As a ex taxi driver who car of choice was the mercedes C class estate for a lot of years, it came as a bit of a shock when I test drove a Skoda Superb. In my humble opinion it is a far better car than the C class I was used to driving. Speaking to other taxi drivers it seems to be reliable as well. So I bought one. Money well spent.
Happy owner of a 2013 (facelifted) Superb mk2 170 HP with the 6-speed DSG box. Over 300K on the clock and average of 18,7 km/L in total. (yes, I keep spreadsheets) Only repairs has been: A Throttlebody, 2 x brake dust shields. It's a cruise monster at a affordable price with insane leg room in the back.
@@Cloxxki Between 50-65K KM(depending on brand and season) currently switched to 17" Goodyear All-season(matches the weather in Denmark pretty good) been going for 12K km so far.
And what about the space for your leggs in the backseat.. I got them both and the test is ok... but there are so mush morre space on the backseat in the Skoda contra the Merc... !!
Oberst Gruppenführer .... an a6 is just too small ;) and with the same options its about 15k€ more. And by the way ... brand snobbery is the main reason why i took the superb. as long as people think of skodas as "cheap" cars, it can cost as much as it wants, nobody gets jealeous or questions my hourly wage rates. So ... perfect car for me. just ordered my second on with the 3,6 vr6 4x4 ... for about the money as a bmw 320d ....
David Goldberg or a clever man's Audi! Your paying for the name a 2009 superb 2.0 tdi is about 9k, a Audi on the same year and spec is about 4-5k more expensive but essentially your buying the same VW built vehicle! Its just badge snobbery
KD84Afc™ yes that's why I'm getting a petrol Octavia vrs estate late this year early next. However if I was going deisel I'd go one more step removed and get the Leon ST FR 184, same as the Octavia vrs diesel bit like for like another £1500 cheaper. They don't do a petrol option, unless you go cupra, which would be great, iirc 290bph, but fuel bills would cripple me. The petrol vrs only gets about 30mpg (245bhp) and that's going to hurt. My current gets 36 and I hate that. My old laguna 1.9d (130bhp) got 55mpg all day. Though dummy enough all the cars mentioned above share very similar torque figures 350nm give or take.
having driven both, i have to say: a benz is a benz...and the skoda ain't. but you won't find better value for money in europe than with skodas cars. they build great cars
@@ArturoPerez-si2xk I sat in the new Superb Combi today, and a year old E-Class Estate. Yeah, it's not the same for luxury feel. The Merc book actually seemed smarter made, less a tunnel, more little space when moving around big bikes or the like. The Skoda is a PHEV and get a good bit of e-range. the Merc is only hybrid assist I think, lower total peak horsepower.
I have a Superb Combi (state) 2.0 TDI 140 bhp FWD 6 speed manual for the last 2 years;i live in Switzerland but i'm from Portugal ;and after 6 Swiss-Portugal trips can tell that for ME and my family she is very confortable,spacious and reliable (and fuel economy too) And for the MONEY she cost i think she is very well equiped:leather ,navigation,etc. Even in snow (winter tires mandatory) never had a problem ,and i drive in mountain roads . It was a money choice,bu now is a love choice !!! Probably buy in the future a Audi A6 avant but only for the small gadgets advantage and obviously the BADGE !!!
Or a used Superb for really a pittance. And they're truly superb cars. I may be a Skoda fan, but Superb is a quality car. Nothing like the Iron Curtain practical but underpowered vehicles of the past. Skoda's gone back to it's roots as a luxury car maker.
I've got superb elegance estate and it's probably the best car I've had for practicality and comfort -it's got all the extras except the big price tag- it gets kids bashing it on the school runs and a labrador and it shows no sign of wear. Wife got fabia Monte Carlo and that's excellent as well. I cannot understand people's snobbery just over a badge. I will be buying another one in 2 years
I've had the top-end Skoda Superb Estate for over 2 years now. It is by far the best car for it's brief I've ever owned. The cost savings alone make it a no brainer, but beyond that, the feeling of solidity and interior quality are simply amazing. Brand snobbery makes its own noise of course but by any real world measure, the Superb Estate is the best of it's type getting about today. Clearly then, I'm a fan. Lol.
Hahahaha cmon guys, lets not kid ourselves. Mercedes will always shit all over skoda. However i know for a fact that us mercedes drivers love skodas and respect them. So there shouldnt be any vicious rivalry here.
there ain´t rivalry as long as merc takes (too) much for the cars they build. and i say that as someone living in stuttgart an had two mercs (e-class 2001 and a 2004 clk 320). Mercs had terrible quality problems in that time so i will definitively never buy a merc again. of course i know the quality issues are under control now, but im sorry to say that i still don´t trust the cars ... and of course the e-class is the better car. there are a lot of things i would change in my superb, but all of them would seriously price it up ...
Diane Roberts No. It were not that good cars. But since the collab and use of VW parts it got so much better. Even more clever and maybe they overtook volkswagen
Skoda also owns the world record for 2 liter production cars. Skoda ruled the IRC and is leading the erc in 2013. Chassis, suspension, axles, transmissions, engines of VAG group belong to the best that money can buy. From this you can build very individual cars, as you can see on the Golf, A3 and Octavia. Who uses the kit must meet only the width of the wheel track. Everything else is open to choice. Skoda manufactures cars at a very high quality level.
12 years on already. Which was the bigger car? I'm considering an R-Class because it's SO much bigger, albeit kinda aging. An MPV that looks, to me, like a bigger estate. A bit like a Grand Espace, but BIGGER? Else, the Superb is high on the list. Jag XF Sportbrake if I can hunt one down, and which other one should I be considering for a LONG space in the back? I want to nap there (tall Viking) and toss in XL sized mountainbikes, ski bags.
Looks like the price of a car grows exponentially relative to the quality of the car. I mean the Merc beat the Skoda by a small but noticeable margin in every category, but it also costs A LOT more.
As someone who has been driven in the two said cars (the saloon versions on separate occasions), they are evenly matched in various areas. With the Skoda, I truly believed I was in a luxury car and the E Class, I've got exactly the same view, Volkswagen more than deserve to be commended for rescuing the once laughed at Czech car company from near obscurity to the most sought after vehicles one's most likely to purchase. As for the Mercedes-Benz executive estate vehicle, it looks as though they have a serious rival to contend with - and the Superb (excellent choice of name for the model) has already beaten it. The top end Skoda is a few thousand pounds cheaper than the entry level E Class estate - so that's the value for money box already ticked off!.
I have a Renault Avantime which I intend to drive until I die or it dies because I absolutely love it for its styling and uniqueness. I hope to keep it for special occasions and park a 2nd vehicle alongside it for day-to-day use. That car will be a Skoda superb estate, I think it's brilliant
The thing is - what is the point comparing "peoples brand" vs. "preppy brand" ? It is absolutely clear to everyone that luxury brand wins over the brand concerned to lower classes. But I think the SuperB is very beautiful car itself, and looking at how better they got in quality in the past 10 years, the brand is really doing well!
I spent lots of time in the back of cars like e class, s class and sometimes superb taxi's. to be honest I found the superb more comfortable than the e class. The rear seats in the e class are very uncomfortable almost painful. Also the car seemed noisier than the superb. But that could have been down to the tyres. The S class is most certainly way above these two. But for a car that costs halve of the e class I think skoda have a winner. And the sales figure seems to prove that as well.
Had a 730ld , Eclass250, Lexus GS450h and now getting a 2012 1.6 greenline elegance superb in 2022 saloon version. Nothing will be the Lexus for ride and reliability but too small a boot space and too thirsty for Chauffuer work.
Massive? you should have seen the Station Wagons (Estates) built 35 years ago in the USA. Try a 1975 Pontiac Catalina Safari: 455 cubic inches and tailgate that disappeared into the floor and ceiling and 3 forward facing bench seats. A 1975 Mercury Colony Park: 460 cubic inches, rich wood paneling and hidden headlamps. A 1975 Chrysler Town+Country: 440 cubic inches, a second A/C unit on the ceiling and leather seats. Cars the size of those in the videos were considered economy cars.
as cars, the skoda and merc are pretty identical, but the point is that if you want the best in refinement and quality (and can appreciate it) you should get the merc and if youd rather have something thats merely very good, get the skoda. that being said, id get the passat estate
What would you choose if the price gap was even more acute. Like in Russia: $43,000 for full packed 200 bhp 2.0 TSI Skoda Superb and around $90,000 for equally equipped Mercedes E-Class?
@whatthehallbetch Yea, engine size is very important. The funny thing is are we really interested in anyone of these cars. It is just the Skoda isn't sold here in the US and I didn't know about the car until I saw a review of it in India. We need more verity in the US. We don't get a lot of engine choises today
I'd choose the Skoda. I'm aware that Mercedes is more prestigious, comfortable etc but money talks in this case as well. I've been driven both and there's almost no difference. Besides they didn't compare the space on the back seat, where E class looses without any doubt!
@whatthehallbetch I guess it depends on what you consider better. If holding more passengers is better then yes your right. If handling is more important mid-size cars tend to handle better, stop better, and plan more fun to drive. A minivan holds more but wouldn't want to drive one personally.
@JonnyC023 i think it hasn't got the luxury at all to be compared with the E class. the new one has a quite impersonal design, and the old one was a bit too freaky in that point. many people think it's sportier, but please, compare it to a E 320cdi avantgarde amgsport with paddle gearbox, 20" wheels, amg body kit, sport suspensions and steering... i have one of these, btw. estate. 0-60 takes 6.8 seconds!
Yes, Skoda cars on a a high quality level, but Mercedes is at the highest. Mercedes E class is better than the Audi A6. And some crazy people here are suggesting the Superb is as good as the E class...right, then VAG group allowed the Superb to be better than Audi A6 which costs 3 times as much? Come on...Superb is a great car for the money, but its not comparable to E class. Not even C class. Its only very big....quality, refinement, comfort, attention to detail, premium feel...its not near E.
I think that this video is not reallybecause you never can compare Superb and E by Classe you can compare Skoda Superb with Mercedes Benz S Classe,but not with E Classe... E Classe you can compare with Octavia... C Classe with Skoda Rapid and more...
yea, well, sure, it has more hp, but to get from point A to B do I need 500 hp or its enuf with, lets say, 80...150? its economy and extras + comfort, and skoda proves it. Merc over time gets louder and parts costs more (as I know).
That may be so, but you simply cannot compare the driving experience and characteristics of front wheel drive cars to those of rear wheel cars. That is my point.
How can you trust any of these observations when they get a basic fact wrong? The Ford Mondeo estate has a wider tailgate entry, higher and wider boot opening and larger boot capacity than the Skoda or merc featured here. VOLUME is not everything - you have to get tall and wide things in and this is where the Mondeo is better.
@bmwmakecrap i really ask the same question 2 years ago when they substitute the old E classe that was really nice i mean front grill and the headlights...and i forgot the boat was so sweet...but now they change it and it again complete and not separate in 2 groups!!!take a look to the new 2012 Mercedes classe E it really nice...
Ill take the Skoda, looks better and the space from boot in Skoda is used for people in back which is better for family. And with half of price the Merc its much economical, also it uses less gas and the insurance is much cheaper.
Skoda is quality at a good price.. Merc is TOP quality in feel at a much much higher price...for practical everyday use and running costs the skoda wins...for a luxury drive..Sunday driver the Merc wins.
You're talking crap. Superb is a great car, but there's no way in hell its on a level of E classes. I know because I spend lots of time in both of them, and even in older E class w211 while traveling, since all taxis in my city almost are Skoda Superbs or E classes. Superb is nowhere near the level of comfort, smoothness, refinement that even an old w211 E class has. Its not even as refined and comfortable as the Passat.
I don't see the point of this video review. It is like comparing Vitali Klitschko to Audley Harrison.. They are about equally big but that's about it. Skoda would give VW Passat, Ford Mondeo and Opel Insignia a run for their money but not in the class of Merc, BMW or Audi.
@bigphat200 oh, youre talking about size of the car. im talking about engine size. now dont think im some guy who thinks ancient bigass engines from the 70's are superior to the smaller ones of today, but that is an area where size means more possible power. and yeah, minivans handle like boats, only more vague and less fun
Estate boot space volume is not the whole story - the trim in the Skoda's boot is too flimsy and the rear door slopes too steeply making the space less convenient to use. Volvo V70 and Merc have very solid boot floors and interior panels and rear doors are more vertical giving a better shaped space for carrying large objects.
