Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 170 - Remarkably Roomy And Highly Interesting Car

16.5.13, Vienna, Austria Revised big saloon gains extra kit and fleet-friendly emissions

It’s a Helluva lot of car for the money. That’s what people said of the second-generation Skoda Superb – in essence a bargain-price, Skoda-styled Volkswagen Passat, stretched by 100mm between the wheels when it burst on to the market in 2008.

They’ll be saying it again this July when the revised Superb hits British showrooms featuring some eye-catching styling and equipment updates, plus improved CO₂ numbers for the all-important fleet-friendly versions, at prices close to those of the outgoing model. Size has always been the key issue with the Superb: few cars anywhere near its prices can match its imposing proportions, its sprawling room for rear passenger and its bountiful luggage volume in both hatchback and estate forms.

This car may be called non-premium, but the Volkswagen Group simply doesn’t know how to make an unrefined car

Over the past few years, it has become fashionable to presume that big cars in non-premium sectors can’t be a hit with buyers, but the Superb has accounted for a healthy 10 per cent of Skoda UK’s sales within the company’s expanding customer base (60,000 sales are expected in total this year). The brand’s UK boss, Alasdair Stewart, reckons that the proportion could even increase later this year when the new model hits showrooms and the fleet market gets a sight of the revised car’s more tax-friendly CO₂ figures (some models have had cuts as significant as 19 per cent).

There are four well-equipped trim levels (Skoda claims subtle equipment updates worth over $1,500 in some models) plus the ultra-economical, low-tax Greenline III.

That model is basically an entry-level S whose 104bhp 1.6-litre turbo diesel combines with low-resistance tires, several aerodynamic tweaks and standard stop-start to drop CO₂ emissions by 8g/km to 109g/km and return combined fuel consumption of 67.3mpg – impressive figures indeed for a car that’s 4.83m ling and weighs nearly 1.5 tons at the kerb.

There’s acres of room for all passengers; behind them is class-leading luggage space

As well as updating the exterior styling – especially the grille and front and rear lights and freshening the interior, Skoda has improves the operation of the unique double-opening hatchback/saloon ‘Twindoor’ tailgate by providing separate buttons for the boot lid and hatch openers.

On test, we drove the current best-selling 168bhp 2.0-liter diesel linked to a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It seemed even smoother and quieter than before, though on the billiard-table roads of Austria, it’s a little hard to judge refinement. But the Superb has always been very refined, and the latest model has lost nothing to the original. This car may be called non-premium, but the Volkswagen Group simply doesn’t know how to make an unrefined car.

The only adverse effect of the compliance is a shade more body roll than you might choose when you press the car close to its easily defined limits in tight, slightly understeer bends.

The suspension is soft, with subtle damping, and gives ride comfort that would flatter many a $60,000 motor. The only adverse effect of the compliance is a shade more body roll than you might choose when you press the car close to its easily defined limits in tight, slightly understeer bends. You’ll never get the tail out, not least because the chassis bristles with standard-fit electronic traction aids. The performance is brisk (0-62mph in 8.6sec is claimed) yet combined fuel economy is a decent 53.3mpg and CO₂ emissions are just 139g/km.

Styling updates refresh the look of the Superb, which remains a comfortable, refined cruiser, even by luxury car standards

If you’re in the market for an affordable car with a vast cabin and enormous load-carrying capability (595 liters, expanding to 1700 liters with the seats folded), it’s hard to know what else could match the Superb on cost, equipment and innate quality. Perhaps the recently revised Ford Mondeo would be one to consider, but that’s almost a run-out model. And even then, the Skoda is bigger inside. The Czech marque has captured a small but important sector of the market, and it is doing whatever is needed to keep it.