Thoughts on a new MY21 Superb Sportline 280

[fencer]

Having taken delivery of a new MY21 Superb Sportline 280 hatch, I thought I would provide a little summary of my observations compared to my previous MY19 Sportline.

 

Background: I had a MY19 Sportline 280 hatch for just over a year until it was written off in a collision last September by an SUV driver running a red light and t-boning my vehicle in the side and front (car safety was excellent and I walked away without a scratch). My insurance cover was for a full new vehicle replacement and after allowing for COVID factory shutdowns, semi-conductor shortages and shipping delays, I finally received a replacement MY21 Sportline 280 hatch just over a week ago.

 

Note: The Aus-Spec MY21 Sportlines do not (yet) need to conform to Euro 6 regulations so my new vehicle retains the 280hp engine without a particulate filter. It is also retains the 6 Speed DQ250 DSG transmission. Everything else is consistent with European MY21 vehicles.

 

Pros:

 

 DSG appears to be recalibrated and is far more lively and crisp than previous versions with virtually none of the dreaded hesitation and lurch at initial take off. It’s the first time I can say I’m actually enjoying a DSG.

 Paddle shifters are larger and better shaped (but see cons below)

 Matrix LED headlights work well and rear LED light animations are cool

 ‘Sportline’ start-up instrument panel animations add a little theatre

More bass/mid/treble settings for the Columbus Canton system than before, although the overall Canton sound is much the same

 The black lettering on the rear suits a Sportline, as do the rear dark tinted and smoked light lenses

 KESSY on the rear doors as well now

 Wireless Apple CarPlay works seamlessly

The blindspot warning light in the mirrors has been relocated to a much larger warning light on the car window side of the external mirror housings. This is a great improvement over the MY19, which had a tiny light built into the mirrors surface and was impossible to see in bright sunlight

 

Cons:

 

 The quad outlet exhausts with valves has been deleted. Despite retaining the previous 280 engine and running gear, the quad outlets and valves I had on my MY19 vehicle have been replaced by a simple dual exhaust and no valves (single outlet each side). Rather sad about that…

 Related to the above, it seems that Skoda spent whole minutes working closely with Dyson to specially tune the exhaust note. A little rumble would have been nice (and no, I don't want a resonator-delete and I'm not taken with the couple of aftermarket systems I've seen on here for the Superb)

 MIB III infotainment system ‘user experience’ is definitely a step backwards. The Skoda dealer warned me everyone hates it and I’m starting to join that club. The menus are clunky and finding some of the settings buried in sub-menus and sub-sub-menus with odd titles takes way more time than it should

 The Performance Gauges with configurable dials like turbo boost etc that used to appear on the centre screen has gone completely (thanks again MIB III)

Driver profile settings are not remembered when you switch off the vehicle. So, if you set 'Individual' with your own settings (for example: DCC and Steering switched to Sport), the vehicle will automatically revert to the standard default settings when you next start it up, and you will then need to flick through the menu to put the vehicle back into 'Individual' mode again. My previous MY19 vehicle stuck with whatever Individual settings I had when the car was restarted.

 Paddle shifter shape appears to be unique. ie. different shape to previous Superb (MY19 and earlier), and looks like a different shape to VW Golf Mk8 etc. So no paddle extensions available to fit, nor can you easily fit full replacement shifter paddles as the fastening pins that were accessible on previous models have been hidden inside the wheel boss.

 I have both Carista and Ross-Tech VCDS and it’s clear VW/Skoda have locked out a great many features previously accessible on my MY19 – there are very few VCDS tweaks available on MY21 (at least at this stage)

 Only one USB-C port and one standard USB port in the entire vehicle and none in the rear. This should have been resolved for the MY21 update

 I like the new steering wheel overall, but the leather stitching design is more basic and less attractive than on the previous wheel

 You now only get one Skoda umbrella per vehicle, just in the driver’s door (although the Skoda dealer was kind enough to put another one in the front passenger door for me)

 The removable flashlight in the boot has been deleted, even the mount

 

Modifications so far:

·         BMS Throttle Controller (best value single upgrade in my opinion)

·         034 Motorsport Air Intake with a Pipercross panel filter

·         HG-Motorsport hi-flow aluminium Turbo Inlet Pipe

·         JB1 stage 1 piggy back ECU

...and a full tank of 98RON!

Overall, the 2021 Sportline is a fantastic car: well built, quiet, sure footed AWD and genuinely fast. After six months in a little Hyundai rental car, it’s a joy to be back behind the wheel.

[MartiniB]

33 minutes ago, fencer said:

More bass/mid/treble settings for the Columbus Canton system than before,

compared to Amundsen?

asking cause 2016 8" Columbus has that option + subwoofer level

 

thinking about new, but can't accept new 10" Columbus hasn't real volume lever

interesting, what i will lose on swap 2016 8" Columbus to 2021 8" Amundsen . . .

Canton is must have

 

[coppertop]

Congratulations on the new vehicle, sure you will come to terms with the 21MY.

 

Question...how do the modifications you have made so far impact the new car warranty? I can't see any UK dealership carrying out a repair under warranty with the modifications you have made as they always seem to be looking for a get out clause!

[fencer]

6 minutes ago, coppertop said:

Congratulations on the new vehicle, sure you will come to terms with the 21MY.

 

Question...how do the modifications you have made so far impact the new car warranty? I can't see any UK dealership carrying out a repair under warranty with the modifications you have made as they always seem to be looking for a get out clause!

The mods are all easily removable and I have kept all the original parts and if necessary I can return the car to absolute stock in around 45 minutes.

[coppertop]

OK, does the 034 airbox and pipe make any noticeable difference, which part did you go for SKU: 034-108-1011?

[fencer]

Yes, that's the one. However, I didn't use the supplied filter as I felt it was just a little too open and likely to let crud through. Hence I went for the Pipercross panel instead.

 

It's part of a broader approach and should be matched with a better high flow TIP. 

 

Independent test of the 034 here: http://mygolfmk7.com/2020/03/034-cold-air-intake-flow-test/

[Guest]

Strange that yours came with a 6 speed, the MY20 and 21 sportlines in NZ come with the 7 speed

[fencer]

11 hours ago, defiant said:

Strange that yours came with a 6 speed, the MY20 and 21 sportlines in NZ come with the 7 speed

 

I think it's linked to the engine. So NZ is probably receiving the 272 engine with particulate filter. In which case it'll come with the 7 speed DSG. As this has the 280 engine without the particulate filter, it comes with the 6 speed.

[ChrisCh]

What an odd spec!

 

You would think they'd just mirror the Euro spec for Australia rather than coming up with a new standard. You've got a mix of 2016 and 2021 in one car. The DQ250 gearbox is superb in my 2016 car.

 

Thanks for sharing

[billblacoe]

After driving a very bumpy and noisy mk 4 VRS,  I think the Superb Sportline is definitely becoming my preference for next car.   The 4x4 petrol is obviously the preference but very expensive to lease and rare in second hand form.  I've read various reviews saying that in every day driving the 220 still feels plenty quick,  however it looks like that engine has now been downgraded to 190, which starts to feel a bit low on power for a car this big ( and coming from a Mk 3 230 VRS ) .  I'd be interested in any thoughts anyone has on the 190 ( apologies as probably done to death elsewhere but can't find it ). Not expecting it to drive like a VRS, but plenty of go when fully laden with the family, and still quick and safe for overtakes .  thanks 

[Ootohere]

New Karoq are available in Australia with 1.4 TSI and 8 speed Automatics.   People can get lovely cars when parts of the world do not care about the WLTP which is not really Worldwide harmonisation of testing just European manufacturers of vehicles getting away with kidology with both the WLTP and RDE2 figures for some countries around the globe like in Europe..    North America also get 1.4 TSI,s autos from VW without needing to have plug in hybrids.  

Edited 9 April, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[xman]

1.4tsi with torque converter box, what an ideal combination.

 

Pity the EU insist on us getting 2nd best to please the greenie activists who jet around the world to their hot air conferences and jollies.

[Pllnm001]

Hi.

thanks for the review notes.  I’m hoping to have my MY21 Sportline Estate delivered this month (UK).

Regarding the USB ports, please can I ask where are the “hidden” USB ports such as in the centre armrest or glovebox and what type are they (C or A)?

I ask as I was hoping to buy a new USB stick for music in readiness and was wondering what type I’d need.  I’m struggling to find any low profile USB C sticks so hoping I can use a USB A in one of the locations out of direct to view.  Worst case a USB C to A adaptor or something.

Thanks

 

[Pllnm001]

Also one more question please...

 

ive noticed the black Skoda logo on the front.  Is that standard?  I thought it was only the rear badges that were black and was going to be buying an aftermarket black front badge to match.  That’s great if it’s actually standard.

 

thanks

[fencer]

16 hours ago, Pllnm001 said:

Also one more question please...

 

ive noticed the black Skoda logo on the front.  Is that standard?  I thought it was only the rear badges that were black and was going to be buying an aftermarket black front badge to match.  That’s great if it’s actually standard.

 

thanks

 

There is a single USB-C (illuminated) next to the phone charging mat under the sliding panel just in front of the gear shift. Then a single standard USB inside and at the rear of the centre arm rest storage box. They are the only two USB's in the car - none in the rear - which is underwhelming for a 2021 update.

The front badge is aftermarket (from SuperSkoda or whatever they call themselves now). It's basically OEM and fitted straight on and I think better matches the overall piano black highlights on the Sportline, especially the black rear badging.

[fencer]

I should have added that I went through the same issues finding the right USB for music in the car (noting that the previous SD-Card reader has been deleted on MY21). I couldn't find a low profile USB-C stick that would fit under the sliding panel. So I got the fastest (and smallest/lowest profile physical size) USB 3.0 stick and used the port in the rear of the centre storage bin. It works fine and connects to the Columbus with no issues. I have left the front USB-C open for use another day for something else.

Remember if you want album art to display on the screen, the jpg's must be no larger than 500 x 500 pixels.

[Schoda206]

Thanks for your observations, they helped prepare me for what to expect when I picked up my Sportline yesterday (upgrading from my beloved old 2016 206kw 4x4). As you have said, overall the 2021 is a great car, but the MIB III is underwhelming, slow and buggy.

 

You mentioned that you've been using the USB A slot for music files. Like you, I was using an SD card in my old car so I transferred them to a low profile USB A a few weeks back in readiness. The MIB III plays music and playlist files fine, but seems to handle playlists differently than the old system. Most noticeably (and irritatingly) when the car is switched off, the system forgets what track and playlist were playing. Instead, when the car is turned on again, the USB takes ages to reload and then the system goes back to the first media file it can find and plays that instead. This does not happen when playing tracks from the Artist, Album, Genre and Track categories. 

 

Can I ask, are you using your own generated playlists and , if so, does the MIB III have the same memory problems for you? 

[whitevx]

On 11/04/2021 at 12:12, fencer said:

 

There is a single USB-C (illuminated) next to the phone charging mat under the sliding panel just in front of the gear shift. Then a single standard USB inside and at the rear of the centre arm rest storage box. They are the only two USB's in the car - none in the rear - which is underwhelming for a 2021 update.

The front badge is aftermarket (from SuperSkoda or whatever they call themselves now). It's basically OEM and fitted straight on and I think better matches the overall piano black highlights on the Sportline, especially the black rear badging.

Strange that your MY21 Supurb has limited usb ports. My MY21 Karoq Sportline has 2 type C plus the wireless charger mat, a usb port in the rear and another cigar lighter output in the boot too.

[fencer]

Congrats on the new Sportline, the silver looks great. The MIB III system is a dog and has frozen up completely on me several times (requires the car to be shut off, let it go to sleep, and then re-started to unfreeze the unit). In regard to the USB, I have simply copied all the tracks in straight to the USB. I have not created any play lists - just a straight dump of music files onto the USB. Consequently it will remember the last played track, as you've found. 

[Donweather]

On 07/04/2021 at 18:49, fencer said:

 

Having taken delivery of a new MY21 Superb Sportline 280 hatch, I thought I would provide a little summary of my observations compared to my previous MY19 Sportline.

 

Background: I had a MY19 Sportline 280 hatch for just over a year until it was written off in a collision last September by an SUV driver running a red light and t-boning my vehicle in the side and front (car safety was excellent and I walked away without a scratch). My insurance cover was for a full new vehicle replacement and after allowing for COVID factory shutdowns, semi-conductor shortages and shipping delays, I finally received a replacement MY21 Sportline 280 hatch just over a week ago.

 

Note: The Aus-Spec MY21 Sportlines do not (yet) need to conform to Euro 6 regulations so my new vehicle retains the 280hp engine without a particulate filter. It is also retains the 6 Speed DQ250 DSG transmission. Everything else is consistent with European MY21 vehicles.

 

Pros:

 

 DSG appears to be recalibrated and is far more lively and crisp than previous versions with virtually none of the dreaded hesitation and lurch at initial take off. It’s the first time I can say I’m actually enjoying a DSG.

 Paddle shifters are larger and better shaped (but see cons below)

 Matrix LED headlights work well and rear LED light animations are cool

 ‘Sportline’ start-up instrument panel animations add a little theatre

More bass/mid/treble settings for the Columbus Canton system than before, although the overall Canton sound is much the same

 The black lettering on the rear suits a Sportline, as do the rear dark tinted and smoked light lenses

 KESSY on the rear doors as well now

 Wireless Apple CarPlay works seamlessly

The blindspot warning light in the mirrors has been relocated to a much larger warning light on the car window side of the external mirror housings. This is a great improvement over the MY19, which had a tiny light built into the mirrors surface and was impossible to see in bright sunlight

 

Cons:

 

 The quad outlet exhausts with valves has been deleted. Despite retaining the previous 280 engine and running gear, the quad outlets and valves I had on my MY19 vehicle have been replaced by a simple dual exhaust and no valves (single outlet each side). Rather sad about that…

 Related to the above, it seems that Skoda spent whole minutes working closely with Dyson to specially tune the exhaust note. A little rumble would have been nice (and no, I don't want a resonator-delete and I'm not taken with the couple of aftermarket systems I've seen on here for the Superb)

 MIB III infotainment system ‘user experience’ is definitely a step backwards. The Skoda dealer warned me everyone hates it and I’m starting to join that club. The menus are clunky and finding some of the settings buried in sub-menus and sub-sub-menus with odd titles takes way more time than it should

 The Performance Gauges with configurable dials like turbo boost etc that used to appear on the centre screen has gone completely (thanks again MIB III)

Driver profile settings are not remembered when you switch off the vehicle. So, if you set 'Individual' with your own settings (for example: DCC and Steering switched to Sport), the vehicle will automatically revert to the standard default settings when you next start it up, and you will then need to flick through the menu to put the vehicle back into 'Individual' mode again. My previous MY19 vehicle stuck with whatever Individual settings I had when the car was restarted.

 Paddle shifter shape appears to be unique. ie. different shape to previous Superb (MY19 and earlier), and looks like a different shape to VW Golf Mk8 etc. So no paddle extensions available to fit, nor can you easily fit full replacement shifter paddles as the fastening pins that were accessible on previous models have been hidden inside the wheel boss.

 I have both Carista and Ross-Tech VCDS and it’s clear VW/Skoda have locked out a great many features previously accessible on my MY19 – there are very few VCDS tweaks available on MY21 (at least at this stage)

 Only one USB-C port and one standard USB port in the entire vehicle and none in the rear. This should have been resolved for the MY21 update

 I like the new steering wheel overall, but the leather stitching design is more basic and less attractive than on the previous wheel

 You now only get one Skoda umbrella per vehicle, just in the driver’s door (although the Skoda dealer was kind enough to put another one in the front passenger door for me)

 The removable flashlight in the boot has been deleted, even the mount

 

Modifications so far:

·         BMS Throttle Controller (best value single upgrade in my opinion)

·         034 Motorsport Air Intake with a Pipercross panel filter

·         HG-Motorsport hi-flow aluminium Turbo Inlet Pipe

·         JB1 stage 1 piggy back ECU

...and a full tank of 98RON!

 

Overall, the 2021 Sportline is a fantastic car: well built, quiet, sure footed AWD and genuinely fast. After six months in a little Hyundai rental car, it’s a joy to be back behind the wheel.

Great summary and write up.  I presume you have the same 6 speed DSG as my MY21 sportline (Australia).  You're not concerned about the torque form the JB1 on this gearbox?  Did you get the DSG remap when you installed the JB1?

[whitevx]

@fencereven my Sportline Karoq has more USB points than yours. It seems odd that skoda have removed so many things, I accept price to manufacture etc etc but sometimes even that is questionable.

[fencer]

Yes, 6 Speed DQ250. I haven't experienced any issues with it handling the additional torque from the JB1. However, I am also aware that the DQ250 maxes out around 400Nm and to truly benefit it would need a DSG remap. Just not a priority at the moment and it is plenty fast regardless, especially in the mid range.

I have received a set of Eibach springs this week and will get them installed in the near future to sharpen the handling.

 

The number of USBs in the vehicle is poor for a MY21 update. That said, it has wireless phone charging and wireless Car Play, so I haven't actually used the front USB-C port for anything yet anyway.

[Skoda_]

On 07/04/2021 at 18:49, fencer said:

 

Having taken delivery of a new MY21 Superb Sportline 280 hatch, I thought I would provide a little summary of my observations compared to my previous MY19 Sportline.

...

Note: The Aus-Spec MY21 Sportlines do not (yet) need to conform to Euro 6 regulations so my new vehicle retains the 280hp engine without a particulate filter. It is also retains the 6 Speed DQ250 DSG transmission. Everything else is consistent with European MY21 vehicles.

 

Pros:

 DSG appears to be recalibrated and is far more lively and crisp than previous versions with virtually none of the dreaded hesitation and lurch at initial take off. It’s the first time I can say I’m actually enjoying a DSG.

...

 

Cons:

...

 MIB III infotainment system ‘user experience’ is definitely a step backwards. The Skoda dealer warned me everyone hates it and I’m starting to join that club. The menus are clunky and finding some of the settings buried in sub-menus and sub-sub-menus with odd titles takes way more time than it should

 The Performance Gauges with configurable dials like turbo boost etc that used to appear on the centre screen has gone completely (thanks again MIB III)

 

 

 

 

·         BMS Throttle Controller (best value single upgrade in my opinion)

 

 

 

On 09/04/2021 at 08:21, fencer said:

Quote

  On 08/04/2021 at 20:30, defiant said:

Strange that yours came with a 6 speed, the MY20 and 21 sportlines in NZ come with the 7 speed

 

I think it's linked to the engine. So NZ is probably receiving the 272 engine with particulate filter. In which case it'll come with the 7 speed DSG. As this has the 280 engine without the particulate filter, it comes with the 6 speed.

 

A very informative post!

 

After reading your comments regarding the different engines (280 vs 272hp) and DSGs (6spd DQ250 vs 7spd ?DQ380), I'm trying to understand which combination would be the better option, performance-wise.  I've seen a bit of contradictory information regarding 0-100kph (0-62mph) times in official brochures, e.g.

• AU Jan 2021 - 280hp 6spd, 6.0s sedan / 6.1s wagon, 0-100kph
• NZ Apr 2021 - 280hp 7spd, 5.6s sedan / 5.7s wagon, 0-100kph
• UK Jul 2021 - 280hp 7spd, 5.2s hatch / 5.3s estate, 0-62mph (=99.82kph)
• UK May 2020 - 272hp 7spd, 5.6s hatch / 5.7s estate, 0-62mph

Note the NZ and UK 280hp 7spd combinations!  And differing 0-100 times!!

I wonder if the AU models are detuned.

 

Other websites (e.g. carsales) quote 5.8s, but real-world tests show as low as 5.1-5.3s (youtube using draggy, fastlaps).  And then 4.6s 0-100 (12.6s 1/4mi) with a tune and presumably supporting hardware, which is all pretty impressive out of a 1600kg car.

 

By your comments, I thought the non-conformance to Euro 6 regulations and absence of particulate filter might translate to better performance, but seemingly not.

I also thought the older 6spd would have been slower and less responsive but your impressions indicate otherwise (at least compared to your previous car).

 

 

The brochure mentions the following features:

• Performance Monitor (customisable) featuring Bar Pressure, G-Force, kW's, engine temperature and oil temperature
• Lap timer

Were your comments meaning that you don't have these on your MY21 car?

 

 

Are your front and rear windows standard (including the sunset privacy glass), or have you tinted them as well?

If the latter, what tint (e.g. T35, T20, etc.) did you have installed on the front and rear (including boot windows and rear windscreen)?

Yours looks to be fairly even tint front and rear, whereas, the sunset privacy tint on rear windows sometimes seems to be a fair bit darker than the front windows, but other times only slightly darker.

 

 

It seems like MIB III is a downgrade of sorts.

 

Interesting about the BMS Throttle Controller - it sounds like the throttle sensitivity in the Superb has been numbed.

 

 

Thanks again for your review - it's been very helpful.

Looking forward to your responses.

 

[Donweather]

On 06/07/2021 at 08:33, Skoda_ said:

Are your front and rear windows standard (including the sunset privacy glass), or have you tinted them as well?

If the latter, what tint (e.g. T35, T20, etc.) did you have installed on the front and rear (including boot windows and rear windscreen)?

Yours looks to be fairly even tint front and rear, whereas, the sunset privacy tint on rear windows sometimes seems to be a fair bit darker than the front windows, but other times only slightly darker.

 

I have VLT20 on the fronts and VLT70 on the privacy glass rears.  When first installed it was perfect however under some ambient light situations the fronts can look a touch darker than the rears now which I don't like the look of. I did originally ask for VLT50 on the rears but the tinter said that would be too dark with the privacy glass to match the rears.  Here's my pic.

Edited 7 July, 2021 by Donweather

[Skoda_]

4 hours ago, Donweather said:

I have VLT20 on the fronts and VLT70 on the privacy glass rears.  When first installed it was perfect however under some ambient light situations the fronts can look a touch darker than the rears now which I don't like the look of. I did originally ask for VLT50 on the rears but the tinter said that would be too dark with the privacy glass to match the rears.  Here's my pic.

 

Thanks for the information and photo - it provides a good comparison.

 

One thing that I noticed was that the front windows appear to have no (or not much of a) factory tint (they are the lightest), the rear passenger windows have privacy glass (they are the darkest) and the boot windows and rear windscreen have a slight tint, which doesn't seem to be as dark as the privacy glass (they are in-between the front and rear tints, but a bit closer to the rear privacy glass).  I'm not sure if this is correct or if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Your rear windows and boot windows seem to be quite similar with the VLT70.

 

While not ideal, you could always have the rear tint removed and replaced with VLT50.  It's just an added expense.  Or approach the installer, who provided incorrect information, for compensation or discounted pricing for installing VLT50.