2016 Skoda Superb First Drive Review

Skoda’s Superb needs no introduction. A quick way to summarise its legacy would be to say that it was the reason behind some cars exiting the segment. Superior packaging with brilliant performance and mechanicals to match, saw this car win a number of followers. So what does the all-new Superb have in store for you. From a distance you might mistake the all-new Superb for an Octavia, as it carries the same design language. However, the closer you get, it’s the size that reveals the true identity of the car. You would agree that the outgoing model felt stretched in the middle when viewed from the side profile.

Nevertheless, the latest iteration is far from that and looks proportionate in every viewing angle. The grille shape and overall lines of the headlamps lend the fascia an aggressive posture. Move on to the sides and you will appreciate how the extra length of the car has been smartly subdued in the design cues. This is also where you will notice the two alloy wheel shapes that differentiate the Style from the L&K version. The rear is characterised by the long tail lamps that move from the boot lid and curve on to the fenders. We wish Skoda gave the Superb a more spectacular overall design to keep the buyer excited as the present look does not really make it a crowdpuller.

Once seated in the driver’s seat, you will be delighted with the brilliant visibility over the bonnet that is on offer. The dual tone shades for the cabin really light up the ambience. However, Skoda could have imparted a better design for the dashboard. Areas around the centre console and door pads imparted a bland unexciting feel. That said, little details like the silver accents around the vents, touchscreen and gear shifter do add a nice touch to the overall appearance. All the buttons are spread out in an accessible manner and finding a function should not be a chore.

While the front electric seats have nice contours to hold you in place and also offer appropriate support for the back, it lacked enough under thigh support. Well, the Superb’s rear was always the talk of the town and this will rightly continue. Occupants can enjoy even more legroom thanks to the overall increase in dimensions. There is no denying that it is the rear portion of the cabin that will make it stand clear of its opponents. The rear can seat three passengers easily and there is enough head and shoulder room too. However, the lack of proper under thigh support was again sighted. 625 litres of luggage can be swallowed by the boot whose lid opens like a hatchback, unlike the earlier double opening boot lid design that has been canned.

Highlights of the equipment list on the Style variant are keyless entry, a 6.5-inch colour touch screen infotainment system, leather seats, electric driver seat and bi-xenon headlamps with curve light assistant. Buyers also get eight airbags, multi collision brake, parking sensors with camera and dual-zone climate control. Unique additions to the L&K variant are the three-zone climate control, electric boot lid, boss button (front passenger seat position electrically controlled from rear seat), cooled front seats, fatigue detection and a virtual pedal (contact free access for the boot).

Updated versions of the 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TDI engines find their way on to the latest Superb. The TSI mill makes 180bhp from 4000rpm to 6200rpm in the manual transmission variant. And, interestingly, the DSG version produces the same power at a much higher 5100rpm to 6200rpm. While 177bhp is produced by the TDI motor between 3600rpm and 4000rpm, 350Nm of torque is on tap from 1500rpm. A 6-speed DSG is mated to this motor to translate all that power to the wheels. Skoda claims a fuel efficiency figure of 14.12kmpl, 14.67kmpl and 18.19kmpl for the petrol manual, petrol DSG and the TDI respectively.

We drove the diesel version from Mangalore all the way up to Coorg and came back impressed. Hit the start button and the engine coughs to life with a reasonable amount of subdued clatter on the inside. What’s interesting is that the turbo hardly spins out any lag and the power is delivered almost instantly without any jerks. As always, the DSG works out its charm in offering quick and smooth shifts. In D mode, the transmission shifts at 2200rpm, and S mode holds the gear till the 5000rpm redline before shifting on to the next gear. There are three preset driving modes on the L&K version that you can select called eco, normal and sport.

To give you an idea, in eco mode the car happily cruises at 40kmph at 1100rpm in E4 gear, while the same rpm was also recorded for the normal mode in D4 gear. However, 40kmph in sport mode was recorded at a higher 1500rpm in S3 gear. This shows the sporty inclination of this mode to hold a lower gear and keep you in the power band for instant response. In addition to these preset modes was an individual mode that allows the driver to set up preferences for steering weight with the available modes. We surmised that this engine is extremely flexible and has enough power to excel the mile munching capabilities of the Superb with efficiency at hand.

And talking about mile munching, driving the Superb really brings a smile to your face. Skoda seems to have found a brilliant balance between ride and handling. At any speed, the ride always feels supple and absorbent on any kind of surface. The suspension silently works its wonders and you shouldn’t be worried if you miss those smaller speed breakers or rumblers. Maybe you wouldn’t even notice as it just glides over them and does not step out of line either. That brings me to the handling. Considering the ride quality, you may be tempted to feel that the Superb may not be its best around corners. But it is quite the opposite and corners can be attacked with relative precision.

The higher the speed you enter a corner with, you will appreciate the direct feel from the light steering which lets you hold your line reasonably well. Add to this the amazing grip from the tyres and you have quite the package. However, we noticed that the tyre made more noise over concrete, but tarmac sections were dismissed silently. We also experienced that the braking is extremely progressive and the car comes to a halt in a manner that inspires supreme confidence whatever the situation.

The outgoing Skoda Superb was always in a league of its own. This is very much the reason why the rivals in the segment felt outclassed. While Skoda was busy draping the all-new car with a lot of functionality, they inadvertently made a more rounded and complete product. Though some of the unique features of the previous generation Superb stands faded, it is not a reason that will dampen the overall experience of owning one. Prices for the new Superb start from Rs 22.68 lakh and go all the way to Rs 29.36 lakh for the top of the line L&K diesel.

Skoda’s all-new Superb in petrol disguise will compete with the Camry that currently sells in the Indian market. It will eventually take the fight to the Volkswagen Passat and the Honda Accord when they are introduced here at a later time.

Photography: Santosh Nair