The Skoda Superb was introduced in 2001 offering unrivalled value for money and interior space. From then the Skoda brand went through a revolution of being the butt of many jokes to being renowned as one of the best value for money manufacturers in the business, helped extensively by Volkswagen Audi Group technology and engines. A truly astonishing turnaround of brand perception.
Skoda hit the nail on the head regarding design without going over the top.
The Irish Skoda network is well respected with a dealer/service agent count of twenty nine. The warranty is comprehensive and valid for 3 years or 150,000km. Its respectable, but not as extensive as its Korean competitors.
Design
In SportLine Trim the usually reserved Superb develops a genuinely aggressive silhouette. Thanks to a subtle body kit, rear tinted windows, 19” alloy wheels and black detailing around the grill and windows. Skoda hit the nail on the head regarding design without going over the top.
Moving inside the Superb SportLine the interior is elevated from lower end models with the addition of alcantara and leather sports seats, alcantara door cards, ambient lighting and carbon effect trim.
Very comfortable
The seats are very comfortable, extremely supportive and infinitely adjustable. They denote this cars personality very well offering a sporty feeling while being flawlessly comfortable on longer journeys.
Rear passenger room is easily best in class and even rivalling a class above. There’s plenty of legroom for passengers and headroom is perfectly adequate even for adults. One of the Superb’s party tricks is the enormous boot. Offering 660 litres it beats every car in its class. Fold down the rear seats and you basically have a small van with space at an unbelievable 1,950 litres. No matter how active your family’s lifestyle is the Superb has almost all bases covered offering true practicality.
Technical specs
The model tested is the 150bhp TDI with 6 speed manual gearbox. Chassis dynamics are good offering a well dampened ride over bad surfaces as well as detonating a sporty drive. Steering is well weighted and direct although not as sharp as some competitors. Even in two wheel drive format the chassis is confidence inspiring and predictable.
The whole package from interior to dynamics is well built allowing the car to cruise comfortably but when you want to push on, the car is well able to offer a rewarding and involving drive. Being able to choose from Eco, Normal and Sport in the “Drive Select Mode” really changes the characteristics of the car. This alters the engine power delivery, steering weight and in automatic cars, changes the gearbox settings.
The 150bhp TDI has plenty of torque and returns even-handed fuel economy considering the performance available. On a long motorway run we managed a respectable 5.6L/100km. 0-100 kph is covered in a brisk 8.8s. If this doesn’t satisfy you there is a 2.0 TSI petrol available with 280bhp offering 0-100 kph in just 5.8 seconds.
The Superb SportLine is one of the rare cars that tick almost all boxes! Offering an involving drive as well as acres of space it is one of the most comprehensive estate cars on sale in Ireland.
Verdict:
A DPF is a filter fitted in the exhaust system of a diesel vehicle. This filters particulate matter or “soot” from entering the atmosphere which causes health issues. The DPF catches pollution created by the engine before it can enter the air.
One of the biggest concerns regarding electric vehicles is perceived range. We are so used to covering hundreds of kms out of habit in our petrol and diesel powered cars. While battery technology is ever evolving and the mass production of EVs is bringing the purchase price down, how viable is an EV to cover long distance driving?
A turbocharger is essentially an air pump. The purpose of the turbo is deliver more air into the engine cylinders. When the additional air is pumped into the engine more fuel is added by the fuel injectors. When the extra fuel and compressed air combust, more power is created in the cylinder.
