Team-BHP - Skoda Superb : Official Review

Dear All,

After 15 months (almost) of discussions, dilemma and loads of advice, I booked the 1.8 TSI MT. The dealer is assuring delivery in about 3 weeks tops. I chose the candy white colour. Is this time line realistic? I asked the SA, to ensure only May 19 manufactured vehicle is allotted and he has promised to do so. VIN will be shared shortly upon allocation.

Special thanks to all the contributors to this thread, especially dkaile and lancer_rit, Zahir and others. I owe you all, one each!

I started off by trying to find out an used elegance from the previous lot. BUT, despite the attractive prices, I could not find one single CLEAN piece anywhere on OLX or Cartrade or whatever. My searches were restricted to NCR.

I had shortlisted the X1, the GLA200, the T-Fort and the Superb. I never belonged in a T-Fort anyway, but my wife thought she did. But sorry, it has to be the barge.

The BMW dealership experience was pathetic, the Merc guys were extremely professional and they almost got my money but then, it was always the Superb; when they announced the 6 year warranty, I could not desist or resist!

I am upgrading from the Punto, and I am spoilt by the 195mm GC that it has. Now, how hard is it to live with the 165mm of GC? 90% of my travel is in NCR Noida roads which are in pretty good shape. But we plan to do the odd long drive, some days of the year depending on the kids holiday and all.

Thanks once again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli (Post 4589873)

Dear All,

I am upgrading from the Punto, and I am spoilt by the 195mm GC that it has. Now, how hard is it to live with the 165mm of GC? 90% of my travel is in NCR Noida roads which are in pretty good shape. But we plan to do the odd long drive, some days of the year depending on the kids holiday and all.

Congrats on the buy!

The 165mm on the Superb shouldn't be a big issue - I haven't seen anyone face trouble on some of the gigantic speed breakers in Mumbai.
That being said, you will have to be a little carefully when navigating bad roads / humps especially when fully loaded.

NCR has some fantastic roads, and some beautiful expressways - the superb should be a great mile muncher for those!
Recently did three trips from Delhi - one to UP (3 hours ahead from Agra), to Ludhinana, and to Shimla - the Superb can easily do such journeys without breaking into a sweat.

That being said, if the odd holiday drive includes going to off beat hill stations / Leh etc. - you can always hire an SUV for the trip.
Similarly, you will have to be careful over bigger speed breakers too as compared to the Punto but it is all manageable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli (Post 4589873)

It is reasonable. The car remains in kit form until a confirmed order comes through, then it is put together and despatched. My guess is

Week 1 - Production slot allocation and completion
Week 2 - Transportation
Week 3 - PDI, registration and delivery

Am betting the car will be in your hands within 2 weeks considering current market dynamics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli (Post 4589873)

Now, how hard is it to live with the 165mm of GC? 90% of my travel is in NCR Noida roads which are in pretty good shape. But we plan to do the odd long drive, some days of the year depending on the kids holiday and all!

Congratulations on booking the Superb. Thats an amazing car and engine and great that you got the manual too. The ground clearence is nothing to worry about. In fact, I had 165mm GC on my Vento and that used to often hit the rear bumper bottom on several places when the car was carrying more people and/or load. I later upgraded to the 1.8 TSI Octavia which was 155mm GV and expected to face a lot more of the same but in places where the Vento scraped or hit the ground, the Octavia didnt at all even with load. These higher end cars I believe don't sink in as low as others and while your Punto may be better with higher ground clearence, the Superb shouldn't face much on an issue. The superb is longer than an Octavia but then again it is 10mm taller too which should make it safe IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli (Post 4589873)

Dear All,

After 15 months (almost) of discussions, dilemma and loads of advice, I booked the 1.8 TSI MT.
====
But we plan to do the odd long drive, some days of the year depending on the kids holiday and all.

Thanks once again!

Congratulation!!
I am also planning Superb MT TSI but bit concerned about Bangalore traffic with MT. Though AT is better I can't push my budget further, so can you please share your driving experience.
I wish I could stretch my budget for Sportline :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli (Post 4589873)

Congratulations on the car! The Superb offers incredible VFM. Why didn’t you opt for the at?

On the delivery, I think it may be a little optimistic to be honest but a month or so my be more in line if you’re aggressive with them. They’re always excellent at sales so don’t let the smooth talk fool you. Just keep following up and yes, please re verify the vin. My car, which was promised from the latest lot eventually, was 2 months old when I got it so 3 weeks on a new car seems unlikely. Just double check the car on every front ex. The lighter sockets don’t work on my car (front and back) and I hadn’t checked so now I need to ride it out till I get the time to service it. Door on the front passenger side is misaligned so it won’t close with one swift go. The little things

GC shouldn’t be an issue at all. I drive on horrible roads and have never faced an issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy73 (Post 4590758)

Hi, thanks, I will surely post after I take delivery in about ten days time. For the moment, I am in talks with a nationalized bank for the loan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zahir (Post 4591414)

Thanks! The DSG fear. Plus, just like real radios have large tuning knobs, I am slightly old school: I prefer the MT stupid:

But the ambient lighting in the LnK is sweet! If only it were available on the Style variant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by itwasntme (Post 4591459)

Superb :D news!

Are the interiors brown or beige? Need lots of pictures when you finally get it!

Thanks!

The LnK is brown, while the style retains the beige.

The Skoda people are yet to share the VIN. I am getting a little impatient now. I will keep you posted.

On a different note, all auto loans are now seemingly floating MCLR based. The nationalized banks are offering 9.1/9.2 ish rates with zero prepayment penalty. I want to actually pay off the loan with pre-payments as if it were a bullet payment.

One feedback that I would appreciate, is that of the stock audio in the Style variant: how exactly is it? I am happy if it is above average! :D