Do badges matter? Read the latest tow car blog from our tow car expert David Motton, where he compares an Audi A6 Avant with a Skoda Superb Estate Outdoor.
Skoda vs Audi
- Thread starter LizziePope
- Start date
Hi,
Interesting blog, thanks.
For the past 3 year I have towed our Coachman Pastiche 460/2 (MPTLM 1420kg) with our 2010 Skoda Superb SE Estate 170, which has now clocked up 50k miles, very many of them towing. I have found it to be a quite excellent towcar with plenty of torque and power when required. It is absolutely stable, even in some quite severe cross winds. As you comment, the boot is enormous, but also with useful sidepockets for bits and pieces. There is also masses of space in the rear seat wells. As we are just two plus the dog, the rear seat wells take the boxes of caravanning clobber and the dog has most of the boot. As it has a ski hatch, the dog can see us and I can check on her periodically by dipping the mirror!
Our towing has included tours round France and to the south of Spain, as well as expeditions in the UK.
When I come to change it - it will be for another Superb - why splash out more just for an Audi badge?
Cheers
Paul RT
Interesting blog, thanks.
For the past 3 year I have towed our Coachman Pastiche 460/2 (MPTLM 1420kg) with our 2010 Skoda Superb SE Estate 170, which has now clocked up 50k miles, very many of them towing. I have found it to be a quite excellent towcar with plenty of torque and power when required. It is absolutely stable, even in some quite severe cross winds. As you comment, the boot is enormous, but also with useful sidepockets for bits and pieces. There is also masses of space in the rear seat wells. As we are just two plus the dog, the rear seat wells take the boxes of caravanning clobber and the dog has most of the boot. As it has a ski hatch, the dog can see us and I can check on her periodically by dipping the mirror!
Our towing has included tours round France and to the south of Spain, as well as expeditions in the UK.
When I come to change it - it will be for another Superb - why splash out more just for an Audi badge?
Cheers
Paul RT
The downside is that both have DSG gearboxes instead of proper automatics - fine for solo use but not likely to last long on towing duty.
Personally I didn't think much to the report.
When I bought an Audi it was only after looking at the Skoda and VW, all would do the job but the Audi was far more appealing, my car before it was a Primera so I can hardly be called a badge snob.
I agree you do pay a lot more for the Audi but its a better car.
I wasn't too impressed with the nonsense about potential buyers either, the Audi service centre was the best I've ever used, and I wasn't alone wearing jeans while have a coffee and free snacks, nor was the main dealer service chargers excessive, along with getting a £6K discount and an incredible private sale price after 4.5 years of ownership, I was quite happy.
When I bought an Audi it was only after looking at the Skoda and VW, all would do the job but the Audi was far more appealing, my car before it was a Primera so I can hardly be called a badge snob.
I agree you do pay a lot more for the Audi but its a better car.
I wasn't too impressed with the nonsense about potential buyers either, the Audi service centre was the best I've ever used, and I wasn't alone wearing jeans while have a coffee and free snacks, nor was the main dealer service chargers excessive, along with getting a £6K discount and an incredible private sale price after 4.5 years of ownership, I was quite happy.
RogerL said:
Hello Roger,
I have a DSG on my Passat, but I don't tow with it, so i have no relevant experience, So I'm wondering what information you have that questions the DSG for towing?
The DSG box is used on some pretty powerful motors, and as yet I have not picked up any other reports or suspicions of impaired performance, and the recent TCOTY articles praised the DSG transmissions. Indeed with their fast changes the potential for clutch slippage is low, and the fact that each ratio is fully locked so unlike viscous couplings there should be less heat build up.
Whats your take on the subject?
The used car trade doesn't like cars out of warranty with DSGs, particularly from VAG.
MODERN torque converter plus planetary gear automatics spend most of the time in lock-up mode so little slippage there either - the very latest like the ZF 8-speed only use the torque converter starting from rest
MODERN torque converter plus planetary gear automatics spend most of the time in lock-up mode so little slippage there either - the very latest like the ZF 8-speed only use the torque converter starting from rest
We have an Audi A4 with the DSG gearbox and have had no problems pulling the van and it has plenty of miles on the clock.
I had a 2009 Audi A4 3.0 tdi quattro and it was a brilliant towcar. Never had a skoda but reviews are always positive.
RogerL said:
That doesn't really help, Why don't they like DSG particularly those from VAG, there must be reasons for this distrust?
There are plenty out there at S/H car sales and main dealers, and my own BiL has not expressed any particular negative trait of the DSG, apart from they are expensive if they go wrong - but does not mean they are more prone to failure that any other designs.
I do know from experience, they need proper maintenance such as oil changes, but that is a scheduled service item.
ProfJohnL said:
My technical view and I have extensive experience of non automotive gearboxes with both friction clutches, wet and dry and hydrokinetic clutches, is that the DSG and its ilk is less satisfactory because it is a friction clutch.
Now that in no way suggests friction clutches are a problem in themselves where sized for the job in hand, but they are when pushing the duty to the limits or beyond as towing inflicts.
Now they are as you say used in very high powered cars, but they are sized for that job. Here with our cars they are sized for that light domestic car job, not to carry much higher torque and power loads as met during the slip phase when towing, ie getting much higher masses than that of a solo car moving.
Whereas a hydrokinetic [torque converter etc] clutch has much better reserves to accomodate that slip energy; again there are limits but size for size they are more capable of transfering heat generated by slip than the surface of a friction clutch, be that dry or wet.
If the car maker put in a well over sized friction clutch with towing in mind then fine, it will be good, but the inevitable trend is to design closer and closer to the required limit as that brings the best ecconomy in performance and is the cheaper build.
I can't add to the tech-talk about the DSG gearboxes, but will comment on one posting that suggested used car dealers don't like DSGs out of warranty. I traded in a Golf Plus 2L DSG out of warranty two years ago, for the Skoda 1.2L DSG I have now, without any quibbles about the trade-in price. I tow my little Gobur folding 'van with the Skoda and have been very pleased with its performance.
I think the early DSG boxes were problematic, which gave them a bad name.
They also at the time had very limited power ratings, from memory limited to 225 pound feet of torque.
Later changes from dry to wet boxes I believe sorted the issues.
Along with higher rated outputs.
These boxes are I believe, often lighter than the fluid boxes and along with quicker gear changers suit high performance cars.
Still I would go for a conventional box such as a 8 or 9 speed ZF, as the DSG along with two clutches still has a DMF.
They also at the time had very limited power ratings, from memory limited to 225 pound feet of torque.
Later changes from dry to wet boxes I believe sorted the issues.
Along with higher rated outputs.
These boxes are I believe, often lighter than the fluid boxes and along with quicker gear changers suit high performance cars.
Still I would go for a conventional box such as a 8 or 9 speed ZF, as the DSG along with two clutches still has a DMF.
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