RE: Skoda Superb Estate 280 Sportline: PH Fleet

[MDMA .]

Stormfly1985 said:

I'd imagine that has lost 50% off its RRP in 12 months? Be a good buy in another year or two

Be interested in one when they drop to 10-12k.

[9k rpm]

I really like the look of these and it sounds like a great car but really can’t get over the price!
Over £40k as tested!?
You could get a new 335d touring for that (I paid a lot less for mine) and unless anyone would like to put me straight I don’t think the Superb would be superior in any way.
One to buy nearly new perhaps.

[pwj1959]

I know the list price of a vehicle has to be considered but in this and other reports where the price is seen as a major factor mention is never made about the actual price customers pay. About 7 months ago we bought a Superb estate L&K 4WD 280bhp. It’s a lovely car, very refined, quick and it’s conservative styling belies it’s performance. We got an amazing deal through a broker bringing the price from about £40k to around £34.5k. I am not sure that I would have bought it at full list price. We got a similar reduction 3 years ago on a Golf Gti. I invariably get a quote from a broker to see what figure I should be looking at from a dealer. It also gives a different slant to articles and reports that detail cars which suffer from massive depreciation. I’m looking forward to getting the Skoda back from the dealer when they have sorted the major electrical problem which coincided with a nice fall of snow......!

[thelawnet1]

9k rpm said:

I really like the look of these and it sounds like a great car but really can’t get over the price!
Over £40k as tested!?
You could get a new 335d touring for that (I paid a lot less for mine) and unless anyone would like to put me straight I don’t think the Superb would be superior in any way.
One to buy nearly new perhaps.

well let's see:

1. a 335d runs on diesel, this is petrol, so not comparable
2. a Superb is the size of a 5-series, so not comparable
3. a 530i (which is slower than this) STARTS at £43,110, which is £8,330 more than the Superb 280.
4. the Superb is 4x4, the 530i is not.

Apart form that, yeah.

[CDP]

9k rpm said:

I really like the look of these and it sounds like a great car but really can’t get over the price!
Over £40k as tested!?
You could get a new 335d touring for that (I paid a lot less for mine) and unless anyone would like to put me straight I don’t think the Superb would be superior in any way.
One to buy nearly new perhaps.

Yes, rather too expensive in this trim though it’s more 5 series size.

I wonder what the economy is like, if it’s mid 30s who needs a diesel?

[pwj1959]

9k rpm said:

I really like the look of these and it sounds like a great car but really can’t get over the price!
Over £40k as tested!?
You could get a new 335d touring for that (I paid a lot less for mine) and unless anyone would like to put me straight I don’t think the Superb would be superior in any way.
One to buy nearly new perhaps.

The Skoda is bigger than the 3 series by a considerable margin. Access and comfort are far superior. The Superb is better in this respect even when compared to the 5 series.

[kambites]

9k rpm said:

You could get a new 335d touring for that (I paid a lot less for mine) and unless anyone would like to put me straight I don’t think the Superb would be superior in any way.

The Skoda is more comfortable; much more practical; petrol (arguable whether that's a plus or minus, I suppose); 4wd;... even the Octavia has more useful interior space than the 3-series, the Superb is really in a very different market.

[flatso]

Good product, looks refined and ticks a lt of boxes.

[ahenners]

CDP said:

Yes, rather too expensive in this trim though it’s more 5 series size.

I wonder what the economy is like, if it’s mid 30s who needs a diesel?

Mid to low 30s should be acheiveable, my Octavia VRS 220 with the same base engine has averaged 38 over 20k. On a run its easily capable of mid to high 40s.

[loudlashadjuster]

CDP said:

Yes, rather too expensive in this trim though it’s more 5 series size.

I wonder what the economy is like, if it’s mid 30s who needs a diesel?

I've done about 6,000 km in mine and the OBC is reporting about 27 mpg with a good mix of driving. For reference, it replaced an E61 535d which managed about 26 mpg over 12,000 miles and a 170ps diesel Yeti which claimed about 34 mpg over a similar distance.

[briang9]

Ahonen said:

I used to have a Mk1 Fabia vRS and I'm well aware that we're decades down the road from the old Estelle etc and that the Superb is probably very good, but I still find the idea of a 40 grand Skoda almost unbelievable.

but it's not though really, it's an Audi with a Skoda badge

[kambites]

briang9 said:

but it's not though really, it's an Audi with a Skoda badge

The closest related Audi is the A3, which is a rather different sort of car. Audi's bigger cars are all MLB rather than MQB based.

[loudlashadjuster]

kambites said:

briang9 said:

but it's not though really, it's an Audi with a Skoda badge

The closest related Audi is the A3, which is a rather different sort of car. Audi's bigger cars are all MLB rather than MQB based.

Yes, and despite its size the Superb does really feel like a smaller car to drive, and that's not 100% the compliment it usually is when aimed at larger cars.

Took me a while to recognise what it was in how it drives, but somehow it lacks the heft and waftiness that big metal usually provides. It might be that the drivetrain is too frantic, too Golf R/Leon Cupra R, I dunno.

[kambites]

The daft gear ratios probably don't help.

[ShoooRn]

I've followed your story with the superb with a keen eye!

My first experience of the "new" superb was as a taxi in Romania and whilst just a Elegance spec, the rear seats were a nice place to be. So much so that I bagged a 48hour test drive of a L&K 2.0tdi 184 engined fwd model earlier this year from my local dealer.

The wife and I took our "hired" Superb up to Newcastle from Northampton for a weekend and honestly it was a joy to be in. I'd driven the passat with the same engine and same platform for work to Sunderland and the superb felt far superior in every way on the same trip. As mentioned though it's alot of money for the type of car and if I was spending that money I'd want to feel special and the superb I don't think feels special enough in 280 sportline trim.

The 280 sportline model however I would go for in a few years though as a family cruiser as I think it does everything perfectly. I am going to keenly watch how they perform on the used car market as at the moment with my mileage I can't stomach the depreciation.

[Leggy]

Badge snobbery as said already is prevalent in virtually every other product we buy. Waitrose vs Lidl. Next vs Primark.
There is almost a smugness now with Skoda, enjoying the glow of other VAG products and thinking everyone buying a premium brand are shallow or mugs.
But what if you factor in the depreciation? What’s cheaper to own over say 5 years? I’ve ran Audi’s in the past whilst friends bought Fords and Vauxhall’s. Every time come resale I’ve lost the least.

[loudlashadjuster]

kambites said:

The daft gear ratios probably don't help.

Indeed.

[D200]

What was the measures overall mpg for this?

Also any others costs incurred like servicing, tyres etc

Then trade in value/depreciation ?

I think for long term tests that sort of info would be useful

[herebebeasties]

D200 said:

What was the measures overall mpg for this?

I'm averaging 31mpg on tanks where I have a reasonably light foot (although the onboard computer thinks its closer to 33mpg), but if you use the performance or have a lot of urban use then you'll definitely struggle to get 30mpg out of it. It could really do with the seven speed DSG box and the longer top gear that would bring. It also helps if you drive it in manual mode in low limits - it has a habit of hanging onto 4th/5th gear when it could pootle in 5th/top.

[Scottie - NW]

thelawnet1 said:

well let's see:

1. a 335d runs on diesel, this is petrol, so not comparable
2. a Superb is the size of a 5-series, so not comparable
3. a 530i (which is slower than this) STARTS at £43,110, which is £8,330 more than the Superb 280.
4. the Superb is 4x4, the 530i is not.

Apart form that, yeah.

So you are saying they are not comparable...whilst comparing them...