Finally rid of the single most un-reliable car I've ever had the 'pleasure' of owning.

Goodbye and Good riddance to - Skoda Superb 130pd.

The list of faults in only 3 years and 117k is far to long to list so I wont bother or i'll be here for hours:rolleyes:

It's been replaced with a beautifull silver Mondeo ST TDCi which has already proven more reliable than the Skoda did in 3 years by lasting 4 days without breaking down:thumbup:

Although i'm well rid of the Skoda (and will never buy another) I thought i'd do a quick comparison of what I do and dont like about both cars.

The Mondeo has a far nicer driving postion than the Superb, especially the pedals which are not offset to the side, and the gearstick is in the right place to, you dont have to reach forward for it, the gearbox is far nicer in the mondeo too, nice short positive throw, the Superbs by comparison is like stirring porridge and throwing one of them massive railway levers!

Engine in the Mondeo is much much quiter than the Superb and smoother to boot, however the Superb (as much as a diesel can) sounded nicer, more purposefull and much more like a petrol engine when under load, the Mondeo just seems to whir and whoosh!

The standard Mondeo is significantly faster than the (chipped)170odd bhp Superb and feels much more planted and sure footed on the roads in all conditions, the ESP and traction control doesn't have to keep interfering all the time either to compensate for a poor chassis, the Superb crashes over bumps and potholes jarring you quite horribly and throwing the steering too, whereas even with a stiffer sports suspension the mondeo rides potholes and bumps very smoothly that would have had the Superb throwing your back out then flashing all its warning lights you!

Interior space is obviously better in the Superb, particularly the rear legroom, but i'm pleasantly suprised at how much space there is in the Mondeo, rear legroom is plentifull but not at superb levels.

Boot in the Superb is huge, but unfortunately being a saloon means you cant use any of the space for anything that isn't flat! by comparison (and it's not a particularly fair one due to Mondeo being a hatch) the Mondeo's boot is far more useable and really not much (if at all) smaller, it's certainly deeper, which makes it more usable, the seats also fold in the Mondeo aiding practicality (I know newer Superbs do to but mine didn't).

There are little touches in the Superb that I will miss, illuminated interior door handles, cat vision, and bag hooks in the boot, but overall the interior trim quality and build are superior in the mondeo, there are no rattles or squeaks at all, and the seat does not creak when you move!

It's also much easier to get to the headlights to change the bulbs on the mondeo (not much of an issue with the xenons but other bulbs are ridiculously difficult to change on the Superb). I also note the Mondeo has the one touch 3 flash indicators for changing lanes that some Skodas now have, it's funny how the Superb never had these, even my mums base model Polo (manual windows and locking) has this feature:confused:

Anyway, i'm basically (if you hadn't guessed already) much happier with the Mondeo than the Skoda, it's such a shame that Skoda can't get their act together particularly with regards to the dealerships and parts quality, my Experience has led me to believe that Skoda still is firmly at the bottom of the VAG ladder and really is a poor excuse for a VW.

Particularly at the prices Skoda are charging now not only for vehicles and parts, but labour rates too, they have a long long way to go before they are a viable option, IMO they have got to big for their boots to quickly and think they are something they are not, they need a reality check and it seems by the number of dealerships that are going bust, and the way they are slipping down all the surverys that they might be getting one!

Mondeo is a nice car actually , my cousin just replaced his Corsa slxi 1.2 with a Black 52 plate 1.8 Zetec , nice and comfortable and a good mile muncher.

Mondeos dont handle for **** as i proved when it went sideways through a wall although it wasnt a ST

You seem to have had more trouble than all the other superb owners put together if it will take you that many hours to list the faults on your superb. I know we can only speak as we find and all i have got to say is i have had nine and a half years trouble free skoda driving, and my current car the superb elegance 2.5TDI V6 is by far the best car i have had.

What a load of rubbish, John - Skoda make the best cars period

Chris

Mondeos dont handle for **** as i proved when it went sideways through a wall although it wasnt a ST

Does that mean Mondeo's don't handle or you're just a crap driver?

Chris

Comparing the handling of an ST Mondeo to a Superb isn't fair tbh.

The Mondeo is a great car, but so is the Superb.

The superb is also MUCH bigger than a mundano....

i like mondeos... altho im not a fan of TDCI

The superb is also MUCH bigger than a mundano....

i like mondeos... altho im not a fan of TDCI

Only in the back, the rest of it's pretty much the same, the narrow seats in the Superb give it the impression of being wider but its actually not.

I was comparing the handling of the Superb to the ST yes but to be fair both are flagship models, and although the ST is obviously a sportier setup, the Superbs handling is not really very good at all, it does hang on, but does not inspire confidence at all.

Even the non ST Mondeo's handle much nicer, the reason is a simple one, the Superbs engine is Longitudinaly mounted, driving the front wheels, hence it hangs out over the front axle by some margin resulting in terminal understeer, the Mondeos transverse engine does not!

The Mondeo's doors dont shut with the same 'thunk' noise as the Superb which I find strange, as the trim quality is nicer in the Ford, I guess thats the difference a bit of rubber can make round the door!

Amazingly the only fault I haven't had with the Superb (i've literaly had every fault you find on these forums and more) is the 'water in the footwell, interior lights dont work' one which is even more amazing given that the car was regularly covered in crap, leaves and bits of tree from the overhanging trees on the driveway!

It's such a shame about the Superb really, it did have the potential to be such a nice car but it just couldn't pull it off, the dealers are no help either, they all need closing and starting from the begining again with some serious reductions in price!

Glad you like the new car.

I only know two people disappointed with their Superbs and both are on here! It's a shame you were let down by Skoda.

i like mondeos... altho im not a fan of TDCI

Why not? Is more refined and much smoother than the PD units... although you don't get a massive wallop of torque.

I could make comment after comment about the Mondeo and Ford dealers, but i don't think the page would be big enough.

I own an STTDCI and have done since they first came out in 2004. At first i was impressed but after nearly two years of ownership things are not so rosey.

My main issue is the fact that the 2.2TDCI engine is so underpowered and i am not the only one who owns one to say, no evidence of transient overboost as Ford declare. The Fabia Vrs as standard is much quicker and a smoother quieter engine.

I have contacted Ford on several occasions and all they can say is NFF (no fault found!)

Previously i had a 2.0 130TDCI and that was very good and just about as quick as the ST, so now having lived with the ST for two years i can make a fairly comprehensive comparison.

Handling is very good which is a trademark of Ford and i can't see how a comparison to the Superb can be made (totally different set ups which has been mentioned previously) However, having said all of this if the Superb was so bad and the dealer to boot then i am not surprised an alternative manufacturer was found.

Very interesting reading this as the ST TDCI is one of the possibilities for my next car.

We have several non-ST TDCI's in our sales rep fleet and all of them get abused yet all of them have less creaks and rattles at 120k than my Octavia did at 70k.

I too am considering a move to the blue side, looked at a titanium x TDCI. Not a bad motor really. I guess that nearly 400k miles in a mk1 Octy in 4.5 years has made me bored. I don't like the number of issues which seem to be coming up on the mk2 and now that I am unable to go to a really, really good dealer I feel the need to change. It''l probably be either the Mundaneo or the Avensis for my next motor.

These were my thoughts a year ago

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/general-car-chat/weekend-had-spin/34736/

Nice but certainly needs a tweek on the power front.In no way did it feel a better/more powerful engine than a friends 1.9tdi superb.

I like the look of the new passats though

I like the look of the new passats though

The estate is very handsome - It is a very big car and in estate form nothing can touch it IMHO.

However I was behind one in traffic the other day the the boot sill was about level with the dash on the MK1 Octavia :eek: Seemed very high off the ground for an estate.

The 2.2 is now available in most rim specs The Avensis 180 estate looks good value too

A quick word of warning about the Avensis-

While it is a very nice car, and I've been singing their praises on here for a while now, the ones on my fleet are starting to play up, it seems they get to around 80,000 miles without issue then they start playing up, most of them are affected too so it's not a 'friday car' issue, and there are quite a few faults poping up now, lots of exhaust problems are becoming prevalent, as are cooling system issues, which in one case resulted in a new engine (all under warranty of course).

I know you do quite a high milage, like myself, thats why I chose the Mondeo, we have very very few problems with Fords at all on the fleet, they seem by far to be the most robust and reliable make for taxi work, even better than the Mercs on the fleet for executive work.

That's why I was leaning more toward the Mundaneo - cheap to run and bulletproof (as much as any car can be these days :( ) enough for fleets and high mileage people - I do 60-70k per year.