Czech mate, it’s a winner

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Friday, July 10 2009 - Herald Sun

It mightn’t be well known, but the Superb could change all that for ŠKODA, writes Mark Hinchliffe.

Czech car company ŠKODA is expecting to lift its profile over the next year with the launch of its new flagship Superb liftback sedan.

The Superb sedan will be joined by a wagon early next year with the new Yeti concept off-roader arriving in midyear.

The added models, along with the just facelifted Octavia range, will help move the brand away from just being known as the Octavia car company, ŠKODA Australia chief Matthew Wiesner says.

“We haven’t devoted a lot of time to the Roomster, so we’ve basically been an Octavia car company,” he says. “It’s a hell of a car, based on value, innovation and technology.

“You would be well challenged to find something with such a strong combination.”

Wiesner says ŠKODA’s main challenge remains brand awareness. In the 18 months since it re-launched in Australia, customer awareness has grown from about 40 per cent to 60 per cent, according to Roy Morgan research. Wiesner says the Superb will help “mature” and “stretch” the brand with its appeal to private buyers, user-choosers and fleets.

“Our customers (for the Superb) are large-car users and from corporate and semi-government,” he says. “They can stick to a large car and still get a diesel.”

A lot is expected from the Superb. It’s likely to compete against the big Australian six-cylinder sedans, Japanese medium-sized cars and fellow European models.

The Superb comes in five models with VW-sourced petrol and diesel power plants, all with direct fuel injection. The opener is the 1.8-litre TSI Ambition mated to a seven-speed DSG gearbox and costs $42,990. The 1.8-litre engine is shared with the Octavia.

The 2.0-litre TDI diesel adds an extra $3000 and gets a six speed DSG gearbox.

The Ambition petrol and diesel gets electronic stability control, dual-zone airconditioning, six-CD sound system with touch screen and SD memory card, tyre-pressure monitors, cruise control, rear parking sensors, self-retracting wing mirrors and foglights.

The same petrol and TDI engines are found in the $45,990 Elegance, which adds adaptive bi-xenon headlights, an alarm, electric driver’s seat and upgraded 10-speaker sound system. The 2.0-litre Elegance TDI is an extra $3000. The range-topper is a 3.6-litre V6 petrol in Elegance trim, only with Haldex all-wheel-drive and a six-speed sequential automatic. The V6 FSI costs $56,990.

Wiesner did not wish to speculate on sales figures, but says ŠKODA has about 100 Superbs in the country with orders “in the teens”.

The wagon version will have the same trim and engine configuration as the sedan.

However, Wiesner will not confirm a sporty RS version.

Apart from its VW-sourced turbo diesel engines, the Superb’s most distinguishing feature is its patented “TwinDoor” two-part hinged lift-back boot.

At the flick of a switch on the electro-mechnical lock, the tailgate can act like a normal boot or a large hatchback.

Lift the boot and there is an enormous 565-litre, flat-floored, carpeted cargo area bigger than the Ford Falcon boot. With the rear seats folded space expands to 1670 litres.

Under the floor is a full-size spare in the front-wheel-drive models and a space saver in the all-wheel drive range-topper. Apart from the versatile boot the Superb has several other surprising innovations and quirky technological features.

Among them are headlights that change focal point and spread according to speed and weather conditions (standard in Elegance), fog-lights that automatically light up corners at slow speeds, a rain braking system that dries the discs by bringing the pads into gentle contact with the discs every 3km for three seconds, and nine airbags, including a knee airbag.

Options include an $890 self-parking system and $2290 solar-powered sunroof, which circulates cabin air to keep the car cool.

Driving

In a short launch drive through the suburbs and surrounds of Sydney, the Superb proved to be quiet, comfortable and spacious with plenty of leg and head room.

It is clear ŠKODA is aiming high with a car that is well equipped and well priced. I can understand why the chauffeur who picked me up at the airport was raving about it.

From the inside, you could be forgiven for thinking you had just stepped into an Audi A6, though the Superb feels narrower.

The instruments and standard of trim and fittings give the illusion of a much more expensive car.

Even the chauffeur was converted, saying he was thinking of buying a Superb because it looked the part and had good head and leg room. However, one of the Superb’s downsides is that it feels a bit narrow and will only fit two adults and a child in the rear.

The Superb is based on a stretched Passat/Octavia platform, but it’s no wider, so from some angles it looks too narrow for its length.

From behind it appears almost comically out of proportion, an illusion made worse by the strange shape of the boot, necessitated by the twin-folding liftback.

However, it has much in common with its VW cousin’s pedigree, which means it’s a lively but frugal performer with a lithe handling spirit. The Superb shows plenty of composure over rough surfaces, with a smooth and quiet ride, but the steering feels a little heavy and ponderous, especially the V6 all-wheel-drive.

As we’ve experienced with VW, the six-and seven-speed DSG transmissions are a proven delight. However, there is no manual option.

Inside View

ŠKODA Superb
Prices From $42,990 to $56,990
Engines 1.8-litre TSI petrol, 2-litre TDI diesel, 3.6 V6 FSI petrol
Power 118kW from 4500-6200 revs (TSI), 125kW at 4200 revs (TDI), 191kW at 6000 revs (V6)
Torque 250Nm from 150-4500 revs (TSI), 350Nm from 1750-2500 revs (TDI), 250 from 2500-5000 revs (V6)
Transmissions Six-speed direct shift gearbox (TDI and V6), seven-speed DSG (TSI)
Drive Front-wheel drive (TSI, TDI), all-wheel drive (V6)
Fuel Consumption 8.4 litres/100km (TSI), 6.9 litres/100km (TDI), 10.2 litres/100km
(V6)
CO₂ Emissions 200g/km (TSI), 182g/km (TDI), 243g/km (V6)