Skoda Superb 2008 Review - International

What we liked
>> High quality fit and finish
>> Useful Twin Door practicality and interior space
>> Above average dynamics unaffected by mini-Limo comfort or frugal running costs

Not so much
>> Styled by committee?
>> Not a 'three-abreast' car
>> Second-guessing the satnav

About our ratings

OVERVIEW
Skoda adopted the Superb name for its large car back in the 1930s, when the standards set were generally a lot less rigorous than they are today. Today any car named as such has much to live up to.

The badge was revived by the VW-owned Czech brand a few years ago, after a decades-long hiatus. It was applied to what was basically a modified (ie: stretched) B5 platform Passat. There were few panel changes to set the Skoda apart.

This latest Superb is still a larger car than the current Passat, but now, there's effectively no common styling elements shared between the two.

What is the Superb? It's hard to explain in the Australian context. Like the Honda Accord or Nissan Maxima, it's a large front-wheel drive car (all-wheel drive, when specified with a V6 engine) with a liftback tailgate dubbed "Twin Door" that also doubles as a bootlid --making the Superb either/or hatchback and sedan. Ignoring for a moment the unusual body style, the Superb provides an alternative to the locally-built rear-wheel drive large cars, without giving away much in interior space.

True, if you like your shoulder room, you may find the Superb less to your liking, but if you need a car that will only ever carry four people -- and do so in a high level of comfort for a reasonable outlay -- the Skoda is worth considering.

The base Ambition grade gets Volkswagen-Audi Group's (VAG) excellent 1.8 TSI engine. Yes, you read that right, a 1.8-litre turbo direct-injection engine in a large car. A turbodiesel engine and petrol V6 AWD will also be on offer when the Superb goes on sale locally, sometime during the first quarter of next year.

The upper level of trim is Elegance.

Local pricing is yet to be announced, though the $42,900 starting price of the current Passat is indicative of the upper level of the entry-level Superb's pricing. Indeed, word from Skoda is that the Superb will range in price between $40,000 and $57,000, with the V6 all-wheel drive variant likely to exceed $50,000, but not stray across the luxury car tax threshold. That strongly suggests that the starting price for both the 1.8-litre TFSI and turbodiesel Elegance models will remain below $50,000.

A lot of this -- and the car's ultimate specification -- will depend on how the Aussie dollar fares against the Euro and the Czech Krown between now and the Superb's local launch. If the Aussie dollar remains high and the Czech unit of currency doesn't go stratospheric, it might be that the 1.8 TSI Superb will come in comfortably under $40,000.

We stress that final specs are not fixed, however, according to European/international specification list the Ambition grade is fitted as standard with following comprehensive list of equipment: dual front airbags; side-impact airbags for the front-seat occupants; active front headrests; ABS, traction and stability control; front fog lights with adaptive (cornering) headlight technology; follow-me-home lighting; auto  headlights; refrigerated glovebox; rear-seat centre armrest with through-loading ski-port; full-size spare; remote central locking; dual-zone climate control; rear-seat HVAC vents in B-pillars; MP3-capable CD audio system; height-adjustable front seats; time-delay interior lighting; electric windows and mirrors and 16-inch alloy wheels.

Over that, the Elegance grade features: tyre pressure monitoring; bi-xenon headlights with washers; rain sensing wipers; side window sun blinds (rear seat); spacesaver spare; cruise control; reverse parking sensors; electric front seat adjustment with memory; 17-inch alloys and trim upgrades.

For Australia, the Superb may not come with the electrically adjustable seats and if it does, they will most likely be combined with a leather-trim option. The adaptive headlight system we understand will be part of the Australian specification.

MECHANICAL
Based on a modified version of Volkswagen's B6 series Passat platform -- but with some modular Octavia engineering thrown in for good measure -- the Superb is longer than the Passat by approximately 70mm. Of that around 50mm lies within the axles.

The Superb range for Australia comprises the 1.8-litre TSI engine with seven-speed DSG transmission, 2.0-litre (125kW) TDI engine and 3.6-litre FSI V6, both with six-speed DSG transmissions.

The three engines are mounted transversely in the front of the car and the two four-cylinder units drive to the front wheels only.

Powering the flagship model, the 3.6-litre V6's torque is split between the front and rear wheels by a 'fourth-generation' Haldex system. Though it sends 100 per cent of the torque to the front wheels most of the time, Skoda defines it as a "permanent" all-wheel drive system. An electronically-controlled clutch system progressively diverts torque to the rear wheels as the system detects slip from the front.

Power and torque figures are: 118kW at 5500-6500rpm and 250Nm at 1800-4500rpm (1.8 TSI); 125kW at 4200rpm and 350Nm at 1750-2500rpm (2.0 TDI); and 191kW at 6000rpm and 350Nm at 2500-5000rpm (3.6 FSI V6).

Corresponding 0-100km/h acceleration figures are 8.5 (1.8 TSI), 9.0 (2.0 TDI) and 6.5sec (3.6 FSI V6) with combined fuel consumption and CO2 emissions pegged at 7.6L/100km and 180g/km, 6.7L/100km and 169g/km and 10.0L/100km and 238g/km respectively.

Even with V6 power and all-wheel drive, the flagship Superb sneaks in under 1700kg (1665kg) and the four-cylinder variants weigh in at 1471kg (TSI) and 1498kg (TDI).

The 16-inch (Ambition) and 17-inch (Elegance) wheels are kept in proper contact with the road via MacPherson-strut front suspension, a multi-link IRS set-up at the rear. Steering is via electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion and the Superb features four-wheel disc brakes.

PACKAGING
The lynchpin of the Superb design -- and the car's USP -- is the Twin Door boot-cum-liftback tailgate. Coming a close second is the sheer, mind-boggling rear seat legroom.

The Superb is not quite as long or as large as its looks suggests. At 4838mm in length, it's 100mm shorter than the new Honda Accord, but Skoda has performed miracles extracting every last little cubic centimetre of volume from the Superb and converting it into storage or room to spread out.

There's quite phenomenal room (leg and kneeroom) for both front and rear passengers. Even with the front seats slid back as far as possible, there's still enough rear legroom for adults of above average height. There's less shoulder and hip room in the rear for three passengers, however; so the Superb's cut-price limousine status extends to four, not five passengers.

Headroom is very good in the rear; very tall adults might find their heads brushing the headlining, but average and slightly above-average adults (up to perhaps 185cm), shouldn't have any issues.

Useful and convenient features fitted to the Elegance grade cars driven included seat-heating in the rear with a digital clock display and external temperature gauge, blinds on the rear side windows (roll out and hook up at the top of the window), HVAC vents in the B-pillars, two cupholders in the rear centre armrest and two more in the centre console.

Even with the exceptional rear-seat legroom, the Superb will still provide 565 litres of boot volume, which expands to 1670 litres with the 60/40 split-fold rear seats laid flat.

That capacity of 565 litres is more than the significantly larger Ford Falcon. And consider the luggage capacity is not diminished by the drivetrain components under the floor of the all-wheel drive V6 models.

The Twin Door, which is probably the Superb's main claim to fame is a sensible device, with two electric buttons placed under the lip of the boot lid. Press the one on the right first, followed by the one on the left and the whole tailgate will rise. Press just the button on the left and just the bootlid will open. Both buttons are placed right of the centreline, which will work well for the majority of the population.

A word on the Superb's build quality. At least two journalists on the program compared the Superb's fit and finish -- favourably -- with that of the E-Class Mercedes, for about half the price. Certainly the fittings were solid and panel gaps were finely spaced. Doors closed easily and securely with minimal effort, straddling a well calculated line between bulletproof weight and ease of use for all types of physiques.

SAFETY
In keeping with best practice engineering and manufacturing, Skoda has designed the Superb to be built in different combinations of high-strength steels to resolve the compromise between weight and strength. These steels of differing strengths allow a planned energy absorption deformation of the body in the event of a high-speed impact.

According to the European/international specs, the Superb will only come with side curtain airbags, a knee airbag and rear side-impact airbags as options. It's unlikely that the Superb will be sold in Australia without curtain airbags. Given the ballpark pricing and the fact that it will be squaring up to Camry, Commodore and Falcon, all of which offer curtain airbags, expect six bags at least.

That said, without knowing for certain that the curtain airbags will be fitted as standard, it's hard for us to score the Superb more than 2.5 stars for safety. We'll revisit this when local specs are confirmed.

And another consideration: the Superb has single-piston calipers for the front discs. Ford's Falcon, which is the latest entrant in the VFACTS large car segment is blessed with twin-piston calipers, even in the base XT model -- and the front rotors in the Ford are ventilated.

COMPETITORS
In the safety section, comparison was made between the Superb and the three locally manufactured large cars, but it's only a guess that the Skoda will end up in the large car segment. It's only 70mm longer than the nominal medium segment player -- and not so very distant relation -- the Volkswagen Passat.

Given Skoda has pushed the small-car-with-expanded-horizons, the Octavia, into the Medium car segment, it wouldn't surprise us for Skoda to nominate the Superb as a Large car [Ed: it worked for Toyota with its V6 Camry, er… Aurion]. Otherwise, it would have two quite distinct models in the same medium segment.

However, if the Superb's dance card is marked as a Large car it's going to be facing some bruising competition from the locals -- all of which will likely undercut it on price. Even if you don't consider the Falcon/Commodore to be remotely comparable to the Skoda, there's still the value-packed Honda Accord, the soon-to-be-replaced Nissan Maxima and the almost-upon-us diesel Hyundai Grandeur CRDi.

In this sort of company, the Skoda's principal weapon will be its packaging. Build quality will figure in the equation too.

VFACTS segments aside, we believe the Superb will be more appropriately compared in the marketplace with certain medium segment cars. Ford's Mondeo TDCi would mount a good case against the Superb and what it lacks in overall length, it makes up in width. Still, the Superb 2.0 TDI would have the edge in power and interior roominess, but how will it compare on price?

Other competitors that will give the Superb a run for its money (although not in packaging, necessarily), include Mazda6, Peugeot 407 and Volkswagen Passat. If spaciousness is a lower priority, you might also check out the Renault Laguna (soon to be replaced) and the Saab 9-3. These last two are significantly smaller cars, but are in the same ballpark for price and general performance.

ON THE ROAD
The Superb's style tends to be informed by function as much as aesthetics. However, it's the sort of car for which buyers will overlook any qualms concerning its style, because it's very well built and offers plenty of kit for the money (whatever that will be!).  As one example, the C-pillar style aids headroom in the rear and the large doors ease access to the rear seat.

The Superb is not beautiful though. In adopting a big-car look and placing function squarely ahead of form, the Superb has come off looking a touch ill-proportioned and heavy-set.

For the Australian press's first exposure to the Superb, Skoda laid on a drive program around the ski resort of St Wolfgang am See in Austria. It being the northern hemisphere spring and near perfect weather (sans snow) there was little opportunity to test traction control and other dynamic safety systems.

The drive took in smooth but winding roads with some freeway driving thrown in. While one tester complained the Superb's steering felt "slightly dead" at the straight-ahead, in this reviewer's opinion, the steering was up to par and better than that of the Honda Accord V6 recently tested.

One should bear in mind that this car is not going to appeal to the same cognoscenti as a Falcon XR6 Turbo or a Commodore SS, so that means the ride is comfortable and smoother than we've come to expect from some European midsize cars -- including the related Volkswagen Passat.

The roadholding and steering response are good for a car of this distinction. Despite being properly (read: softly) damped and sprung for its intended buyer type, the Superb was not knocked offline by mid-corner bumps.

The V6 feels ever so slightly nose-heavy, relative to the diesel. The slower steering response can be felt as the car enters the corner, but as it approaches the apex, the front tyres dig in and the car assumes a tighter line, which it holds through the rest of the corner.

On some tighter corners, the V6's weight influence could be felt, but the V6 Superb was also likely to provide plenty of warning signs that the car is approaching its dynamic limits. The V6 Superb should be quite quick, point to point.

The standard Continental tyres were generally quiet on Europe's baby-bottom smooth roads, but could be a little noisy over coarser bitumen roads more typical of Aussie roads.

Unfortunately, this reviewer didn't get the chance to drive the 1.8-litre TSI model, but a couple of the Aussie journalists who did came away very impressed. One regards this car as the pick of the three and likely to be the volume seller in the range, remarking that the seven-speed DSG was a small but significant advance over the six-speed units.

As is the way with Volkswagen diesels, the common-rail 125kW engine was refined and powerful. At 2000rpm the speedometer indicates 105km/h – meaning freeway cruising has the engine in its most economical and responsive zone.

The V6 petrol engine proved very willing and was pleasant to the ear. Arguably, it copes better with demands placed on it by the DSG box (no labouring vibration in higher gears from below 1500rpm with light-load power on, for instance).

The six-speed DSG transmission worked well with both the diesel and V6 engines and provided very smooth and rapid changing without lifting off. Unlike robotised manual transmissions, the DSG is capable of creeping forward rather than lurching, in slower traffic situations.

With the transmission in Sport mode (lever shifted to the right for sequential shifting), the changes were fairly aggressive, which is fine if you're looking for acceleration rather than a chauffer-driven experience.

Paddle shifters behind the steering wheel were large enough for the fumble-fingered to use easily. Whether they'll work as well in the Australian driving environment as in Austria remains doubtful, but one thing that bodes well for Australians who like to override the self-shifters in their cars: the sequential-shift plane for the DSG lever was on the right in the LHD cars on the launch.

The driving position in the Superb was generally very good, with comfortable seats that not only accommodated a wide range of sizes and shapes for occupants, but also meted out good lateral support for cornering. Long-legged drivers might find the cushions a bit short.

This reviewer found the field of vision through the rear window just a little narrow, but park distance sensors (fitted to launch vehicles) helped considerably.

One bugbear during the drive program was the satellite navigation. Instructions were frequently too slow, inaccurate or misleading for other reasons. Furthermore, it was not possible to operate the trip computer while the navigation map was displayed.

When the Superb arrives in Australia, hopefully, the cartography data for the satnav will be ahead of the game.

Quibbles aside though, the Superb is an impressively well built and well equipped car. It pretty much masters the business of being a cut-price limousine, which means that it will appeal to the majority of buyers in the large and upper/medium car markets. By also addressing environmental needs in a sustainable way, the Superb is more appealing again.

At least one journalist on the drive felt the Superb, particularly with the diesel, could be a sort of 21st century Fairlane -- presuming Skoda can convince such a conservative buyer-type to look at the Superb.

From a personal point of view, this would be one of those family cars you could buy with two young kids and you'd never need to swap it for something larger. It's not a car that a two-child family will ever outgrow -- and that's somewhat unique

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