Team-BHP - Replacing a Superb - BMW GT, Mercedes C220 or 3rd-gen Skoda Superb?

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For 30 to 32L, petrol and Euro only, your only choices are the Octavia 1.8 TSI and the Superb 1.8 TSI DSGs. You get the same brilliant 1.8 TSI in a more modern package with more bells and whistles and better rear seat comfort (way better in the Superb). If you are looking at used options with premium badges and low running, you will be hard pressed to find petrol cars.

If you aren't averse to diesel, do look at the BMW 3GT. Its got good amount of interior space, handling that will be an upgrade from the Laura and decent grunt. New will cross your budget though. I suggest stretching your budget a bit and look for low run 530d's. You won't regret it. :)

I would also strongly endorse the new Superb as well. I've driven everything upto 50-55L and you can't get a much better experience than the Superb unless you want raw driving pleasure (or snob value) in which case the only car you should look at is the 320D. This new Superb has better ride quality than the outgoing model and feels very close to an A6, and has more interior space as well. In terms of real world performance, the Superb will be very close to the 520d/520i/A6/E200.

The only thing against it is the less than satisfactory service network, but if you put in some TLC during services and make some friends within service centers, you should be ok.

The outgoing A4 mid variant after discounts is being offered at 35L ONR Bangalore. You should defintely consider one.

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Originally Posted by One:1 (Post 4045264)

The new Skoda Superb would be hands down any day my pick in that price bracket! No question. It looks absolutely :Shockked:
An Absolute looker, great engine, great build quality, fantastic rear seats, amazing leg room, Fabulous engine and tranny, decent VFM ,and did i mention how amazing it looks?,that too in "Business Grey"?
However do wait for the new Accord and check out the Camary Hybrid.
Eager to see if the Accord can give it a run for its money.

My issue with the Superb is purely the DSG's track record- given the Skoda ASS here it would honestly be a nightmare if the gearbox started acting up! Also, after using the TSi for a bit, I personally feel the Japanese guys feel a bit lower quality in terms of overall build…

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Originally Posted by mijnoirhammer67 (Post 4045147)

The all new Elantra is out. Ive not driven it but you could expect a review to be up very soon on Team BHP. The petrol top model will be definitely in your budget. The Superb may just be over your budget, but there is no sedan more comfortable than the superb on this side of 40 lakhs. You did mention no SUV's, however do look at the CR-V. It looks very bad in my opinion, but the petrol motor and driving dynamics are among the best. Also, the base A3 would come around 35 OTR.
Ive saved the best option for last, the A4. The new one is up soon, should be out next month so you could get great discounts on the current gen. Especially petrol models. You could easily get it in your budget. You'll have to ask around India though, not just in your city. Many small cities have models left over which they are trying to clear up.

Would not go for a Hyundai for sure- build quality is still quite far behind the Europeans I feel… RE the CRV, could be a good option- though seems like its been around for a while. Is there a facelift or new edition due?
The A3 isnt very comfortable at the back, so I eliminated it from the shortlist.

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Originally Posted by androdev (Post 4045342)

Upgrade from Laura TSI is going to be tough with that budget. Ideally you should look at BMW stable, they just feel like perfect upgrade to Laura (like iPhone 4s to 6s :)). But given the budget constraint and petrol preference, I can't think of anything exciting. Maybe a used 328i or 530d. Or just flog that TSI some more and use the front-passenger seat when being driven. It is a pity there is such a poor choice when it comes to petrols.
OT: Your TSI is MT or DSG? How has your ownership experience been?

It really is a pity that there are no petrol choices! I would LOVE a used 328 but since they were sold in such limited numbers Its really hard to find one… My TSI is a manual- ownership has been as close to flawless as one can get- apart from the usual Skoda ASS nightmares (last service I paid for 3M interior clean and it came back with black seats and no cleaning whatsoever)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpinWizard (Post 4045800)

The outgoing A4 mid variant after discounts is being offered at 35L ONR Bangalore. You should defintely consider one.

The old A4 isnt such a great car, IMHO… Wouldn’t be an upgrade from the TSI in any way except badge value!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat (Post 4045475)

For 30 to 32L, petrol and Euro only, your only choices are the Octavia 1.8 TSI and the Superb 1.8 TSI DSGs. You get the same brilliant 1.8 TSI in a more modern package with more bells and whistles and better rear seat comfort (way better in the Superb). If you are looking at used options with premium badges and low running, you will be hard pressed to find petrol cars.
If you aren't averse to diesel, do look at the BMW 3GT. Its got good amount of interior space, handling that will be an upgrade from the Laura and decent grunt. New will cross your budget though. I suggest stretching your budget a bit and look for low run 530d's. You won't regret it. :)

Have considered low KM 5’s but honestly it’s a really huge car for the city, and the backseat isn’t too great at all. I do feel that I will end up with a 5 series simply because there seems to be decent value in the used examples- though which petrol engine would you recommend apart from the 530 (very few 530’s in BLR)? Have come across the 525 and the 520 available…

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Originally Posted by Akshay1234 (Post 4045162)

320i. That is the perfect upgrade from a Laura 1.8tsi. You get an even better motor (with mod potential), more comfort, better build and of course its much more fun to drive with the Bimmer handling and RWD. Did I mention the lovely 8 speed gearbox?

Very compelling indeed! Wouldn’t mind stretching to 37-38 if the engine is up to scratch- is it? Seems a bit underpowered on paper…

Couple more questions for the experts(!):

1. Is there any clarity on whether the DSG on the new superb petrol has been improved? Its increasingly looking like my primary option, but would walk away if they havent made any changes from the last iteration...

2. Best places to source a used 328?

3. Views on the all-new A4? Looks great, but so disappointed with their choice of engine!

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Originally Posted by nirav (Post 4049003)

The only thing going for superb in your case is space. It drives worse than octavia, DSG is problematic by design, superb won't give any feeling of upgrade which is why most Laura owners skip superb.

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2. Best places to source a used 328?

It's going to be tough, better to look at all bmw 3/5/x3. I know petrol rocks but the overall package of BMW driving is worth the compromise of picking up a diesel.

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3. Views on the all-new A4? Looks great, but so disappointed with their choice of engine!

If you are looking at this budget, i feel Mercedes and Audi pale in comparison to BMW when it comes to driving.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirav (Post 4049003)

As androdev mentioned, I don't think the DSG is updated. To the best of my knowledge its the same as the previous cars. Ive never owned a DSG box car, but its a real hit and miss. Someone i know has the previous gen Superb, around 90,000kms on the odo, no problems whatsoever. They even had a severe crash, car was absolutely smashed up, but fixed everything and its all good now.

For the 328, start ringing up dealers countrywide and I'm sure you'll get a hit. If not, the 320d is a great car. Even the 320i. Everyone whose owned the f30's only have great things to say bout it. If you can stretch your budget, you can definitely get the current E class for discounts. Its due a change, the E and Xf would be going for lakhs less if negotiated properly. The E class ride is pretty good from what i have gathered.

As for the A4, don't do it. Its got the Jetta engine, albeit tuned and more efficient, but paying 30-40 lakhs, maybe too much. That too for a FWD. If you really want an Audi and plan to be chauffeured around, then A4 could be good. But for self driving, engine is below par.

Choose between Superb, 3, E and XF. Superb for space, 3 for performance and Xf for styling. E for everything. TD all of them and you'll have made up your mind easily.

Edit: Jags are notorious for service related issues, so perhaps discredit XF if it doesn't completely blow you over.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirav (Post 4049003)

The gearbox for auto Petrol is still the unreliable DQ200 unit. But if you're the kind of person who would sell your car in 4-5 years this should not be a concern as Skoda now offers 4 years warranty.

If you're going to use the car as a self driving car, go for the manual variant as it's more powerful and also has most of the features of the top variant except the better ICE , cooled seats, keyless boot etc.