Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Long-Term Ownership Reviews (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/)

-   -   Skoda Superb - A tryst with destiny (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/118188-skoda-superb-tryst-destiny-5.html)

Both have EPS, Skoda calls the steering system "Electro-Mechanical". Yes, it has more directness, feel and weight than Passat's steering(just like Laura vs Jetta and probably Rapid vs Vento).

Superb's Better Handling is due to stiffer suspension, Passat in comparison has much softly tuned suspension. For low and mid speed ride comfort i would pick Passat, Superb for everything else including high speed composure.

Actually the Skoda's steering is a little different. It's called electro mechanical but it still has a hydraulic line and power steering reservoir. In the Passat it's pure electric.

My feeling of suspension was completely opposite. I found the Superb to be setup brilliantly for ride comfort. Very plush. The Passat was stiffer and you could feel the roads more. Ofcourse this was a back to back TD on the same roads of Kolkata but city traffic so I'm not sure on open roads if that would change.

edit: I correct myself. I got confused with electro-hydraulic steering. Electro mechanical is indeed an electric steering but now I'm not sure how it's different from Passat's electric unit.

Do not forget VW(and maybe Skoda too) is obsessed with high tire pressures. In older Passat they recommended unbelievably high tire pressures, another reason for excessively stiff ride.

Superb is much more stiffer than Passat, good part is high speed ride is as flat as it can be. Compared to Superb my Laura with softer springs has way more absorbent low speed ride but overall ride is not as level.

The new Jetta has a suspension even softer than the Laura, set the tire pressure to 30PSI and see it go soft.


All the Skoda cars sold in India have a better steering setup compared to VWs. Even the handling has slight edge.

A little information I found on Skoda India Site for recommended tyre pressures, oil consumption etc. in their FAQ's section under Service -

Recommended Tyre Pressure in PSI. On the Fuel Lid it mentions in bar only (not so conventional in India)


The tyre size is 205/55 R16 91V. It's deciphering is below -


The recommended Engine Oil for Superb is now Castrol Edge 5W40 Fully Synthetic or Shell Oil (Shell Helix Ultra 5W40) as detailed below -


A note on normal oil consumption (common with most European turbo charged engines) -

Hi Dkaile,

Congrats and wish you many miles on the superb! How did you feel and rate about the Skoda service? I'm sure its about sometime since you've bought the car. How are the availability of the spares?

The car is surely spacious especially for the rear passengers. In my personal view, the superb would be a good alternative to an Audi/BMW, if you do not wish to expend so much.

Thanks. Still to test their Service Part as service interval is very long (15000 km or 1 year). Initial rating seems a tad below the Toyota one. General maintenance spares are freely available, like the Front mud flaps that I installed. The cost is on a higher side, especially for accessories.

But parts are mostly made in Czech Republic or Germany. e.g. I checked the Spanner in the boot to open the wheel nuts and found it to be "Made in Germany" and carries VW/Audi logo and the Audi rings. So lots of part sharing amongst the sister companies and quality levels are also high.

@Dkaile.

One major learning is that when you are driving fully loaded stick to the recommended pressure to avoid belly scrapping.

Whenever my brother visits chennai i ensure i am following the recommendation. The ride is different and the load balance is far better.

Very less scraping.

A bit late in congratulating you but better late than never!! A big CONGRATS for your thoughtful and practical decision. Indeed a comprehensive review with lots of eye candy pictures of your beauty. The cherry on the cake is the product you got at a very good price :D.
The new antenna which is now smaller in size goes well with the curves of the car. The black carpet is indeed a very good choice as against the beige colored ones which are very tough to maintain. Correct choice of the manual transmission. I too love the reverse gear of the skoda as i use to have the skoda fabia diesel elegance 2011 model now the car is gone in total loss all thanks to accident happened due to fog on 31st December 2011 (different story all together) :Frustrati. Looking at the floor mats you can also try the 3D mats which i use to have in my fabia. I must tell you fit and finish of the 3D mats is just perfect and it will enhance the looks and usability of the car all together.

Hi Dkaile!

Hearty Congratulations for the new Superb!
A Beautiful car! I'm sure you must be very proud.

Happy to say that apart from the Toyota, we also have a Skoda in common (albeit, a different variant, but still! :D )

edit: Its too early now, but I would strongly recommend sticking to Shell Helix Ultra. I have used both Castrol Edge & Shell Helix in my car, & believe me, the car is very Shell-happy! :)

Filled up tank. Odo at 400 kms. Trip since last fill 371 kms (250kms on Highway and 120 kms in City). Petrol (Xtra Premium) topped up to 37 Liters.

Actual FE is exactly 10kmpl. Surprisingly the MFD was showing a FE of just 7.1kmpl. I think it gets set everyday or something like that. Need to check the settings or maybe 2 keys were used and that somehow effects what it displays.

Checked Tyre Pressure (One thing I missed in my PDI as delivery was taken at the showroom without any way to check tyre pressure). Shockingly all tyres were at 55~58psi. That explains the slightly bumpy ride I was getting and slightly higher tyre noise filtering in. Reset it to 33psi at the front and 36psi at the rear and felt a dramatic change in the ride quality. These Goodyears ain't that bad.

The colour is a dust magnet in the dusty climate nowadays in the North. My man friday is cleaning the car twice to keep it to my expected levels.

A drivers view in comparison to My Millenium Falcon -
The Fortuner and the Superb are two different beasts. The Toyota has a simplistic no-nonsense approach to driving with minimalistic distractions while the Skoda has the plushness but the complicity of a Sudoku puzzle. Too many buttons, lights and functions distract at first, but once you leave that aside and just concentrate on the driving part, its a similar experience in both so far. Both are torque rockets in their own right. The driving experience so far has been Superb. 9 out of 10 for the car right now (same rating as my Fortuner).

:thumbs up Completely agree! We had a lovely time with our Superb too till it had an issue & after that we faced a tuff time due to the indifference of the Dealer in Chennai! < link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/117005-kaput-skoda-brand-new-laura-ac-electronics-issues.html#post2704625>

As i read more and more, it is very clear that the Skoda like any other automobiles have a small percentages of niggles which crop up but its the dealers responce which escalates the irritation to the next level!

dkaile: Congratulations on the Car! It truly is an awesome car & i am sure you are going to have a lovely time driving it or being driven :D

THe MID shows data for two trips. Trip 1 resets if the car has been parked for over 4 hrs IIRC. Trip 2 displays data over a longer period. But this too resets after a gap of some 4 or 5 days not sure. Just toggle through the displays. You will know for what driving distance it is displaying the FE.

P.S. : Do check the manual. I am not sure if Skoda discourages use of additive mixed petrol for the TSI engine.

33 and 36 psi is still too high for Indian conditions IMO. Something like 32 psi should be ideal. As Anshuman mentioned, VW group have a tendency to recommend very high pressures. The recommended rear pressure under full load for the Laura is an insane 48 psi.

I have read about the Superb earlier but not in THIS much detail. This makes me want to thank and commend this writeup FIRST before congratulating you on your wonderful purchase.

Are you kidding me????!!!! Here I am reading about E-Class features in a sub-20L full size sedan. Kudos Skoda. You seem to have pulled this out. I'm sure Accord and Camry is going to lose customers if not for their superb ASSC; even if not.

Thanks and keep updating this thread!!

Avoid petrol with additives, Skoda recommends ordinary unleaded petrol. MID gets reset if the vehicle is stationary for 2 hours, but pressing the scroll knob on the right brings up the longer term averages (which gets reset after 100 hours of driving, if I really correctly). Tyre pressure of 33 all around works well, below that leads to the risk of punctures (empirical observation, don't ask me why)

Superb! just one word describes your new ride and the post:) IMHO the Superb is a SVFM (superb VFM) in the premium sub star/beemer category. The things which one can dream more from this monster are
1. Keyless entry (Engine start stop button)
2. blue motion equivalent
3. DVD enabled touch screen
4. LED tail lights ( i feel tungsten is not for this category class) - Passat idea?

but these are all customer delights (not just good to have)

All in all - wish you a superb exp ahead.