Superb 206TSI Review

[Albervin]

I do not understand some dealers at all. The salesman is the at the pointy end of any dealership. If you have an issue with a car you used to go to the guy that sold it to you. Not any more. For nearly 10 years I had the same lady on the service counter at the dealership, she knew me and my car. Gone. Salesman, gone. Service manager, gone. Now I use a private guy with all the knowledge, computers etc. He used to work for these BIG guys but got shifted from Audi, to VW to Volvo and called it quits. Getting a bit off topic here so time to get back. I had a look at carsales for a 206 and thought $60K was not worth an upgrade. I did not see one photo with the luggage rails which I find brilliant. I wonder at the seats, are they some sort of alcantara or fabric inserts? Not interested. I can install a rear vision camera if I want to (I do not), and I can install a DNA chip to boost low down torque if I want to (I do) for peanuts. I like to drive a car, I have historic cars and motorcycles that need to be "driven/ridden" and I enjoy that. Ordinary cruise control is a first for me and I only use it occasionally but I like it. It is the Bi-Xenon lights, auto lights and wipers, heated seats and the big screen with audio and GPS I like most. I am old! But I do like to select "S", de-select traction control and then GO sometimes. Max in this car was 220 km/h heading into a curve, absolutely cool as. This may (or may not) have been on a private road.

[2009fsi]

Good on you Albervin! You sound like a man of my own heart. I too like to get in & actually drive my cars.

Early on I made the comment about my initial frustration with a lot of the electronics. I've come to terms with or rendered it fairly ineffective in my 206 now. Many of the innovations over the last two decades or so have attempts to compensate for bad driving & technique, inattention or tiredness. Not a bad thing I suppose, but things like ABS aren't infallible, especially on one of the old wet concrete roadway with dislocation between slabs; on the brakes, drop a step, ABS goes off & the novice is straight up the back of the car in front, before they know what happened. The first thing we get rid of on trhe race car is, ABS. And what of CC, with no dead man's hand? That's what ACC really is; a dead man's hand on CC for those busy with their iPhone of media system! Whatever happened to the art of controlled braking, being on the edge of the apex of a big sweepers or knowing how to control a slide on a wet road? ABS, TC & ESP. I wonder how many holiday weekend fatalities attributed to speed, were really the result of a tired driver, kilometres over his normal distance, dropping off as the CC hurls the beast into the big tree off the side of the next curve?

Most young drivers today grow up relying on these systems. There is an art & excitement driving a car in the raw which they will never know. I firmly believe a driver of a manual car is always more aware of the road ahead. One has to be the 'computer', making the pre-emptive gear changes & being aware of the car's engine characteristics. But the good old days of 'open' speed limits are long gone, unless we move to the NT! Within a decade or so, there will be no place for a driver iin a car. Only passengers. I hate being a passenger!

[Ozsko]

Why buy a car with all the electronics in it, you just wasted your money. I race superkarts so know exactly what a basic race vehicle is and before that rallied for many years. 99.9% of the driving population have never had the skills you lament at any time so that argument does not wash. I truly believe that the haters just want to hate, god knows why though. I had a mate who hated new cars and everything about them and any car after 1980 was evil. Guess what, he inherited some money and the first thing he did was buy the latest gee whizz car and dumped all his old ones.

[OilBurna]

Any comments on the panoramic sunroof i.e. Nice to have vs must have?


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[Buzy_Robot]

Any comments on the panoramic sunroof i.e. Nice to have vs must have?


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Apologies for gatecrashing this side of the forum, but I have a B8 Passat with the panoramic sunroof and given the Passat and Superb utilise the same platform perhaps my comments might be pertinent?

I'm in two minds about it as I find it very odd that the B8 Passat (and presumably the current Superb) comes with a mesh sunshade. Both the Mazda6 and Subaru Liberty I had came with solid sunshades which I prefer as the mesh sunshade allows sunlight into the cabin. Try that one on a really hot Aussie summer day!

My other gripe is that my panoramic sunroof has already developed some rattles.

Conversely, I quite like the breeze coming through the air vents when I tilt it open. Be aware though that on the highway at 100 km/h a semi-open or fully open sunroof allows for pronounced wind noise.

Is it a must have? No way! I only got it because I was forced to by VW as part of the Luxury pack and the only way of getting those gorgeous LED headlights is to get them with the panoramic sunroof.

[Smart1]

I tried a 206 4x4 today as a loan car as my wife's car was in for service. I have to say that it was brilliant.

[2009fsi]

I tried a 206 4x4 today as a loan car as my wife's car was in for service. I have to say that it was brilliant.

Not only gets a loan car, but gets a 206!

I have never yet had the promise of a loan car honoured, on the day.

[Smart1]

Not only gets a loan car, but gets a 206!

I have never yet had the promise of a loan car honoured, on the day.

You mustn't have gone to the right dealer. Probably helps that I have bought 3 Skoda's so far. Should i also mention that I've tried 2 x RS, (manual and DSG), Scout, Rapid, Fabia and loved them all.

I can tell you that it's going to be a hard decision when I turn over my Occy in 2 years, the Superb just screams out to me.

[2009fsi]

An update on my experience with the 206 so far.

I have now clocked close to 6000kms. A lot of recent driving in wet & stormy condition. The car is exceptional in the wet, with clearly superior grip & traction to other cars around me. I feel it is superior to the my previous V6 Superb. With suspension & steering set to 'sports' mode, everything else 'normal' the car points better into corners on winding highways in both wet & dry. I feel I can make this comparison better since I changed to the Conti Sports6 tyres, as the V6 was shod with CS3s. Both cars with pressures at 38psi, front & rear.

The change to the Continental tyres has solved the road noise problem I had at speed on coarse asphalt surfaces, with the Pirelli P7s. The CS6s also give a much more stable feel on the road, imo. The car no longer has that feeling of 'waffly' tyre wall flex on changes of direction. Please bear in mind. I do a lot of country driving & I do push the car along. Others may prefer the 'softer' feel of the Pirelli's.

I'm now a fan of ACC under all conditions. I've learnt a lot more about how to best use it & have joined the club on it being a must have. One just has to be aware of when a car in front in the same lane will start regulating your speed & either change lanes or apply accelerator before doing so. The other circumstance is going up hill on a windy multi lane road. The slow moving truck in the left lane may be detected by the radar as being in the same lane as the road turns right. You don't want the car slamming the brakes on, halfway up Mt. Ousley! Driver awareness & familiarity essential always, of course. I am particularly impressed with the accuracy of the ACC on steep declines, such as those around Wollongong which are infested with revenue speed cameras, places in the most likely places for drivers to over run the limit.

A word about the engine. I returned to Sydney from South Coast NSW last Thursday morning & could not help but be impressed with the torque of the 2 litre motor at 1800-1900revs, up a sustained climb of Mt. Ousley. Traffic was sparse, allowing the car a free run at 83kph on ACC. It maintained that speed easily in D6 for nearly all the climb, only dropping into D5 briefly as a car ahead briefly crossed the radar's line. The previous V6 couldn't do that. Fuel consumption for me is about or just above Skoda's claimed figures. I would have filled the V6s tank three times to each fill for the 206.

I remain completely happy with my 206. So far it is everything I had hoped for when I decided to change cars.

[skoda206]

does anyone know why this 206 doesn't have same nice burble sound that the vw r has? since it has same motor? what can be done to get the same sound out of it that the R has?