I am nearing the 2 year ownership mark soon with my Sportline 272 and this car has surprised me more than any other before it. Not sure if it was the fact I had low expectations from a "heavy family Skoda" (even though I had another Skoda some years back) or if it is really that good as a package but I definitely can't make up my mind on where to go next, meaning to either a different car or a different state of tuning/performance with this one.

Needless to say it has excelled at the daily family duties although I am not the most demanding user in that aspect, not much cargo carrying, no dogs, no towing, no off-roading, just the typical urban family drives and activities that I'm involved in. I've only once needed all of the boot space also, it is mostly empty. In terms of options and comfort it's packed with everything I could tick off and I only now appreciate the amount of luxuries it offers when I look at other potential purchases and I am repeatedly shocked at the features and equipment I see missing (in some cases not even available as an option). Virtual cockpit, RGB ambient lighting all around, electric seats, remote heating, electronic boot with touchless opening/closing, adaptive cruise control with lane guidance just some of the examples I appreciate every day but the list could go on for a few pages. The only cars that come close it in terms of equipment would be latest models from 5 series, A6 and E-Class if, on a full spec.

Performance wise it's a car that with just a remap and an intake is hitting 60mph in 3.8" and the 1/4 mile at 12.2" and with some basic suspension mods (lightweight wheels, firmer rear arb, springs) is now able to corner decently. The DCC definitely helps in that although I crave more in that department as I've always enjoyed sharp cars.

My single "issue" so to speak is that it lacks a distinct sporty character. As I said it has considerably improved since stock, and most people are hugely impressed by it when taken for a drive, but the best way to put it is that it feels much more like a capable family car/cruiser that can accelerate and corner much better than expected, rather than a true sports saloon that can also do the family stuff all-right (get the difference?) 

So apparently there's two ways I could go forward:

a) Stick with it and continue to improve it: Next things would have to be uprated dampers or coilovers and bigger brakes and further stage 2 tuning. Estimated cost around 4-5K EUR but i still would not be able to address everything I'd like to.

b) Switch to something sportier from factory which I would only touch in terms of a stage 1 remap and (maybe) springs if it sat too high although I'd rather avoid that. That "something" would have to be inherently more playful and able to handle a few hot laps (not racing) around a track in stock form without worrying how to return home and be more involving due to its drivetrain setup. For option b) the logical choices are 335i/M340i, C43 estate, Golf R / Cupra estate, (no Audi below an RS4 would be a real upgrade in terms of driving so that's ruled out)


According to current market prices in Sweden I could get decent money for a 2019 car with my low mileage and equipment so it makes option B tempting. The problem is I find issues with almost all cars I've shortlisted:

F30/31 335i/340i - gorgeous on the outside, pretty dated and dull on the inside, I'd honestly take the Superb's cabin with a digital cockpit any day (wife agrees to that too)
G20/21 340i - Lovely car overall, not yet in the price range I'd ideally like to remain though

C43 - love the exterior, interior not so much. Better than the F30 but something in that main screen and analog speedos from 2017-18 is not looking so great for an upgrade

I've also got a "fear" against the premium German brands in that they attract all sorts of unwanted attention that I'd rather not be associated with.

7.5 Golf R - Essentially same car but with slightly firmer suspension, yet the overall behaviour would remain the same
Cupra estate - as above

Now there is a car which looks very promising: The Mk8 Golf R unveiled yesterday (in estate form, not shown yet):   Finally, an e-diff at the front and a proper torque vectoring system at the rear (forget Drift modes) similar to a Focus RS and A45S sounds is if it has all the ingredients to be a great driver's car apart from just a great all-rounder (but rather average in driving) that the 7.5was.  Not crazy about its looks but if it is as good as I expect it I could probably live with it, will go on order later this month.


And after all that, I go back to my car to drive off and still think it's a really beautiful design that is also doing stuff I would not think it would be possible to do/get from in a Skoda a few years back.



Let your views roll...

Edited 5 November, 20205 yr by newbie69

This is the way I look at it - if it ain't broke, why change it and you wont get the money back that you've invested in it.

Why let someone else benefit from it if it still a good car.

I only tend to change my car when it needs too much money spending on it to keep it roadworthy.

Hi, that's a very nice looking car with a lot more power-to-weight than most big-engined cars not all that long ago, as Bigeater says why give all those improvements free to the next owner? It has probably got the legs on most vehicles its size and unless you want to attempt the lap record at the 'Ring, why change?  An uprate in the shocks may be all you need. 

I think that this Superb is a beautiful car with a great and underestimated engine, that has really nothing to envy to A6 or 5 series or E class. But for a petrolhead like me what it really lacks compared to those beautiful and expensive cars is a 6cyl engine.

I'll be honest, if I could afford it I would go for an AMG E class, Alpina B5 or the new 550i. But 100k+ for a car is something I can't spend, and here in Italy I would have to pay about 4.000 €/yr as extra tax just for car's hp.

So if I would think about 1) stick with it and maybe improve it or 2) switch to something sportier, personally i would stick with it. Otherwise i'd have to compromise if switching to something else.

My best compromise could be low mileage 540i G30, that is not exactly sportier than a Superb. I could get a good sound with the right exhaust. Performance with a stage2 setup would be worst than my stage3 Superb. Stage3 for a 6 cyl BMW would cost too much so it would be out of the list. G20 340i could be a good choice too, but I would miss my roomy Superb.

Switching to an other 2.0 tsi would be not a great improvement, of course IMHO.

 

The only advice i'll give to you is that if you can afford a M340i, C43amg or an RS4: go for it!!

Of course a Golf8 R would be a great improvement too for a track day, but it depends on what you're searching for.

 

 

  

2 hours ago, Bigeater said:

This is the way I look at it - if it ain't broke, why change it and you wont get the money back that you've invested in it.

Why let someone else benefit from it if it still a good car.

I only tend to change my car when it needs too much money spending on it to keep it roadworthy.

It definitely ain't broke   the reason I am considering a change of some sort is that in its current state it does not fully meet my desire for a more sporty drive. I will spend some more money either way, the question is whether the cost of mods involved starts to make this a false economy compared to buying a different car. I bought the car knowing as stock it won't be perfect for what I am after but that it has the base to build upon. However, a 30K car with 10K mods is always worth much less when selling up than a 40K car despite both cars having cost the same amount of money. 

 

1 hour ago, Warrior193 said:

Hi, that's a very nice looking car with a lot more power-to-weight than most big-engined cars not all that long ago, as Bigeater says why give all those improvements free to the next owner? It has probably got the legs on most vehicles its size and unless you want to attempt the lap record at the 'Ring, why change?  An uprate in the shocks may be all you need. 

 

I'm not too worried about going much faster than i already go. A downpipe and stage 2 map will probably find their way on the car at some point but it won't be that much different anyway. And to better the times I'm currently seeing with a more expensive car it would mean A LOT of mods and money so this is not the main goal.

What I would really like is a closer connection with the road, some more playfulness and adjustability when pushing on, a more involving drive (but not necessarily faster) experience in general. I used to go karting and I was tracking all my capable cars before the Superb so this is something I miss and probably the reason I am having thoughts about those more "focused" machines.

45 minutes ago, Roscio said:

I think that this Superb is a beautiful car with a great and underestimated engine, that has really nothing to envy to A6 or 5 series or E class. But for a petrolhead like me what it really lacks compared to those beautiful and expensive cars is a 6cyl engine.

I'll be honest, if I could afford it I would go for an AMG E class, Alpina B5 or the new 550i. But 100k+ for a car is something I can't spend, and here in Italy I would have to pay about 4.000 €/yr as extra tax just for car's hp.

So if I would think about 1) stick with it and maybe improve it or 2) switch to something sportier, personally i would stick with it. Otherwise i'd have to compromise if switching to something else.

My best compromise could be low mileage 540i G30, that is not exactly sportier than a Superb. I could get a good sound with the right exhaust. Performance with a stage2 setup would be worst than my stage3 Superb. Stage3 for a 6 cyl BMW would cost too much so it would be out of the list. G20 340i could be a good choice too, but I would miss my roomy Superb.

Switching to an other 2.0 tsi would be not a great improvement, of course IMHO.

 

The only advice i'll give to you is that if you can afford a M340i, C43amg or an RS4: go for it!!

Of course a Golf8 R would be a great improvement too for a track day, but it depends on what you're searching for.

 

 

Agree with several points. Especially the fact that even those more premium cars would mean a downgrade in interior comfort and options unless they are the latest model with full spec, in which case that's more than 20K EUR extra which is something that crosses my price ceiling. I bought the Superb for less than 40K EUR and it was just unbelievable value all things considered. I haven't had such a hard time deciding if I should change to a different car as I do with the Superb, it keeps winning me back every time I make these thoughts.

5 series, E-Class, A6 are disqualified because I'll be faced again with the same problem of trying to make a heavy (in fact heavier than the Superb) and long car, sporty and agile (M5, E63 and RS6 are out of the question unfortunately). It also would take a lot of money to make them faster from where I already stand.

So I have set the limit to the D-segment meaning 3 series / C-Class category.  A used M3 could juuust be achievable and as much as I absolutely love its looks, my God that interior looks as if it's a decade old...  I also will miss the AWD, once you get it is hard to part with it again...  Which is why the new M340i looks very appealing (but expensive still...)
A used C43 estate ticks many boxes but the rear-end reminds me of a hearse  

The new Golf R estate sounds like a much more "down-to-earth" choice after all those cars but its specifications sound very very promising and it also offers the "low-profile" status I like (at least compared to the others). Not crazy about the way it looks (can't be happy with anything, can I??) but maybe if i see it in person I'll change my mind...



 

Edited 5 November, 20205 yr by newbie69

Newbie your car does look great and I can see your passion for it.... Just make it perfect ..... Swap it for an estate !

I agree, that's a good looking car. If you want a suspension you can really throw around, maybe you need another car, like a used Mazda MX-5. Something you can throw around on a sunny day? You've probably spent the equivalent on "fixing up" your family car?

The cost of the mods your thinking of for the Superb is only a drop in the ocean, compared to the cost of fixing the other cars your thinking of looking at. They will break far more often than you think and they're just ridiculous to fix.

I've had many of them and to be honest I've absolutely no intention of ever buying another one again.

Its a grass is greener kind of situation.

An idea of such items would be M5 crank £5000, AMG front air struts £3600, Merc steering rack £2400, Merc front diff £3000, Porsche front pads £650 etc etc. I had a 997 turbo had 2 engines under warranty before i got fed up with it. My last mercedes was that bad the guys on the parts counter could remember my chassis number.

Honestly, apart from the suspension this Superb is one of the best cars I've had in ages, and i base that on the fact it doesn't sh8t itself twice a week like the so called premium nonsense does.

Oh, and theres an S8 in the workshop thats not long out of warranty with 23k on the clock thats waiting on two turbos at the minute. Car has full audi service history. 

Keep your Skoda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10 hours ago, Nick_H said:

Swap it for an estate !

what a stupid idea

25 minutes ago, MartiniB said:

what a stupid idea

 

Ahhh .... You could swap yours for a 280 Estate ! ;-)

3 minutes ago, Nick_H said:

You could swap yours for a 280 Estate ! ;-)

Great idea

 

i were limited within 40k Euros and FWD costed +4k other options in far 2015 sounded more sweet for me
but even now, when power difference(190ps vs 272ps) is more obvious between 2.0 TSI FWD vs AWD

(mine has 220ps)
i can't decide which option can be removed from the list
-> https://www.drive2.ru/l/557894125152633200/

 

one of idea, in my stupid head, is catch FL in it's last year on the line,
cause next model will lose gear stick

11 hours ago, freelunch said:

I agree, that's a good looking car. If you want a suspension you can really throw around, maybe you need another car, like a used Mazda MX-5. Something you can throw around on a sunny day? You've probably spent the equivalent on "fixing up" your family car?

Thought of that (I like the last MX-5 RF quite a lot) but a weekend car is more of a trouble than joy in my eyes. Apart from the double running costs closed parking is near impossible and I wouldn't like to have it just parked outside. And as much I'd like something to throw around I'd still like to get my fix on straight line speed from time to time so it would have to be something much more powerful than an MX-5.  Considered a M2 CS, but that brings the worries of owing something which attracts too much attention and is quite a statement about yourself which gets me hesitating....

 

10 hours ago, UndertheRadar said:

The cost of the mods your thinking of for the Superb is only a drop in the ocean, compared to the cost of fixing the other cars your thinking of looking at. They will break far more often than you think and they're just ridiculous to fix.

I've had many of them and to be honest I've absolutely no intention of ever buying another one again.

Its a grass is greener kind of situation.

An idea of such items would be M5 crank £5000, AMG front air struts £3600, Merc steering rack £2400, Merc front diff £3000, Porsche front pads £650 etc etc. I had a 997 turbo had 2 engines under warranty before i got fed up with it. My last mercedes was that bad the guys on the parts counter could remember my chassis number.

Honestly, apart from the suspension this Superb is one of the best cars I've had in ages, and i base that on the fact it doesn't sh8t itself twice a week like the so called premium nonsense does.

Oh, and theres an S8 in the workshop thats not long out of warranty with 23k on the clock thats waiting on two turbos at the minute. Car has full audi service history. 

Keep your Skoda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I appreciate your experiences with those machines, however (I think) an M340i, C43 etc. are not full-bred sports cars and their underpinnings are more akin to the lesser models than to the top dogs you're describing, hence more affordable to maintain?

In any case, it's great to read that for someone coming from the cars you describe the Superb does not feel that horrible and that a good aftermarket suspension should most of its issues, it might actually be the most sensible thing (together with a few extra supporting mods...)

The other strong candidate remains the new Golf R (in estate form). That ticks the boxes of "affordable maintenance" (largely similar to the Superb apart from the new additions), "low status symbol", "low attention attraction", I'll need a test-drive to crystallize on whether it can offer the improvement I'm after

2 hours ago, newbie69 said:

Thought of that (I like the last MX-5 RF quite a lot) but a weekend car is more of a trouble than joy in my eyes. Apart from the double running costs closed parking is near impossible and I wouldn't like to have it just parked outside. And as much I'd like something to throw around I'd still like to get my fix on straight line speed from time to time so it would have to be something much more powerful than an MX-5.  Considered a M2 CS, but that brings the worries of owing something which attracts too much attention and is quite a statement about yourself which gets me hesitating....

 

I appreciate your experiences with those machines, however (I think) an M340i, C43 etc. are not full-bred sports cars and their underpinnings are more akin to the lesser models than to the top dogs you're describing, hence more affordable to maintain?

In any case, it's great to read that for someone coming from the cars you describe the Superb does not feel that horrible and that a good aftermarket suspension should most of its issues, it might actually be the most sensible thing (together with a few extra supporting mods...)

The other strong candidate remains the new Golf R (in estate form). That ticks the boxes of "affordable maintenance" (largely similar to the Superb apart from the new additions), "low status symbol", "low attention attraction", I'll need a test-drive to crystallize on whether it can offer the improvement I'm after

If you go down the BMW, Audi or Mercedes route, may i be the first person to wish you all the luck in the world. I honestly hope it goes well for you (genuinely).

The other car i had looked at when changing my wife's last time was the Cupra 300 Lux estate. Think they do a 300 R ST now as well. I much preferred the interior and exterior of the Seat compared to the Golf R when i was testing them both. Might also be worth a look if you definitely change rather than modify.

 

55 minutes ago, UndertheRadar said:

If you go down the BMW, Audi or Mercedes route, may i be the first person to wish you all the luck in the world. I honestly hope it goes well for you (genuinely).

The other car i had looked at when changing my wife's last time was the Cupra 300 Lux estate. Think they do a 300 R ST now as well. I much preferred the interior and exterior of the Seat compared to the Golf R when i was testing them both. Might also be worth a look if you definitely change rather than modify.

I also found the Cupra estate a better design than the 7.5R estate on the exterior at least. Cupra looked as if it was designed to be an estate from the beginning, the Golf as they stuck a long boot to the hatch.

On the interior though the Cupra gave the feeling of a cheaper car but my worst feature was the design of the central console, the angles and orientation were not flattering at all in my eyes.

The new Cupra is also looking lovely on the outside and the interior is much improved. The Golf is a bit so and so. If the new Cupra estate shares the exact same tech (front e-lsd, torque vectoring, vehicle dynamics manager) then I might consider it over the new Golf.

Oh, but I just remembered it has that idiotic badge now that it became a brand of its own   

Feels like you are looking for good handling you can use for fun driving in a different way the superb is fun(fast). 

 

Maybe a second car that is built for that? Since you already have a fast car, it can just be a fun car with reasonable power. Gt86, mx-5? 

Maybe this is like swearing in the church but.... - Have you driven the Volvo V60 T6 twin engine?

Compared to my stock DCC Superb it was in a different league regarding connection with the road, cornering and agility overall. I can't compare to the 3-series but in my opinion it wasn't far behind the BMW F20 1 series, didn't get that gocart feeling as in the F20.

Not an expert as I like "floating" around in my cars but it was really a remarkable difference IMHO.

Base price 48keur, after discount 43,5keur, after government discount closer to 41keur.

7 hours ago, KeteCantek said:

Feels like you are looking for good handling you can use for fun driving in a different way the superb is fun(fast). 

 

Maybe a second car that is built for that? Since you already have a fast car, it can just be a fun car with reasonable power. Gt86, mx-5? 

3 posts above ^  

 

 

1 hour ago, Baverhanne said:

Maybe this is like swearing in the church but.... - Have you driven the Volvo V60 T6 twin engine?

Compared to my stock DCC Superb it was in a different league regarding connection with the road, cornering and agility overall. I can't compare to the 3-series but in my opinion it wasn't far behind the BMW F20 1 series, didn't get that gocart feeling as in the F20.

Not an expert as I like "floating" around in my cars but it was really a remarkable difference IMHO.

Base price 48keur, after discount 43,5keur, after government discount closer to 41keur.

As a matter of fact, I happened to drive the latest V60 estate last week actually (in D3 I think). Good and very nice car to be in and I would recommend it to several family people I know but that's about it I think. Nothing particularly sporty that I found about it I'm afraid, especially compared to the current state of my own car (Sportline DCC with uprated springs, anti-roll bar and lightweight wheels). Also design-wise it's set towards a premium, classy feeling rather than a sporty one. In fact the Sportline Superb has much more sport touches both inside and outside (boot spoiler, alcantara, carbon texture panels, a sporty dash, semi-bucket seats etc.) which I quite like.

To provide some extra context, everyone who has been in the car or driven it in its current form finds it surprisingly capable both in a straight line and corners on a public road (drivers of 3 series, GTIs and A6 among those) and I reckon that's true. I just miss my track driving and I'm a fun of an even more involving and fun drive, but only up to the point that it can part of a daily family car (even if not as big as Superb), not a separate one.

Edited 7 November, 20205 yr by newbie69

D3 was the one I drove also, 

How did you feel your car behaved before your mods? Just curious as I feel that my car has absolutely no control over the wheels (no matter DCC setting) when pushing it on roads that aren't flat as a ironing board... 

 

Maybe hope for a new Nissan Stagea 260RS to hit the market

45 minutes ago, Baverhanne said:

D3 was the one I drove also, 

How did you feel your car behaved before your mods? Just curious as I feel that my car has absolutely no control over the wheels (no matter DCC setting) when pushing it on roads that aren't flat as a ironing board... 

 

Maybe hope for a new Nissan Stagea 260RS to hit the market

I drove it stock for over a year so it wasn't that bad to be honest. I did change the wheels within the first week though and the steering came alive immediately. Then arb (mostly) and springs (to a lesser extent) improved it's abilities even further.

Based on my experience and on what other people have reported, Sportline DCC does not exhibit the same issues as other variants or at least to the same extent. Apart from its different springs, I believe the DCC is also set to provide slightly firmer damping on Sportlines because even when stock I never came across the loose behaviour or other complaints owners with L&K DCC were describing.

The way it is currently, I am certain a set of sportier dampers would bring it really close to how a proper sports sedan should behave, maybe uprated control arms to top it off and that's it. I'm just not sure if great grip and handling alone is really what I still miss (it's possible) or whether a car with a different bias-behaviour  al-together is what I'm really after...

Edited 7 November, 20205 yr by newbie69

Can the modern haldex units be tuned? Maybe a little tweak to send more power to the rear sooner than currently would give you a more involving drive. I've heard that it's a bad thing to have it on 100% but maybe a little tune along with a gearbox tune would go well with a set of B6 DCC shocks.

 

I would have thought it's the same haldex as in a golf r or S4?

1 hour ago, MarkyG82 said:

Can the modern haldex units be tuned? Maybe a little tweak to send more power to the rear sooner than currently would give you a more involving drive. I've heard that it's a bad thing to have it on 100% but maybe a little tune along with a gearbox tune would go well with a set of B6 DCC shocks.

 

I would have thought it's the same haldex as in a golf r or S4?

Absolutely. You can get a Haldex controller which allows for different torque split depending on conditions you set (% of throttle, gear, speed etc.) over-riding the stock Haldex ECU.

I've mostly seen it used from people with highly tuned cars for drag starts etc. no idea if it is a real improvement for fast driving though.

The way I see it, drag start or straight line racing it can be beneficial as conditions are more or less standard. For cornering though, ideally you'd need a system that can vary torque split according to conditions and input from several sensors as opposed to a fixed value, essentially what all the latest AWD systems with active rear diffs are offering...

Something like this: https://www.vdveer-engineering.nl/index.php/en/products/haldex-controller

Edited 7 November, 20205 yr by newbie69

Looks to be an option to me. The map mode is interesting as you can include steering angle. Seriously making me rethink my replacement car!

33 minutes ago, MarkyG82 said:

Looks to be an option to me. The map mode is interesting as you can include steering angle. Seriously making me rethink my replacement car!

Actually (no offense meant) how come you spending so much time in the Superb forum/threads?     Are you considering a 272 as your next car or...?

At almost 1000EUR the Haldex controller is not a crazy expensive mod IF it really transforms the way the car drives. I will do some further search on that, I've read a couple of people who have got it in FB groups.

If it's not just about getting more traction and putting down big turbo torque figures it's something I can easily consider together with uprated dampers. All that could potentially result in a really different and much more potent Superb driving wise. A few people have put big turbos on the 280/272 and run 500bhp but I haven't heard anyone really improving the driving as a whole, at least to these levels, hmmm....

My "issue" is that I do love my Sportline inside and out and I find it better than many of the cars I'm considering (outside the driving department), all the extras and comfort it offers me are hard or impossible to get anywhere else without spending MUCH more money so if I could bring it close to what I am after driving wise it would be the perfect car for me.

Edited 7 November, 20205 yr by newbie69

13 minutes ago, newbie69 said:

Actually (no offense meant) how come you spending so much time in the Superb forum/threads?     Are you considering a 272 as your next car or...?

 

 

For a while I was set on a 272/280. I need rid of my oil burner as I mainly do short trips now due to reducing family numbers and not doing a weekly trip for studying.

 

I'm now looking at Passat gte/superb IV to partly future proof myself but I wouldn't pass up a 272 if I found one in the right spec/price (£25k sportline estate, under the 40k ved, heated seats). If they did a 4x4 gte/iv I'd be all over it!

 

Edit: actually if not going plug in the budget would suffer and I would only plan on keeping the car for a short time till full ev makes more sense.

Edited 7 November, 20205 yr by MarkyG82
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