The all new Skoda Superb five door, five seater hatchback, as far as size and equipment levels goes, fits into the executive large car E-segment but in terms of price and low running costs it more than matches smaller D-sector family cars.
For those that want even more load lugging space the new Superb Estate has just gone on sale and the same benefits apply in terms of large size and low costs.
The Skoda Superb five door hatchback is priced from an eye-catching £18,640 and through a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, manual and auto transmissions and even a 4×4 option, it tops out at £33,840. To compliment the choice of engines and drivetrains there is also a wide range of specification levels. The new Superb estate with similar engine and spec options has prices ranging from £19,840 to £35,040.
As Skoda is a family member of the Volkswagen Group it has call on all of the latest car manufacturing technologies and components. This includes the highly praised modular MQB platform which forms the underpinnings for many ranges of varying sizes for the Audi, VW, SEAT and Skoda brands.
In terms of size the Superb hatchback is 4,883m in length and its impressive 2,841mm long wheelbase provides copious amounts of leg room for rear passengers allowing it to compete against the executive class Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class and its VW competitor – the new Passat.
But the big plus is that in terms of price it compares with the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and from the non premium brands, the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia.
Whether its premium or non-premium brands today the executive and large family car sectors see sales principally going to fleet and business user-chooser customers. Taking that into account my test drive of the new Skoda Superb hatchback was the most popular 2.0-litre, 150hp TDI SE Business version. This model is priced at a bargain £22,090 when you consider its size, spec and low taxes. Of course there are a wide range of options that can push the price up considerably such as the £750 dynamic chassis control function which adjusts the ride through Comfort, Normal and Sport settings, the useful Smart Light, Assist with Lane Assist and Blind Spot Detection functions which adds another £950 to the price and for those high mileage business users the £100 temporary space saver spare wheel will be a must-have for peace of mind travel.
Geared for the business user this version has as standard such items as 17-inch alloys, multi-function steering wheel, a full range of front, side and curtain airbags, leather upholstery, sat-nav with an easy to use 6.5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, DAB digital radio, drive mode selection which includes an ECO setting, dual climate control, electric front and rear windows, electrically operated and heated folding doors mirrors, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, electronic stability control, front and rear parking sensors, LED rear lights, split folding rear seats, stop/start engine system with energy recovery, tyre pressure monitoring and an electronic differential. The only obvious thing missing, as standard or as an option, is a rear window wash/wipe function. I found this annoying as every morning the rain or dew blocked rear visibility until the heated glass had done its job but that didn’t get rid of the dirty spray left on the window after driving in wet conditions. It is such a simple but much needed item in terms of convenience and road safety for any hatchback or estate vehicle being sold in Europe.
The exterior of the new Skoda Superb is no slab-sided limousine. It has strong styling lines or body creases, sculptured door sections and the side profile has an elongated coupe roofline which doesn’t reduce the interior headroom although height through the door frames is cramped for six-footers. Muscular wheelarches give it a purposeful road stance and the styling creases are continued in the front bonnet. If this car had the kidney shaped grille it could be mistaken for a BMW. At the rear is a steeply sloping tailgate which gives access to a massive 660-litre boot which can be extended to 1,950-litres with the rear seats folded. Only the relatively high rear sill reduces the user-friendliness of its load lugging capabilities.
In the cabin the front area is spacious with all the controls well positioned so the fascia is clean-lined and uncluttered. The large front seats are comfortable and give really good support on long journeys. In the rear the design highlight is the huge amount of legroom for passengers but the shoulder room doesn’t quite match it.
The quality of the interior looks smart and feels acceptable and durable rather than Superb. It score heavily for comfort, space, high spec and is well suited for business users. Retail customers must not be overlooked either and they will see this model as somewhat of a Superb bargain.
When it comes to performance the 2.0-litre four cylinder turbodiesel unit develops 150hp with 340Nm of torque available from 1,750rpm. This engine is well known throughout the Volkswagen Group brands. Top speed is137mph and zero to 62mph takes 8.8-seconds. More importantly, and one of its finest features, is the fuel economy – officially 68.9mpg in the Combined Cycle but my test driving using motorways and open A roads returned an impressive 60.2mpg which for a car of this size is excellent. Including some commuting trips the overall figure for a week’s driving was 58.2mpg. Just as important for company car drivers and for road tax costs for retail owners are the low running costs. With CO2 emissions of just 108g/km the Benefit-in-Kind company car tax is 19% and road tax £0 for the first Year rate and then £20 a year after that.
To obtain these impressive figures six gear in particular has a high ratio so in reality it is most suitable for maintaining high cruising speeds rather than acceleration in top gear, Unless you are keen to change gear often to comply with the gear change prompts in the instrument cluster, I would opt to pay an extra £1,400 for the automatic six-speed twin clutch transmission which will add a little more driving refinement. The auto option provides approximately the same performance figures but returns 6mpg less in the Combined Cycle with CO2 emissions of 118g/km so VED is £0/£30 and BIK tax is 21%.
Generally the engine is quiet at tickover and whilst cruising and only under heavy acceleration does it become more vocal which I suspect has something to do the sound deadening process within the bodyshell. The same applies with road noise and suspension noise intrusions at low speeds.
With the long wheelbase design the ride is comfortable but becomes unsettled over rougher or broken road surfaces and there is some suspension ‘bounce’ over bigger bumps on undulating roads. The steering is well weighted and there is ample cornering grip from what is a generally an impressive executive five door spacious hatchback rather than a sports saloon.
MILESTONES: Skoda Superb SE Business Hatch 2.0 TDI 150HP manual. (Best selling model). Price: £22,090. Engine/transmission: 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbodiesel, 150hp, 340Nm of torque from 1,750rpm, 6-speed manual. Performance: 137mph, 0-62mph 8.8-seconds, 68.9mpg Combined Cycle (58.2mpg on test), CO2 108g/km, VED £0/£20, BIK company car tax 19%. Insurance group: 18E. Warranty: 3-years/60,000-miles. Dimensions/capacities, 5-seats/5-doors, boot/load space 660 to1,760-litres, braked towing weight 2,000kg, L 4,861mm, H 1,469mm, W 1,864mm. For: Value for money in its sector, good real-life fuel economy, low emissions, low business user taxes, frugal running costs, smart styling, well equipped, huge interior space, massive boot capacity, generally a comfortable ride. Against: Road and suspension noise intrusion, no tailgate wash/wipe, suspension bounce on undulating roads, high 5/6th gear ratios requires numerous gearchanges on country roads – consider the automatic gearbox option. Miles Better News agency
