Why does the DSG gearbox cost double in Skoda's Superb?
Ever wonder why the DSG gearbox in the Skoda Superb is double the price of the Octavia's? I've asked the people in Skoda to explain why, but they ignored me...
Ben Dolan (Galway)Jun 2013 Filed under: automatic
Expert answer
Hi Ben,
The only way to look at this like-for-like at the moment is the compare the Superb (pre-facelift that goes on sale next month) and the new Octavia, both with 2.0 TDI 140 engines. The DSG option costs €4,865 in the Superb and just €2,300 in the Octavia and it should be the same six-speed unit in each.
However, adding a DSG transmission to that Superb moves it from tax Band B1 to Band C, or, more pertinently, from a situation where the car is subject to 18 per cent VRT to one where it attracts 23 per cent VRT. In comparison, the Octavia moves from Band A3 to A4, adding a single per cent increase in VRT (rising from 17- to 18 per cent).
Nonetheless, we did a quick calculation to get the prices before VRT of each car and subtract the manual price from the DSG and it still works out that Skoda charges considerably more for the DSG transmission.
We contacted Skoda Ireland and it agreed and has changed this in the new Superb. Here's the official response:
"The Superb DSG premium on average was €4,300; this will be reduced to €3,000 with the introduction of the Superb facelift in July. This represents a customer saving of €1,300 compared to the outgoing model. This is a slightly higher premium than the Octavia model; however, it is not as simple as pricing the transmission as a single unit and then applying it to the various models. There are many factors taken into consideration when pricing vehicles as a whole. Previously the Superb DSG was a big seller for Skoda. With improved prices we are confident we will see even more customer moving to DSG from manual transmission."
Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Adviser@Shane_O_D