Skoda Superb car review
Model tested: Skoda Superb 1.9TDi SE
Price as tested: £18,070
Range price: £15,660 – £26,640
Insurance group as tested: 6E
Insurance group range: 6 – 15
CO2 emissions as tested: 151g/km (Band G, £150)
Company car tax %: 21%
EuroNCAP result: *****
Date tested: February 2009
Road tester: Vijay Pattni
Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 84%
More space than a Mondeo, cheaper than a C-Class and built like a BMW…is this new Skoda really ‘Superb’?
Once the butt of jokes littering school playgrounds across the globe, Skoda wasn’t exactly the coolest carmaker on the planet, and naming a luxury saloon ‘Superb’ is just asking for trouble…or is it?
Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor
No longer is the Superb simply a stretched Volkswagen Passat – the new model has its very own identity. Whether you like it rather depends on which angle you look at it.
From the front, it echoes executive eloquence with its chunky, squared-off nose and wide track. The rear however, looks confused with sort-of VW styling, and you get the sense the designer’s hand slipped at the last minute.
Overall it’s a subtle and elegant saloon – but, it could be even better.
8/10
Want to know why it’s called ‘Superb’? Apparently, Skoda “started with the name and worked backwards”. And nowhere is this more evident than inside.
The cabin is magnificently engineered – during our week-long loan, one passenger thought he was sitting inside a BMW. When corrected, his shock spoke volumes about just how far the VW-owned marque has come.
The quality of the plastic is excellent, the feel of the cabin oozes Teutonic solidity and the dash and controls project a classy image. The driving position is good and the seats, covered in Alcantara, are amazingly supportive and electrically adjustable.
9/10
You don’t step inside the new Superb – you walk inside it. It’s hard to avoid clichés, so the point is simple: the interior space is gargantuan. Skoda claims the new Superb boasts 1195mm (length) of interior space, and 595-litres of boot space, marking it out as a class leader. It will easily swallow a family of five in utter comfort, with rear passengers getting a digital dash readout and separate air vents.
And the boot offers a unique selling point for a car of this class – the boot-lid can open like a regular saloon boot, or it can open out completely like a hatchback – something Skoda calls ‘twin-door’. Loading and unloading luggage just got a lot easier…
10/10
The ride is smooth, refined and firm, with the steering constantly whispering the imperfections of our decrepit road network without jarring your hands, while the springs and damping soak it all up. Press on in the Superb, and it unveils a good level of grip. Push it too far however, and its bulk and our model’s front-wheel-drive setup reveals its hand, serving up a sprinkling of understeer.
But keep it flowing through fast sweeping bends and you can lean on those 17-inch alloys and sorted suspension happy in the knowledge that you won’t end up climbing a tree – it really is good. Opt for the four-wheel-drive variant and you’ll get even more surefooted handling.
8/10
Our test model came with the rather dated 1.9 TDi diesel engine used across the Volkswagen range – not a bad performer, but with just 105bhp in a car this size, the diesel seemed a tad underpowered. The 0-62mph sprint takes 12.5 seconds and top speed is a modest 118mph. The Superb pulls well throughout the gears though, with 184lb/ft of torque.
Other engines available include the excellent new-generation 2-litre diesel with 140bhp, but with such luxurious aspirations, it’s tempting to opt for the Superb in ‘Elegance’ trim, and the 256bhp 3.2-litre V6 FSI engine with four-wheel-drive.
6/10
Our 1.9-litre diesel test model emits 151g/km of CO2 which means an annual road tax bill of £150, while under next year’s tax rules the bill rises to £155.
And the new generation 1.9-litre diesel Superb gets an insurance rating of 6E – a cut of three insurance positions – which should see considerable savings.
Skoda claims a combined fuel consumption of 49.6mpg – 38.7mpg urban and 58.9mpg extra urban. We posted an average of 49mpg, happily matching Skoda’s figures on town and motorway – including a few B-road blasts.
10/10
Skoda scores fourth position in the UK’s top ten most reliable manufacturers, behind the Japanese trinity of Suzuki, Honda and Mazda, and ahead of Toyota. Its VW parent company doesn’t even feature in the top ten…
The car feels amazingly rigid, and has a satisfying heft and weight to everything – which feels like it should last. VW’s engine range is also proven, so the Superb should be a reliable companion.
9/10
The Superb scores five stars for Euro NCAP adult protection, four stars for child protection, and two stars for pedestrian protection. It also comes with up to nine airbags protecting passengers in the front and rear seats.
8/10
Our ‘SE’ spec test car came with 17-inch alloy wheels, alcantara upholstery, acoustic rear parking sensors, fog lights with ‘cornering function’, cruise control, dual-zone air-conditioning, touch-screen stereo, electronic stability control (ESP) – and an umbrella in the rear door a-la-Rolls Royce.
Upgrade to the ‘Elegance’ spec and you get a tyre pressure monitor, rain-sensing wipers, Bluetooth telephone prep, full leather upholstery, bi-xenon headlights and 18-inch alloy wheels.
8/10
Yes – it’s a Skoda. But no – you won’t be ashamed driving it.
With a handsome exterior – give or take a few odd angles – good levels of grip, a smooth composed ride, generous levels of equipment and simply gargantuan levels of interior space, the Skoda Superb is a seriously good car.
And its trump card? The price. Simply put, you won’t get more bang for your buck.
8/10
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