[Closed] Anyone gone from A6 / E class to Skoda Superb?

My Golf Estate p1sses all over the A6 I had. Much more engaging to drive but just as refined. Think you'll be fine.

I was test driving Superb Estate and A6 Avant this time last year. Both same engine (diesel auto 4x4). Not unsurprisingly they felt very similar. The end decision was based on money, and in my situation, using a car allowance to fund a 4yr, 20k pa PCP, the A6 was a chunk less per month, largely due Audi finance contribution and residuals.

I've gone the other way. Had two Skoda's (Yetis) and they were both brilliant cars. I drove the superb estate and thought it was a fantastic car for the money (2.0D). They seemed to bet as well built as my Yeti(s) and very easy/comfortable to drive.

I ended up buying something else - same reason as IainC - deals/PCP/residuals made buying the 5 series - if not a no brainer - justifiable 😉

Do you have the repertoire of facial expressions to back up this transition? You need to be able to go from smug/superior to cheap/downtrodden/I've given up and my life is over. Important consideration.

As for the cars. Yes, the premium brands are nicer to drive, sit in and own, and you won't be embarrassed by the cheapskate badge. If you have think skin and are not really fussy, the motorway refinement will only be marginally worse. The Superb is a reasonably good car (though I hate the styling on the saloon), but I know which I would rather have.

Superbs make excellent 2nd hand buys, residuals seem to make Audi/BMW/Merc a more sensible choice new.

You need to be able to go from smug/superior to cheap/downtrodden/I've given up and my life is over.

angeldust - Member
Do you have the repertoire of facial expressions to back up this transition? You need to be able to go from smug/superior to cheap/downtrodden/I've given up and my life is over. Important consideration.

As for the cars. Yes, the premium brands are nicer to drive, sit in and own, and you won't be embarrassed by the cheapskate badge. If you have think skin and are not really fussy, the motorway refinement will only be marginally worse. The Superb is a reasonably good car (though I hate the styling on the saloon), but I know which I would rather have.

Ha ha, thing is I am a bit of a cheapskate and I could take my smugness from knowing I'm not paying through the nose to impress other people.

Having said that, based on some of the comments above, I just looked on a broker site and you can get nearly £9k off a new a6 estate + Audi will give £6K finance contribution, so nearly £15k off which would put it pretty close to a similar Superb.

Mudmuncher

Having said that, based on some of the comments above, I just looked on a broker site and you can get nearly £9k off a new a6 estate + Audi will give £6K finance contribution, so nearly £15k off which would put it pretty close to a similar Superb.

I like what you're doing here. 🙂

Buying a car called 'Superb'...... I'd have to get beyond the name. Have they got a slightly smaller version coming out called the 'Terrific' and a 4X4 called the 'Awesome'? And maybe a model for the US market called the 'Good Job".

New shape Superb looks a lot better than the old version. Interestingly I was driving my boss who drives an A5 in my Octavia the other week and he mentioned they weren't a million miles apart. Although he may have been blowing smoke up my arse to avoid increasing my car allowance 🙂

you can get nearly £9k off a new a6 estate + Audi will give £6K finance contribution, so nearly £15k off which would put it pretty close to a similar Superb.

In my case the A6 worked out £45 a month less on the 4 yr deal. That was comparing Superb Estate SEL 4x4 auto with A6 SE Avant Quattro STronic, both with the 2.0d engine. Even the guy in the Skoda shop said go for the Audi at that deal 🙂

How come this thread has been allowed to get this far without anyone mentioning Ling Ling Ling ?

Splash-man - Member
How come this thread has been allowed to get this far without anyone mentioning Ling Ling Ling ?

She's in court today. 🙂

We have a skoda superb estate and to be honest its a great car, much more refined than the a4 we had before, full leather all the gadgets, and with tons more space.

My wife and I went to our local Skoda dealer to test drive the Karoq but the lack of a petrol demonstrator, 6 month waiting list and overall disappointment with the fit and finish meant we went for a spin in the Superb sportline instead.

Lovely place to be, excellent fit and finish and easily on a par with my sister's A6 S-line in every way except performance where it wipes the floor with the tdi. Slightly better looking too imo. Couldn't fault it tbh.

slowoldman - Member

You need to be able to go from smug/superior to cheap/downtrodden/I've given up and my life is over.

Not at all. You simply engage "inverse snobbery" mode.

I'm not sure this is good advice. People that use the 'Skoda' face must get punched in the chops an awful lot?

jimjam - Member

My wife and I went to our local Skoda dealer to test drive the Karoq but the lack of a petrol demonstrator, 6 month waiting list and overall disappointment with the fit and finish meant we went for a spin in the Superb sportline instead.

Lovely place to be, excellent fit and finish and easily on a par with my sister's A6 S-line in every way except performance where it wipes the floor with the tdi. Slightly better looking too imo. Couldn't fault it tbh.

That seems well rehearsed. I guess it would be if you have to tell people all the time the reason you bought a Skoda is because it is just as good as an Audi 8).

I had an A6 and would buy a Skoda (Yeti/Karoq) To me Sloda is just a simpler and cheaper VW. The wife is against due to brand image so it’s probably unlikely but will see the nee model later this month. Have been in a Skoda Superb estate as a taxi and it was nicely finished and very comfortable over a 3hr journey.

Angeldust, your trolling game is weak, this isn't 1996. I could pick you apart but it's really not worth either of our time. Go and live your life and stop trying to instigate mild annoyance on the internet.

OP IMO plan A would be to buy your current company car assuming you like it and can do so. Run that from 3 urs old till 7 or 10 ? I regret not buying my 7yr old A6 off my ex-wife as part of divorce settlement as I have seen nothing as good second hand for anyrhing like the valuation (£7k for 110k mile 2.7 tdi quattro avant)

I have not asked about Skoda delivery lead times but a long wait would put me off.

I do carr about the badge to a degree but Inwould atriggle to pay sticker price for a new Audi for example and then put a bike and a muddy me inside it

As above a used new shape Superb could be the way to go for you. Esp if devaluation from new is steep.

I did enquire about buying my old e-class but for some reason they had a clause they wouldn't sell to me (could have sold to a friend and bought back). It was also a hybrid and was concerned about the replacement battery cost plus it had some intermittent faults.

For long distance comfort, it was unbeatable. I have to drive 500 miles in a day sometimes and for that it was perfect.

Do you have the repertoire of facial expressions to back up this transition? You need to be able to go from smug/superior to cheap/downtrodden/I've given up and my life is over. Important consideration.

Need to pick you up on this as drivers of some Skoda's, especially Octavia estates with big wheels and bright paint are some of the smuggest looking people on the planet.

Biggest problem I've had with the Superb, or Octavia (or Leon, Golf and Ateca for that mater) is that the interior, especially the dash, is just so crushing dull and just a mirror of nearly every other VAG car except in the Skoda they seem to drain even more life out of the template.

As others have said, if going down the PCP route just find a decent deal on a nicer place to sit.

Anyone made the move from a more luxurious brand to the Skoda

The higher level trim models are every bit as good as luxurious as their German counterparts and in some cases a lot better.

I got a two year old/20k miles Superb Estate 4x4 with the highest trim level (Laurent & Klement) and pretty much every option ticked (and a fruity 3.6l V6) for £16k back in September. It's easily as good if not better inside as a place to be than the A6 and a lot better than the E-Class.

The only thing that would put me off a Superb Vs E Class would be the cost and regularity of faults. According to the warranty direct figures, the E class is cheaper to run and much less likely to go wrong...

I checked out the warranty direct index out as I was curious as the Superb always finishes as one of the best on the Driver Power reliability survey. It does finish slightly worse off than the E class, though it doesn't seem to take the specific engines into consideration. Out of interest, did you check out the score for the A6 on the index? Pretty much the worst score possible.

Interesting about the Warranty Direct index. As the Superb is basically a mix and match parts bin special (I'm oversimplifying) from various parts of the VW group I'd have expected it to have most of the faults ironed out. I'd heard they were well screwed together as well.

I know VAG had an issue with thermostats on the 2.0 tdi engines a while back and heard the horror stories about the electronic handbrakes. My interpretation/understanding is that VAG aren't great at acknowledging common design or manufacturing faults and try not to deal with them under warranty. Not that that should impact the Warranty Direct index.

I’m going to be replacing my XC90 in July when it’s PCP deal expires. What is the best way to source & compare the different options (monthly cost, dealer contribution, mileage) as I doesn’t seem transparent at all - probably intentionally!

jimjam - Member

Angeldust, your trolling game is weak, this isn't 1996. I could pick you apart but it's really not worth either of our time. Go and live your life and stop trying to instigate mild annoyance on the internet.

The 'Skoda defense' is real (look, you used it just up there), and sweeping it under the carpet in denial isn't the way to deal with it. Please feel free to pick me apart, its a free country.

It was also a hybrid and was concerned about the replacement battery cost plus it had some intermittent faults.

For long distance comfort, it was unbeatable. I have to drive 500 miles in a day sometimes and for that it was perfect.

How did you find the mpg around town? I ended up with a normal diesel as I wanted to tow (but probably wont now!)

Fully agree on the long distance driving, I've done a few 400-500 mile trips in the E and it's hard to beat. An S-class or range rover would top it but they should as they cost ££££.

A jag XF is on my list of potential next cars but the reliability worries me.

Superb was on my list, I just couldnt find one with the spec I wanted and I am not sold on VAG interiors (apart from the newer Audis)

I would.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0koda_Superb_(1934%E2%80%931949)

jimjam - Member

Angeldust, your trolling game is weak, this isn't 1996. I could pick you apart but it's really not worth either of our time. Go and live your life and stop trying to instigate mild annoyance on the internet.

From your reaction it seems I can instigate mild annoyance without even intending to. Your blood pressure must be terrible if you get this angry every time someone says something derogatory about Skodas. Chill out man! Lots of people still won't buy them because of the badge, regardless of how boringly competent they may be. You may not believe it based on the evangelical nonsense you get on here (take your post above, for example), but believe me, this place is not a reflection of real life :D.

What is the best way to source & compare the different options (monthly cost, dealer contribution, mileage

In my experience a naffing great spreadsheet 😉 I ended up building a half decent statistical cost model mainly though boredom. There's a good PCP calculator on CarWow so you can check the APR values. I ended up working out fixed costs (VED, Monthly payment, etc) and variable (Tyres, Due, Servicing, etc), stuck in a deposit contribution (based on doing some calcs for what I wanted to pay monthly) and ended up spitting out two numbers; total cost of ownership and real cost per month.

Most of the data around fuel, tyres etc I had to source for each car. It was pretty tedious. Someone is gong to now tell me there's an easier way.

What I did learn - other than to confirm my view of car salespeople - was the APR rating makes a massive difference. It should be obvious but it's like compound interest (okay it isn't but...). The m/f are desperate for you to take finance as they believe this is just the first of many cars they will sell you. When they've stock to shift this is good for buyers as you get low APR and m/f finance deposit.

Sorry I'm boring myself now 😉

It's easily as good if not better inside as a place to be than the A6 and a lot better than the E-Class.

A A6 or E-Class of the same spec? I'd have my doubts on the A6 due to that being the posh version of the same groups car and a brand that is regularly praised for having the best interiors available.

I'm no great fan of Audi BTW.

I drove the Superb SEL and the A6 SE back to back on the same day. IMO the Audi was better finished, the dash nicer, the cabin materials better. Door linings were rather basic looking on the Superb. The area around the gear shift also looked and felt nicer in the A6. Driving them they felt much the same, steering, gearbox, performance, but the Audi had a more pleasant ambience, in my opinion.

As I said earlier, the Audi felt nicer and was £40 odd a month less than the Skoda. Had it been the other way round I’d most likely have gone for the Superb.

My main source of pcp costs so far has been browsing Lings cars, as not many other sites offer quotes without contact details.

Other than the A6, most other premium cars/brands seem a LOT more expensive than skodas.

My probable target is a midsize SUV over 4 years, under £400 s month, for 15000miles / yr . A Skoda Kodiaq Edition or Xtrail Tekna seem to be the top contenders. VAG/BMW/Volvo are a LOT more.

My probable target is a midsize SUV over 4 years,

How do 4 year lease deals work with a make that gives 3 year warranties? Who pays if something expensive breaks in year 4?

Edit - ignore - thought it was leases we were talking rather than PCPs

For pcp costs I used the manufacturers websites, usually a finance tab. Then I got quotes from CarWow for a shortlist of a few vehicles. I then went to local dealers with that info and got their best prices and compared.

I suspect that there are good deals on the A6 since the new model is out in April. Effectively it’s a run out model now.

I did look at the A6 last year when I was changing. The interior was well put together but the tech seemed a little old.

Yes, good deals have been a available on them for over a year now. The tech is a bit dated, my wife has a Q2 and the MMI and satnav on it is miles ahead of the A6 one.

Compared to my XC90 it will be space age - I got the old model nearly 25% off!!

I popped into a Skoda garage today.

Quite a contrast to the Merc/Audi garages! There were no pastries or freshly ground coffee on offer. The salesguy's teeth looked like they'd never seen a toothbrush, they were literally skoda green and the place was dingy and depressing. The superb I looked at was ok inside, though perhaps a bit bland. As I've got an e-class bike rack gathering dust in the garage, I'm thinking I should just go for a secondhand Merc.

andyl - Member
How did you find the mpg around town? I ended up with a normal diesel as I wanted to tow (but probably wont now!)

Any opinions on pcp deals on used cars? Surely financing an a car that has already depreciated should be good?

Manufacturer PCP "deals"!are usually hideously expensive on used cars. You're better off getting a loan from a reputable high street bank.

My probable target is a midsize SUV over 4 years, under £400 s month, for 15000miles / yr . A Skoda Kodiaq Edition or Xtrail Tekna seem to be the top contenders. VAG/BMW/Volvo are a LOT more.

My 5 series touring was quite a bit less than that for 17k miles per year. Discounts were very high for cars they wanted shifted before Xmas. Obviously spec is more limited. Kodiaq would be a new order so not a direct comparison.

Any opinions on pcp deals on used cars? Surely financing an a car that has already depreciated should be good?

You'd have thought so, but the m/f don't see it that way. EG. BMW were offering 2.9% on new and an amusing 10.9% on used. Audi were better but there was still a big gap. It doesn't make sense to me either but even the web based PCP deals were around 5.9%. I assume it's back to incentives to shift new cars.

Best of both? Is, that is a Skoda. 🙂

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I don't think you are missing much not getting the hybrid - It is more of a trick to get lower Co2 and tax. In reality the extra weight probably offsets any mpg advantage. It wasn't any better than previous A6/5 series diesels

That's good to know.

I really think you will regret a Superb if you enjoy the E-class. Mine was £51k when new, I paid a fraction of that but it still feels better (IMO) than a brand new Superb (but some people really rate VAG interiors, I just don't get them). If you can stretch to one of the newer 200hp E220s (new engine, rounded rear lights, new huge sat nav) then the economy is supposed to be a step up again over the original and first facelift engines but they will still be quite new and pricey.

The newest Superb is a very nice to be. Several long journeys in a mates and it is smooth, comfortable and has great specification in his top of the line model.

Is it as nice as my 2016 A4 or my previous 2012 A6? Probably not. Still lovely, but plastics are definitely less tactile and the interior design is not as sharp. Would I drive one? Yes, if it was significantly cheaper per month than the equivalent VW or Audi.

Any opinions on pcp deals on used cars? Surely financing an a car that has already depreciated should be good?

Usually not much point as most manufacturers will offer you either dealer or manufacturer deposit contributions. Many will offer both which when added to the higher interest rate on second hand make them no cheaper.

Remember that the A7 and A6 are due for replacement in 2018 where as the Superb is already on a newer platform.

This is probably why Audi are throwing money at the order book, the C7 A6 is getting on a bit now.

I've got a 66 plate 3.0 one and have had cars from all of the VAG stables over the years but this A6 eats miles in comfort, loads of room and economy is excellent. Mine is Ex Audi press car so has a good spec and was dirt cheap, definitely worth pushing Audi on some of their stock cars for deals.

I popped into a Skoda garage today.

Quite a contrast to the Merc/Audi garages! There were no pastries or freshly ground coffee on offer. The salesguy's teeth looked like they'd never seen a toothbrush, they were literally skoda green and the place was dingy and depressing. The superb I looked at was ok inside, though perhaps a bit bland. As I've got an e-class bike rack gathering dust in the garage, I'm thinking I should just go for a secondhand Merc.

I popped into Pret today. They weren't offering PCP deals on cars.

My local Skoda shop is absolutely full of glitz and the service is friendly (but really slow). Loads of people wearing ties wandering around aimlessly. I only go there to get parts from my very old Skoda. The place I bought that from was also fairly smart, but small, with brilliant service. The point being that Skoda dealers aren't generally shabby, and a few years back they were getting good ratings from the JD Power type surveys, much better than Audi, VW or Seat dealers.

Having said all that I've been in a few Superb taxis and they feel better than a Mondeo but not as nice as an Audi or Merc. But you can see all that for yourself. What is harder is anticipating the experience a year or two down the line. I think I'd go for a posh brand if the price was anywhere near.