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Pre-worshipped car of the week : Buying a Used Skoda Superb
Buying a used Skoda Superb (3rd-gen)
The 1st-gen Skoda Superb was launched in India in 2004. It royally flopped because it was too bland, too expensive and looked too much like the smaller Octavia. The B6 (2nd-gen) Superb was the one that made things right for the Czech carmaker. Not only was it priced aggressively, it also offered unmatched cabin space, comfort, equipment & quality (GTO called it a game-changer in this article). No wonder it became the best-selling sedan in the D2 segment, outselling the Honda Accord, VW Passat and Toyota Camry. The 3rd-gen car, which was launched in 2016, has continued where its predecessor left off. The formula is similar = it is spacious, loaded with features, boasts a solid build, a VFM price etc. Yet somehow, the 3rd-gen didn't create that flutter and 'wow' factor in the market as the 2nd-gen car did. Could be due to the very understated styling, the pricing not being as aggressive and the market moving on to crossovers / SUVs. In fact, the Passat, Accord & Teana are all gone. The Superb & Camry are the sole warriors of the D2-sedan segment.
Used Skoda Superb Pros
- 75% of the A6 / E-Class / 5-Series luxury at Kia Sonet & Hyundai Creta prices
- A car that punches above its weight & how
- Timeless, elegant styling with “big car” presence. Fit, finish & build quality are top class
- Awesome space and comfort, including at the rear. Beats luxury cars costing twice as much
- Classy cabin is luxurious & practical. Cavernous 625 liter boot gobbles up big bags!
- Enjoyable 12-speaker Canton sound system includes a punchy subwoofer
- Terrific diesel & petrol engines mated to fast gearboxes. Petrol available with a manual tranny too
- Comfortable ride quality is just perfect for Indian roads
- Surprisingly easy to drive for such a large car. Driving experience makes us smile
- Loaded with features & technology. Equipment list runs pages long…
- 5-star safety rating & kit - 8 airbags, ESP, TC, ABS + EBD, EDL and lots more
- 6-year extended warranty available (a must-have on any Skoda)
- Attention to detail (THREE lights in the boot, felt-lined & illuminated door pockets, ticket holder on windscreen, boss button, triple-zone climate, rear headrests with outer support, request sensors even on the rear doors, umbrellas with a drainage system…)
Used Skoda Superb Cons
- The petrol's DQ200 AT has an extremely high probability of failure (diesel's DSG is more reliable)
- Skoda’s notorious dealerships & after-sales horror stories
- Complex electronics, expensive spares & suspect long-term reliability. Many 2nd-gen Superb owners have wept
- Single digit fuel economy of the turbo-petrol in the city
- More practical, reliable & efficient 2.0 diesel is not as easy to find as the 1.8 petrol. Diesel sold lesser
- Shorter, tighter & lighter Octavia is more fun to drive. The Superb is like a limousine!
- In such a luxo-barge, we’d prefer a RWD instead of a FWD layout
- DSGs can get jerky in crawling traffic (between 1st - 3rd gears). It’s an inherent DSG trait
- Sheer size means the car isn’t really city-friendly. Good luck in tight lanes & parking spots
- Some product planning goof-ups by Skoda (limited colours, no navigation in early cars, no diesel MT)
- 156 mm of ground clearance, coupled with a long wheelbase and soft suspension
- No full-size spare wheel provided
Related Threads
hillsnrains' pre-worshipped Superb
Mod Potential
Like all VAG cars, the Superb is very mod-friendly. With a simple Vag-Com / VCDS, you could have some fun at home. There are also many aesthetic & performance mods available worldwide. Although, we will add that, if you want to mod a lot, you should probably consider the Octavia instead of a limousine like the Superb.
Availability
Decent for the D2 segment. The Superb has been a popular car in the big cities, regularly selling at over 200 units per month. You might have trouble outside the Tier-1 cities though. While we see plenty of 1.8 TSI petrols (which suffer poor long-term reliability), the 2.0 TDI diesel's availability is lesser (diesel was priced much higher than the petrol, and it was launched later). Will further add that, if you want a trouble-free & fuss-free ownership experience, go for a used Toyota Camry instead. Check out the Superbs on sale - link.
Pictures of a 2016, 22,000 km done Superb 1.8 TSI MT with an asking price of Rs. 17.99 lakh. This is a good looking, single owner, fully loaded luxury car with a full service history, maintained at a Skoda authorised service center for Honda City money:
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