[AutoSphere]

Originally Posted by anuraglakhotia

Same here. Even I did not know that such a version exists. The details on the V6 and VR6 is a great read. Good job done on the overall repair and maintenance work and the car now looks stunning. Do keep us posted on the ownership experience of this rare find as there aren't many such ownership details available on the net.

Same here.Never knew such a 4x4 model existed

@Avinash
So was this model available/launched through Skoda India or was it a direct import.

[Doc_nikhil]

Congratulations Avinash! That is a sweet find for a used car, and I'm not talking about the cosmetic bits. The insight into the VR6 engine layout was very useful; the W12 configuration of the VAG group makes so much more sense now. I assumed that they have stitched 2 V6 engines together, but still was wondering how would that fit into an engine bay. Your explanation and pictorial clears it up for now. So the W16 engine in a Bugatti Veyron is similarly tailored then?

Anyway,that is a beautiful car in a beautiful color, the post detailing shots really do bring out the richness of the color, especially in the parting shots. You are a lucky guy to find this car and the car is lucky to have an owner like you now, who can actually care for it. I hope it serves you trouble free for many more miles to come. Enjoy the car, that is one sleeper you got there.

Cheers!

P.S: A customer friendly and a responsible Skoda service centre you say? Man, some people have all the luck in the world.

[el lobo 6061]

Congratulations and thanks Avinash for sharing this thread and information amongst us. It will be a one point thread for people looking for information on Skoda Superb 3.6 FSi, just like GTO 530d.

Read the complete thread in one go and was hooked to it.

Do keep the thread updated with all the latest info & updates and do post images of service bills as well.

[blackwasp]

Congrats Avinash on the rare vehicle ! Never knew such a car existed right in my backyard! Didn't even know such a vehicle was available.

Thanks for the ownership report. Had I known such a vehicle existed would have picked her up instead of my Abarth

But no regrets ! Thanks for sharing and with so much information. Wish you a many happy miles with her !

[crdi]

Originally Posted by avinash_clt

Apologies if you feel I have gone overboard, this car has been a very special buy after lots of research. Thanks for reading

Not at all overboard. You have provided a good insight about the technical aspects of the car and it is such write-ups that make bhpians a better informed lot.

[avinash_clt]

Thank you all for the appreciation and wishes. To be honest, I came across 8 Superb 3.6s (and all these are on used car websites) till we found this one. It may have formed only a small fraction of the second gen Superb sales in India, but they are out there at prices of entry level premium hatchbacks. Sadly some of them would be listed as 1.8TSI even ( I remember seeing three such ad listings).

Originally Posted by noopster

Lovely review of a nice car! The insights about the VR6 engine configuration you've provided are fascinating as well. Wish you many happy miles in this beauty!

Thank you. The unique engine layout did influence the buying decision.

Originally Posted by Ace F355

That is one awesome find. It is easier to come across Ferraris than these 3.6L sleepers in pre-owned market. Nice write up as well, thank you for sharing it with us and I wish you thousands of trouble free and happy miles with your Superb (it is literally Superb!!!)

Thank you. There are more out there often disguised as 1.8 TSIs

Originally Posted by itwasntme

If you don't mind will you cost out all the repairs and modifications that you carried out? That would help others wanting to take a similar plunge for a used luxury cruiser like yours.

I will list them out individually in a separate post. The mechanical repairs (all in the list I had put up except detailing, painting and tyres) came to Rs.1 lakh. Not a small amount, but can't think of a 260hp AWD sedan that would be cheaper with the same job.

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

This review is rightfully inclined towards the technical excellence in the car rather than its cosmetic bits. Good job.

Thank you. There are only a few reviews for the car in Indian media and I felt they don't do justice to the engineering behind car.

This was one car that I had my eye on because of its sleeper status but opted out because the turbo petrols gave you almost equivalent fun.

True about the TSI. A remap and some bolt ons will make them faster, more so in-gear which is actually what matters. Having said that the lowered suspension, better brakes and all wheel drive traction let you put all that horses onto the road. I expect the front wheel drive cars to be limited beyond a point. Wish this was a turbo

I hope you've taken into account that not too many know the technicalities of this car and you will have to do a lot of explanations to the ASC to get any job done.

Yup I knew what I was getting into. Unless there is something major to look into, scheduled services should be fine. Haldex fluid replacement was the relatively new job for the ASC. Other consumables are shared with 1.8TSI/2.0TDI and is a good thing. The current workforce have guys who are willing to learn and do the job properly. We have the luxury of not to rush them also.Service operation head of the Pinnacle Vehicles group in Kerala is also known personally from his days in VW ASC. Small city, small capacity workshop, good relations. So yeh all that makes up the calculated risk.

The easy way to assess whether the RON rating being used is right for your car is the crank times. It will take a slightly longer time to fire up when the RON rating isn't right.

I will check this next time and compare it with the 1.2 TSI. Interestingly the owner's manual clearly states a BS4 variant for this engine, quotes lesser FE cycle figures too. Would that mean the cars were certified for 91RON fuel as per BS4?

Originally Posted by AutoSphere

So was this model available/launched through Skoda India or was it a direct import.

This was launched as just another variant of the Superb. CKD units assembled in India and sold officially through the ASC. Originally she was priced (OTR) almost 3.5Lakhs more than the diesel DSG. Link to tbhp article on launch

Originally Posted by Doc_nikhil

Congratulations Avinash!...
...So the W16 engine in a Bugatti Veyron is similarly tailored then?

Yes a W16 would be two VR8 banks arranged themselves in a V.

Anyway,that is a beautiful car in a beautiful color, the post detailing shots really do bring out the richness of the color, especially in the parting shots.
P.S: A customer friendly and a responsible Skoda service centre you say? Man, some people have all the luck in the world.

The previous ASC wasn't that great, though they improved towards the end. Current ASC, Pinnacle Motors have workshops in Calicut and Thrissur and most customers are positive about their service levels. End of they day it is down to the management and the workforce. Having been associated the field service industry for a brief time, I have some empathy for things which are beyond their control.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Thanks for the ownership report. Had I known such a vehicle existed would have picked her up instead of my Abarth

Thank you. Great car that you have picked up. Honestly a much more focused vehicle than the Laura vRS (what I felt after a short test drive).



Cheers,
Avinash

[Rajeevraj]

Congrats Avinash. Like many others here, had no clue this had been available in India. I think you will be one of the very few people with a garage so heavy on VAG group cars. . Loved the review and the focus on technical details.

Wish you all the best and looking forward to regular updates.

BTW, which areas in Calicut is this beast expected to be seen? Hope to catch it in flesh sometime when I am in Calicut.

[rosh_aveo1.4]

Dude...that was one brilliant write up. I love the Skodas but was always put off by their service costs and issues. Reading this made me wanna buy one...check my garage..it's all boring Japs :-(
Anyway, do you mind giving the cost breakups...like the cost of maintenance, tyres, tax for re registration and the likes?

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

I think you will be one of the very few people with a garage so heavy on VAG group cars. . Loved the review and the focus on technical details...
.... BTW, which areas in Calicut is this beast expected to be seen? Hope to catch it in flesh sometime when I am in Calicut.

Thank you. Within our budget and skewed priorities, VAG group was where we went to time and again. It would be around mostly within Calicut city limits and occasionally along the beach roads.

Originally Posted by rosh_aveo1.4

Anyway, do you mind giving the cost breakups...like the cost of maintenance, tyres, tax for re registration and the likes?

Tyres:A set of four of the tyres on the car cost 44k. We got small discount for exchange of old tyres. Expect minimum 11k per tyre minimum for sporty options in 225/45 R17. Cheaper alternative are there in the size but won't do justice to the car.
Maintenance: Expect it to be slightly more than the Superb 2.0TDI (more quantity of oil per service, more expensive brake pads and rotors etc). Overall if DSG/Haldex fluids (every 4 years/60k) and brake pads/rotors (depends on your usage) are not involved, I expect the annual service cost to be between Rs.14k-15k.
Life Tax: In KL, for a vehicle which is originally invoiced after 2007, the LTT is calculated as = [ (original exshowroom price) * (current tax rate for a new car of the original exshowroom price ) * (15 - X) / 15 ]. Here X is age of the vehicle in number of years. And yes that is a big lumpsum for a car like Superb 3.6. Ideally one should get refund from previous RTO/state, but is quite a hassle especially when you are not the person who paid the tax originally. For our planned budget and the value we saw in the car, it was worthwhile. Hope this helps


Cheers,
Avinash

[VeyronSuperSprt]

Originally Posted by avinash_clt

Interestingly the owner's manual clearly states a BS4 variant for this engine, quotes lesser FE cycle figures too. Would that mean the cars were certified for 91RON fuel as per BS4?

No, the BS4 rating doesn't mean you can use 91 RON., The engine runs best on 97 RON and it isn't advisable to go below 95. Although for the ARAI homologation 91 RON was used, as the ARAI will only use locally available fuel.

The in gear acceleration is brutal but you need to use the kick down mode.

I like the way that you didn't need to slow down on corners because of the traction available through the 4X4. And the grip available as you power out of corners is fantastic.

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

No, the BS4 rating doesn't mean you can use 91 RON, The engine runs best on 97 RON and it isn't advisable to go below 95. Although for the ARAI homologation 91 RON was used, as the ARAI will only use locally available fuel.

I understand that for homologation purpose they would use the available fuel. But the owner's manual has specific BS4 data only for the 3.6 FSI. Sharing the picture below. Note the fuel efficiency figures in particular (the lesser values would directly mean the need for higher RON I guess). However 1.8TSI/118 kW doesn't have specific BS4 mentioned in the owner's manual, though 112 kW has EU2/EU3/BS4 versions mentioned.
Offtopic: Do we get the 112kW or the 118kw version of 1.8TSI in our Laura and second gen Superb 1.8TSI?

Honestly back in 2012, I thought BS5 would be implemented by 2015 or 2016, following the 5 years behind Euro norms trend till then. There isn't a single fuel station in KL which stocks Speed 97. Nearest for us would be Coimbatore.

I like the way that you didn't need to slow down on corners because of the traction available through the 4X4. And the grip available as you power out of corners is fantastic.

I was initially trying slower through the same corners keeping in mind the size of the car. But then realized the lowered stance and awd make a big difference and thus all so important to have good rubber on all four corners. Poor man's quattro

[VeyronSuperSprt]

Originally Posted by avinash_clt

But the owner's manual has specific BS4 data only for the 3.6 FSI.

Those figures are just the test data using 91 RON. If there is a BS4 variant it would have different specs to the engine - compression ratio etc.

VW will not change the specs of an engine that has a limited sales potential to meet Indian requirements. In fact they don't change the specs even of engines with larger sales. Partly the reason for the issues one faces.

The foot note "BS4 variant" is misleading - don't read anything into it - it's just FE figures using 91 RON fuel

Getting a regular supply of 97 RON was an issue that owner's of the 3.6 faced. With a 60 litre fuel tank and an FE (using 97) of 6 in the city and 11 on the highway you couldn't ensure that you would always be able to get 97 RON.

Offtopic: Do we get the 112kW or the 118kw version of 1.8TSI in our Laura and second gen Superb 1.8TSI?

We get the 118 KW.

[Asta_la_vista]

Congrats on the buy! I too once came across an used 3.6 FSi Superb from Chennai while looking for a replacement for my Benz. But the infamous Skoda ASS in my part of the state prevented my from going for it.

Happy to see the car shining in the parting shots.

Rev hard!!! Drive safe!!!

Cheers!!

[deetjohn]

What a find! It's a fantastic machine! There is nothing like it when both the head and the heart can agree on a car!

And a review to match. It was very informative and a nice read. Thanks for sharing with us.

Coming back to the car, it really is Rossi and Simoncelli rolled into one. The adaptability and longevity of 46 with the daring and talent of 58. I so wish the Superb can retain that registration.

[ajmat]

Congrats on a rare machine. You are already aware that the dealer might not know everything about the car and you will need to develop resources on the net for diagnosis and parts.