► Skoda Superb first drive
► Spacey estate gets more room
► Is it still a bargain buy though?
Skoda has many boasts to make about the new Mk3 Superb, but only one matters: they’ve doubled the number of umbrella cubbies. Think about it. Two umbrellas can now be stowed discreetly in the doors rather than just the one in the previous model. Surely Carl Benz didn’t see this one coming.
If Skoda’s feeling smug, though, I can’t blame it. This new Superb is one hell of a car. It’s so good you wonder if Skoda’s boss will be summoned to the VW Group headmaster’s office to explain why he’s upset the product strategy applecart by making a better car than VW itself. More mystifyingly, you look at the pricetag (this Superb SE 1.6 TDI is £22,790 OTR, and a whopping £26,275 as tested) and you question whether Skoda has now discarded its sackcloth and donned a suit – perhaps without permission from Wolfsburg.
The Superb was always about space, and this one’s even bigger than the last. They’ve somehow eked another 85 litres of cargo capacity out of the already huge boot (now 1950 litres, seats down, which is 170 litres more than a Passat estate, 95 more than an E-class wagon) and the amount of legroom in the rear is hilarious, courtesy of an 80mm longer wheelbase. It’s like a long-wheelbase limo – the rear doors are literally Phantom-like (though conventionally hinged).
It looks superb, too, Skoda having kept its nerve sufficiently to bring quite a bit of the sharp, jewelly attitude of the Vision C concept to the road. Inside, though, the attitude is missing – it’s rather bland, rather VW parts bin, and although there’s nothing wrong with that, maybe Skoda should indulge in a bit of fairy dust, a splash of colour or a funky gearknob.
Skoda Superb Estate: the drive
The driving experience also lacks pizzazz, but that’s not to condemn it. The 1.6 turbodiesel does feel a bit wheezy. It’s not a torque monster, which means you never quite feel in the meat of the curve, and you end up shuffling the manual ’box (lovely gearchange, incidentally), spending too long at higher revs and forcing the engine into high-pitched chatter worthy of a hen-night. The alternative 2.0-litre diesel might be wiser.
The steering’s numb but linear, the primary ride decently composed (some nuggety ridges upset it a bit) and you can corner as fast as the powertrain allows (ie, not very) without understeer. Hardly the point, though.
Further rumblings of discontent at VW will be provoked by the equipment levels on offer. Our SE gets 17in alloys, adaptive cruise, dual-zone climate and DAB as standard, to which they added keyless go, the so-called ‘virtual pedal’ which lets you open the boot by wafting your foot under the bumper, and £1600-worth of sat-nav.
So, a lot of car for the money, but what are we supposed to make of Skoda today, a generation on from its VW-sponsored rebirth? Buyers can still be smug about choosing wisely, yet they’re no longer getting quite the bargain they used to be, especially in a world where the Koreans produce great cars at punchy prices (with warranties that make Skoda’s three years look a bit stingy). With the Superb, though, maybe space swings it. That, and umbrellas.
Skoda Superb Estate: the specs
Price: £22,790
Engine: 1598cc 16v turbodiesel 4-cyl, 118bhp @ 3500rpm, 184lb ft @ 1500rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance: 11.0sec 0-62mph, 127mph, 67.3mpg, 109g/km CO2
Weight: 1485kg
On sale: Now
Love
Looks, kit list, umbrella cubbies
Hate
Character not an option
Verdict
All the car your family will ever need, only bigger
****