What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

86 April 2020 whatcar.com

Skoda Superb

FORSOME,ANEXECUTIVEcarisallabout

animpressivepremiumbadge,butthereare

thoseforwhomspaceandvalueformoney

aremoreimportantfactors,andinbothof

thosedepartments,nothingcanholda

candletotheSkodaSuperb.

It’scertainlyhugeinside–inthe

frontseats,thebackseatsandthe

boot.Andthegoodnewsisthat

theSuperbdeliversinmostother

areasaswell.

Itsitsonastretchedversion

oftheVolkswagenGolf’s

underpinningsandcomeswitha

broadrangeofexcellentengines,

withachoiceofsix-speedmanual

andDSGautomaticgearboxes.

Initially,smooth1.4-litre

turbochargedpetrolengines

producing123bhpor148bhppropped

uptherange,butin 2018 theywere

replacedbyamoreefficient148bhp

1.5-litreunit.Therearealsoacouple

ofversionsofthe2.0-litrepetrol(with

217bhpor276bhp)and,from 2019 onwards,

a1.4-litreplug-inhybrid.Dieselengines

Materialsaren’ttheplushest,butlayoutis user-friendly

Boot is one of the Superb’s biggest assets – literally

comein118bhp1.6-litreand148bhp2.0-litre

guises;there’salsoa187bhp2.0-litredieselthat

canbehadwithfour-wheeldrive.

Evenentry-levelSmodelsarewellequipped,

withair-con,Bluetooth,aDABradioand,

initially,a6.5intouchscreen.SEadds17inalloy

wheels,dual-zoneclimatecontrol,rearparking

sensorsandadaptivecruise,whilebusiness-

orientatedSETechnologyaddssat-nav,front

parkingsensorsandanelectricdriver’sseat

withmemoryfunction.SELExecutiveand

Laurin & Klement models add plush leather

seats and even more gadgets. Sportline and

Sportline Plus trims joined the range later,

offering larger alloys and sporty carbonfi bre

interior and exterior styling details.

The Superb was facelifted last year, with

new bumpers, a different front grille and the

addition of LED headlights, while inside, the

standard touchscreen grew to 8.0in, with a

9.2in screen and a digital instrument panel

becoming available on higher trims.

USED CARS

VauxhallInsignia

GrandSport

Competitively priced

but not as good to

drive as most rivals.

VolkswagenPassat

Classy and

spacious, but its

boot is less versatile

than the Superb’s.

RIVALS

BUYING GUIDE Remarkably roomy, practical and comfortable, Skoda’s

executive car is better value for money than ever when it’s used

In production 2016-present Price from £8000 Our favourite 1.5 TSI 150 SE Technology

SETechnologytrimis our

choice;it’sthesweetspot

forequipmentandprice

‘Fuel economy is

impressive for such a

big, capacious car’

Mark Pearson

[email protected]