Skoda Superb Sportline 2022 Review

Combining practicality and performance, the 2022 Skoda Superb Sportline 206TSI 4x4 is priced from $64,890 plus on-road costs in the liftback sedan body style tested here.

You can also opt for the wagon – which is slightly more popular with Aussie buyers – but you’ll have to fork out another $1700, with the same powertrain and driveline combination starting from $66,590 plus ORCs.

There’s also the lower-tier Superb Style on offer in both body styles, offering less performance and a slightly lower spec from $54,090 plus ORCs.

The previously available Skoda Superb Scout 4x4 – a pumped-up crossover wagon – has been discontinued, leaving the regular sedan and wagon to make up the Czech brand’s large passenger car family in Australia.

And those have carried on untouched since Skoda upgraded the Superb in late 2020, boosting equipment levels and pricing to match.

The Sportline is brimming with loads of high-grade features – including Matrix LED headlights, 19-inch alloy wheels and tri-zone climate control – but our tester still came with quite a few options.

These include fancier 19-inch Supernova gloss black wheels (+$300), a sunroof (+$1700), leather seats with ventilation and driver’s massage function (+$1900), and a metallic Graphite Grey paint finish (+$770).

Every Superb is covered by Skoda’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, while five- and seven-year service pack options cost $2000 and $2900 respectively.

If you’re looking for a sophisticated sedan with smarts, the 2022 Skoda Superb Sportline 206TSI 4x4 will tick plenty of boxes.

It’s fitted standard with a high level of safety equipment, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, tyre pressure monitoring, traffic jam assist and nine airbags.

As for tech, a big 9.2-inch central touch-screen is used across the Superb range. It’s responsive, easy to use and brings great graphics, with standard navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone connectivity.

For the driver, there’s a customisable Virtual Cockpit with loads of display options you can easily toggle through via buttons on the steering wheel.

A wireless phone charging pad, USB-C port and 12V outlet are neatly tucked away in a lidded compartment in front of the gear shifter, while another USB-A port resides within the lidded centre console.

That handy console box also features a cooling (or heating) option that runs on whatever temperature you’ve set the climate control up front.

The lashings of Alcantara on the door trims and optional leather upholstery in our tester make it feel even more plush, but it’d be nice if the front passenger was treated to the same massage function the driver gets.

When you open the front doors, puddle lamps illuminate the ground, while other clever features inside the cabin include a small waste bin in the driver’s door, a ticket holder on the A-pillar and hands-free opening of the electric tailgate.

The driving experience in the 2022 Skoda Superb Sportline 206TSI 4x4 is every bit as suave and sophisticated as the big sedan’s exterior.

Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It’s a familiar unit shared across Volkswagen Group Australia’s stable – albeit in several tunes and iterations – dubbed EA888.

Although not as beefy as the latest Mk8 Volkswagen Golf R – which produces 235kW/400Nm from a revised version of the same engine – the Superb Sportline’s 206kW of power and 350Nm of torque is more than enough, accelerating the big four-door from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.8 seconds.

As we’ve come to expect, there’s some minor hesitation from the six-speed DSG gearbox at low speeds, however it’s a different story as you pick up the pace, where gear changes – whether left to its own devices or handled manually via flappy paddles – are rapid and precise.

A fantastic all-wheel drive system gets power to the ground with ease, while a trick launch control system turns the relatively sedate-looking sedan into a greyhound primed to jump the gate.

Acceleration isn’t mind-boggling off the line, but it’s certainly enough to impress passengers, who likely won’t anticipate such prowess.

The Superb Sportline is just as impressive at tackling corners, with minimal body roll and loads of grip aided by standard-fit Pirelli rubber.

With such encouragement on offer to explore the car’s performance, it’ll be difficult to hit the combined-cycle fuel consumption claim of 8.0L/100km. For reference, we achieved 12.5L/100km…

And that somewhat tells the tale of what the 2022 Skoda Superb Sportline 206TSI 4x4 sedan is like to get around in.

The cabin is as plush as it gets – at least at this price point – with minimal road noise to contend with. The suspension is supple too, soaking up harsh bumps and speed humps with finesse.

It’s a big sedan, but one that rarely feels unsure, thanks to precise steering and supreme road-holding ability, both of which give you plenty of confidence when cornering hard.

Drive mode options compromise Eco, Comfort, Sport, Custom and Normal, the latter the default every time you start the car. Each mode delivers a unique character, with the Superb able to go from placid family hauler to sports sedan at a moment’s notice.

While three large adults will fare okay for short trips in the second row, two people are very well accommodated for long-distance journeys, with plenty of headroom and legroom for taller folks.

Extra points for stowable sun blinds and heating for the outboard seats, but it’s further back where the Superb is perhaps most impressive.

Boot space is outstanding at 625 litres in sedan form (660L for the wagon), which is even more convenient with its liftback boot lid, plethora of cargo nets and shopping bag hooks.

The one caveat is you have to make do with a space-saver spare tyre.

The 2022 Skoda Superb Sportline 206TSI 4x4 sedan made more of an impression on me than I expected.

With a fairly unassuming exterior, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was all about big executive business. But this thing is super-fun, dynamically sound and spacious, too.

And for the record, I reckon it becomes sexier the more you look at it.

What it lacks in pure performance compared to the more popular Kia Stinger GT – which is almost a full second quicker from 0-100km/h (at 4.9 seconds) – the Superb makes up for with an accomplished drive across the board, fabulous cabin appointments and generous doses of practicality and tech.

The name suits it to a tee.

How much does the 2022 Skoda Superb Sportline 206TSI 4x4 sedan cost?
Price: $64,890 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 206kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 182g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2015)