Considering a Skoda Superb - Worth the punt?

[Rapid_Attack]

Hey,

I want a diesel wagon, options are limited considering I dont want to spend more than $60k.

The Mondeo may not be big enough. Passat is starting to date.

The Superb Elegance has allot going for it, plenty of standard kit and under $50k. However it does look like its already rear ended a hummer and potential resale means after 3 years I may not be able to trade it in for a donkey.

Considering it would be bought under Lease, it should be able to be bought cheaper after fleet discount and ex GST....but still leaves the door open.....

Is a top range Skoda worth serious consideration?

[Franco Cozzo]

Skoda use a lot of VW's parts. If that makes any difference for you.

[Elks]

I did a Mildura run (1300km) in a Skoda Oktavia RS wagon. Diesel with a 6 speed DSG. An Impressive well equipped car. Goes well, steers well, brakes well, and amazingly frugal.

Not quite my thing and I would by a 2nd hand GT instead.

I imagine the resale would be poor but your lease will fix that as you hand it back.

[GK351]

A little more $$$$ and get a R36 wagon.

[Boosh Brus]

This might be of interest.
http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/h...0604-xjch.html

[naddis01]

Have you considered a Mazda 6 diesel wagon? We bought one a couple of months back and we think it is great. We have done over 7000km in it and are very happy with it so far. The only drawback for some people (not me) is that it is a manual only proposition. It handles well, has great in gear acceleration and is cheaper than the Skoda with a better dealer network. Although you might be able to use VW dealers if need be. The Mazda has voice control bluetooth, auto headlights and wipers yadda yadda. We are averaging low 6's for fuel economy and it is not babied.

Anyway I would highly recommend a Mazda 6 diesel wagon.

I considered the Skoda but there are a number of reasons why we didn't end up looking at it. Those being - dealer network or lack there of, 1990's looks, extra $$$ and potentially worse resale due to lack of brand awareness.

[Wretched]

Being part of the VW group, a lot of R&D included VW sources.
The superb has had some decent reviews and I would say go have a look, give it a test drive. Try also the Mazda and compare the Skoda to the Mondeo, the Mondeo is a fairly decent sized car for the price. Especially the boot.

[sgt_doofey]

Thought about a Peugeot 308 Wagon? We've got a 307 Wagon with the 100kw 2.0L HDi motor. It's a great little car. As above with the Mazda, we average in the low 6's for l/100km in it. Go for the 1.6L diesel and average even less.
The Euro diesels are more advanced than the Japanese ones, so I'd expect a better drive with those.
Good thing about the Pug diesel is that the service interval is 20,00kms. 180,000kms for the timing belt too, so although servicing is slightly more expensive compared to other cars, it's done less often so works out about the same in the long run.

[Rapid_Attack]

Originally Posted by naddis01

Have you considered a Mazda 6 diesel wagon? We bought one a couple of months back and we think it is great. We have done over 7000km in it and are very happy with it so far. The only drawback for some people (not me) is that it is a manual only proposition. It handles well, has great in gear acceleration and is cheaper than the Skoda with a better dealer network. Although you might be able to use VW dealers if need be. The Mazda has voice control bluetooth, auto headlights and wipers yadda yadda. We are averaging low 6's for fuel economy and it is not babied.

Anyway I would highly recommend a Mazda 6 diesel wagon.

I considered the Skoda but there are a number of reasons why we didn't end up looking at it. Those being - dealer network or lack there of, 1990's looks, extra $$$ and potentially worse resale due to lack of brand awareness.

Yeah I want the auto (missus!).
Are the 6 Wagon and Mondeo similar in size? I thought they may be using the same platforms?

[Rapid_Attack]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

Thought about a Peugeot 308 Wagon? We've got a 307 Wagon with the 100kw 2.0L HDi motor. It's a great little car. As above with the Mazda, we average in the low 6's for l/100km in it. Go for the 1.6L diesel and average even less.
The Euro diesels are more advanced than the Japanese ones, so I'd expect a better drive with those.
Good thing about the Pug diesel is that the service interval is 20,00kms. 180,000kms for the timing belt too, so although servicing is slightly more expensive compared to other cars, it's done less often so works out about the same in the long run.

A bit small, geez thats good though for a diesel (20k servicing!)

[Rev28K]

Subaru Forester diesel?

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Attack

A bit small, geez thats good though for a diesel (20k servicing!)

What are you looking to fit in there?
I've had a two seater lounge in the back of ours, with the rear seats folded down naturally, so there is a large amount of room. I believe with the back seats up the Pugs have about 500+ litres of room in the boot. Fold the seats down flat, and it goes up to over 1200L.
Back seats are a little squashy, but we've driven Adelaide to Melbourne and back in it with 5 blokes. It was squashy, but there wasn't too many complaints from the back seat.

[Deco28]

Skoda Wagon is good value. Saw one in a small town in NQ not long ago, the wagon looks better then the sedan LOL.

[Keepleft]

Skoda, for those Euro safety features not native to current Subaru or Mazda suggestions, besides your Wollongong based, think of the F6 heavy fogs:-) (Skoda has those rear fogs).

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Deco28

Skoda Wagon is good value. Saw one in a small town in NQ not long ago, the wagon looks better then the sedan LOL.

That seems to be common to most cars nowadays. Nearly every single car I can think of, in my eyes the wagon version looks better. Commodore, Mazda6, Mondeo, 5 series, E Class, Liberty, Passat... Its almost a shame that some cars dont come in wagon (Accord Euro, Falcon)

[388cube_edxr8]

Are you dead set on a diseasel? If someone offered a luxury wagon with a petrol motor and similar fuel economy for under 60k, would you consider it?

[calais]

Top Gears Luxury car of the year 2009.

I have an Octavia vRS manual hatch, I love it. Its quick, well built, frugal, easy on the eye, cheap as chips to insure, and above all has never let me down for any reason.

I am a fan of the Skoda brand because they are offering some seriously good cars for a more than reasonable outlay. A Superb TDI wagon is now packing the 125kw turbo diesel, and the 6 speed DSG gearbox which in itself is a punchy driveline which can provide highway economy of 5.5L/100km.

Add to this the massive list of standard inclusions like heated seats, sat nav, power everything, memory seats, dual zone climate, stability control, 5 star ANCAP..... the list goes on and on.

At least drive one before you overlook it. For my money, the Superb wagon is really the family truckster I would want to park in my garage.

[naddis01]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Attack

Yeah I want the auto (missus!).
Are the 6 Wagon and Mondeo similar in size? I thought they may be using the same platforms?

Yeah that (manual only) is the only problem with the Mazda. For some anyway.

I just realised that you are thinking Superb rather than Octavia. The Superb would be bigger than the Mazda and is basically Falcon size.

I beleive the Mondeo is slightly bigger than the Mazda 6 from the specs I checked out when we were looking. I have a feeling that it is basically on par with a Falcon for interior room. You should check it out as they have recently been updated and from memory you can get a Titanium diesel wagon now. The Mondeo wagon wasn't available in diesel when we bought our Mazda 6 and we were a little underwhelmed by the petrol wagon.

[Falc'man]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/44132/20...ar-comparison/

[barra240t]

Wait for the Mondeo Titanium Wagon in diesel.

[JC]

Any car that has to be named as an adjective is a bit of a worry. but seeing as it uses VW parts, it should be reliable, plus nice and expensive to service.

Coming soon to a Holden dealer near you - the Holden Excellent (mythical by the way).....

[naddis01]

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't VW having some issues with some of their DSG boxes? I have read on a few sites that some owners are having problems with their DSG's from minor stuff right through to full replacement. But then you read things like that on here as well so it might just be a hit and miss thing where you only hear of the negative stories and not the thousands of positives.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by naddis01

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't VW having some issues with some of their DSG boxes? I have read on a few sites that some owners are having problems with their DSG's from minor stuff right through to full replacement. But then you read things like that on here as well so it might just be a hit and miss thing where you only hear of the negative stories and not the thousands of positives.

Yeah apparantly replacements within 10,000km is not uncommon Ive heard on other sites too. Although you gotta do your own research to see what is really happening. One thing for me is that Im not sure I would want to own one of these modern turbo diesels out of warrenty the parts costs I have heard is eyewateringly expensive.

[calais]

Originally Posted by naddis01

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't VW having some issues with some of their DSG boxes? I have read on a few sites that some owners are having problems with their DSG's from minor stuff right through to full replacement. But then you read things like that on here as well so it might just be a hit and miss thing where you only hear of the negative stories and not the thousands of positives.

VW Group have acknowledged that were faults with early DSG gearboxes, the fault lay with the 'mechatronic' unit, which is basically the gearbox electronic control unit. In early diagnosis, some dealers were mistakenly replacing entire gearboxes, when it was only the mechatronic unit at fault. An easy mistake to make, considering how new the technology was at the time.

It is by no means a common issue, and hasn't been apparent in any subsequent series DSG production.

I prefer to think of the positives of the Skoda product, like the fact that the engine and driveline is shared across a multitude of Volkswagen and Audi products, and neither of those two brands (especially Audi) are willing to stake their reputation on anything less than a superior product.

Also that the features within the vehicle itself are also shared componentry with cars costing twice or even three times as much, such as the switchgear and interior convenience systems like the maxidot display in the dash and alarm/proximity and remote start features, also the satnav is now touchscreen (depending on spec) too.

Not too bad for 50k worth of family hauler!

[new2ford]

In the international quality surveys (including those of UK warranty-providers) Skoda has been ranking top for several years, even knocking Lexus off the top perch (more so recently now Toyota has fallen on its quality face). The combination of Czech production quality/design and VW platform is unbeatable. Why more people don't buy them here rather than Toyos is crazy, and unfortunately as some have said this lack of local market profile consequently probably affects the resale.

[eb2fairmont]

I got a soft spot for the skodas, and I reckon the superb wagon is a good buy.

Unlike the audis and vw's the suspension tune is a little softer, which is great for australias crappy roads.

[naddis01]

Originally Posted by calais

VW Group have acknowledged that were faults with early DSG gearboxes, the fault lay with the 'mechatronic' unit, which is basically the gearbox electronic control unit. In early diagnosis, some dealers were mistakenly replacing entire gearboxes, when it was only the mechatronic unit at fault. An easy mistake to make, considering how new the technology was at the time.

It is by no means a common issue, and hasn't been apparent in any subsequent series DSG production.

Thanks for that. I knew they were having problems at one stage. It is good to see that they are on top of the problem and have sorted it out. It is inevitable with any new technology that there will be some glitches along the way.

When was the issue rectified, as the Wheels Skoda long termer had its gear box replaced not that long along?

I agree though that Skoda are definately worth a look because of the VW/Audi link. We decided not to go with them due to the reasons I outlined in an earlier post. Issues with the DSG did not sway my decision at all. Hell Mazda have had issues with their earlier passenger diesels and I still went with the Mazda.

[drew`SEVNT5]

Id go the Skoda.

I myself, god(and the big boss at work) willing, will have traded in the BA2 XR6T in on a Octavia vRS TDI DSG Combi(wagon). In race blue, thank you.

Test drove one at the local Skoda dealer the other day, and wow, the 125kw/350nm diesel coupled with the DSG doesn't hang around.

Sure, it isn't a 230rwkw XR6T, but it also doesn't have the fuel bills of one

[Stoney!]

I was only looking at the superb last night. A lot of standard equipment for the price in the elegance model. Bi-xenons, industry leading sat nav, leather etc. All the things that are normally options. Not to mention reports from owners and car mags claiming quality of fit and finish are actually better than that of VW, specially when it comes to electrical gremlins.

the 3.6 would be my pick but it does depend on what sort of driving your doing, it's probably one of the best sounding sixes I've ever heard, and still retains the rorty exhaust note of the R36 through its quad pipes.

The Superb also comes with a 125kw 350NM diesel or an almost as frugal but slightly quicker 1.8 turbo with a 7 speed DSG instead of a 6 speed DSG. Great value for money in my eyes.

Stoney!

[barra240t]

This is from the Ford website if you are interested. I have always thought Titanium is a model that is always missed in Mondeo, it has pretty much everything.

Key Features
The stylish and hi-tech Mondeo Titanium Wagon includes:

2.0L Duratorq 4-cylinder Turbo Diesel
Powershift® 6-speed dual clutch automatic transmission
Sports suspension
Dynamic Stability Control1 with Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) and Traction Control
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
State of the art airbag system comprising:
Driver and front passenger airbags
Driver and front passenger side airbags
Front and rear side curtain airbags
Driver's knee airbag
Forward Collision Warning
Collision Mitigation
18" alloy wheels2
Body Styling Kit
Fog lamps
Dual Zone Climate Control
Bluetooth® Hands free with Voice Control3
Adaptive Cruise Control
Sony premium sound system with 6-disc in-dash CD player and 8 speakers
USB music port
MP3 Compatibility
Human Machine Interface (HMI) with premium colour cluster display
Alcantara/leather sports seat trim with variable heated front seats
Sunroof
Dynamic Headlights
Cornering lamps
Smart Key with 'Ford Power' starter button
Park Assist (front and rear parking sensors)
Rain sensing wipers
Automatic headlight ON/OFF feature
Perimeter alarm
Front and rear power windows
'Follow me home' lighting
Ford Easy Fuel® (capless refuelling with mis-fuel inhibitor)
Ford Easy Fuel® (capless refuelling with mis-fuel inhibitor)
60/40 split fold rear seat providing flexible passenger and cargo carrying options
Silver finish roof rails