Skoda Superb Estate, first drive

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Monday, 01 March 2010 12:19

On sale from 26 February Skoda is confident its new Superb Estate will carry their UK sales total past the all important 2% mark.

The Superb was first introduced in 2002, updated with the clever twin-tail hatchback in 2008 and has now been joined by the Estate version which beats both the Volvo V70 and Ford Mondeo wagon in carrying capacity with the seats up and down respectively.

Now standing wheel to wheel with its closest rivals in terms of overall size, the Skoda Estate includes some neat user-friendly touches such as an adjustable height opening tailgate with electrical assistance, flexible secure storage system, foldaway hooks, twin lights over the loadbed as well as removable magnetic LED, roof rails and keyless entry. A revised automatic park assist system is available which permits hands-off parking in much tighter spaces than previously.

The low rear sill gives access to a loadbed which can be gradually expanded from 633 litres to 1,865 litres, includes a ski-hatch and offset split rear seats and has an underfloor spare wheel. The most powerful versions will tow a 2,000KG trailer.

Essentially, the new Superb Estate follows the powertrain of its hatchback stablemate, so there are three petrol and three diesel engines from 1.4 to 3.2 litres, five or six speed manual gearboxes and a six speed DSG semi-automatic transmission, in S, SE or Elegance trim levels.

Prices are from around £17,700 to £29,000 and there is a choice of front or four wheel drive with the famed Haldex all-wheel-drive system.

The pricing and equipment of the Superb Estate will have strong appeal to fleet buyers who currently account for 30% of Skoda UK sales, and it is expected to raise this percentage and help the company which currently has 1.96% market share to break the all-important 2% mark, at which point further gains are usually rapid.

To help kick-start the growth there will be a financial incentive in the form of direct hire rate of £279 a month for the Superb Estate 2.0 TDi 140bhp with free service and maintenance over three years or 45,000 miles.

Skoda anticipates 40% of UK sales will be the 2.0 TDI 170bhp Elegance with manual transmission and this is the version I briefly tested.

The powertrain is an excellent package with plenty of performance underfoot, good economy around 46mpg, direct changes and a refined nature with low noise levels.

Skoda is probably launching the Superb Estate at precisely the right time with the sector seeing a rise in overall sales and it delivers a lot of useful features with a practical nature, led by the height adjustable tailgate which means it can be set for short or tall users or to meet garage height restrictions, for instance.

The low, wide, long and deep loadbed has added practicality with the availability of floor rails and a bar and tether arrangement to partition. Twin lights in the raised fifth door illuminate the area and a rechargeable LED can be lifted out of its holder to use magnetically stuck on the bodywork to change a wheel, for instance. A nice touch.

Designing an estate is always a challenge for suspension engineers who have to combine abilities when lightly or heavily laden with road holding and safety. I did not test the car laden but with two aboard it handled well, road smoothly and was remarkably quiet, particularly in terms of road noise. It is a significant addition for Skoda and the market in general.

MILESTONES. Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI 170 Elegance. Price: £24,790. Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel, 168bhp, 258lb ft of torque. Performance: 137mph 0-62mph 8.9 seconds, 47.9mpg, (46mpg on test), 155g/km, VED Band G £150 (£155 from April). BIK tax 22%. Insurance group: 22. Dimensions: L4,838mm, W2,009mm, H1,510mm, luggage 633-1,865-litres. For: Huge interior space for passengers and luggage, smooth ride, low road noise intrusion, tax efficient for company car drivers. Against: Not pretty, not Superb but efficiently good. Robin Roberts, Miles Better News Agency http://www.girlracer.co.uk