Skoda Superb Road Tested
Skoda Superb – Volkswagen Passat’s Cousin from the Czech Republic
Skoda has been in this country for more than 50 years, but is still relatively unknown. The first Skoda I ever saw was in my hometown, Port Dickson in the late 1950’s. It looked like a cross between an Austin A30 and A50. The meters and lights looked British, with the ‘Smiths’ brand on them, and I think the lights had ‘Lucas’ written on the lens. It was rounded in shape, very similar to the Austins of that era. One could clearly see that many parts were sourced from England. Skodas come from a factory in Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic. The company was founded by Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement. In 1895, they started by assembling bicycles, and moved on to manufacturing motorcycles a year or so later. The first car was made in 1906. Called the Voituretta, it had a 1005 cc engine. This establishes Skoda as one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world.
The latest addition to the local line-up is the Skoda Superb. This model name was in fact first used in 1934, and after a few model changes, the last Superb was made in 1949. After 70 years since the first Superb, Skoda has come full circle by badging their latest model with the same name. By dictionary definition, Superb means magnificent, gorgeous, outstanding and super excellent; the new Superb, in that sense, lives up to its name. We took a two-day old registered car, courtesy of AuotPraha Sdn Bhd, the local importers and distributors of the Skoda brand, and tested it under all kinds of conditions for 6 days.
The Superb looks and feels every bit like a luxury saloon. It blends the styling of the Passat with its own distinctive detailing. Save for a few details at the front and rear, the lines are distinctively Volkswagen. Who can blame them, considering that Volkswagen are the new owners of the company. What you are getting is in fact Volkswagen engineering at down-to-earth prices.
The ride of the Superb is impressive; it is smooth, comfortable and surprisingly quiet. The overall driving experience of the Superb is capable of rivaling the more established brands out there in the market for sheer comfort and refinement. In fact, whenever I took the wheel, I had no compulsion to speed; I was content to bask in the luxurious ride and enjoy the scenery as it passed by the large windscreen and the windows.
The heart of the Superb is an in-line 4-cylinder1.8 litre turbocharged engine, which is capable of producing 150hp at 5700rpm and 210Nm of torque that peaks at a very low 1750rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox with a Tiptronic system, that allows the driver to shift up or down manually. The combination of the engine and gearbox ratios allows the Superb to pull its weight of 1492kg effortlessly. The engine uses Volkswagen’s 5-valve per cylinder technology in its cylinder head design.
Priced at RM165k (without insurance), the Superb comes packed with a large bag of goodies. Dual front and side airbags as well as front ventilated discs and rear solid discs with ABS are some of the safety features that are packaged with the Superb. It also comes with an air-conditioned glove compartment in addition to a mini cooler box in the console between the front seats, so you can have chilled drinks at hand all the time. Other features include a specially made Wetcase umbrella pocket, located in the back-door pocket for stowing a wet umbrella. Special drain holes ensure that water goes out under the car. A generous boot capacity of 462-litres allows at least 3 golf bags to be stowed easily.
The Passat platform on which the Superb is built has been extended by 100mm, and all of this is spent to give more legroom to the rear passengers. If you are a tall person and want your rear passengers to have a decent place to put their feet, then the Superb is the car to
look at. It is capable of ferrying five large-sized individuals on short journeys and four comfortably on long-distance road trips. The Superb comes shod with 16-inch alloy rims, which makes it look extremely gorgeous, at the same time making it very well planted on the road.
The Superb is very well behaved in terms of handling, the suspension absorbs bumps effectively according a comfortable ride even over rough surfaces. Around bends the Superb handles well and is a real pleasure to drive. Traction control is available as an option, but the car handles well enough without it.
The Skoda Superb 1.8T is a car designed for drivers who appreciate refinement rather than aggressive handling. With the combination of its comfort, interior quality and power, the Superb is a car that will make the drive home from work enjoyable. Acceleration from zero to 100 km/hr is not road scorching at 11.7 seconds, but it is good enough for most people. The gear ratios are made for fuel economy, with 50 km/hr per 1000 rpm (approximate) in top gear. Depending on how you drive, you can get anything from 10.0 litres per 100 kilometres to 16 litres per 100 kilometres. The 62-litre fuel tank gave us 400 kilometres before the warning lights came on. An on-board computer works out the ‘spot’ fuel consumption and the average. Driven sedately at legal speed limits, it would be reasonable to expect between 10 to 12 litres per 100 km, which makes the Superb a very economical car to drive around in.
In terms of spare parts, there are many common parts between the Skoda Superb and its German cousins, the Audi A4, Audi A6, the Volkswagen Passat, and the Bora. If you look closely at some of the suspension parts, do not be surprised to see the familiar four ring Audi brand mark on them.
In conclusion, the Skoda Superb is something that is packaged well, has heaps of legroom, and is well appointed. It sells for close to a hundred grand less that some of the more renowned brands, including some of its cousins from just over the border. It is definitely worth a second look.
