Skoda Superb 1.8 TSI Elegance Road Test Review

IF YOU ASK a cross-section of the Australian public, chances are few of them will know much about the Volkswagen Group’s Skoda brand, let alone have any knowledge of its latest model range.

This is because the Skoda nameplate is ‘fresh fish’ as far as Australian motorists are concerned. Sure, it was here before, but that was 26 years ago. Now, though pegging along, it hasn’t yet sparked a fire under the market this time round.

Wholly owned by Volkswagen, the Czech brand was revived in the Australian market a couple of years ago on the coat-tails of renewed interest in Euro brands, and to cover a price segment a notch or two below similar Volkswagen products.

We’ve now driven all in the Skoda range and, mostly, have found little to grizzle about; each is sharply priced, well put together and, in the main, quite a reasonable drive. (They feel like, and sound like, Volkswagens.)

We’ve now spent a week in one of the brand’s most intriguing new products - the Superb large sedan.

In Australia, the large family sedan market has historically been dominated by local brands Ford, Holden and Toyota at the more affordable end of the scale, and, at the upper end of the market by European manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Somewhere in the middle are the Japanese heavyweights such as Honda and Nissan who have their own takes on the large family sedan in the Maxima, Accord V6 and Legend.

Figuring out where the Superb fits in amongst these competitors is tricky, as it manages to offer European styling and technology at somewhat cheaper Japanese prices.

For example, the list price for the Skoda Superb 1.8 TSI Elegance that we drove starts at just $45,990, and for those who can scrimp on certain features the slightly cheaper Superb 1.8 TSI Ambition is available for a miserly list price of $42,990.

For the money, you do in fact get a lot of car, but the question we find ourselves asking is whether or not the Superb is bringing something new to the market, something that isn’t already being catered for?

Styling

For some reason poorly designed large cars look more offensive than poorly designed small ones. Thankfully, the Skoda Superb does not fall into that unwelcome category.

And where some carmakers utilise design tricks to make their large sedans look and feel smaller, Skoda has taken a different approach with the Superb and played to its size.

The result is a large car with a stately air. It’s not tremendously exciting - at some angles, especially around the rear lights and boot, it’s perhaps even a little awkward – but it all kind-of works.

In the metal, the edgy grille, smart stylised headlights, lower fog-lamps, and limo-like coachwork and dimensions, imparts a noticeable ‘presence’ to Skoda’s new flagship. Most importantly it differentiates the Superb from other offerings in the market.

While the Superb’s wheelbase appears to be relatively compact, the long overhangs and the extended roofline hint as to just how roomy the interior is.

Styling is of course subjective and the Superb’s styling has been described by some reviewers as being “odd”. We think that it is a refreshingly different addition to the generally conservative large family sedan market.

The Interior

Open the door of the Superb and be prepared for a pleasant surprise.

The black dashboard, soft to the touch and with a clean edge running over the instrument binnacle and the full width of the interior, is very pleasing on the eye. This is one of the best dashboard layouts in the Volkswagen stable. For style and function, it is only shaded by the Passat CC.

That’s one to chalk up for Skoda.

The polished burr-walnut wood trimmings, not overdone, give the Superb a quite refined interior feel, and, with high-quality leather in the ‘Elegance’, there is very little to complain about.

Cubby holders that open-and-shut have a nice solid feel to them, and electric seats make light work of getting settled comfortably into the Superb’s amply-sized driver’s seat.

The seats front and rear are nicely padded, well-bolstered and beautifully trimmed, and there is an astonishing amount of legroom in the back.

Another nice touch is the centre console, which features a large touch-screen to control most of the infotainment features, avoiding the need to fiddle with knobs and dials.

Other features that will make you feel like you’re in a big-name European luxury car include monogrammed carpets, coat-hooks on the B-pillars and even an umbrella holder in each of the rear doors.