Used Skoda Superb luxury sedans are affordable & easy to find, but should you buy them? We explain
The Indian used car market has become quite big now and offers vehicles from various brands. There are a few models that are found in abundance in the used car market just like the Skoda Superb. The flagship sedan from the Czechoslovakian brand has a lot of popularity in the market and is easily available in the used car market too. The deals on the Skoda Superb may look extremely tempting but there are many things that one should know about the Superb before making the final decision. We bring you the best and the worst of the Skoda Superb that you should know if you plan to get your hands on the sedan.
The good parts
Extremely spacious and luxurious
The Skoda Superb offers a lot of space inside the cabin. The previous model that was launched in 2013 came with a wheelbase of 2,761mm, which ensures a lot of knee room and space of the feet in the rear of the car. One can easily stretch their legs in the rear seats of the Skoda Superb. Now, this is much superior to other cars available in the segment and even many premium-branded cars. For example, the 2014 Audi A4 came with 2,642mm, which is more than 100mm shorter than the Skoda Superb. The Superb offers a massive boot space of 565-litres! Skoda also offers top-notch build quality and the cabin feels very plush.
Reliable engine options
The Skoda came with two engine options – 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine the 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine. Both the engine options are quite powerful and are also highly reliable. Both the internationally acclaimed engines from the Volkswagen Group and are used in various cars from Audi, Volkswagen and Skoda. The petrol engine of the 2013 Skoda Octavia produces a maximum of 158 Bhp while the diesel engines get the 138 Bhp engine option.
Loaded with features
Skoda has always been very innovative and offers unique features. The Superb, for example, comes with a notchback boot lid. The 2013 model of the Skoda Superb also came with features like bi-xenon headlamps with quintessential DRLs, 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic sunroof, parking sensors, cruise control, airbags and cornering function lamps.
Great road presence
The Skoda Superb gets a great design that catches a lot of eyes on the roads. Even the older version of the Superb had an intriguing design and the almost 5-meter length of the car adds a great luxurious feel to the car. The Skoda Superb gets an elegant design, which makes it a head-turner.
Can find affordable examples
Well, there are many affordable examples of the Skoda Superb available in the market. Even the cars in great condition are available at a very value-for-money price tag that goes for around Rs 5-10 lakhs. However, there can be many hidden factors in these vehicles, which are mentioned below. An example of affordable used Superb sedans available in India.
The infamous “DSG”
Skoda offers the dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission with both petrol and diesel engine options in the Indian market. The petrol engine option came with the DQ200 transmission while the diesel version came with the DQ250. The DQ200 is not a great transmission to own and owners from around the world have registered complaints on it. The DQ200 is a dry-type transmission that gets 7-speeds. However, the construction of the transmission is in a way that problems like shudders at low speed can come up. The DQ250, which is available with the diesel version of the Superb is slightly better in the terms of problems but it still is not as reliable as the other automatic transmissions. The best way to avoid the transmission problem is to choose the manual transmission option. Both petrol and diesel engine options are available with a manual transmission and it is much more reliable than the DSG.
Service Centres
Skoda has worked quite a lot to make their service centres better and improve customer experience. However, there are still many who have posted about their complaints about the Skoda service centres and how their vehicles get handled. In fact, there are many cases where the Skoda dealerships have quoted lakhs of rupees for the repairs whereas the customer got the problem go away for free or a fraction of the cost from the local service centres. Still, there are many customers who are affected by the misdiagnosis at the Skoda service centres. The best way to avoid this problem is to find a reliable local dealership who has the experience to get around the problems. There are plentiful of them in India. Also, the spare parts can take a lot of time to arrive and then the parts are very expensive too. In short, the maintenance can burn a hole in the pocket and make the ownership experience pretty bad too.
Featured image courtesy Team-BHP