Skoda’s Superb 25 years!

25 years ago Skoda was still the butt of playground jokes based on Cold War snobbery mocking cars from behind an Iron Curtain that had fallen more than a decade previously. Sure, its plucky rally cars were doing great things in the forests while the VW-based Fabia and Octavia were winning fans among drivers putting value for money before prestige. But Skoda was still a budget brand.

In this context its decision to launch with a luxury limo with a comedy name was, well, a bit weird! There was method to the madness, though. The Superb name harked back to a celebrated Skoda from the late 30s and Volkswagen was going big on sharing its platforms, engines and technologies across all the brands in its portfolio.
Enter the OG Superb, launched in 2001 on a stretched Passat platform as a long-wheelbase luxury saloon at a time when most people considered Skodas the automotive equivalent of shopping at Lidl or Aldi.
Four generations on, the Superb has evolved into one of our favourite family cars, especially in its brilliantly spacious and practical estate form. Sure, it’s not as fashionable as an SUV. But it’s cheaper, more comfortable, has more space and drives better. From Tour de France support vehicles to police patrol cars and high-performance sleeper speicals, the Superb has a quiet but passionate following. Join us for a drive in each generation to find out why, and check out some of the bargains we found along the way!

Big saloon cars may not be all that fashionable these days but, 25 years ago, the format still had a gravitas attracting business figures, dignitaries and politicians alike. Even if most of them preferred to be wafted around in Mercedes S-Classes rather than Skodas. These days the first-gen Superb is more likely to be seen as a minicab than a limo, but the combination of rear cabin space and quality materials makes for a more luxurious Uber back from the pub than your regular Prius. Strip the Skoda badges off the one you see here and it could certainly pass for something posher, the rumbling 2.5-litre diesel engine and lethargic automatic gearbox very much dating it but with a sense of toughness suggesting it could easily do another 25 years on the cab rank without breaking a sweat. If you fancy upping your Uber driver rating as your punters stretch out in the surprising luxury in the back there are certainly a few bargains still to be had on Autotrader…

​Find a first-generation Skoda Superb on Autotrader!​

If the first-gen Superb feels just a bit too minicab for everyday use the second-generation car has some quirks that could make it a left-field family favourite, and alternative to the SUVs everyone else drives. A cheap one to buy as well, given second-hand prices start at less than a PCP down-payment on a mid-size crossover! Picking up where the original left off, the new car followed the same format of huge interior space and a luxurious vibe and new-found practicality. Which is to say not sure if you wanted a saloon or a hatchback? No problem – the Superb was both thanks to its nifty TwinDoor bootlid, with a vast load area capable of swallowing everything you could throw at it. Rear seat passengers once again got limo-like legroom while the engines and gearboxes got smoother and more powerful. Driving it today it feels a lot more modern than the first-gen car, the only tell-tale of its vintage coming from the tiny, pixellated nav display. The second-gen car also saw the introduction of the first Superb estate, which makes a great choice for family buyers or lifestyle users needing van-like carrying capacity with luxury car trimmings. Stick a roof tent on and it could even pass as a camper!


​Find a second-generation Skoda Superb on Autotrader!​

The latest Superbsticks to the proven formula of limo-like luxury combined with family car affordability, and has a confidence built on the quarter-century of success and evolution the model has enjoyed. The Tour de France livery seen here celebrates Skoda’s long-standing role as supplier of support vehicles to officials and teams in this legendary cycle race, the Superbs used on the event driven to the absolute limit over hundreds of miles fully loaded with spare bikes, mechanics and team personnel in a perfect demonstration of the car’s practicality and toughness. A great endorsement, and proof that if a Superb can handle that kind of treatment it’s more than capable of taking what a family can throw at it! In a sign of the times the rumbly diesels of the first-gen car are now gone, efficient plug-in hybrids capable of 70 miles on electric power alone now the name of the game.

​Find a new Skoda Superb on Autotrader!​