really puts the car in a different class in my eyes. Also, although I've been using GMaps via Android Auto in the past, the comfort of the cockpit Navi function makes me already willing to switch it for the in-built system. I never realized how much effort it takes to take your view from the center and look at a screen down and to your right (or left for you) then back center but once you start using it you will probably stick with it and release your main screen to other uses.

PS. 2 Now if anyone knows why: 

a) I can't get the car to remember my drive Profile selection (not the gearbox mode, it simply resets to Normal drive Profile with button OFF all-together at every restart) or

2) the ambient lighting and screen button lights dim to almost 0 brightness during the day (any way to keep them on either via menu or VCDS?)

I would appreciate!

Edited 15 January, 2020 by newbie69

[Chas51]

3 hours ago, newbie69 said:

a) I can't get the car to remember my drive Profile selection (not the gearbox mode, it simply resets to Normal drive Profile with button OFF all-together at every restart) or

 

Have you setup a driver profile and associated your primary key in the infotainment system yet?    I think that should do it, if I understand the question correctly.  Certainly mine is remembered (individual) when I get in the car, and my wifes drive mode is different using her key (comfort).

 

Quartz Grey looks nice in those photos, I originally chose that but then backed out to Business Grey, not sure now! 

 

Can you let me know how you get on with your existing DTUK pedal box, when I first got the car I was happy with the pedal response, but over the last couple of weeks since the weather has been a bit kinder, I am noticing the lag more and am inclined to look at one.  

 

Enjoy, sounds like some good deals were to be had in Sweeden with that spec!

 

[newbie69]

12 hours ago, Chas51 said:

 

Have you setup a driver profile and associated your primary key in the infotainment system yet?    I think that should do it, if I understand the question correctly.  Certainly mine is remembered (individual) when I get in the car, and my wifes drive mode is different using her key (comfort).

 

Quartz Grey looks nice in those photos, I originally chose that but then backed out to Business Grey, not sure now! 

 

Can you let me know how you get on with your existing DTUK pedal box, when I first got the car I was happy with the pedal response, but over the last couple of weeks since the weather has been a bit kinder, I am noticing the lag more and am inclined to look at one.  

 

Enjoy, sounds like some good deals were to be had in Sweeden with that spec!

 

You understand it right. I have renamed "Driver 1" to my name, then I did "manually assign key to profile", it asked me to hit the unlock button on the key fob I use (the silver one), then it supposedly was assigned right? When I go to vehicle settings and personalization it shows my profile having been selected. I then proceed on selecting Individual mode and adjusting it etc.
But when I turn off, turn on, and even though it asks me to confirm my name in the cockpit when I enter, which I do, the mode reverts back to Normal. My seat position is remembered probably because it hasn't been changed I imagine.

Did some digging here last night and someone was suggesting that for this to work right, you have to have 2 profiles assigned to 2 different keys! Then it remembers settings and switches accordingly. I have only ever used 1 key and have only set up 1 profile (mine), could it be that?

PS. I can keep you posted on how it goes with the pedal box on, no worries.

Edited 23 February, 2019 by newbie69

[Chas51]

That could be right but seems odd logic, although some of the programming is a bit odd.   I certainly have 2 keys setup against 2 driver profiles, i double checked today and it definitely remembers my drive profile.  Mine is MY19 also.

[BriskodaJeff]

I also have two profiles, and it remembers both. Is it only the drive mode that doesn't stick?

 

One thing worth trying. Set it how you want it, then use the seat memory function (press set then whichever number you choose - you should hear a chime if it has saved the setting). I have no idea if it does anything to remember drive modes, but it does need to be done to remember reverse position for the passenger mirror for example. Then "un-assign" and re-assign your key.

[KeteCantek]

Nice to see you are enjoying it already. Agree that the 4x4 is really nice accelerating from slow speeds where FWD will suffer. 

[newbie69]

Cheers guys, I appreciate the input even though none of the suggestions seem to work. I reset all and set up two new accounts today which I assigned to two different keys manually. Even saved seat positions 1 and 2  while each account was active. Still, whenever I turn on with my key and select my own profile, even though all other settings are retained (LED colour, mirrors, seat, even the Individual mode settings) the driving mode has gone back to Normal.  At this point, I think it's something with the driving mode not being saved/assigned to my account in particular so I wonder whether there is a sort of indirect "save process" to assign a particular Drive mode to the currently selected Profile, rather than just select it and turn off assuming it was saved? (Tried @BriskodaJeff's method with the seat position save but it didn't work)...
 

[newbie69]

Going back to the important stuff, since yesterday I've added a couple hundred km on the odo that involved urban, b-road and highway driving and I am now properly impressed in many ways.

On the highway, one thing which I keep noticing apart from solid stability, is that somehow noise stops increasing (or at least proportionally) above certain speeds. Up to say 100-110 km/h it's probably just marginally quieter than the Golf was but that's where the differences start. While I can clearly recall both engine and road noise becoming apparent above 120kmh on the GTI, on the Superb it feels almost the same whether you're driving at 120 or 170 km/h. The car had the "acoustic windows" option ticked so not sure how much help that feature is, it is however very evident that when entering Autobahn speeds (on the Autobahn of-course) speed somehow rises 3x faster than road noise and it's imperative you keep an eye on the speedo as you otherwise don't have a single clue on how fast you're going. The 7-speed DSG definitely helps keeping the engine noise down, 3100 rpm @ 110mph (so I'm told) is hilarious.

Urban driving, relaxed and sticking to the limit is already as economical as on the Golf with the same engine which is a puzzle really, given that in that car it had to move 180kg less, let alone that the Superb is still being runned in. Guess the DSG7 plays a role here too.

But my biggest surprise has been the handling. I'd read some complaints from either L&K DCC's or Sportlines on standard suspension, but I have to conclude the Sportline DCC must be a bit different than both. It would also make sense that Sportline non-DCC's are set closer to DCC Normal rather than Sport in order to retain the cruiser's character. There is no other explanation that would add up with my findings. I have a few "benchmark" bends which are handy for evaluating a car's cornering and the 272's behaviour with DCC Sport, ESP Sport and warmed up tires was way better than what I would have expected from a ~1600kg stock sedan which is focusing on cruising rather than tracking. So either I was expecting too little from it or the car is actually not bad at all, either way it has made me question the need of even the rear arb for the moment, it's that good for my like.

On another note, the car is getting too much attention everywhere and from everyone, that is also something I didn't expect at all assuming Skoda's low profile image. It can be fun I guess but personally I'd rather blend in, instead for example of having 3 random guys jumping out from the pub outside of which I parked, and checking it out as if it was someone who offered services of some sort  Or several of the people passing by, stopping and leaning towards the windows to take a look inside or go round it in an "investigating" fashion. All that happened within just 2hr last night while it was parked in the city centre. I am definitely getting more "parking worries" with this car. Other than that (and the lack of saveable driving mode) it's all fantastic so far.

 

[Gied3ius]

8 hours ago, newbie69 said:

Cheers guys, I appreciate the input even though none of the suggestions seem to work. I reset all and set up two new accounts today which I assigned to two different keys manually. Even saved seat positions 1 and 2  while each account was active. Still, whenever I turn on with my key and select my own profile, even though all other settings are retained (LED colour, mirrors, seat, even the Individual mode settings) the driving mode has gone back to Normal.  At this point, I think it's something with the driving mode not being saved/assigned to my account in particular so I wonder whether there is a sort of indirect "save process" to assign a particular Drive mode to the currently selected Profile, rather than just select it and turn off assuming it was saved? (Tried @BriskodaJeff's method with the seat position save but it didn't work)...
 

 

Are you sure that profile re-set to "Normal" or DSG only? My superb after ignition off-on remembers last profile (sport,comfort, normal or eco), but DSG mode is allways set to "Normal". So if I have driven in sport mode, stoped and swithed off, after starting engine I have Sport mode, but DSG are in D mode and I need manually turn-on DSG into S mode.

 

[newbie69]

11 minutes ago, Gied3ius said:

 

Are you sure that profile re-set to "Normal" or DSG only? My superb after ignition off-on remembers last profile (sport,comfort, normal or eco), but DSG mode is allways set to "Normal". So if I have driven in sport mode, stoped and swithed off, after starting engine I have Sport mode, but DSG are in D mode and I need manually turn-on DSG into S mode.

 

Positive. DSG reverting to Normal (D) has always been the case in my last car too (besides I never drive in S, either D or Manual) so this is not the issue. On the Superb it's easily identifiable which driving mode you're in due to the special icon on the top of the Virtual Cockpit, or as usual, on the top left corner of the infotainment if you're not in some other menu. Maybe after once assigning keys manually to accounts (as I've done) I should switch to Automatic key assignment? I have it in Manual now.

Anyway I'd rather not derail my own thread to this technical issue, this should ideally be about discussing the findings and comparing them with what others have discovered!

[KeteCantek]

@newbie69 the attention you are getting might be because they thought their taxi arrived!

 

what stock tyres did yours come with? My half worn pirellis are noisy on the motorway , not helped by the rough tarmac here in the UK. 

[newbie69]

1 minute ago, KeteCantek said:

@newbie69 the attention you are getting might be because they thought their taxi arrived!

 

what stock tyres did yours come with? My half worn pirellis are noisy on the motorway , not helped by the rough tarmac here in the UK. 

Yeah I didn't exactly mean that sort of service but yes, this is another great feature of this car: if you're ever bored of what you're doing you can easily change jobs and become a professional driver, it's an investment really...

Potenza S001 were on it, far from the quietest tire out there but still.

[KeteCantek]

I think I know what services you are thinking of...It's a Czech taxi after all.... @newbie69 lol. 

 

I think I'll live with the pirellis for a bit then swap them for some Michelin PS4s. Not sure they are quiet but at least the grip will be good. 

[newbie69]

44 minutes ago, KeteCantek said:

I think I know what services you are thinking of...It's a Czech taxi after all.... @newbie69 lol. 

 

I think I'll live with the pirellis for a bit then swap them for some Michelin PS4s. Not sure they are quiet but at least the grip will be good. 

Never saw that coming, you're absolutely right 

PS4S are not too noisy and they are surprisingly comfortable as I can testify from my Clubsport experience. They are also a revelation on the wet. However I wouldn't buy them for the 272 as their biggest advantage (traction) is just not needed in this car. Grip is welcome but already the Goodyear F1 AS3 is not that far behind, is quieter and around 20-25% cheaper here so those would be my choice instead. For me, it's a matter of how much of the tire's talents I can put to good use. On a 360bhp FWD hot-hatch that sees the track from time to time I needed all the traction I could get to put the power down on dry and wet, and also get the maximum grip possible for 10/10 driving.  The Superb is indifferent to the aforementioned traction issues plus it will never be driven with such an absolute commitment or around a track so those 150eur would be of better use elsewhere.

Edited 25 February, 2019 by newbie69

[KeteCantek]

I did a quick check and 2 of the biggest UK tyre sites don't have the Goodyear f1s. Seen them before and IIRC they are close in price to the Michelins. PS4 selling for 188gbp per tire for 235/40 R19. Crappy pirellis about 10gbp cheaper per tyre... 

 

Interestingly the PS4s are the same price as PS4. Lol. 

[didoya]

Great car! Please share your experience once you install JB4 kit and the pedal box. 

Edited 25 February, 2019 by didoya

[penguin17]

1 hour ago, KeteCantek said:

I did a quick check and 2 of the biggest UK tyre sites don't have the Goodyear f1s. Seen them before and IIRC they are close in price to the Michelins. PS4 selling for 188gbp per tire for 235/40 R19. Crappy pirellis about 10gbp cheaper per tyre... 

 

Interestingly the PS4s are the same price as PS4. Lol. 

Black Circles aren't always the cheapest but they have 10% off for today only.  I'm tempted by the PS4S'...

 

Works out at £171 per tyre . 

Edited 25 February, 2019 by penguin17

[KeteCantek]

1 hour ago, penguin17 said:

Black Circles aren't always the cheapest but they have 10% off for today only.  I'm tempted by the PS4S'...

 

Works out at £171 per tyre . 

Black circles yes, 10% off 188.5 per tyre. Same price for PS4s or PS4

[Fantantonio]

Interesting to read your thoughts on the DCC. I was also wondering if I'd made the right choice speccing it but I've been (generally) impressed. Comfort is almost unusable for me as too much floaty-ness. Sport is where it stays most of the time and it's really sharp, love it. Normal helps soften the ride so on road with no speed bumps or motorways I use it in individual with most other settings in sport but suspension on normal and the difference is noticeable. Any more thoughts on it having spent more time with the car?

[newbie69]

1 hour ago, Fantantonio said:

Interesting to read your thoughts on the DCC. I was also wondering if I'd made the right choice speccing it but I've been (generally) impressed. Comfort is almost unusable for me as too much floaty-ness. Sport is where it stays most of the time and it's really sharp, love it. Normal helps soften the ride so on road with no speed bumps or motorways I use it in individual with most other settings in sport but suspension on normal and the difference is noticeable. Any more thoughts on it having spent more time with the car?

After a bit more than one week and some further testing, my first impressions have been further re-enforced and I am really glad I specced DCC. The range of damping is clearly wider than in my CS where the difference between each mode was little and I was either using Comfort or Sport as there was no real difference and no point spending time in between. Here each mode has its own best application and it really broadens the car's capabilities.

With Comfort being 0 and Sport being 100, I feel Normal is 60, so on the firm side but more forgiving. If this, (Normal) is how non-DCC Sportlines feel like I could understand the need for something firmer. For me this need thankfully isn't there and I've forgotten already about upgrading dampers. I do use Comfort quite a bit. When in a relaxed drive or when having the family in, I see absolutely no reason not to isolate the road bumps as much as possible and enjoy a smooth ride.
When alone I am either using Normal, it feels a good balance of comfort and control, and more rarely Sport as if there's no twisty road to exploit, what's the reason of amplified vibrations? The important thing is that Sport does tighten the body control nicely. Not to the levels of a focused hot-hatch or super-mini but at least as much as I would like from such a car. So it's not to say that it couldn't be firmer, but that it is at least as firm as I find it "suitable" for it. Which in turn, means I am more than happy.

The handling and in particular grip, not traction which I expected anyway, is where I'm left puzzled. When compared to the GTI CS, this is a bigger, heavier car, without a proper limited slip differential (XDS does not really count as such in my book although it can be somewhat effective) yet I haven't still managed to get even a sense of "terminar understeer" when pressing on a corner. Not only that, but again around one of my benchmark bends in a privately owned track, with ECS set to Sport, opening the throttle clearly more than what could be called reasonable, the thing just kept to its track and accelerated, and at the very end before having to straighten the wheel I had to apply a hint of opposite lock! It also felt like I was carrying almost the same speed as I did with the CS around the same corner but with less drama. To my understanding, Haldex can have no benefit during cornering as it can't send power left/right which is what you mainly need to corner fast so I don't know how it can be as obedient during high speed corners.

I'm now eager to try the VCDS modifications for the Haldex and XDS that are reported to increase grip and shift the behaviour towards neutral/oversteer but it is already beyond and above my expectations in this department.

The new alloys that went on yesterday and shoved 5.5 kg off per corner have also made the turn-in snappier and more immediate  Oh yeah pics are in the pic thread: 
 

 

Edited 2 March, 2019 by newbie69

[KeteCantek]

@newbie69 I think with the 4x4, there might be some electronic diff action going on. 

 

I remember driving a vectors/insignia vxr with awd on track. It's the last generation model. On a fast sweeping corner, understeer can actually be reduced by keeping some throttle. Counter intuitive but it works. I also feel it tighten the line of the car too. 

 

 

[newbie69]

8 minutes ago, KeteCantek said:

@newbie69 I think with the 4x4, there might be some electronic diff action going on. 

 

I remember driving a vectors/insignia vxr with awd on track. It's the last generation model. On a fast sweeping corner, understeer can actually be reduced by keeping some throttle. Counter intuitive but it works. I also feel it tighten the line of the car too. 

 

 

You are referring to the XDS which is found on all VAG cars nowadays irrespective of AWD or not. The system brakes the inside wheel during hard cornering so that more torque is transferred to the outside wheel that grips.

HOWEVER, I was just thinking that when XDS is coupled with an AWD system, which at that moment has engaged the rear axle by as much as 50%, if XDS is able to brake (at different percentages) both front AND rear inside wheels, then more torque ends up not only at the outside front but also at the outside rear wheel. And that could explain why it doesn't under-steer anywhere near to what you'd expect in such a scenario but keeps a very neutral track indeed.

Yesterday evening I switched Haldex to its "Inreased traction" mode via OBDEleven to try it out. Not sure the adaptation's translation is right or whether by "traction" they mean "grip". Anyway, the local track was damp as it had been raining in the after-noon. ESC Sport, nice wide and empty bend, 2nd gear full throttle, 6K rpm and on to 3rd, it just wouldn't unsettle... in conditions like these... All I can say is wow. It might not ever hit the track chasing lap times like past cars of mine, but this will be so much more daily fun throughout the year, sun or rain, that's for sure.

[penguin17]

2 hours ago, newbie69 said:

Yesterday evening I switched Haldex to its "Inreased traction" mode via OBDEleven to try it out. 

 

 

Hmmm, I may give this a try myself.  What did you need to change? 

[newbie69]

38 minutes ago, penguin17 said:

 

 

Hmmm, I may give this a try myself.  What did you need to change? 

Module 22 - (All wheel drive control)

Adaptations

 

Acoustic measure, wiring logic

Change value from "Standard" to "Increased traction"

Go out and give it the beans 

[newbie69]

The Haldex modwould go well with upping the XDS intervention too from standard to strong. I have the instruction for that but it asks for a password which I don't have. It's in Module 03 - ABS and I'm entering 31347 which works for other mods in this module but it's not the right one for the XDS modification.

[03] ABS

Adaptations

Expanded electronic differential lock

Change from Medium to Strong

Edited 5 March, 2019 by newbie69