I finally managed to blag a drive this weekend in the other half's new 272 Hatch.  It's a Sportline + on the 19" Supernovas.  Std chassis so no DCC.

 

We drove cross-country to the west coast of Wales and, thanks to the A55 being screwed (as ever) we went the scenic route via Ruthin and Ffestiniog.  So we took in all road types from m-way/dual carriageway, to flowing A-roads, twisty B-roads, and some really tight and undulating sections.

 

It's actually surprisingly nimble even on the twistiest of B-roads.  I drive an E91 330i and found the Superb very easy to place - I expected to find it more difficult as it's that bit wider, but also (as it's more modern) you sit a bit further from the edges as well.  Performance is effortless, even with only 700mi on the clocks, and at the end of the day it had returned 37mpg, having done a fair amount of sitting in traffic as well.  All in all I'm impressed, and looking forward to seeing how it loosens up.

 

Good points:

 

Seats - being used to the BMW Sports seats, and having historically suffered with back ache prior to having the BMW, I was relieved that the seats gave me no bother at all.  Could have done with more lumbar but the other half was moaning about me having changed the settings as it was so I didn't play anymore!  Plus I love alcantara.

 

Visibility - great for such a big and modern car.  

 

Body control - not only does it handle fairly well, the bump absorption is also pretty good.  It did occasionally feel a little bouncy over some crests and compressions, but it's not going to see that sort of driving that often at all.

 

Performance - it's alright actually.  Goes like a bigger capacity engine and returns decent economy.  The 125i it replaced was a 4pot turbo but always felt a little wheezy, despite being as quick.

 

Bad points:

 

Seats - I'd like them to go a little lower.  Being used to the BMW I'm used to being able to have the seat practically on the tarmac.  I reckon it's about an inch higher than I'd like really.  I suspect it's less a Skoda thing and more a not-BMW thing.

 

Accelerator! - that dead top section of travel is really, really bloody irritating.  Especially so on the twistier roads with limited visibility, as you're constantly on and off the gas.  Hence you'd be trying to get it to pick up again and it would do nothing.  Then BAM, it would pick up with too much throttle.  Immensely difficult to moderate light throttle inputs which is stupid on a car with so much torque.  If it was mine I'd be getting a pedal box immediately.

 

The UI - The main central display is actually fairly intuitive - I'd say the best of any modern car I've been in actually.  But the driver controls are far from so, and I think it's a VAG-wide thing.  Could I figure out how the hell to switch the display from trip to fuel range?  Nope.   It's not View, and it's not the trip button.  And when I went to turn the volume up I changed channel, as apparently the volume +/- symbols being on the buttons clearly means to use the dial between them! I remember this sort of nonsense annoying me last year when we had a Q3 hire car abroad - it's the sort of stuff that might drive me mental on a day to day basis.

 

 

 

 

Edited 23 April, 20197 yr by Swervin_Mervin

Thanks for sharing, having also come from a BMW it makes interesting reading.  I have been delighted with the car and far prefer the drive and comfort to the 5 series.

 

Re your last point I actually prefer the Skoda to the idrive, which while very good still required more rotating - looking - clicking than the Skoda touchscreen. Also re volume/car data they are all easily accessible from the steering wheel controls, all very use friendly.  IMO the volume wheel is also nicer and quicker to use than the BMW which is an up/down toggle.

Definitely agree about the throttle response. I struggled with it - exactly as you say, nothing ... nothing ...then mental! - until finally splashed out on a pedal box which totally transforms it.

51 minutes ago, Steviedakota said:

Thanks for sharing, having also come from a BMW it makes interesting reading.  I have been delighted with the car and far prefer the drive and comfort to the 5 series.

 

Re your last point I actually prefer the Skoda to the idrive, which while very good still required more rotating - looking - clicking than the Skoda touchscreen. Also re volume/car data they are all easily accessible from the steering wheel controls, all very use friendly.  IMO the volume wheel is also nicer and quicker to use than the BMW which is an up/down toggle.

 

I'm totally with you on the CUI of the Columbus system - far prefer it to the iDrive setup - much easier to use and less distracting.

 

It's the wheel controls I have issue with.  Why are the Vol +/- symbols on rocker buttons that don't control the volume?  And regarding the view, the wife managed to figure out last night how that worked.  She was moaning that I'd deactivated the ACC (it wouldn't switch back on) and eventually twigged that when I was pressing the View button it must have somehow cancelled the ACC fully.  Yet all I saw when I was driving was the binnacle screen switching between Nav directions and the standard screen with trip meter - it just seemed to toggle between the two.

 

It's like Skoda's CUI engineers were let loose on the Columbus system and did a great job, but they were left with a clunky binnacle/wheel CUI from VAG.

 

Nick - I'll see how the wife gets on with it and if it annoys her then I think we'll look at getting a pedal box as well.  I genuinely can't understand how they've driven it and signed it off like that.  Only thing I can think is it's some Euro Emissions crap to try and make it less easy for drivers to stray a little bit up the rev range, thus keeping emissions down.  It reminds me of the awful ecopro setting on BMWs.

Edited 24 April, 20197 yr by Swervin_Mervin

The initial 'dead spot' on the throttle is a VW Group trait IME.  After a 12 year stint of VW TDI engines, in various guises, I wrongly assumed the lack of responsiveness was due to turbo lag but after a fitting a Race Chip XLR to my 150 TDI I realised that it's just the throttle 'mapping'.  I've now fitted a XLR to my 280 and the difference is amazing; using the gears + pedal box = much responsiveness.  A massive improvement over stock and almost gives the impression that the car is running with more BHP.  

 

I think if you were to take away someones Superb and fit just a pedal box but then tell them you'd remapped it and give them an extra 20-30 BHP, they'd likely believe you. 

 

I think your appraisal of the Superb is spot-on @Swervin_Mervin -  particularly WRT body control; I think Skoda have nailed it.  The car is taut enough for when the mood takes you but compliant enough for every day driving.  So whether it be twisty B-road or miles of motorway munching the car just gets on with it, no fuss.  It's the perfect compromise and really compliments the characteristics of the TSI engine; smooth when you want to cruise but happy to hit the red-line every now and again too. 

 

I'm approaching my first anniversary with the car and it's the first car I've had that I'm not already looking around at what I can replace it with!  

All very interesting reading.

 

I have a 1.5 TSI DSG on order and have a few questions if I may...

 

This lack of response...is that from the 1.5 TSI DSG engine?

Would fitting a `Pedal Box` (whatever that is) require a phone call to the insurance company?

What is `CUI`?

I'm assuming `IME` means `In My Estimation?

`WRT`...With Regard To`?

 

I think I've understood all the rest!

56 minutes ago, mandp said:

All very interesting reading.

 

I have a 1.5 TSI DSG on order and have a few questions if I may...

 

This lack of response...is that from the 1.5 TSI DSG engine?

Would fitting a `Pedal Box` (whatever that is) require a phone call to the insurance company?

What is `CUI`?

I'm assuming `IME` means `In My Estimation?

`WRT`...With Regard To`?

 

I think I've understood all the rest!

 

 

HI Mike

 

Ours is the 272 TSI DSG.  The lack of response is purely down to pedal mapping - it's mapped such that it doesn't demand any throttle for the first x% of travel.  That x% being too much in my view.

 

By CUI I actually just meant UI - apologies for that typo.  By UI I mean User Interface.  So buttons/touchscreen controls and the various displays.

 

IME = In my experience

WRT - With regard/respect to

1 hour ago, Swervin_Mervin said:

 

 

HI Mike

 

Ours is the 272 TSI DSG.  The lack of response is purely down to pedal mapping - it's mapped such that it doesn't demand any throttle for the first x% of travel.  That x% being too much in my view.

 

By CUI I actually just meant UI - apologies for that typo.  By UI I mean User Interface.  So buttons/touchscreen controls and the various displays.

 

IME = In my experience

WRT - With regard/respect to

Thank you so much for the info, `Mervin`. Much better informed now!

Regards

Mike.

37 mpg overall ..... I  really need to go on a 'foot lightening' course   

On 23/04/2019 at 14:41, Swervin_Mervin said:

I finally managed to blag a drive this weekend in the other half's new 272 Hatch.  It's a Sportline + on the 19" Supernovas.  Std chassis so no DCC.

 

We drove cross-country to the west coast of Wales and, thanks to the A55 being screwed (as ever) we went the scenic route via Ruthin and Ffestiniog.  So we took in all road types from m-way/dual carriageway, to flowing A-roads, twisty B-roads, and some really tight and undulating sections.

 

It's actually surprisingly nimble even on the twistiest of B-roads.  I drive an E91 330i and found the Superb very easy to place - I expected to find it more difficult as it's that bit wider, but also (as it's more modern) you sit a bit further from the edges as well.  Performance is effortless, even with only 700mi on the clocks, and at the end of the day it had returned 37mpg, having done a fair amount of sitting in traffic as well.  All in all I'm impressed, and looking forward to seeing how it loosens up.

 

Good points:

 

Seats - being used to the BMW Sports seats, and having historically suffered with back ache prior to having the BMW, I was relieved that the seats gave me no bother at all.  Could have done with more lumbar but the other half was moaning about me having changed the settings as it was so I didn't play anymore!  Plus I love alcantara.

 

Visibility - great for such a big and modern car.  

 

Body control - not only does it handle fairly well, the bump absorption is also pretty good.  It did occasionally feel a little bouncy over some crests and compressions, but it's not going to see that sort of driving that often at all.

 

Performance - it's alright actually.  Goes like a bigger capacity engine and returns decent economy.  The 125i it replaced was a 4pot turbo but always felt a little wheezy, despite being as quick.

 

Bad points:

 

Seats - I'd like them to go a little lower.  Being used to the BMW I'm used to being able to have the seat practically on the tarmac.  I reckon it's about an inch higher than I'd like really.  I suspect it's less a Skoda thing and more a not-BMW thing.

 

Accelerator! - that dead top section of travel is really, really bloody irritating.  Especially so on the twistier roads with limited visibility, as you're constantly on and off the gas.  Hence you'd be trying to get it to pick up again and it would do nothing.  Then BAM, it would pick up with too much throttle.  Immensely difficult to moderate light throttle inputs which is stupid on a car with so much torque.  If it was mine I'd be getting a pedal box immediately.

 

The UI - The main central display is actually fairly intuitive - I'd say the best of any modern car I've been in actually.  But the driver controls are far from so, and I think it's a VAG-wide thing.  Could I figure out how the hell to switch the display from trip to fuel range?  Nope.   It's not View, and it's not the trip button.  And when I went to turn the volume up I changed channel, as apparently the volume +/- symbols being on the buttons clearly means to use the dial between them! I remember this sort of nonsense annoying me last year when we had a Q3 hire car abroad - it's the sort of stuff that might drive me mental on a day to day basis.

 

 

 

 

37 mpg  ..... I  really need to go on a 'foot lightening' course   

I'll just stress that it's my wife's car, and she's really quite protective of it.  And there was a toddler in the back!

 

I reckon when we next go to Cornwall we'll take this and I'd expect it to get well over 40mpg on the basis of the weekend just gone!

2 hours ago, Boxerdog1 said:

37 mpg overall ..... I  really need to go on a 'foot lightening' course   

DITTO. I managed 33 mpg the other weekend on a trip to mid Wales from the south coast (200 miles) and was reasonably pleased.

7 hours ago, mandp said:

All very interesting reading.

 

I have a 1.5 TSI DSG on order and have a few questions if I may...

 

This lack of response...is that from the 1.5 TSI DSG engine?

Would fitting a `Pedal Box` (whatever that is) require a phone call to the insurance company?

What is `CUI`?

I'm assuming `IME` means `In My Estimation?

`WRT`...With Regard To`?

 

I think I've understood all the rest!

Hi.

Yes you would need to disclose a pedal box to your insurer.

Regards,

Dan.

Nice write-up, thx for sharing.  

 

Having had our Superb Kombi Sportline+ TSI 272 just over a week and still only ~120km on the clock, yet to gauge how the throttle pedal response is like. Combing from Focus ST and Focus RS (both pretty responsive and rapid), interesting to see how the Superb goes after it's done some more run-in.

 

Didnt know what a pedal box was (!), so had to go look it up. It's a product from one specific manufacturer (pedal box), right? I guess you are talking about these, and this would be the right one?

 

Skoda Superb Kombi TSi 272 pedal box

 

Invalidates warranty and upgrade of insurance?

 

Cheers!

 

 

2 hours ago, Grumpybeard said:

Nice write-up, thx for sharing.  

 

Having had our Superb Kombi Sportline+ TSI 272 just over a week and still only ~120km on the clock, yet to gauge how the throttle pedal response is like. Combing from Focus ST and Focus RS (both pretty responsive and rapid), interesting to see how the Superb goes after it's done some more run-in.

 

Didnt know what a pedal box was (!), so had to go look it up. It's a product from one specific manufacturer (pedal box), right? I guess you are talking about these, and this would be the right one?

 

Skoda Superb Kombi TSi 272 pedal box

 

Invalidates warranty and upgrade of insurance?

 

Cheers!

 

 

No doesn’t invalidate the warranty other than if it is directly responsible eg you mash up the connectors when installing. After all, it does nothing that being more heavy-footed would do - there is no increase in maximum power. IMO there is no reason for it to affect the insurance - if anything it makes the car a little safer by making throttle response more progressive and controllable. But of course insurance companies are always looking for ways to charge more and/or avoid a claim even when there is no logic to it.

 

Ive had warranty claims for a few things, always left the pedal box in situ when taking it to the dealers and it hasn’t been an issue.

New Superb 280 Sportline (Aus Spec) here: I installed a Burger Motorsport pedal tuner on the second day I had the car (had it three weeks now).

 

http://www.burgertuning.com/BMS_PEDAL_TUNER

 

I feel like it has utterly transformed the driving experience. The initial 'dead spot' in throttle travel has been completely removed and the car feels genuinely lively and so much easier to drive. It also provides a lovely graduated throttle feel as you press the accelerator. I have it set to the middle Orange/Red Stage 2, with the fine tuning set just above halfway, so that the car still feels natural and drivable in an everyday sense (Stage 3 setting really is designed for track work). 

 

While I have also installed a JB1 (also excellent), in terms of bang-for-buck the pedal tuner is probably the single best investment made so far and thoroughly recommended.

 

 

I have only seen two Superb 280's in Adelaide, they are rare as hen's teeth.

The latest, two days a go, was a grey wagon on Grange Road and I looked twice, once because it looked so good and then a double-take that it was a brand new Superb. Looked as though its had been lowered. Is that a Sportline trait?

48 minutes ago, Gerrycan said:

I have only seen two Superb 280's in Adelaide, they are rare as hen's teeth.

The latest, two days a go, was a grey wagon on Grange Road and I looked twice, once because it looked so good and then a double-take that it was a brand new Superb. Looked as though its had been lowered. Is that a Sportline trait?

I’ve never seen another 280 on the road, in the UK. 

 

In comparison I’ve seen a couple of SLR’s, Hurricans, McClarens and even a Lexus LFA...but not one 280... it’s an exclusive club 

1 hour ago, Gerrycan said:

I have only seen two Superb 280's in Adelaide, they are rare as hen's teeth.

The latest, two days a go, was a grey wagon on Grange Road and I looked twice, once because it looked so good and then a double-take that it was a brand new Superb. Looked as though its had been lowered. Is that a Sportline trait?

Sits 15mm lower than standard. 

I've never even seen a 280 in a Škoda showroom. I bought their 220 demonstator and they replaced it with another 220. 

 

I did get passed by a McClaren on the M23 over Easter. If I increased my speed by 5 mph, I could have kept up with him. 10 mph would have passed him, but I didn't want to show him up in front of his girlfriend.

Just a rhetorical question, but I wonder if all Škoda owners are as smug as I am?

10 minutes ago, freelunch said:

I've never even seen a 280 in a Škoda showroom. I bought their 220 demonstator and they replaced it with another 220. 

 

 

I’ve seen *one* at a dealers which I test drove and then 2 days later it became @Boxerdog1‘s 1st 280. 

Seen a couple 280s around my area. Whenever I see a superb3 I look at the exhausts. If it's real, I give it a mental high five

Seen one since Jan. Followed it up the M1 excitedly telling the family it had the sane engine. They did not share my delight. Far more fun was parking next to a same age same trim same colour but dirtier estate 2 days in a row. 

Ok, so after browsing the forums for a few weeks now just have a few questions about Skoda ownership:

 

1: Is there a list anywhere of what can be tweaked within the car's settings without external coding?

2: As above but with coding?  (I guess this could be too extensive to put together).

3: It seems to have keyless entry, which we don't really want and certainly didn't spec (if it was an option rather than std).  We only noticed when she went to check if it was locked.  Can this be disabled?

 

It got me thinking after reading z1ts "sleeper keeper" post, where he mentioned enabling teardrop wipe.  WTF is that? 

 

And is there a way of disabling stop/start permanently without coding?

 

We've found the stop/start on the Superb incredibly clunky, especially compared to our outgoing 125i.  The 1er would not switch off unless you had your foot over a certain amount of brake pressure.  So once you were familiar with it you could stop it on the brakes and come to a rest but keep it running.  Similarly you could get it to restart with a slight lift of the brake - enough to hold it on the brake still.  It always worked of braking alone.

 

The Superb seems to work off the throttle.  So the wife is finding that as she gets to a low speed it cuts out before she's come to a stop.  Which means if traffic moves off again there's a moment when it's off until you press the throttle.  For the life of me I can't understand why they're working the system off the throttle position and not the brake position. 

Edited 29 April, 20197 yr by Swervin_Mervin