Hi everyone. I'm a long term Saab owner (four over 20 years) looking to move on. I currently have a 2010 9-5 2.3t, but 23mpg and 550 quid VED on a 10 year old car is getting too much. I like the Superb and have driven a 190 diesel and a 220 petrol. I'm afraid I don't like diesels but I felt the 220 petrol lacked 'ooomph'. If you accelerate down a slip road in a FPT Saab, you ride the surge of power; the 220 lacked that sense of occasion, even though on paper it's quicker. 

 

I'm looking for a 2-3 year old L&K and my budget means I can get a 220 estate or a 280 hatch. This will be a long term purchase so needs to be right: comfortable, quick, reliable, fun and decent running costs. I guess a 220 is less complex and cheaper to run than a 280, but will it give the sense of occasion that I get from my Saab. Has anyone else here had the same dilemma?

 

Thanks in advance.

I jumped out of a Turbo-X wagon after 7 years 90k miles ownership into an Octavia 184 VRS 4x4 combi. I miss the huge torque band from the V6T, the timeless looks and the amazing front seats and exhaust note but not the fuel bills, changing coil packs, exhaust resonance, waiting for parts to arrive, worry of its further fragility amongst other things.

 

The Superb is a massive step up. It will make your 95 feel so old. I was tempted with a 280 but I just can’t justify the need for the power anymore or that size of car. DSG box is way better than anything GM flung in a Saab. No more manuals for me!
 

I am nostalgic over the TX but no regrets in making the change. 

I went from a 9-5 HOT Aero to a Mk1 Superb (V6TDI - my first Skoda) in 2012, and was very happy with the change.  Not really comparable as cars as they had very different characteristics.  My 2015 vRS (220 TSI) was comparable, performance wise, at stock and would show an Aero a clean pair of heels after its Stage 1 (c. 300bhp) remap.

 

Still miss the Aero though.  Rose tinted glasses and all that.

 

I quite like the idea of a 280, but it's a want, more than a need, and I've never knowingly needed 4x4.

 

Gaz

 

Thanks. I know what you mean about tuning. I had a 95 Aero with Abbot upgrades. That was fun!

 

I know a 220 will be more than enough for my needs, but my first Saab was a 9000CSE FPT. Great car but I always had a twinge whenever I saw an Aero. And I can help thinking about that turbo surge.

 

Agree about the repairs on the Saab though!

You'll lose more in depreciation on a newer Skoda per year than the 550ved. A 280superb still costs 205ved annually anyway. 

 

But if you want to change, the 280 gets 30-35mpg easily on the motorway and power wise and traction definitely will be a step up. DSG will feel very nice compared to the old TC auto in the Saab.  No point going for a 220 if you can afford a 280 really. 

I had a 9-5 2.3t Vector, which I had Hirsched from 185 to 220 bhp.  Hirsch springs too. Loved it,  had it for longer than any other car and put over 120k on it.  When the time came, I got an Octavia vRS, 220 bhp (the model just replaced) and ran that for over four years until this June.  Give and take a couple of inches here and there, it's the same size as the 9-5, it did everything the 9-5 did, was just  as comfortable after a 200 mile trip, and much easier on petrol.  More reliable too, and cheaper to tax!  The only downside was the front wheelspin from a standing start, something the Saab never suffered from, the Octavia being lighter all round bu a fair few kg.   I only changed it for a Karoq (1.5 petrol) because I wasn't getting the chance to use the power these days,  and before the Octavia started to lose a lot of value.  

 

The DSG gearbox is excellent, (ignore the naysayers), the boot and interior space is huge, and I'd have another one in a flash, but with hthe 245 engine. I know wehat you meant about the 220 Saab, but the problem with all motors is that one quickly gets used to their power, and want more. I remember when I picked up my 9-5 after the Hirsch treatment.

 

 know you're looking at a Superb, but I strongly recommend looking at the nearly new Mk3 Octavia vRs's around, there are a lot of 245 models out there - and remember, that's the engine they're still putting in the brand new Golf GTI.  Happy shopping.

Welcome, never had a saab, but friends did... I sense what you're missing.

 

I went from a 75hp citigo to a 272 superb, albeit via a v50T5 for a year. I don't need the 272, I wanted the new toys. I could of got the new toys and more from a very well discounted octavia. I was thinking of long drives to the alps and beyond, or up north to scotland. I got it for the radar cruise, i got it for the making progress moments. Possibly the worst reason, I got it because at that moment I could. If I'd waited another 2 months I'd still have the volvo and a van. SWMBO got some bad medical news, changed our perspectives. The superb's still out there and I am going to drive to the alps in her at least once

 

The boot on the superb is perhaps, like the octavia, its trump card. at 600+ litres on the hatch, it can swallow up vast amounts of kit. MY friend has a 116 company, we get three folk in that with kit for a week climbing and you kind of live in the backseat with the bags. In the superb, it all goes in the boot. Just costs more on the fuel :( Although after 5hours of a walking pole sticking in your side, I'd pay that in a jiffy

The DSG is, great. It has it's moments, but generally it's quicker and smoother than I ever could of hoped to be. I'm often reminded coming of a motorway or at a junction in SWMBO car, that it's not an automatic wondering why its not going anywhere or picking up and going. It is a 1.0 litre focus estate though, it takes a bit of waking up. I tend to have it in eco from customised profile, everythign else normal or sport, then when the moent presents itself requiring a bit more alertness from the box, tap it down to sport then back.

But all said and done, I miss the citigo, it got me from a to b. I miss the citigo more leaving it, than I did the superb I left going into it, a remapped pd170 4x4 mkII superb. Power corrupts

If you do go to test any of them with stop start, either turn that off, or if you don't want to wait for the cycle to wake up, eg roundabouts, gently move the wheel a fraction before your turn comes and it will all start up ready for you to get out of that situation. For me when testing the stop start cycle of the auto not being ready to go; you know when you put the car in first ready to go the clutch kicks the auto restart on, so it's ready. The dsg only has it when you tap the pedal to move... which I felt led to a few moments of omg no, this is going to hurt. Hence the steering wheel wobble trick

Edited 28 November, 20205 yr by ColinD

Everything Colin said about the Stop-Start - yes.  My trick is to just drop my left hand to the switch at the first junction after the car's warmed up enough for it to kick in.  I know where it is without looking (try that when everything's controlled from a touchscreen).  The DSG box is fine, from the 7 speed on my 1.4 Octavia, the 6 speed on my vRS Octavia, and now my 7 speed Karoq. 

 

My OH's car is a 75 bhp  VW Up, post box red - I love driving it at 100% - something I could rarely do in the vRS.

Thanks for the comments back. Sorry to have not replied sooner but we have had a family emergency. Anyway, some interesting thoughts here. I might have a look at a hi spec Octavia - I've had the hatch as a hire car before and was impressed with the front seats, but not the back. The estate might be a different matter though. Because of hire cars I'm also used to stop/start systems, but agree the first time I 'experienced' one it was a shock! 

 

Now restrictions have eased a bit, I'll go and test drive a 280 and see if I think it's worth the extra expense. Will also check out the Octavia as well. I got a good price for my Saab from a specialist so do need a car.

I too had a Saab in between my two Octavias.

 

Unfortunately mine was a bad experience with several breakdowns (one in France) and ending in complete engine failure.

 

I unfortunately didn't have one of the good Saab petrol engines though and had the GM/Fiat/Saab diesel. Think that's where I went wrong. Was far from economical too (the 1.4 TSI I have now is more economical in the real world).

Sorry to hear it. That engine was notorious.

I had one one of the last Saab 9-3s, for 13 years. Loved it, and would have it still but for the fact it was a left-hooker. Straight 2 litre LPT petrol, enough power and good for 200 kph, as certain court records can testify ...

Now have an Octavia Hatch 1.5 SeL, which I've grown to like over the last year (with these lockdowns the car sits around unused most of the year). But I'm very happy with the trim and fittings overall. Can be a bit more noisy than the Saab with road noise, but hardly noticeable. Also reacts more to bumps, but it is a simpler suspension.

But I cannot argue with the economy, probably twice as good as the old Saab (going by garage visits), and £30 pa road tax. And that huge boot, even as a hatch.

 

I loved my Saabs. A 9000 CSE 2.3 which I wish I'd kept for longer & a 9-5 SE 2.0 that I traded it for. Both LPT manuals. Did 100k in those 2. Saab seats are something else. My Superb II felt like the Saabs as soon as I got in it. That's why I bought it. The 9-5 died of the dreaded sludge issue the day after the Superb arrived. Almost like it knew it's time was up.

 

I started to tentatively look around for an older 'weekend' car a couple of years back. Either a 9000 Aero or a D2 Audi. Ended up buying an Audi. Good 9000 Aero's are getting hard to find.

Well, after much lockdown inspired faffing, I took delivery yesterday of a 220 L&K hatch, and it's luvverley. Very impressed with it and in Sport mode it delivers the Saab surge. I'm very happy.

Glad to hear it.

 

I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. 

 

Even going from my 2008 9-3 to the 2012 Octavia it feels like a completely different leave to the Saab.

 

The old Saabs were solid and comfortable. Unfortunately the later ones fell victim to GMs pressure for cost cutting on the fit and finish just wasn't good enough. Squeaks, rattles and poorly fitting trim.

 

The Octavia is just a nice place to be. Nothing too fancy but solid and quiet.

Yep. Starting to get used to it. I don't think I have ever driven anything so luxurious. I'm happy I got the 220, I don't think the extra running costs would have justified the 280.

Many old Saab owners now drive Skoda Superbs & Octavia's. I've never had a Saab. Not because I don't like them but they've just never come onto my radar. 

As for the Superb, I'm now on my 2nd estate. 1st one was a S2 170 diesel estate auto & bought to keep run costs down (easy 68mpg) when I was doing high business mileage. Now I'm not doing high mileage I have a S3 280 L&K which is a great car - space, pace & luxury all in one package. The ultimate sleeper IMO.

The 4 x 4 system on the 280 / 272 is needed to handle power without which the front tyres would be shredded in no time. Even my old 170 diesel could spin front tyres quite easily. My current 280 has had a Stg 1 re-map so is now packing circa 360hp which is more than enough extra ooomph for me. If you want a machine to get you up to speed on a motorway slip road in a hurry this is the one to have.  

I decided to rein my ambitions in a bit and bought the 220 and am very happy with it, although I'm still wading through the various functions and settings. And I'm getting 34 mpg on local running around of a type that my Saab would get 22/23.