[kedarwalke]

Originally Posted by trrk

Hi Kedar,



I am sure that the showroom quotation for the insurance was on the higher side, but your insurance at 39000 is way low than what is the normal. Are you getting some NCB transferred form another vehicle?

So far insurance was something which was more or less uniform across the country, maybe even that has changed!

Anyway, if indeed you are getting similar insurance for the lower amount you have saved the equivalent of more than the second year premium. Good for you!

Hey no claim bonus is not included in this.I am getting a 20% discount from the agent and its quite gettable.I ve got the discount on all my cars.And moreover new India insurance is quite a reputed company.Moreover I happy with their service too..

[varun.ppl]

Just had an opportunity to check the piece on the road. Was coming from Safdarjung Enclave to Janak Puri. When I reached in front of Tihar Jail, suddenly I saw a white speckle in my RVM. The dot kept on becoming bigger & bigger & suddenly it went through my left side(mind you I was doing 70-80). I pressed the throttle & went on its trail.

Suddenly, there were 3 cars ahead of Superb which led to deterioration in pace of the car, but when the driver found his way, the car zoomed like a jet plane. The torque in the car is awesome I must admit.

I caught the car when it was stationary at the Jail Road intersection. Two youths in their mid-20s were sitting the front row, listening to Linkin Park, the car was a test drive car & they were enjoying it. I asked them about the feel of the car, their response was ofcourse "SUPERB". I believe that Skoda have a winner in hands.

[joshguy]

Man this car rocks!!! the interiors are too good.

Hope the skoda improves the dealer network and their attitude too ;-)

[Invinsible]

Originally Posted by varun.ppl

Suddenly, there were 3 cars ahead of Superb which led to deterioration in pace of the car, but when the driver found his way, the car zoomed like a jet plane. The torque in the car is awesome I must admit.

I am sure it's a winner in it's range. The peak torque here is 25.4Kgm at just 1500RPM which goes all the way to the 4500 rpm which deffinately makes this car more driveable and helps in pushing that weight of the car with ease. Also, it's the 7 speed DSG gearbox which does the trick as it comes with short gearing ratio which makes the pick up much faster than any other car.
You said it right Skoda does seem to have a winner.

I wonder what it would do with a simple remap which transforms it to 220Bhp and around 37kgm of torque. Simply Superb

[Vid6639]

I went down to Vinayak Auto on Saturday for a nice long TD. The senior salesperson Robin was more than glad to provide a TD even before the official launch which was on Saturday evening.

When we saw the car pull up to the parking lot, we were completely awestruck. This car looks huuuuge. It was like a limo pulling up. Design is subjective so will not go too much into details. Only part I did not like too much was the rear. Looks too plain jane. The car's length is 4.83m which is actually lesser than the Accord's 4.95m, but it looks bigger. This is because of the short bonnet and the short boot and the cabin i.e. A-pillar to C-pillar extended to the edge which gives it a very long roofline.

Now we come to my favourite part, the interiors. Another shock when we get into the car. The quality of the interiors is simply mindblowing. Forget the C-clas and the 3 series, the interior quality is right up there with the BMW 5 and the S class. Full Nappa leather and soft touch plastics all around. It just reeks of sheer class and quality. The wood finish is actual wood, the proper chrome surrounds for dials and AC vents. After you overcome the initial shock of the interior quality, you begin to realise the interior space in this car. It is massive. The 12 way electric seats with memory means you can achieve the perfect driving position. 12 way means the lumbar support can be adjusted not just horizontally but vertically as well. As is the ritual I set the drivers seat to my position i.e. full back. But there is a problem, me being 6 feet tall am unable to reach the pedals. Then I try to see the space at the rear. It is unbeliavable. My 6 foot friend can sit without his knees even close to touching the front seat. There is one foot of legroom with the front seat pulled to the rear. The Accord had tons of legroom but this does even better. Moreover the seat height is more than the Accord and getting in and out is easier, also thanks to the massive doors which are not curved. The rear view is a bit hampered as a result of the sloping rear windshield.

Now let's see how good the 1.8 TFSI engine is. Start up is super silent. No sound during idle whatsoever. A bit of info on the 1.8TFSI engine and the 7 speed DSG box. The 1.8 engine is turbocharged and unlike conventional engines uses fuel stratified injection to inject fuel directly into the combustion chamber. So air enters into the combustion chamber and fuel is then sprayed into the combustion chamber near the spark directly unlike conventional engines which let the air-fuel mix before entering the combustion chamber. This allows more control over the amount of fuel injection and thereby gives better efficiency and higher torque. It's like a CRDI petrol engine. 250Nm of torque is available from 1500rpm till 4500rpm. The new 7 speed DSG box is supposed to augment this engine. It is the second generation DSG box. The older one was the 6 speed found in the Jetta/Laura and Passat. The new box has a dry clutch system compared to the older one which had an oil bath. This increases the gearbox efficiency and is also supposed to be more reliable than the older one. Ths shift times are also lesser. To increase the life further the 1st gear is very short to prevent slipping of the clutch in traffic.

The car is very torquey, almost diesel like. Past 3000rpm when the turbo kicks in the pick up is relentless. It pushes you to the back of the seat. Even in AT the 1st gear needs getting used to. It's very short and the box is intelligent to use 1st only to start from standstill. It tries to pull from second most of the time at slow speeds. This was a minor irritant as second struggles sometimes to pull the car and as a result it vibrates a bit. In D mode the box is quick to upshift and even reaches 6th at 80kmph. the gearing is short so second will get you only to 80kmph if you puch the car in sports mode or manual mode. The gearbox is even better than the old 6 speed one with no jerks and very quick shifts. The engine for a 1.8 is very sprightly. I never felt for a second that the engine was lacking in grunt. It may not be as quick as the 2400cc Accord but it feels quicker as the power is in the low-mid band and not in the higher rpm's. We were doing 80kmph easily on small stretches and on one stretch of ring road she touched 150kph effortlessly.

The suspension is tuned for ride comfort but is still on the firm side. The firmness is felt at slow speeds where it transmits the sharp rough patches to the cabin. The suspension does not crash neither is it audible in the cabin but you feel the rough patches especially any sharp edge on the road. Once speeds pick up it's a magic carpet ride. The car doesn't pitch/bounce around as much as the Accord neither is it too hard. It just absorbs everything. Ground clearance is 158mm so speedbreakers are not that much of a problem.

The handling is not sporty but neither is it too soft. front and rear anti roll bars means the car does not roll even when pushed hard into the corner. I took the hebbal flyover loops at 90kmph and it just stuck to the road not rolling a bit so as to make the rear passengers uncomfy. The steering is one of the best I have experienced in any car. Its not as heavy as the 3 series neither is it like the C class. It gives perfect feedback and is easy to drive in traffic and weighs up beautifully as speeds build up. It's an electro mechanical unit. Compared to the Accord this car handles and rides way better. Braking was a bit weird. At slow speeds in traffic, the brakes were very strong and would stop at a small tap of the pedal. But as speeds build up the pedal needed a lot more force to brake. The braking was good but pedal feel varied.

I can go on and on about the features but that would be way too long. I'll mention a few unique ones.
-The park assist is fantastic on the 7" colour display and is a breeze to use. The display is a complete Alpine touch unit and is very easy to use.
-The HHC hill hold control applies the brake when teh car is at an incline automatically to prevent roll back. It deactivates the brakes when you press the gas pedal.
-The car has electronic differential lock, ESP, ASR, EBD, ABS, TCS and what not.
-The interior illumination is crazy. The door lock buttons and the door handle get illuminated as well as outside puddle lights and interior footwell lights for all doors.
-There's an umbrella in the rear left door with a drip dry system so you can slot it in even when it's wet.
-Bi xenons with automatic beam pattern adjust based on steering input, speed, rain and load.
-8 airbags.
-Twin door. You either open the full hatch or just the boot like a sedan. This can be done from the remote. Also there are electric motors which close the boot gently on their own.
-Full onboard computer.
- AC vents on the B-pillar.

There are many more but these are the uber cool ones.

Mileage was 7kmpl when I pushed the car hard. It was at 9kmpl when my friend drove it normally.

Verdict. This car is a steal for 22.8L onroad bangalore. It's sheer VFM. Forget the poor after sales of Skoda when you are getting such a fantastic product. The risk is worth it any day. Either buy a boring car with good after sales or a "superb" car with poor after sales.

I don't know who would want to pay almost the same amount (actually 40K lesser) for an Accord AT when they can have this.

PS: it may be parked in my garage in a month's time.

[dockap]

nice review

Originally Posted by vid6639

PS: it may be parked in my garage in a month's time.

[kedarwalke]

Originally Posted by varun.ppl

Verdict. This car is a steal for 22.8L onroad bangalore. It's sheer VFM. Forget the poor after sales of Skoda when you are getting such a fantastic product. The risk is worth it any day. Either buy a boring car with good after sales or a "superb" car with poor after sales.

I don't know who would want to pay almost the same amount (actually 40K lesser) for an Accord AT when they can have this.

Well Said.And a excellent detailed review.

[kedarwalke]

Hooray!Just booked the rosa brunello superb with JMD Thane.Delivery will be in the first week of April.Insurance will be done by me.

P.S:Finance from HDFC bank rate of intrest is 10.75%.Is that a good Rate of intrest?

[MileCruncher]

A close friend of mine has just bought a used 1.8T Superb ( same engine as the one adorning the new gen Superb being launched here in India) and as he is not a T-BHP member I'm posting the review and car pics on his behalf

Its been a week since I part exchanged my Rover 420 with a car that was bought on phone, as I didn’t have time for the logistics involved in test drive and selling mine individually. Buy hey guess what, I was pretty sure that this brand has come a long way to be trusted for quality and reliability…..you are right folks it’s a Skoda. A brit would be tough to convince that this car can compete with the big saloons like a beemer 3 series, audi A4 or the merc C class and I would agree with that. Because Skoda Superb makes you feel like being transported in a mini Rolls if you are sat at the back, I am sure an L&K version will out do any premium brand as far as interiors are concerned and the engine is same as being used in Audi A4 series……so what you get is a lot of car for comparatively less money, very understated but functional and classy at the same time.

I have done close to 1200 miles in the first week and they have been great…..mine is a petrol 1.8T so average consumption on combined cycles has been around 36 mpg. Some figures to quote: steady 70 Mph would give close to 52 mpg, 110 would be around 26 mpg and city cycle gave a figure of about 27. There is a turbo lag but for a very brief moment as it kicks in at about 1700 and the acceleration is quick after that, I wish it came with a twin turbo. The size of the car does make 1.8 seem a tad small but it does the job and does it well, this car came with 205/55 16 as standard and the road noise on some parts of the motorway is intruding and a double glazed windows could be a answer to that; but set the audio settings to GALA function and the increase in cabin noise is equally compensated with an auto increase in music sound which I must stress is excellent with the 8 speakers and good base.

I have spent many hours trying to find the mods that could be done to a Superb, but hasn’t been much success and frankly it doesn’t need splitters, re-chipping, spoilers, low profile tyres, custom exhaust or induction kit ……I am waiting for the warranty to run out and lets see…I am who I am, don’t matter if it’s a saloon or a hatchback or a family estate, I am a car nut after all…….

Cheers………

[ajmat]

The 1.8T is the same as in the Octy vrs. The new Superb has a totally different engine

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by vid6639

This car is a steal for 22.8L onroad bangalore. It's sheer VFM. Forget the poor after sales of Skoda when you are getting such a fantastic product. The risk is worth it any day. Either buy a boring car with good after sales or a "superb" car with poor after sales.

I don't know who would want to pay almost the same amount (actually 40K lesser) for an Accord AT when they can have this.

PS: it may be parked in my garage in a month's time.

Much to what others think, I too am willing to live with poor after sales when the product is so much better.

Congrats, I hope to see it in your garage next month We too are planning on getting one, but I'm going to wait for the diesel instead, any indiction of it's launch date by the dealer?

@Kedar- Congrats again! I got a slightly lower rate last month on the purchase of an Endeavour. I believe rates have been slashed further? Do check with other banks as I too heard that HDFC has gotten more expensive than others of late.

[Invinsible]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Much to what others think, I too am willing to live with poor after sales when the product is so much better.

Congrats, I hope to see it in your garage next month We too are planning on getting one, but I'm going to wait for the diesel instead, any indiction of it's launch date by the dealer?

I got to learn from the senior service advisor of one of the dealers who also happen to have gone for the training of Diesel Sueprb is that it would be launched by july-Aug with 2.0TDI PD engine.
Any idea what would be the service cost in general Petrol vs Diesel? More likely same i suppose.

[Elito11]

The following is para from the initial review at BSmotoring site.-


We are yet to test the car thoroughly, but we returned from the first drive quite impressed . Being a long wheelbase car which can be called a small limousine, its handling in the twisty Himalayan roads was not something to write to Czech land about. More than once, when the going got rough and twistier, the chassis begged for mercy and accepted that it is after-all a Passat under the skin. Increase speeds and the C-Class pretender gets bored of the costume and threatens to make your passengers sick. All was fine when the car was driven in a rather, ahem, stately manner across smooth tarmac. And it will be better when it is dragging a set of Honda Accords on Indian expressways.

Gr8 car i agree, but prospective buyers should be aware of this.

Elito

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Much to what others think, I too am willing to live with poor after sales when the product is so much better.

Congrats, I hope to see it in your garage next month We too are planning on getting one, but I'm going to wait for the diesel instead, any indiction of it's launch date by the dealer?

I am not waiting for the diesel for a few reasons:

- The PD engine isn't as refined and is an older technology.
- power delivery is non linear like the Passat sudden surge at 2000rpm and nothing below.
- DSG box is the older 6 speed box.
- higher initial cost and my running is low.
- maintenance will also be more than the petrol.

Think about the decision especially since the diesel passat is identical and is known to have issues.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by vid6639

The car is very torquey, almost diesel like. Past 3000rpm when the turbo kicks in the pick up is relentless. It pushes you to the back of the seat. Even in AT the 1st gear needs getting used to. It's very short and the box is intelligent to use 1st only to start from standstill. It tries to pull from second most of the time at slow speeds.

Great review Vid.
thats a staggering amount of technology. The only other (non VAG) car that I can think of, that offers a DI turbo engine.. is a 80 lakh BMW 750i

Did you feel any turbo lag when doing the stop and go routine in traffic?
Does it feel cumbersome to drive in traffic.