Review: Replaced my Honda City with a used Skoda Superb

The garage now feels complete with a BMW X1, Skoda Superb and Honda Brio.

BHPian RJ2885 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A big shoutout and a special thanks to Mods GTO and Aditya for their inputs in helping me write a detailed review.

Finally after 6 years of ownership and 70,000-km of revving the i-vtec with wonderful memories, we decided to say good bye to our beloved Honda City 4th-gen V MT and welcome our pre-worshipped Skoda Superb.

It was 2016 March when we bought our Honda City home. Please find below detailed long term ownership review of our Honda City 4th-gen.

So many beautiful memories with the Honda City. No concrete reason to sell the car. But with so many new engines being launched in the India Market, there was always this itch to upgrade. Even though we bought the BMW X1 in January 2021 and I love it to bits, interiors did not feel very special. I was looking for something more luxurious with a beautiful engine / gearbox combination. Since we splurged a lot of moolah on our X1, I was clear this time around that I have no option, but to go the preowned route. And the hunt began!

Search for that luxurious car:

The purchase process involved a lot of chaos considering so many SUVs / crossovers and not so many sedans to choose from.

Must have:

• Turbo Petrol (since we already have a 2L Turbo diesel - BMW X1)
• Preferably Manual, (Automatic was not a deal breaker though. No DSG for sure)
• Sunroof (Thanks to my 7-year old and her never ending love for sunroof cars)
• Luxurious than Honda City and the BMW X1
• ~500L+ boot (Thanks to our Honda City and the BMW X1.Anything below 500L would have been a deal breaker.)
• Age – Should not be more than 3 year old
• Kms – Should not be more than 40,000kms
• Warranty – Preferably, under warranty
• Long term reliability (we do a lot of road trips)

There was no specific need for an SUV, but the next purchase had to scream Luxury. My Family was in for a surprise as I had told them we don’t need another car and that was one of the precise reasons we sold the Honda City.

Eventually, the conversation with the home minister went like this:

Me: Baby, I need to tell you something important!

She: Baby !!! Do you want to buy another car?

Me: Look into my eyes, BABY!

She: WHAT?? This means you have already made the down payment?? We just sold the Honda City and you said we don’t need another car.

Me: Yes … But …

She: BUT … Whaaatttt??

Me:

She:

Me: I want to tell you how this panned out!

She: Please disappear, NOW!!!

Coming back to the story, after couple of test drives on SUVs (Fortuner/Endeavour) and crossover (Tucson – current gen), I realized it had to be a sedan (with a sunroof ofcourse). I never considered C1/2 segment sedans as we were looking for a combination of luxury and a beautiful engine. We had a budget of ~25L and looking for pre-worshipped options (~3 years and < 40K KMS on the ODO). I was not too rigid on the variant as far as it had a sunroof, thanks to my daughter. I spent about two months from test driving to closing the deal. Most of my weekends went in meeting multiple dealers and seeing lot of cars. It was a fun experience to be honest.

Shortlisting:

Toyota Camry: This is one car I was looking at closely more from a reliability standpoint. After driving the previous-gen, I came to this conclusion that I would like to own a car like this post 45 years (I am 36 years old now and the clock seems to be ticking F-A-S-T). The few cars I saw were all more than 5 years old and had racked up a lot of kms and that was a BIG deal breaker for me. So, the Camry did not cut the ice.

Toyota Fortuner: I had a very bad experience with Mahindra First Choice dealership at Andheri West. We had evaluated the Fortuner in the initial stages when the itch for an upgrade had just set in. The Ad displayed 55000kms on the odo and 6-year old. Initially I was willing to forego my condition of less than 3 years and <40k on the odometer only if it was a Fortuner, knowing its proven history of reliability. It drove well. I was hellbent on getting the service history before even discussing the price. The dealer did not seem confident and was trying to change the topic each time I spoke of Service history. I found something fishy. I reached out to Lakozy Toyota directly as I felt the dealer is trying to pull a fast one on me. I was shocked when Lakozy Toyota told me that the last service happened 2 months back and the odometer was at 1.10 Lakh km. I told the dealer I am going all out on social Media and will put this experience on Team-bhp too. To that he said “Sirr, Chodo na. We will give you INR 3 Lac discount. We were not aware too. I bought this car from another dealer and he hid this information from me. Sorry for the bad experience.” I had made up my mind by then and after reading too many reviews of the bumpy ride quality too, decided to give the Fortuner a miss, completely.

Ford Endeavour 3.2: This beast was such a pleasure to drive and maneuvering in the narrow city roads was not as cumbersome as I initially thought. A lot of good examples were out of my budget, north of INR 30 Lacs and the fear of Ford’s exit too was looming somewhere at the back of my head.

Skoda Kodiaq : This is a perfect blend of a spacious sedan and 4X4 capability. Test drives left me impressed on how the speed and size is masked, luxurious interiors, something we were looking for as a “Must have”. Unfortunately all cars I saw was with very high ODO reading. Too high for my comfort.

Skoda Superb : Love at first Sight, such a beautiful C-A-R. I was very clear in the head on what I wanted and I knew I needed a lot of patience to find a well maintained SUPERB. Like GTO says, “75% of the A6 / E-Class / 5-Series luxury at 50% of the price” and “It punches about its weight”. Cannot agree more. I was fine with going with the diesel engine initially, owing to better DSG reliability. I evaluated multiple cars, but either the cars were out of warranty or it had very high ODO reading.

The Journey:

The hunt for a well maintained Skoda Superb continued until I got a call from a dealer and the conversation went like this:

Dealer: “Sir, Skoda Superb aayi hai mere paas, Petrol - Manual transmission hai, chalegi?

Me: Manual !!! How old is it?

Dealer: 3 year old

Me: Really? How many kms? Is it under warranty?

Dealer: 34,000kms and warranty until 2025

Me (in my mind): Are you serious? 1.8 TSi, Manual transmission, under 40,000kms, 3 year old. Too good to be true. Wait, does it have a sunroof?

Me (To the dealer): Sunroof hai?? (In my mind: Please say YES, Please!)

Dealer: Yes sir.

Me: Oh Dayum! When can I see the car?

Dealer: Abhi aa jao sir(4pm)

And that’s when I flew to the dealership in our beater car, the Honda Brio, to see the Superb in flesh. It was the Style variant. And I said to myself, "when did Skoda start offering a sunroof in the Style variant?". Thanks to Team-bhp, there is a detailed thread on comparison between the Style and L&K variant. And the conclusion was that Style variant has been very well equipped with most features except for Ambient lighting and ventilated seats. Those features did not matter much to me.

Car Info:

Year: May 2019

Kms: 34,000kms

Colour: Candy White

Variant: Style

Warranty: Until 2025

Engine:1.8 TSi

Transmission: Manual

The Drive Experience:

I drove the car and it drove tight. No rattles/squeaks whatsoever. I drove it for 10kms and that was good enough for me to make up my mind. There was something very special about this car, the positive vibe I got as soon as I sat in. I went through the same feeling when I had bought a preowned Polo GT TSi 5 years back. There was no looking back for me after this experience and I was ready to give the token immediately, but then I did want the initial excitement of finding the right car overpower me. I said to myself "Picture abhi baaki hai dost!!!" (thorough due diligence had to be carried out)

Next Steps:

I told the dealer I am interested, BUT, I will only take a final decision after a thorough check up from the Authorized Skoda Service Centre and that I will be physically present when the checkup is taking place. The dealer agreed. A close friend suggested me to take the car to the Skoda workshop to avoid shockers; if any, at a later date. Thankful to him for all his inputs and guidance .

I took an appointment the next day and a thorough checkup began at 10am at Mody Skoda, Kurla. I was thoroughly impressed with the service at Mody Skoda.(Service Advisor: Avinash).They pulled out a detailed history and inspected the car with a scanner and came up with their observations. They were kind enough to let me in to see how the mechanic was conducting a detailed checkup.

Following was Mody Skoda’s feedback:

1. Keyfob battery low. (Cost: INR 150/- inclusive taxes)
2. Left Rear door won’t open from inside. (Fixed under warranty)
3. Brake oil had not been replaced for the last 3 years of ownership (Cost: INR 1642/- inclusive taxes)

I requested them to fix all 3 issues. Brake oil was replaced at INR 1642/- including all taxes. Keyfob battery was replaced too. Left rear door issue was fixed under warranty.For the general checkup, Skoda charged me INR 3500/- inclusive of all taxes. That’s the best INR 3500/- I have ever spent in my life for peace of mind.

D-Day:

First Impressions:

Yay:

• The suspension gobbles up minor road imperfections without any sweat.
• Gear shifts of the 6 speed MT are well defined. No DSG concerns. Mechanically-simpler MT will be more reliable too.( I hope)
• Spacious and comfortable cabin and of course huge legroom at rear.
• All around disc brakes inspires confidence during emergency breaking.
• Steering is very accurate and loads up very well at higher speeds.
• Electrical seat adjustment for both front seats.
• Cavernous 625 Litre boot

Nay:

• Start/Stop button location.
• Too many missing buttons in the Style MT variant, Full of dummies!
• Glove box is very small. Not much would fit in
• Headroom is tight. My Height is 5'10"
• Sunroof opening is smaller compared to the size of the sun roof. Sunroof pops-out on opening and looks horrid when open
• Size too big for day to day running. (It will be my weekend toy)
• Skoda's scary after-sales service. I have to drive all the way to Mody Skoda, kurla or Mahalaxmi. I assume service is much better now. Fingers crossed.
• Length of the car will lead to parking issues in a congested city like Mumbai

Exterior Styling:

I find the exterior design to be timeless, classy and very appealing. Even though it has a very large wheel base. it looks like a proportionate luxury car. One thing that impressed me was even the Style variant has been well-equipped, unlike the cost cutting Skoda has done with their recent launches. All variants get bi-xenon adaptive headlamps with L-shaped LED DRLs. I got excited like a kid in the candy store when I saw headlamp washers tucked inside the trapezoidal enclosure. The Skoda family grille is incredibly tasteful. Even the ORVMs with integrated turn indicators have been designed well and puddle lamps (Simply Clever!!!).

With minimal chrome as compared to the facelift, the rear end looks very elegant. The rear has LED tail lights with crystalline elements inside. Also, I am a big fan of clean designs when compared to the new Hyundai design language with infinite cuts and creases. The car is shod with New Good year Assurance tyres, 215/55 R17 manufactured in October 2020.

Interior Styling:

The doors shut with a solid thud and one will feel cocooned from the world outside. The interiors carry a black & beige theme. This colour combination makes the cabin airy and plush at the same time. The interior also has clean styling which is simple and elegant. The only fly in the ointment being no ambient lighting on the dashboard & doors. That is only available in the L&K variant. `

Coming from the Honda City & BMW X1, this is a very big cabin and the beige colour + sunroof make for a bright ambience. There are a lot of soft touch materials in here and overall quality is top notch. The leather quality is good, but not perforated on the Style variant (perforated only on the L&K variant).

The steering is just the right size. The overall ergonomics of the Superb are perfect. Frontal visibility is excellent too. I always thought the superb will be difficult to maneuver and my final decision on the car purchase was dependent on that. But for a car of this size, the Superb is surprisingly easy to drive. The rearward visibility is not great. The view is very limited through the IRVM, even the ORVMs offer restricted visibility. There are parking aids in the form of a reversing camera and front + rear parking sensors. Keeping the length of this car in mind, this will be very helpful. However, my only worry is in Mumbai's bumper to bumper traffic, sensor beeps can get very irritating. I will have to find a way to switch it off. I need to spend more time with the car to figure out a lot of features though, early days!!!

There are ample storage areas in the new Superb. There is a large storage area under the center armrest. 3 cupholders are provided between the gear lever and center console, with a covering lid. For a car of this size, the glove compartment is medium sized, very surprising to be honest. Reason - a big panel on top of the glovebox housing the Skoda multimedia system eats away space. This only has an SD card slot. There are 2 umbrellas mounted inside the front doors (one each), even on the Style variant. (Simply Clever!!!).

Step inside and you will experience acres of legroom!. Foot room is very generous There's so much space that my daughter get her tent in and play all day long.

I found the under-thigh support to be satisfactory in comparison to the Camry's rear seat which is more like a sofa is that much better. The Superb's armrest is at a good position. Headroom is tight, due to the sharp C-pillar design. At 5'10", I barely had 2 inches of headroom available.

The Style variant is equipped sunshades on the windows which can be rolled up to protect rear us mere mortals from Bombay's summer heat. The air-conditioning is powerful. Rear passengers can set their own temperature, but no blower speed control. The boot is cavernous with 625 liters of luggage capacity.

Ride & Handling:

She takes in small to medium bumps well. The suspension seems to be more compliant / softer. Still, I felt sharp bumps & big potholes in the cabin. It is definitely not luxury plush. On undulating roads, there is some vertical movement felt. As the speed increases, the ride gets better. Highway comfort levels are excellent and this fat sedan absorbs broken patches without a fuss.

The electric power steering is very light at slow speeds. I found it to be much lighter than our Honda City and Honda Brio. It weighs up acceptably on the highway but there isn't much feedback on offer. I found it a bit surprising especially in comparison to the Polo GT TSi we had earlier. No major complaints though. In the city it makes for effortless driving.

In terms of handling, it does a fantastic job. Despite its length, the car feels agile. I am yet to drive it on the ghat sections, but I sense it will perform really well. It definitely wont be a corner-carver, though. I was surprised how easy the Superb is to drive for what is an XL-sized sedan. The light steering, healthy frontal visibility, nice driving position, torquey 1.8 TSi and sorted ergonomics make it a breeze to drive in the city. On the flip side, the car's turning radius is rather wide and taking a U-turn in such a long car will take a lot of effort in comparison to our erstwhile Honda City or even the X1.The Superb has a ground clearance rating of 164mm.

It has disc brakes on all four wheels. Braking capability is excellent and these brakes definitely inspire confidence at high speeds.

Drive Experience in the City:

The numbers – 178 BHP between 4,000 - 6,200 rpm. Max torque is rated at a diesel-like 320 Nm between 1,450 and 3,900 rpm!

This petrol motor is a jewel of an engine. The MT feels a little more eager, lighter and responsive. Initially, I thought its because of the 1.8 Turbo petrol and I was used to the Honda City's 1.5L NA. On reading the team-bhp review, I realized it is due to the 70 Nm of additional torque available when compared to the AT. The engine is very silent at idle, however when you slot the gear into 1st and dab the accelerator, you realize the motor does not have turbo lag below 2,000 rpm and the power delivery is instantaneous. There is enough torque available at low rpms. This car easily passed the speed-breaker test in 2nd gear. After reading a lot of reviews, I was a bit careful thinking the engine would stall. But it passed the test with flying colours. I am a sucker for manual transmission cars and trust me, I enjoyed shifting gears in the city. With very light throttle inputs, this fat lady glides around the city. The gates are so well defined and one can drive in 2nd / 3rd gear all day long in Mumbai's bumper to bumper traffic. I live in the suburbs and now you know why I did not mention drive in 4th gear in the city. Just not possible. The clutch is light, not as light as the Honda City, but lighter than What I had anticipated. Even the gears are very easy to slot. Not as slick as the Honda city, but not notchy either.

Drive Experience on the Highway:

On the highway is where things go from very good to great. Trust me, I had a smile plastered on my face each time I floored the throttle. I am still smiling as I type this. Acceleration is brutal and the motor is very eager to rev up to its redline. The engine note is so addictive that I could not help but floor the throttle whenever I saw an empty stretch, ending up with a huge grin plastered across my face . In the Superb, on the highway, once can reach silly speeds without even realizing it. The turbo-petrol has a strong midrange too, one of the reasons I wanted a turbo petrol as my next upgrade. I am waiting for my next long road trip so I can cruise all day long without the SUPERB breaking a sweat. There is definitely something special about a free-revving engine mated to a manual transmission. No wonder, this has been among the best petrol engines on sale in India.

Overall refinement levels are good. Inside the cabin, we felt cut off from the outside world. Engine is very silent at idle, but on the move, one will always know there is an oil burner under the hood. It's only when the revv needle goes over 3,000 rpm that the 1.8 TSi's thrum gets audible inside the cabin. Vibrations are well-controlled too. It's going to be very difficult to convince the home minister and my 7-year old to take long drives in the BMW X1. The comfort levels of this luxury -barge is at another level altogether.

Fuel Efficiency

In the City - 8 to 10 kmpl

On the Highway - 12 - 14 kmpl

My 1st Full tank costed me a whopping INR 7256/- (INR 111.47 per Liter in Mumbai). Thanks to the 66 liters fuel tank

Apologies for the quality of pics. I will post more pics when I take it for our next long drive.

Conclusion:

All in all, a great satisfying purchase. For now I definitely plan to keep it until 2025. That is when the warranty expires. Post that, if I get hold of a good FNG, will keep the car for another 2 years for sure. The Garage now feels complete with a 2-Litre Turbo diesel (BMW X1), 1.8-Litre Turbo Petrol (Skoda Superb) and 1.2L NA i-Vtec engine. (Honda Brio)

Looking forward to many more road trips with our new steed!

I hope you enjoyed reading! Thank you!

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