Hi all, I've had all manner of cars in my past and drive a lot with work.  After two 5 series G30 and G30 face-lift, it's time to change. The new 5 is not my cup of tea and after an Octavia VRS a few years ago, I've always had the Superb itch to scratch!  

 

Yesterday, I had a test drive of the L&K hatch 2.0tdi 4x4 hatch. I had the car for a number of hours and drove it on all types of roads with and without passengers.  Here's a summary of my thoughts that I sent to a friend:

 

It was surprisingly good. I wasn't expecting much compared to the 5 series. 

 

But. The build quality was on par, the door slam is really heavy and solid, better than the 5. The leather was nice, a darker brown than I have currently, it's a nice grain and also has perforated areas which look good. The seats are something else, heated and chilled with massage! The massage is crazy, there are 10 styles and each has adjustable intensity which you can mix with the cold or hot seat. Honestly if feels like a person is doing it... so relaxing and borderline therapeutic. Canton hifi is decent. 

 

Refinement. It's double glazed and the dampers have 19 levels so you can make it float like a rowing boat. It's on par or slightly better riding than the 5. This car had the optional 19s. Noise wise, it's slightly louder inside than the 5, maybe 10% max. That's just the engine which is not as smooth as the bmw. It was the 2.0 tdi 193.  

 

Performance wise very similar to the 5. Maybe not quite as fast off the line buy it's a 7 speed vs 8 in the bmw so maybe a ratio thing.

 

Loads more room in the back, almost overkill. Heated rear seats and rear has it's own climate zone. 

 

I had if from 10am to 3pm so lots of driving on all types of roads. It's definitely a car to just cruise in and live out my Czech diplomat fantasy.

 

I was impressed with the adaptive cruise as it also steered in lane. I can imagine very good for the work run.

 

What I did find unusual was the amount of cars driving up my backside and generally trying to bully me with their superior cars ( an astra and an Audi a5) ...this never happens to me in the BMW so I found it all very amusing if a little strange.

 

So it's got me thinking... a 265 could be very fun on the occasional situation. Thing is, I predominantly do a 500 mile round trip for work twice a month. Does anyone know if the tsi is slightly more refined than the tdi around town and on a motorway?

 

Also, what is the best mpg on a long motorway run at 70? 

 

I know the tdi is the right tool for the job, I'm just trying to justify getting something I don't need! Lol!

That is my last trip with 2.0 tsi 265p.s

Dunno diesel how it will perform.

My last diesel was Superb 2.0 tdi 190p.s 4x4. It was average 5.6 for the same trip and conditions.

39 minutes ago, DasSkoda said:

That is my last trip with 2.0 tsi 265p.s

Dunno diesel how it will perform.

My last diesel was Superb 2.0 tdi 190p.s 4x4. It was average 5.6 for the same trip and conditions.

Thank you, that's 40.9 mpg ! Very positive. Is the tank the same size and the tdi? Does it come with larger brakes or the same?

 

I'd be interested to hear what other owners are experiencing!

Dunno about the tank. 

The brakes for sure are bigger that these in the tdi. 

Thanks. That's reassuring.

Round town and short motorway journeys I got an average 32 mpg in the first month. 39 on a long run from south coast to Wales so a mix of motorway and small welsh roads. 

2 hours ago, Cedwing said:

Round town and short motorway journeys I got an average 32 mpg in the first month. 39 on a long run from south coast to Wales so a mix of motorway and small welsh roads. 

Thank you this is really helpful. How are you finding the performance?

Besides the fact that the brakes are bigger on the 265 engine, the discs are also ventilated on the rear. I recommend this engine, it is fun to drive with enough power. The consumption on the highway at a constant speed of 130 km/h is about 8%.

Also, I'm wondering whether the upgrade to the 19" Veritate wheels is worth the extra visual clout vs the std 18" Bellatrix?  Any photos of your cars on would be helpful and not many pics around on the 18s.

Thanks to those who have shared their experiences.  I've made my order this afternoon! L&K Hatch with the TSI 265, silver pebble, cognac interior and 19" alloys.

 

I'm really pleased to finally settle on a specification and excited to drive it as I've never actually driven the TSI!  But looking at the videos online and the stats, I don't think I will be disappointed in it. 

 

 

Now for the long wait....

Edited 10 February10 Feb by Novichok

Great choice.

From my end, it was 2 months period, from order to delivery. With included Christmas holidays etc. 

1 hour ago, DasSkoda said:

Great choice.

From my end, it was 2 months period, from order to delivery. With included Christmas holidays etc. 

Well, I'm thinking I'd rather suffer mpg than feeling underpowered.  Time will tell on that rationale. 

 

I'm told 3-4 months with the possibility of modifying a car with a build slot already allocated, to reduce the lead time.  

I personally always drove VW with TSI engines and we're happy with it. Tried Passat B8 biturbo TDI but @170-180km/h the consumption is high anyway.

Latest 2.0 TDI 193hp can require oil top up every couple of K kilometers, sound not great, still vibrate so I ordered Superb with 2.0 TSI 204hp FWD Sportline.

Performance is enough for my highway needs, smooth engine with decent dynamics, consumption is lower overall than the 265hp TSI and generally I am happy with this engine. Should have the car ready at the beginning of June.

I got my L&K 265 4x4 on 19" Veritate in Cobalt Blue last week. Fantastic car.

I upgraded from a S3 220 FWD L&K which was an equally fab car that I bought in 2017.

 

You won't be disappointed.

6 hours ago, TerryMcK said:

I got my L&K 265 4x4 on 19" Veritate in Cobalt Blue last week. Fantastic car.

I upgraded from a S3 220 FWD L&K which was an equally fab car that I bought in 2017.

 

You won't be disappointed.

Cool! Would love to see a picture 😀

Here it is

And I put my 2017 L&K 220 with 18800 on the clock (honestly) in Part Ex for it. Still looking good. Someone is going to get a great car from it - have a look on Rainworth Škoda or škoda.co.uk

Edited 27 February27 Feb by TerryMcK

Looking very nice in the darker colour quite dynamic looking! The colour is similar to bmw I think? What do you think if the wheels compared to your previous ones? 

Edited 27 February27 Feb by Novichok

If I’m honest I still like the look of the original 19” wheels. They were diamond ground with a lacquer on. Had to clean them by hand though rather than pressure wash.

The new 19” wheels are still good but I think they might trap brake dust in a channel at the rim edge. You can see the channel if you zoom in a bit. But at least these can be pressure washed.

Oh I forgot to say I thought the original car was packed with gear and tech but the new one has even more. The Canton sound system sounded a little flat until I discovered the surround sound setting which wasn’t present in the 2017 Canton system.  It is brilliant and really clear even at very high volumes with no distortion.

The gear change on a column stalk takes a bit of getting used to. I keep reaching down to the centre where there is nothing in a vain attempt to engage reverse. Then I remember it is on the right hand stalk and then have to work out which way to turn it LOL.

 

The one thing my wife and I noticed was it slows down before some junctions and roundabouts automatically when the predictive cruise control is engaged. Couldn’t work out what was going on until we looked at the dash and saw it “knows” such things are approaching and flags it up on the screen. A bit too “simply clever” if you ask me. You can override it though.

Ah yes, I see the channel on the alloys, I will have to ensure I don't use the brakes 😆 good news on the pressure washing though. I didn't know there was a surround setting in the stereo. Good to know.

 

Yes my 5 series also knows what's going on....in eco mode you can see it regenerating on the approach to round abouts and junctions....

 

How's the refinement of the engine and the performance?  

As with all VAG   4 cylinder 2l engines you can hear it when you accelerate hard. But  cruising is quiet. I find the ride over poorly maintained local roads round here is noisy. I have the estate whichprobalyisntS well damped as the saloon. Also the tyre pressure is very high on the 265ps. I will experiment with the pressures forthe diesel some time. 

Just read TerryMcK on surround sound and car-spots-roundabout topic.  I had not noticed that, my Predictive Cruise Control will steer around corners and roundabouts but without slowing down, Where is the select ON for surround sound.  I also tend to reach down for the gear change but getting used to it and it is a better place to have it, now I know its there.

Yes under hard acceleration in sport mode it does bark a bit but it’s a pleasant noise. I agree with Cedwing it is very quiet when cruising at 70. The suspension has no rattles or squeaks and rides really well on 19”s even over the atrocious roads we have here.

I don’t think it has those silly false exhaust sounds coming from the speakers like some of the vRS and other VAG cars have. 

 

Tyres with 3 up on board are 2.9 Bar all around with the 265 4x4. It goes up a little in pressure when you are fully loaded.

I would say the performance is brisk for a road car with no wheel spin. My 220 used to front wheel spin for fun on the P7s. This new one still has P7s on but it says “SEAL INSIDE” on them. Not sure if it is a different formulation but it seems to stick to the tarmac going around bends with uncanny grip. I think it is luck of the draw as to what brand of tyres you get with Škoda. Mine is a Tuesday car and got Pirelli’s. Maybe Wednesday’s get Goodyear and Thursday’s get Michelin. I still have a set of 18”s that I have for winter loaded with Nokian snow (winter)  tyres. I need to get those old alloys refinished now as they are looking a bit scuffed.

 

I haven’t driven it at night yet to see the matrix LED lighting in operation.

 

John next time I’m in it I will photograph the place where the surround sound settings are and post it here.

 

 

 

Thanks Terry, I have Goodyear Eagles on 18" wheels.  Mine was built 14/11/2024 which was a Thursday. Had a good look at the menu system yesterday and found the surround sound settings and the graphic equaliser.  Also tried the auto parking for the first time.  A bit scary as it moves in so close to the car it is parking behind that the warning buzzer sounds, but it finished in the right place.