High-society Škoda
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It is not often that a car maker takes the superlative route in naming one of its models. A good thing then, says Brent Davison, that Škoda’s Superb lives up to its name.
MY mate is a bit of a cynic when it comes to luxury car buyers. “People who buy at that end of the market are only paying for the first 50mm of their car,” he suggests, “the bit with the flashy grille and the
appropriate badge.”
If that is the case Škoda Group Australia has a big job ahead of it getting its new “developed from scratch” Superb sedan not only known but accepted by those otherwise enticed by cars bearing three-pointed stars, twirling propellers, interlocking rings or wild cats.
No, when it comes to the Superb you have to look past the “supersonic chicken” badge (no, we don’t know what it represents either) to a car that manages to blend the slightly austere practicality of central Europe with the largesse of the West in a “Prague meets the Potsdamer Platz” kind of way.
Taken as a functional unit the Superb is a four-door sedan with stately, almost upright styling, squared shoulders and an elongated roof line with a wide and almost vertical C-pillar.
Built on a stretched Octavia platform, it stands a shade over 4.8 metres long on a 2761mm wheelbase, and at 1817mm in overall width it is not exactly a tiny tot, although its 1462mm height gives it a slightly narrow-gutted look from some angles. But it is more than just dimensions and styling that set the Superb apart.
For starters, its back seat legroom is big enough to make other cars (including our own Commodore and Falcon) look a little ordinary and its level of standard equipment, even on the entry-level Ambition model, is impressive.
Try nine airbags, electronic stability control, tyre pressure monitoring system, dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning with rear-seat ducting, multi-function steering wheel, nine-function trip computer, cruise control, power windows and mirrors, heated front seats, auto lights and wipers, height adjustable headlights, cooled glovebox, multiple 12-volt sockets and – get this – an umbrella holder (complete with umbrella) in the left rear passenger door.
It goes without saying that the more upmarket Elegance gets an obligatory equipment upgrade from there.
And then there is the TwinDoor, an exceedingly clever design feature that gives the car either a conventional bootlid or a full rear hatchback.
Want to chuck in a few groceries? Flip the bootlid. Want to load a baby grand piano? Hit the button for the hatch. It is at once simple and elegant, a seamless design that impresses with its engineering complexity and its ease of execution.
Škoda has three engines available in Superb, all of them sourced from parent company Volkswagen and all of them up to the task of managing the 1600 kilogram-plus Superb family despite the modest dimensions of two of them.
The entry-level engine is a 1.8-litre, turbocharged, double overhead camshaft, four-cylinder with direct petrol-injection and developing 118 kilowatts and 250 Newton metres of torque, enough to run it to a claimed 220kmh top speed after accelerating from 0-100kmh in 8.5 seconds.
Choosing the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel brings 125 kilowatts and 350 Newton metres, and while the claimed top speed is the same as for the 1.8-litre car the 0-100kmh dash is, at 8.8 seconds, just a frag longer.
For those who want their knedliky with the lot Škoda has a 3.6-litre, narrow-angle V6 available in its Elegance model (Elegance is also available with both four-cylinder engines). The engine makes a stirring 191 kilowatts and 350 Newton metres and pushes the car to 100kmh in 6.5 seconds and up to a maximum 250kmh.
All Superb models get a twin-clutch DSG automatic transmission (seven speeds for the 1.8-litre and six for the 2.0-litre and 3.6-litre engines), and while the two four-cylinder cars are front-wheel-drive, the V6 is all-wheel-drive, using a Haldex centre differential.
But Škoda’s biggest problem in Australia will be getting brand identification. In other words, convincing potential buyers there is a substance in the 4788mm behind the big grille and impressive badge.