2009 Skoda Superb V6 3.6 FSI Elegance 4×4 Road Test Review
SKODA ROLLED OUT its first Superb back in 1934, yet the average Australian would seem to be blissfully unaware of both the badge and its long history.
In fact, we’d be guessing that the average Aussie will see the Superb badge and think Skoda has tickets on itself. Let’s face it, calling your new sedan the ‘Superb’ is perhaps more than a little presumptuous.
Looked at from another angle, it’s also an impressive display of confidence. If it was a steaming pile, the risk is high that the name would go down in history for all of the wrong reasons.
But the Superb has been on the Australian market since June, and we have yet to hear anyone take a swipe at the name after driving one.
We last tested the Superb - a 1.8 TSI Elegance - back in September, and thought it was definitely deserving of its moniker. This time around it was the top-shelf V6 Elegance 4×4 that we had on test, and we continue to be impressed.
Our test of the Superb coincided with our recent 1000km Commodore SIDI economy run, and while the Superb only had a bit-part in that production, it threatened to upstage the star and run off with the Logie.
Styling
The Superb’s styling certainly divides opinion.
In profile the almost limousine-like proportions are obvious, with the roof-line remaining high over the rear passenger compartment for the sake of comfort and practicality.
It may challenge our large Aussie sedans on length, but it falls short on width and nowhere is this more obvious than from the rear view where it looks just a tad under-proportioned.
The dual-twin exhausts - exclusive to the V6 - look the part and almost save the day, but the front three-quarter view remains the best angle from which to gaze at the Superb.
Helping to add some visual width and balance to the Superb’s nose is that large chrome grille-surround and impressively contoured bonnet.
The two-part tail-lights, with one half integrated into the rear wings and the other integrated into the boot lid, are a design element common to the Skoda model range.
Depending on the variant, the Superb rides on either 16” ‘Spectrum’ (Ambition), 17” ‘Trifid’ (Elegance) or in the case of the Elegance 4×4 test vehicle, 18” ‘Themisto’ alloy wheels.
The Superb certainly boasts a ‘well-to-do’ air of refinement and even managed to turn a few heads while on test. It’s not beautiful in the conventional sense, but its pure “different-ness” is enough to make it a noteworthy shape.
The interior
The exterior styling may be the subject of debate, but if simple understated elegance appeals, then the interior is an open-and-shut case.
Easily one of the best interiors getting around, the fit and finish is impeccable and the blend of high quality plastics, wood and chrome is ‘just right’.
There is hint of BMW in the curve and grain of the soft-touch black plastic dashboard, combined with a whiff of 1960’s Mercedes in the simple, functional and delightfully elegant instrument cluster.
Our Elegance 4×4’s black leather interior was finished to perfection and had an air of enduring quality and - most importantly - ‘looked’ expensive.
The front seats are electric (standard on the Elegance) and offer a full range of adjustment, adequate lateral support and proved very comfortable even after many hours on the road.
The Superb’s interior is surprisingly commodious. And while it may lack the enormous girth of our large home-grown sedans, it seriously challenges them for rear-seat leg-room.
It could be argued that the Superb is more a four-seater than a five-seater. This is certainly the case where broad Aussie shoulders are concerned; but, rest assured, the Superb will accommodate four adults in supreme comfort, and five when required.
Then of course there is the boot, which brings us to one of the more unique features found on the Superb - Skoda’s TwinDoor system - which converts the Superb from a sedan to a hatchback at the press of a button.
Operation of the TwinDoor feature is via two switches under the leading edge of the boot lid. The switch on the right is used to lock the bootlid to the rear window, allowing them to be opened as one unit via the switch to the left.
The choice is there; either open the bootlid on its own or in conjunction with the rear window. To be honest, the gaping aperture offered by locking the boot to the rear window, hatch style, is so superior that we think it should just be that way to begin with.
2009 Holden Cruze CDX 
2010 FPV F6 E
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Sweet. If only I had the money. (That seems to be a recurring comment on all of my posts. Sigh.)
8.0L/100! Haha, stick that up ya Holden
Re the road noise - could that be the tyres?
Also re the DSG - did it have any trouble at low/stop-start speeds as I have read other reviews state?
I used to be a mad Holden fan until one day I woke up and discovered that there were cars at similar prices that looked better, went better, were more comfortable and didn’t need to spend every second week at the dealers getting fixed. Add Skoda to my shopping list now thanks.
Grumps -
The DSG issue is with the 7-speed on the 1.8TSI. The 6-speed on the 2.0TDI and 3.6 V6 4×4 doesn’t have an issue. But I’ve driven all three (where I got my Octavia RS they are very nice and let me drive them when it was launched) and I didn’t notice any change in the tranny (except the 7’s shorter gear ratios) and the low-speed jerkiness is something that made me question Australia’s best journos. Fantastic car!
Cheers for that Jake02
Congrats on your RS you lucky bugger !!
I took the missus to the dealers today while they were closed and she quite liked the Octavia wagon.
Grumps -
Yes, I love my RS (it’s fantastic) and I reckon the Octavia is a good family alternative to the Superb (especially in wagon, although i was originally getting an Elegance 2.0TDI wagon, but found that the extra boot space wasn’t more useable and I could get an RS for only $1k more…which I did :P).
Until seeing it in person, I never realised how much I like the Octavia facelift (but its a car that only looks good with big wheels, and thats why Skoda Aus should add the 17″ Pallas wheels as standard on the Elegance spec)! It has so much more attitude
Buy one!
Yep, the facelift makes it look much better.
The missus would prefer another wagon and I want something faster than our Outback so a RS wagon would fit perfectly
Our dealer only has one Superb, a previous model RS diesel and a 1.8 Elegance wagon so I can’t test drive an RS petrol with DSG.
And I still need to come up with the money dammit. Poop
Whilst I will not deny that these are impressive vehilces, the exchange rate does not do them justice. Be honest, they are considered (by themselves and their parent company) as a lower cost alternative to VW. $56,990 doesn’t represent that here unfortunatley and will alienate the larger majority. There are so many cars to choose from in that bracket.
Before I get hailed down, I will admit that “Here In Australia I would buy the G6E (no not the turbo just the Standard one)” before this car, get just as much usable fruit a drive that is just as good or better on Australian roads, a car that will last the distance on Australian Roads and climate, and be less of a heartache to service in Australia.
Grumps,
Don’t get too excited over the 8.0 l/100km highway drive. The official figure of 10.2 is only just OK, and that’s the premium 95 stuff. Diesel is a much better option in one of these old fashioned looking things.
No low speed jerkiness or hesitation with the DSG in the Elegance 4×4 on test.
@ Confused - sorry mate but I would have to be sorely pressed to buy a Commo or Falcon. Yes I think that they probably do represent fair value but I used to drive Commodores and Falcons for a living and my wife used to work in the service dept at a Ford delaership and I have experienced first hand the amount of problems with them. Agreed though that servicing would be a lot easier in relation to the amount of dealers available.
@ Dave - premium fuel doesn’t worry me, it’s only a couple of hundred extra a year. And I like the look of the Octavia and Superb, but everyone has their own tastes! Also the official 10.2 is fine, it is a spit within the majority of 6 cylinders.
@ Steane - cheers for that mate.
Grumps, I agree as I run 95 in the Subie as well, but it is nice to have the choice. Subaru state 90 - 98 so I have the choice, Skoda needs 95. No choice.
I don’t think 10.2 is too good, go the diesel option.
Not a nice looking car…..at all….bleh
Thats just my opinion.
where is the superb RS tdi dsg ???
something like the octavia RS… but on SUPERB…
Dank54,
You must have a SKODA hate program going because you have rubbished them in almost every review for TMR. This comment section is for constructive criticism and general veiws, not personal vendetta’s.
As for CONFUSED, you should have called yourself uneducated!! $56,990 Vs VW Passat V6 $56,990 is cheap considering the xenon lights, memory seat are standard and rear passenger heated seats (nearly extra $4k in VW) bigger boot with twin door technology. (Before you bag the twin-door setup BMW have copied it in the new 5 series GT so it has some credentials) It has more legroom (headinh into A6 territory) and is a much nicer looking car than the Passat with a significantly higher quality interior.
It runs the same 3.6 ltr V6 engine out og the Passat CC, Porsche chayenne, Audi Q7 and the AWD 4th generation electronic haldex clutch used in VW, Porsche and Audi.
You would be made not to buy it at this price, or just an arrogant badge snob, either way. People in this country really need to wake up and see the local manufacturers have wained behind for years relying on the mindset of ’support the locals’. underengineered and overpriced and yet we keep coming back for more???