Superb 206TSI Review

[tigger73]

I've got ACC in my work car (Subaru Liberty) and when I have to jump in my wife's Tiguan with standard cruise its painful.

It takes a little bit to get used to but I now wouldn't buy a new car without this feature.


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[2009fsi]

If it's anything like the Audi's Traffic Jam Assist, which I'm betting it's the same thing, it takes over braking, accelerating and steering up to a certain speed. So basically, it's hands off. You don't even need to hit resume for the car to move off from dead stop. It just follows the car ahead and keeps it in the lane.

It is exactly the same agentthumb & Ozsko.
In theory, you should be able to sit back read a book. Or retire to the backseat to do whatever you like, in peak hour traffic, as long as you put the blinds up. It works up to 60ks/h. ACC Plus!

[2009fsi]

An Update:

I continue to be impressed with my 206. Just over 3,600kms, ticked over, much of it on country roads over the last week.

My one big change has been to sell the 235/40R19 Pirellis & replace them with the new Conti Sportscontact 6, in 245/40R19. That is legal on the rims, (yes I checked first), indiscernible difference, but 245s are half the price of the odd size of 235, in Australia & there is a much larger range of tyres to chose from. The reason I've changed is all my family are unhappy & affected by the road noise generated by the P7 on the coarse bitumen of many of the main country roads we travel at highways speeds. I think this more obvious in a 4x4s. The change has dramatically quietened road noise, under those conditions.
There is nothing wrong with the P7s in the city or smooth surfaces similar to roads in Europe. The effect is as marked as taking Dunlop Sports Maxxx off our previous 3T V6 & putting on Conti Sportscontact 3s for the same reason. It was a question of putting up with the resulting headache after 200kms, or not for me.

I've finally become comfortable with the CC & ACC lever position & found setting which mitigate earlier frustrations with ACC engaging automatically 300m before reaching a car in the same lane. Distance: "Very Short", & learning more about how it works.

I've also acquired a full size alloy spare thanks to a friend just returned from Europe. The full size spare fits in the wheel well under the floor with no noticeable difference, however a small mod needed to be made; shaving 5mm off a lip on plastic trim , inside the back of the boot. This is necessary to allow the tyre to lay flat in the wheel well. Of course the excess foam bat wings & the centre hole of the 'tool' block were trimmed to fit inside the rim.

In the street & carparks, I continue to get people approaching me about the car. In carparks I regular return to find the greasy forehead stamps on the side windows I'm surprised by the number who ask questions, who obviously have pre-knowledge of the new model Superbs. Particularly those who have seen so many Skodas on the streets in UK & EU. There are two types; those who recognise the car as a Skoda & those who who don't recognise the nameless badge & wonder what it is.

New models have a short life in the lime light before other makes bring in their latest. I truly believe Skoda/VAG have seriously underestimated the new Superb's appeal. If I didn't own one, I'd buy one. But not if I had to wait 9 months for delivery!

Just on ordering a new car from the factory, can anyone explain why an Australian buyer can't just order any of the many colours available to buyers in other countries. They all come out of the same factory! A totally illogical restriction imposed by VAG, I presume. How it would effect them equally escapes me. None of the spares or accessories sold out here are colour specific. The bloke in his new canary yellow Porche yesterday just stood out beautifully from the squadrons of 'asphalt' grey in the other 4 lanes; Mercs, Beamers, Toyotas, Mazdas, Hondas. Hyundai ..... all in varying shades of the latest trendite colour, 'asphalt grey metallic. Bah, bah, bah .... !

[Albervin]

I find this thread very, very interesting. I have a V6 wagon and love everything about it except the lack of torque down low. I believe a DNA chip can cure that. I was under the impression the new 206 gave more low down torque than the V6 courtesy of the turbo. This was certainly true in my previous Audi cars where the four cylinder turbo gave so much low down torque you could short shift to a higher gear and not depend on revs. I have only 25,000 Km on my four year old so am not really contemplating an upgrade and all of this talk of these "safety" electronics is really turning me off. However I think I may have to book a test drive for a comparison because for me it is the 60-100km/h oomph I really like. On long trips I do find the car supremely comfortable but I am an 80Kg skinny runt. Last year I had the pleasure (?) of driving a Bentley Continental and really I was left a little underwhelmed considering the price difference. As someone who obviously does very few kms/year I am not too phased about economy, I always drive in manual mode and I have Michelin PS3 tyres so the car is a keeper for the moment. The comments about the steering, electronic interference and the need to change tyres are, to me, retrograde. I understand the improved seating and pedal position are important to some people, as are cooled seats, but for me the warmed seats, lights, relaxed driving on country roads and NINE airbags are a winner. Sometimes "improvements" are not.

[Albervin]

Probably disabled traction control in Sport mode.

[2009fsi]

You've put your finger on the big difference between the R36 V6 & the 206, Albervin. This 2ltr turdo engine has so much get up & go when you want to overtake or accelerate off the mark if you need to when turning, it makes my former V6 look quite pedestrian. There is no doubt the R36 is a great motor, but it needs revs on board. As I related in an earlier post, this 206 can easily break traction taking off from a standing start, before the traction control reacts. And when it goes, you better be in control for the conditions because you'll be well over the speed limit before you know it. The combination of motor response, torque & the clearly superior Haldex 5 traction, makes the 206 markedly better low down than the 191V6. I have suspension & steering setting in 'Sports' mode, but the engine & other settings as 'normal'. If I do put the engine/DSG into 'Sports' mode, you can multiply those comments by two.

Like you, I did not worry much about the fuel consumption of the V6. On the open road it was frugal, in the city, it was one of the thirstiest car I've ever owned. The 206 is much more frugal around town, about the same on the express way. The first tank did 520kms before refilled & even then wasn't empty. I'm not sure what it would be if you lived in sports mode all the time, but power under heavy feet, always costs more.

A number if my earlier comments on the driver aid stuff I feel are somewhat misleading after a combination of familiarity & more appropriate settings were found. The factory settings for slowing behind a vehicle in front are probably based on an expectation you might be doing 200kph on an autobahn. Changing the 'distance' setting on setup to 'very short' does the trick for our road environment. Basically, only the lane following tug on the steering wheel remains, but even then , either I'm getting used to it or the system has a 'kearn driver' mode.

You & I have both been driving 3T Superb V6 for a few years. One difference is, I'm more akin to a rugby lock in build, so understandably I notice a big difference in room & the seat. My younger son, a chip of the old block, & I, can now sit in the front seats together, without him having to sit skewed in the seat to avoid interfering with my shoulder & arm while driving. My bulk had a lot to do with my buying the 206. Perhaps a point I should have made earlier.

The new Superb in my opinion addresses virtually every comment I've read in Skoda forums, from fellow 3T Superb owners, be they here or on Briskoda. A lot of thought went into the design of this model.

[2009fsi]

One thing I should mention is, when I change tyres we checked the 4x4 wheel alignment, based on a suspicion raised by very minor wear on the Pirellis. The front-back alignment on the 4x4 was out by 1.5 deg & the front also out of steering alignment. This is a matter I will be taking up with the dealer who delivered the vehicle. The car's pointing into corners & feel on the road is now more precise.

It is quite apparent after a comprehensive inspection while the car was on the hoist in my mate's workshop, delivery on my vehicle amounted to a wash, polish, a fluid check (based on a internal dealer chit left in the glove box) & registration. There are several indications with the car on the hoist that it had not been 'serviced' by the dealer's workshop, before delivery. The driver's side windscreen washer being aimed at the parked blade, not the glass, being a minor one.

This big multi brand dealer's service department is outsourced to a related entity. A shared facility, remotely based from the dealership. The car was brought from a port in another state, arrived one day, delivered the next. Their accounts department's 'delivery' Friday. Methinks a strategy which sees the dealership pocket delivery $s & lump any delivery deficiencies into subsequent warranty returns to service dep't, on Skoda's bill.

A reminder your new car delivered halfway around the world may not be delivered to you in the condition either you or the manufacturer expects. I live equidistant between two big Skoda dealers, I think I'll try the other bloke when service is due. Everybody involved in selling me the car has since left the dealership. I think there is a message in that.

[Dutch77]

Like others I have read your reviews with interest, especially given it's the same running gear in our cars; and I may eventually need more space down the track; and do like the cleaner styling of the Skoda product; anddd at some point I will need to own a Skoda due to my heritage.

I note your comment on the tyres - you'll find the 245/40/19 is a Falcodore sizing so is a lot cheaper. It used to be that way with the 225/40/18s fitted on GTIs and similar.. twice the price of the Falcodore 235/40/18 sizing which was readily available. That has become less of an issue as more cars are now fitted with bigger rubber.

[Ozsko]

Everybody involved in selling me the car has since left the dealership. I think there is a message in that.

That is normal for the motor industry, I have a cousin who had about 15 jobs in one year as a salesman and thought nothing of it. I worked in service/spare parts for many years and the turn over of sales related staff was always high. As for dumping PD issues onto Skoda as a warranty claim that is never going to fly, the dealer staff did not do their job properly but that is normal also. European cars always have different alignment in RHD countries due to the camber differences in LHD countries. I managed a large fleet of Sprinter vans and we had to align every van as the tyre wear was atrocious.

[2009fsi]

That is normal for the motor industry,

True, Ozsko. In this case, new company owners have started by bringing in change agents, sacking or moving everybody, across all brands. It's that US management theory of the new broom moving in, threatening everybody, creating organisational chaos, then patting themselves on the back for having gotten rid of the 'dead wood'. You usually find the deadwood are the only ones still there six months later, because they were the ones who jumped higher every time they saw management coming!

There is another Superb owner I've met, living a few streets away, in the next suburb. He owned a 2009 silver V6 & has traded it in on a 206 at the same dealership I bought my 206. We'd both been to two dealers & agree salesman Ken was the only bloke encountered who really knew the 206 inside out, having attended the Skoda training days & clearly boned up on his product. We both bought from him in the same week. Within a week of the 206 being in the dealership, he was gone. He's been moved over to sell Volvos or Mercs apparently, according to my 'Superb' neighbour.

Honestly, the place now runs on the chaos theory. Not just the Skoda part, but every franchise within it. For me, the customer, it ain't good enough. You can't do business with a mob which consistently doesn't answer the dealership phones, doesn't respond to telephone or internet parts enquiries, or bother to contact you about changing a service appointment when they already know Skoda/VAG delivered the wrong part.

That's why I'll be going to the other dealer for service, accessories & consumable spares. I haven't the patience my neighbour has to persist with the dealer we bought our cars from.