hello everyone. I currently have a 2013 mk2 , 1.6tdi octavia. Im considering swapping it for a 2016-2018  below 50k kms, 2l diesel superb (not sure what hp..) or even a petrol one? tell me a bit about them.

im wondering if the automatic gearboxes are reliable on them? are the manuals better? what would you look out for when viewing them?

 

ive been sifting through posts, but i havent come across one that answers these questions, if ive missed it, please link it for me.

 

thanks in advance

I'm not a Superb owner but the engines and transmissions are shared across the group and there are a few common issues.

The 2 litre (and 1.6d) diesels main weakness seems to be the water pumps failing around 30 to 50k. It's a 'soft' failure not a catastrophic but still costs unless covered by warranty.

The petrol engines do not seem to have any particular issues and what reported problems there are seem fairly random so they are considered pretty reliable.

The manual transmissions are also considered reliable across the range although if the engine has been mapped and the car driven with vigour there is a risk to the clutch and is often replaced with a more suitable heavy duty clutch.

The 'dry' 7 speed DSG box used on all engines producing 250NM or less (1.4tsi, 1.5tsi, 1.6d) can be subject to clutch pack wear and require replacement, which is expensive unless covered by warranty.

The 'wet' 6 speed (7 speed on latest versions) used on more powerful diesel and petrol engines (over 250NM) is very robust and considered reliable but the oil needs to be replaced every major service and is an additional expense to at least be aware of.

 

Edited 30 July, 20196 yr by Gerrycan

My 2017 2.0TDI 190 DSG has been faultless - for the years you are looking at, in a 2.0 you will get the same 6 speed I believe. As @Gerrycan says, and from my own research before buying, there don't seem to be any major issues with them, other than the need for a DSG oil change which if memory serves is first due at 40k miles, then every 20k(?) after that.

 

From an ownership viewpoint, coming from a manual Mk2 Superb into a car with Adaptive Cruise Control and Active Lane Guidance has made motorway driving a whole lot more relaxing. If you do a lot of motorway miles and want these features, the DSG might be a better bet as it works better with the ACC and ALG - it's almost autonomous. @penguin17 might have a better view on this as I know he had a manual Mk3 and swapped into a DSG. There is a definite lag in throttle response, which is well-documented on here, but that can be solved with a pedal box or using the DSG lever to flick to sport mode if you need a quick getaway.

 

There is an awful lot of tech on these cars, depending on which spec you go for. Check that it all works before parting with your cash. If you aren't sure how it all works, it would be worth finding a friendly Mk3 owner to show you so you know what to look out for. One major decision is whether you want Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) or not. I like it, as it alters the damping and steering characteristics depending on what mode you use, letting you tighten everything up for a sporty drive on appropriate roads, or waft along the straight stuff in comfort or eco modes. But I could imagine it costing a fortune to fix outside warranty. Another consideration is between front-wheel versus all-wheel drive. I find 2WD completely adequate with 190PS, but if you really want to plant it then you will break traction very easily, and if that is your driving style then AWD is well worth considering based on comments on here. If MPG is a concern, then the 150PS will obviously give you the best return, but I'm very happy with the average 50MPG+ I get from mine (almost exclusively motorway driving - around town I see c35MPG or even lower depending on traffic, road conditions etc.)

 

Good luck with the search - the Superb is a brilliant car.

We have two 1.4 150bhp, one manual, one DSG.  I'm a huge fan of the 150bhp petrol, so smooth, frugal (6.5l/100km)and fast.  I'd rate it as one of the best petrols currently available in any car. I think they suit the car better than the diesel as they are so quiet, makes the car feel very premium.

 

Problems so far:

One loose chrome window trim (common fault usually fixed under warranty)

Brake disks are garbage, replaced them on my 2015 with 30,000km.  Previous Passat went to 100,000km and didn't need changing.  Not expensive though, just replace with non OEM disks.

Creaky front suspension, on both cars. Not the end of the world but annoying.

Chrome trim on DSG lever cracked (known fault usually fixed under warranty)

 

Upsides far outweigh the above though. The petrols are supremely refined (EV quiet at times). Comfortable, spacious, smooth ride, infotainment is very good and easy to use, they just do so much so well.  Best car I have ever owned.  came from a 2014 BMW 5 series and I prefer the Superb in almost every way.

27 minutes ago, Steviedakota said:

We have two 1.4 150bhp, one manual, one DSG.  I'm a huge fan of the 150bhp petrol, so smooth, frugal (6.5l/100km)and fast.  I'd rate it as one of the best petrols currently available in any car. I think they suit the car better than the diesel as they are so quiet, makes the car feel very premium.

 

Problems so far:

One loose chrome window trim (common fault usually fixed under warranty)

Brake disks are garbage, replaced them on my 2015 with 30,000km.  Previous Passat went to 100,000km and didn't need changing.  Not expensive though, just replace with non OEM disks.

Creaky front suspension, on both cars. Not the end of the world but annoying.

Chrome trim on DSG lever cracked (known fault usually fixed under warranty)

 

Upsides far outweigh the above though. The petrols are supremely refined (EV quiet at times). Comfortable, spacious, smooth ride, infotainment is very good and easy to use, they just do so much so well.  Best car I have ever owned.  came from a 2014 BMW 5 series and I prefer the Superb in almost every way.

That sounds great. I wouldn't mind going to a petrol if it still pulls well. 

The creaky front suspension is a feature of my mk2 octavia too 😂

 

Where are you in Ireland? I'm in Dublin, I'd love to meet up and see what its like if possible? 

36 minutes ago, Csabathehut said:

That sounds great. I wouldn't mind going to a petrol if it still pulls well. 

The creaky front suspension is a feature of my mk2 octavia too 😂

 

Where are you in Ireland? I'm in Dublin, I'd love to meet up and see what its like if possible? 

 

No problem, will PM you. 

 

Or you could look at this one:

https://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/skoda/superb/used-2016-161-skoda-superb-ambition-1-dublin-fpa-201907029634687?SOURCE_ID=SOURCE_ID_FPA_FROM_FEAT_LIST

 

 

Edited 30 July, 20196 yr by Steviedakota

On 29/07/2019 at 23:34, Csabathehut said:

hello everyone. I currently have a 2013 mk2 , 1.6tdi octavia. Im considering swapping it for a 2016-2018  below 50k kms, 2l diesel superb (not sure what hp..) or even a petrol one? tell me a bit about them.

im wondering if the automatic gearboxes are reliable on them? are the manuals better? what would you look out for when viewing them?

 

ive been sifting through posts, but i havent come across one that answers these questions, if ive missed it, please link it for me.

 

thanks in advance

I also went from a Mk2 Octavia, but with the 1.4TSI engine (122BHP, manual) to a 2018 Superb SE, 1.4 TSI (150BHP) with DSG.

 

The TL;DR is that I am very impressed with it and would definitely recommend it. If you are happy with the performance from the 1.6TDI in the Octy, you will probably be happy with the 1.4TSI and as said above, it is quiet and smooth. Even with 4 people and luggage in the car, it can accelerate more than adequately. Before I bought mine, I took a 2.0TDI out for a test drive and at low speeds, it was like a tractor but I suppose you are already used to that coming from a diesel. I am easily getting over 50mpg on motorway journeys and 46mpg brim to brim with a mix of motorway and town driving.

 

Compared to the Octy, the levels of kit and refinement in the Superb is a massive improvement. In my SE Octavia I had em... air con and, well, that was pretty much it! In my SE Superb I have auto lights and wipers, adaptive cruise, parking sensors (only rear though), Android auto, auto-dimming folding mirrors, dual zone climate control and so on.

The combination of the auto-hold feature on the electronic parking brake and the DSG make it effortless to drive. SE L trim and above comes with a whole load more goodies, of course.

 

Do go for a decent test drive though as I have not quite managed to get my right foot as comfortable (the throttle pedal on the Superb is mounted above compared to the Octy having a floor mounted pedal). The adaptive cruise control sorts that out for long journeys. Many will complain about the throttle response being a bit delayed or just a bit dead unless you depress the pedal quite a bit, then if you press too far, it can suddenly lurch forward. This can be mildly annoying but after a while, you learn to adapt to it. Or you could get a pedal box if it really winds you up. I wouldn't go back to a manual, let's put it that way.

 

The DSG is the DQ200 which many will tell you is unreliable and prone to failure. There are quite a few threads relating to this but mostly seem to relate to cars prior to ~2016 or maybe it's just that not many 2016onward cars have done enough miles for the problem to manifest in significant numbers.

Mine is under warranty for 2 more years and I'll be keeping an eye on forums to see if there are still significant numbers of failures reported in newer cars (not just Skodas but VWs and I suppose SEATs that use the same box. Think Audi may use a different auto box?) and if there are, I might sell it once the warranty expires. That would be a shame as it is a great car, but not worth a £5k repair bill!

On 30/07/2019 at 08:49, BriskodaJeff said:

My 2017 2.0TDI 190 DSG has been faultless - for the years you are looking at, in a 2.0 you will get the same 6 speed I believe. As @Gerrycan says, and from my own research before buying, there don't seem to be any major issues with them, other than the need for a DSG oil change which if memory serves is first due at 40k miles, then every 20k(?) after that.

 

From an ownership viewpoint, coming from a manual Mk2 Superb into a car with Adaptive Cruise Control and Active Lane Guidance has made motorway driving a whole lot more relaxing. If you do a lot of motorway miles and want these features, the DSG might be a better bet as it works better with the ACC and ALG - it's almost autonomous. @penguin17 might have a better view on this as I know he had a manual Mk3 and swapped into a DSG. There is a definite lag in throttle response, which is well-documented on here, but that can be solved with a pedal box or using the DSG lever to flick to sport mode if you need a quick getaway.

 

There is an awful lot of tech on these cars, depending on which spec you go for. Check that it all works before parting with your cash. If you aren't sure how it all works, it would be worth finding a friendly Mk3 owner to show you so you know what to look out for. One major decision is whether you want Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) or not. I like it, as it alters the damping and steering characteristics depending on what mode you use, letting you tighten everything up for a sporty drive on appropriate roads, or waft along the straight stuff in comfort or eco modes. But I could imagine it costing a fortune to fix outside warranty. Another consideration is between front-wheel versus all-wheel drive. I find 2WD completely adequate with 190PS, but if you really want to plant it then you will break traction very easily, and if that is your driving style then AWD is well worth considering based on comments on here. If MPG is a concern, then the 150PS will obviously give you the best return, but I'm very happy with the average 50MPG+ I get from mine (almost exclusively motorway driving - around town I see c35MPG or even lower depending on traffic, road conditions etc.)

 

Good luck with the search - the Superb is a brilliant car.

I agree with all this comments. In addition, there an issue (at least to me) about the DSG6 behavior.

@Csabathehut I you buy a MY2017 or before (and possibly some from early MY2018) DSG6, you may be disapointed by the control laws of the gearbox. Taking a MY2018 DS7 should be a better idea.

Actually the DSG6 control laws had been modified to pass pollution norms and it lead to some awkward behavior sometimes. The Sales Manager from my local dealer gave it to me this week. This has been improved when they swapped to DSG7.

Indeed, with DSG6, it often goes from 3rd to 2nd gear when I'm exiting a roundabout. Even though I make smooth / normal acceleration. This shakes you back into your seat. Quite uncomfortable. My wife regurlarly look at me with black eyes thinking, I'm playing with throttle, even if I'm not!

Other example, you're driving  in 6th gear uphill on a motorway. The speed limit is locally ~55mph, almost at the top of the hill, the speed limit is ~70mph. You smoothly accelerate to ~70 mph and surprinsingly the DSG downshifts to 5th gear whereas there is enough torque to keep cruising in 6th gear... Quite nerving...

I know that remapping can erase or at least lower this feeling... But not decided yet to do it on mine.

Edited 31 July, 20196 yr by Bap33

I'm looking at the same, coming from a '14 Octavia VRS Estate and wanting a used Superb Estate.

 

I've noticed there's a stereo update at '17, losing the buttons and going fully touchscreen, were there any other tech improvements at '17 ?

Edited 1 August, 20196 yr by Dave77

I had a bad experience with the 150PS 2.0 TDI 6 speed manual mated to the 4 wheel drive train. The gear change was quite awful - my experience documented on this forum - which ultimately lead to my rejection of the vehicle. I now drive a 2017 2.0 TSI DSG Kodiaq and am thrilled with that combination.  

Edited 2 August, 20196 yr by MarlboroLites
Spelling error

Heya guys, so thanks for the comments and all the advice! Unfortunately I couldn't afford a superb this time, so went with a 0% pcp manual 1.6d octavia. 

Here's a pic. 

 

 

Thank you all again. 

Your Octavia produces a lot of downforce to stay up there.Congrats on the new car, as we all know Octavia's are better than Superb's despite their arrogant name.

5 hours ago, shyVRS245 said:

Your Octavia produces a lot of downforce to stay up there.Congrats on the new car, as we all know Octavia's are better than Superb's despite their arrogant name.

 

Who would want to drive  car named after a very annoying Ostrich ? 

9 minutes ago, Nick_H said:

 

Who would want to drive  car named after a very annoying Ostrich ? 

I tell people who are not as bright as me (clearly) that the name eminates from a Roman God of Speed.

Nah... Annoying Ostritch !

21 minutes ago, Nick_H said:

 

Who would want to drive  car named after a very annoying Ostrich ? 

Goodness me Nick. You must be nearly as old as I am!

1 minute ago, BriskodaJeff said:

Goodness me Nick. You must be nearly as old as I am!

 

😉 Still only 17 in mind though ... If that !

6 minutes ago, Nick_H said:

Nah... Annoying Ostritch !

Firstly OSTRICH is the correct spelling. Second check out the 3:56 clip on BBC Earth about 3 Cheetahs versus an Ostrich and you may change your view on the World's largest bird. They are fierce defenders of their young.

Or you could Google "Pipkins"...

Octavia - a Latin based girl's name meaning eighth. Hopefully no longer in use for naming girls, as who would want to share her name with a car?

 

1 minute ago, OldBoyScout said:

Octavia - a Latin based girl's name meaning eighth. Hopefully no longer in use for naming girls, as who would want to share her name with a car?

 

Does that mean you drive a Girl Scout? Sounds a bit trans-gender.

On a more serious note

 

On 30/07/2019 at 09:43, Steviedakota said:

We have two 1.4 150bhp, one manual, one DSG.  I'm a huge fan of the 150bhp petrol, so smooth, frugal (6.5l/100km)and fast.  I'd rate it as one of the best petrols currently available in any car. I think they suit the car better than the diesel as they are so quiet, makes the car feel very premium.

 

Unfortunately the 1.4 petrol is no longer in the current lineup having been replaced by the 1.5. Even more unfortunately the 1.5 has suffered from kangaroo type symptoms on cold starts which VW has been unable to fix, and it has been withdrawn from sale.

 

I like the DSG on my Octavia Scout, but there is a problem with the gear selector which affects various VW group cars.

 

 

I have seen this message a few times over the last year or so, but have not so far been badly affected. Seems to be worse in Rapids and Toledos where it affects door locking. Have not seen it reported in a Superb, but assume the gear selector would be the same as in the Octavia, although my car is 6 speed whereas the latest cars are 7 speed.

 

 

 

39 minutes ago, OldBoyScout said:

as who would want to share her name with a car?

 

 

Just ask Miss Mercedes 🤣

1 hour ago, MiniEggs said:

Just ask Miss Mercedes 🤣

Yes, a more prestige car, but also seems to be favoured as a stage name of porn stars!

 

9 minutes ago, OldBoyScout said:

Yes, a more prestige car, but also seems to be favoured as a stage name of porn stars!

 

They must be the Premium rate ones?