[Dippy]

Another morning, another day at work. Was at the office when got the news that I had to to town to meet a client for some work.

Left the office and was heading town when I came upon AutoBahn the Skoda dealership at Prabhadevi. I had some time on my hands so I decided to take a look at the Superb. walked into the showroom and was greeted by a friendly salesperson. He showed me around the car and from the first look I was quite impressed.

The car looks really solid from the outside adn equally luxurious from the insides. The Beige interiors matched the black paint job really well. The interiors spoke quality all the way. I just mentioned how it would be like to drive when he asked me Would you like to try it sir? " Oh boy would I ever...

He asked me to sit while he arranged for the test car . He came back in 5 minutes and we went to the car. The car I was supposed to drive was a Sahara Beige gleaming in the afternoon sun.

I preffered a drive at the Worli Seaface so we headed that way. I seated myself in the back seat on the way. The confort levels are really high and headrest offer you good support. Leg room for the rear passengers is tremendous even with the front seats pushed fully backwards.

Finally we arrived at seaface and it was my turn to take the wheel. I got into the drivers seat and got it adjusted to my liking. The steering feel was good and comfortable. I shifted into D and we were off. I put the car through the gears as I drove along the seaface when I came to the signal midway.

Light green and I gave full throttle and before I knew it I was already past the 100 kph mark. The car is rock steady at high speeds and handles really well. Rubber for the car is in the form of 16 inchers and 205 tubeless tyres. The tip tronic shift is good too with an electronic clutch button which you use while shifting. Braking was precise as I tried slowing down from a 100.

Coming to the other things, air conditioning was excellent. Seperate vents at the rear have been provided . Dash has been well laid out although it does offer a resemblance to the one in the Octavia. Leather and wood used is of high quality. The on board computer gives you the respective readings like fuel, mileage, temp etc.. Sun roof works well.

Took a couple spins before coming to a halt just before the end of the seaface stretch. Got back into the rear seat for the drive back to the showroom. Picked up the brochures which he gave me and came away smiling having enjoyed my drive.

The car is 27 lakhs odd on road Mumbai and the car offers a lot for the money. Its an E class car for C Class money. But in the end to many a people the tri pointed star on the bonnet of your car really does matter.

Dippy

P.S. I took some pictures of the car which hopefully I should be able to put up once I get access to my comp at home.

[v12]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Its an E class car for C Class money.

Definitely. E class power and comfort at C prices. The Superb will definitely sell superbly in the market beating C, E and the 3 [if and when it is launched]. If the Octavia could take a piece of cake out of the D segment cars , i'm sure Superb will do it too.

The only thing against the Superb is its looks which is very similar to the Octavia.

[dipen]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (v12 @ July 22 2004,16:53)]E class power and comfort at C prices.

hey buddy ..its not e class power ..its power is much more (abt 24 hp) than e-class( E240)
Considering the petrol variant only at this moment.

With regards to its looks ,
Much similar to the octavia

Can we call the Superb a VFM package ?
at a mere 27 lakhs ...abt 2.5 to 3 lakhs cheaper than the C -class auto C200 Kompressor

in comparision to the C-Class
more space ...
more legroom.
more headroom
more power

Better fuel economy 10.xx thats what the company claims
But it wont be less than 8 in citywith Ac ..thats what I feel

more features , like sunroof etc...
Tiptronic transmission

Only think lacking is the 3 pointed star.
But I think ppl are becoming more and more intelligent day by day..
they want every penny worth.


BTW , Dippy , did u check the fuel consumption on digital display inside .
The company's claim of 10.xx seems to be really excellant (considering the power , body weight) , if true

Shouldnt' Skoda introduce a 6 speed sequential manual with this car for the crazy ones

tiprronic is not so bad either

Also any idea when is the diesel variant arriving with those 150 horses on tap

[Stratos]

Skoda has done a Superb job by launching the Superb in India! It no doubt value for money in its particular segment!!
A normal car is good...but a best car is Superb!!!

[Aditya]

As a value for money package, it's hard to beat the Superb or the Accord. But, someone who buys a Mercedes, wants something more than just a car.

[Revvmaster]

E-Class for C-class money?

Well here's how i'd put it. E-Class size with S-Class comfort for C-Class price and running costs.

Unless i bring the brilliant diesel into the picture, then i'd put it as Accord iVTEC running costs.

Revv

[Rudra Sen]

Hey Dippy, where are the photos?

[ajmat]

But again, it is stretching the brand value. The value proposition is unbeatable but would you pay 27l for a Skoda - a brand which represent modest quality motoring. Skoda's sell well upto the Octavia. Superb is based on the chinese version of the VW Passat (longer wheelbase) for Czech bureaucrats who wanted a state limo. Maruti can sell a car beyond 7 lakhs, Hyundai beyond 12 L. I doubt that I would pay more than 20l for a Honda. Ford found that beyond the Mondeo, bigger fords in Europe never sell hence they bought brands - Volvo and Jaguar. VW find that no one will pay more than 25000 pounds for a Phaeton (the Tourag is selling well though).

End of the day - Expect to see a bloodbath at resale time. Its a great car but every brand has its place

[Rtech]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Superb is based on the chinese version of the VW Passat (longer wheelbase)

Ajmat, the long wheelbase Passat is sold everywhere from China to the US and EU as well, so I don't see how you clssifiy it as the chinese version??

Anyways, although being a fan of Skoda, when it comes to choosing between the Superb and the C class, well, aside from price, I don't believe they fall in the same category at all.

Think about it. A buyer who has 28lakhs in his pocket knows what he wants. Does he want comfort and space? Will he be sitting in the backseat only? If the answer to this is yes, then the choice is obvious - the Superb.

However, another person may want a smaller personal luxury car which is sporty and fun to drive. He's gonna be doing all the driving and his kids are still tiny, so the backseat is not important. His choice - well, the C class of course, the star on the bonnet is a bonus!

Ofcourse, you will have that small percentage of buyers who, although they only sit in the back, would still pick the C as it has the 3 pointed star on it.

So you see, the markets for these two vehicles are different. Lets stop comparing cars on their pricing alone and see which class they fall into looking at their other aspects like physical size, purpose etc.

The real question here is not whether you'd buy a Superb or an E class, but would you rather save 10 lakhs and buy the Superb instead of the E class?

Rtech

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (rtech @ July 23 2004,09:36)]Ajmat, the long wheelbase Passat is sold everywhere from China to the US and EU as well, so I don't see how you clssifiy it as the chinese version??

Nope, the chinese version has 3 inches built into the rear passenger area - since most cars at that segment are chauffeur driven

[ajmat]

just plug in - skoda, chinese, passat into google and you will see the answers

[GTO]

I agree with Ajmat here, that every brand has its own limitations and you cannot expect it to succeed across a wide spectrum of pricebands. As he has already stated, Maruti has found it impossible to sell a car above the 7 lac pricepoint, and Hyundai above the million mark. There are always some exceptions...more noteworthy is Honda which has succeeded in selling Rs.50000 scooters and a Rs. 1700000 car - both in great volumes. But even Honda had to launch an Acura brand to tap the above-accord segment.

In the luxury segment, its the brand that counts significantly toward the purchase.

The Superb has three significant things running against it:

1. Its the Skoda brand versus the Mercedes brand. Think about it.

2. It looks awfully similar to the Octavia.

3. Its a front wheel drive.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]well, aside from price, I don't believe they fall in the same category at all.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Lets stop comparing cars on their pricing alone and see which class they fall into looking at their other aspects like physical size, purpose etc.

In that case, the Honda Accord V6 has beaten the Superb on almost every count.

1. The Accord is longer (4813 mm) vs Superb (4803 mm).

2. The V6 (1816 mm) is wider than the Superb (1765 mm)

3. The Accord (221 bhp) is more powerful than the superb (190 bhp).

4. In addition, it would be safe to assume that the Accord is far more reliable, more driver-oriented, cheaper to maintain, faster, more fuel - efficient etc. etc.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]The real question here is not whether you'd buy a Superb or an E class, but would you rather save 10 lakhs and buy the Superb instead of the E class?

Or would you save 10 lacs and buy the Accord V6 instead of the Superb?

GTO

[Rtech]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Quote
well, aside from price, I don't believe they fall in the same category at all.


Quote
Lets stop comparing cars on their pricing alone and see which class they fall into looking at their other aspects like physical size, purpose etc.


In that case, the Honda Accord V6 has beaten the Superb on almost every count.

Yes, I agree with you totally.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Or would you save 10 lacs and buy the Accord V6 instead of the Superb?

The answer here too is a yes. I would save the extra cash and get an Accord V6. But then again, I'm not the typical market for these cars. Infact most of us here on T-BHP are not your typical car buyers....we're much mopre aware of things than the manufacturer would have liked!!

Rt

[v12]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Or would you save 10 lacs and buy the Accord V6 instead of the Superb?

*

[dipen]

isnt the Accord V6 a bit slow compared to its 221 hp figures.
Superb has 190 hp ---A full massive 31 less horses
Both are auto.
Nearly the same kerb weight ( not too sure)
no idea abt the torque
both do 0-100 in 9.xx secs.

Shouldn't the Accord be a bit fast like 0-100 in 8 sec or near

I hear that the Accord V6 is not able to deliver max power to the wheels

Anyways a steal for money anyday is the Accord