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Originally Posted by Vik0728 Amazing pick Avinash, and seems like you are one of those lucky few who is quite a distance away from Skoda's 'Mediocre/Notorious' after sales |
Well I wouldn't say that Skoda Service has been exemplar. Parts delay is the major problem. Good thing about service centers in small cities is the relationships you build with the people over the course of the time. The original dealer from which we bought the vehicle and used to service it shut shop in mid 2014. But the chaps from old Skoda service were there in the new dealership also, and even amidst some mail exchanges for previous issues, good relationship helped when the new dealer came about.
Before procuring the Superb, they helped with cross-verifying the service history of the particular car, courteous enough to know check whether Haldex oil has been replaced or not. Bottom line: Skoda cars are good, in fact great, ASC is hit or miss (for us they have been helpful), but parts delay can be frustrating.
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Originally Posted by Gannu_1 Yeah, Skoda might have sold a handful of these beasts here.
260 hp and 350 Nm, 0-100 in 6.6 seconds and AWD!
Congrats Avi! |
Thank you Ganesh. Most of the ones on sale were previously used by corporate house, and all of them in and around Mumbai/Pune. I think fair number of sales would have happened in that direction than to individual, or the enthusiasts are still holding onto their cars dearly
Underneath the skin, there is a good share of hardware in Superb 3.6 which are different from the regular 1.8TSi and 2.0TDIs. This kindled my interest in the car more during the research.
Differences relative to regular Superbs sold in India: Engine: Strictly speaking it is not a V6 engine (thought it is badged and marked so), but a 3.6 VR6 FSI - It is more of an inline 6 engine than a V6. It has a very small V angle of 10.6 degress, whereas most V6s are 60deg or 90deg. This way it doesn't have 'banks' of cylinders like a V-engine, it is more balanced than a V6, has only one cylinder head (V's require separate cylinder head and valve train for each bank). Thus compact in length compared to I-6, but narrower than a V6, and also a unique exhaust note. A unique piece of engineering even if not state of the art. They are likely to be the last in the series as similar outputs of power and even more torque can be tweaked from the 2.0TSIs. Current generation of Superb (not the facelift in India) has replaced the 3.6FSI with 2.0TSI.
260bhp from 3.6 isn't much, but the flat torque of 350Nm @2500-5000 rpm is quite good for a NA petrol engine.
Transmission: 6-speed DSG similiar to the diesel Superbs and Passats. Much more reliable than the 7-speed units.
4x4 / AWD: On demand 4x4. I think it runs completely FWD in normal operation and power is transfered to rear only when the need arises. Uses the 4th generation Haldex as in the case of Yeti. Equivalent system used in 4motion of VW (Golfs, Passats etc), Quattro in tranverse engine Audis (TTs, Q3s etc).
Wheels and Tyres: Regular Superbs ran 205/55 R16 tyres. Superb 3.6 runs 225/45 R17 tyres as stock. I have to confirm if it is 7J or 7.5Jx17 alloys. The car we bought had a tyre change recently and is running Pirelli P7s. Might upgrade to Michelin PS3 or Yoko Advan, the car deserves stickier rubber.
Brakes: Now the Superb 3.6 cannot be run with 16" wheels. A minimum of 17" wheels are required because of the bigger brakes it uses compared to regular Superbs. 345mm ventilated discs upfront, 310mm ventilated discs at rear. Skoda gave it the extra oomph, but also complemented with added stopping power.
Suspension: It sits lowered than regular Superbs. 139mm vs 158mm. The Laura, including RS had the rough road package as standard, added GC as well as underbody protection. Unlikely that Superb 3.6 sold here also had that explaining the relative drop in GC.
Cosmetics: Nothing to differentiate from regular Superb. No badges at all. Quad tail pipes is the only give away, and if you are quite keen the 17" wheels and bigger brakes. A total sleeper car.
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Originally Posted by TB16 WOW!! Thats one heck of a car. Please do start an ownership review soon. Mind disclosing the price you paid for the beauty? |
Thank you. As much I want to start writing a ownership review (don't think there is one for the Superb 3.6 currently in tbhp), I would get to drive it only when I am back home for vaccation. A comparo between the vRS also will be up then. Regarding the price - Let's say we wouldn't have been able to buy a top end Swift for that money
On a quick note, my brother remarked on the fuel efficiency of 3.6 vs the vRS. Average FE over 450km of highway drive shows 9.4L/100km (or 10.6kmpl) on the MFD. Haven't verified with actual consumption. But still this is only 1.5-2kmpl less than what would have been indicated in the vRS. So it is frugal for its size and output.
- Avinash