Octavia/Superb & which model extras?

[tinman80]

Hi. I'm in the market for an octavia or superb upto 2yrs old (both estate, dsg and petrol). I have had a short test drive with both, found the Octavia (vrs) the better drive, albeit maybe a bit firm and noisy (road), and the superb (l&k version) a bit wallowy (especially when sat in the back whilst the wife drove but more refined. At the moment I'm leaning towards the Octavia, I like the power but worried the ride will be too firm for when I have the kids in the back, is there an option to soften the suspension, or should I try the 190 SE? Similarily, is there an option to firm up the suspension in the superb to reduce the body roll?

What models/extras do you recommend to look for?

Thanks

Edited 24 June, 2019 by tinman80

[silver1011]

Sounds to me like the Octavia is the better option, but a non-vRS model.

 

A combination of the stiffer suspension and larger wheels on the Octavia will be contributing to the hard ride.

 

For me it would be the Superb every time, gone are the days where being able to corner at speed is a daily occurrence, it's more about pothole / poor road surface suppression and comfort, especially for the family. The Superb is the bigger and heavier car, with the downsides associated with that, whilst the Octavia is smaller, lighter and more nimble.

 

Have you tried the Superb SportLine? You get the aesthetics of the Octavia vRS without some of the other ride-related compromises.

[tinman80]

Thanks for that. No unfortunately have not tried the sportline, the only demo they had was the l&k version. I think if I can find a version of the superb that isnt so wallowy on the back it might be the clincher, although I do think it might just be a little too big for my needs, cant have everything mind! I would like to try a 190 SE L octavia to see if it still has that little bit of oomph when needed for overtakes.

I did consider a Kodiaq but figure that probably has worse roll than the Superb, plus the extra running costs that go with an SUV (Karoq boot a bit too small looking at my mums)

[FatWolfie]

Just a thought...

 

The L &K Superb has 4 settings for gearbox/suspension .

 

Im guessing that it was in the default Normal mode when you tried it; there is a noticeable firming up of suspension and throttle response when it’s put into Sport mode.

 

may be worth trying the Superb again but in Sport mode. To me, this would give you the best of both worlds - normal or even comfort when driving around at normal speeds on the usual poor UK surfaces, then flick to Sport mode when you do want to press on. And the option of Economy mode for long motorway drags .

 

theres definitely more room in the Superb, yet I don’t think it feels big on the road - although it’s long, it is relatively narrow and fits easily into standard parking spots (width-ways, but it can be tight length ways).

 

but TBH I don’t thing either Octavia or Superb would be a bad choice...

 

[KeteCantek]

Superb with DCC is the one. 

[tinman80]

What's DCC?. Yeah decided superb, just got to save up a few grand more

[BriskodaJeff]

DCC (confusingly it stands for Adaptive Chassis Control) is the settings @FatWolfie talks about above. Even better, you can combine them in an "individual" mode. So you can have the suspension set to sport (firmer, less roll) while the steering is set to normal, drive set to eco, etc. Great set-up in my view. It's standard on the L&K but an option on some other models, including the Sportline. It needs a bit of playing with, so try to get an extended test drive so you can try out the options. 

[tinman80]

Ahh right thanks. Am I right in thinking acc stands for adaptive cruise control though?

[langers2k]

26 minutes ago, BriskodaJeff said:

DCC (confusingly it stands for Adaptive Chassis Control)

 

I thought it was Dynamic Chassis Control - https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/braking-and-stability-systems/dcc

[BriskodaJeff]

5 minutes ago, langers2k said:

 

I thought it was Dynamic Chassis Control - https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/braking-and-stability-systems/dcc

Me too and I think in reality it is, but if you type DCC into the MySkoda app for example, it gives you Adaptive Chassis Control. I wanted to make sure the OP was aware of that .

 

ETA - Yes ACC is Adaptive Cruise Control. 

Edited 9 July, 2019 by BriskodaJeff

[Wardy]

DCC also an option on the vRS, but not sure how long that's been the case if you're looking at upto 2yr old examples. Definitely go back and have a play with the settings on the Superb L&K though!

 

Will be a pretty rare option that was ticked, I'd have thought. The only other option to consider is if you're willing to tweak the suspension and switch to a Bilstein setup. I've always found the B12 or B14 setup to give a really good compromise between compliance and 'sportiness'.