This is the skoda superb petrol roadtest from autocar india
Robust engineering, cutting edge technology and solid build quality, all at the best price possible. Skoda’s simple but difficult-to-achieve formula has found itself a place in the hearts of Indian luxury car
buyers. We love getting the most bang for our buck, want a car that’s generously equipped and Skoda’s tough build quality suits our difficult conditions too. Can the all new Superb deliver all this and more? This first-ever test of Skoda’s flagship, on Indian soil, provides all the answers. : The new Superb looks a bit radical. The attractive-looking wraparound headlamps get your attention first. They have a sharp edge and upward sweep to them and there are cuts and details on the nose section that look attractive. However, the Superb’s silhouette is where it all goes a bit too wonky. The stubby nose, upright cabin and large rear overhang don’t gel perfectly, and the proportions tend to look odd at certain angles. But there’s method here. The short nose is down to the transverse engine – which liberates passenger space; the cabin looks bulky as the rear windscreen is pushed well back - for greater headroom; and the large rear overhang helps stretch the platform to its limit. The most unique bit on this car, however, is the Twindoor rear. You can either get access to the boot by lifting up the giant hatch or select a neater but smaller conventional bootlid. And at 565 litres, there’s plenty of space here. Most impressive however is the high quality and tough build of this car. It feels as indestructible as a battle tank, everything fits perfectly, paint quality is striking and the finish of the chrome exceptional as well. First impressions inside the cabin are staggering -- it simply takes your breath away. Okay, the doorpads could have been built better with softer materials and the design of the central console is quite old fashioned, but apart from these niggles, the insides are . . . well, just superb. Even the quality of the ‘wood’ and manner in which small knobs have chrome piping is impressive. The Superb also comes with a central touch screen that controls everything from the radio and in-dash CD-changer to the phone and navigation system which is much easier to use than BMW’s iDrive or Audi’s MMi interface. There’s acres of legroom and full sized seats. With seat memory and electric lumbar finding your ideal driving position is easy. But, if you really want to be comfortable, sit at the rear. The headroom isn’t equally generous, thanks to the high-mounted seat which gives you a good view forward. We also wish the seat cushions were a bit softer. Traditionally an almost 1.5-tonne car would need more than 1800cc of engine capacity to propel it. But things here are considerably more progressive. For starters, the 1.8 motor uses direct petrol injection and a turbocharger to augment power, with max power rated at 160bhp. Turbo-charged direct-injected motors also produce more torque than normally aspirated ones, this motor making a massive 25.4kgm from just 1800rpm on, really low down for a petrol motor. While the large V6 that powered the earlier Superb made more power, this 1.8 TSI makes almost as much torque. Shift times on the twin clutch DSG ‘box are faster than anything available on conventional automatics and seven gears also mean better use of the top end of the power band, which means better acceleration. As a result the Superb accelerates hard to 100kph in 9.1 seconds and carries on to 150kph in under 20 seconds. That’s faster than the manual 2.4 Accord and considerably faster than the automatic Accord which takes around 12 seconds to 100. Key to the new Superb’s terrific performance is the lusty mid-range and strong top-end. You actually feel the lack of engine capacity more in city traffic. Power doesn’t flow as seamlessly as we would have liked and in fact is delivered in stages. There is a small delay when you floor the throttle after which the car takes off. Then when the boost kicks in, you get another rush of power and now the motor is fully awake. As the ground clearance has been increased Skoda has had to stiffen the Superb’s springs and dampers for good straight line stability. The chassis, which is considerably stiffer than the outgoing Superb, also helps the new car’s dynamics. The car responds in a measured manner to every tweak on the wheel and the feeling of confidence even when barreling along is very high. This allows you to carry masses of speed into corners, even on upcountry single-lane highways. The brakes while offering great stopping power and bite, they seem to have a bit of mushiness to the pedal initially. The low-pro 55 ratio tyres enhance the handling but ride suffers. The Superb is less compliant than before and reveals more of the road surface to the cabin. It’s a touch noisy, rough surfaces filter through to the cabin and you almost feel almost every expansion joint along the way. But ride quality is flat and you are never tossed around, the suspension never crashing badly through potholes, as the tall springs do absorb a lot. As speeds build up, the ride improves though and a lot of the problems subside. We were staggered by the efficiency of the petrol Superb. Covering an average of eight- and-a-half kilometres to the litre in the city and 12.5kpl on the highway, the new Superb went straight to the top of its class. The new Superb makes you feel you are buying a Rs 40 lakh car for nearly half the price. It has technology, features and safety equipment that befit seriously expensive luxury cars. The comfort and quality is in an orbit shared with BMWs and Mercs. There are simply no signs of economising and that’s what makes the Superb so special. The big surprise is the thoroughly capable 1.8 TSI petrol motor which has the performance and fuel-efficiency to threaten the Accord. The stumbling block maybe the awkward proportions and the Skoda badge, which doesn’t give the confidence of a Honda. However, these hurdles are more in the mind. At the Superb’s price of Rs 18.8 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, nothing comes close.
buyers. We love getting the most bang for our buck, want a car that’s generously equipped and Skoda’s tough build quality suits our difficult conditions too. Can the all new Superb deliver all this and more? This first-ever test of Skoda’s flagship, on Indian soil, provides all the answers. : The new Superb looks a bit radical. The attractive-looking wraparound headlamps get your attention first. They have a sharp edge and upward sweep to them and there are cuts and details on the nose section that look attractive. However, the Superb’s silhouette is where it all goes a bit too wonky. The stubby nose, upright cabin and large rear overhang don’t gel perfectly, and the proportions tend to look odd at certain angles. But there’s method here. The short nose is down to the transverse engine – which liberates passenger space; the cabin looks bulky as the rear windscreen is pushed well back - for greater headroom; and the large rear overhang helps stretch the platform to its limit. The most unique bit on this car, however, is the Twindoor rear. You can either get access to the boot by lifting up the giant hatch or select a neater but smaller conventional bootlid. And at 565 litres, there’s plenty of space here. Most impressive however is the high quality and tough build of this car. It feels as indestructible as a battle tank, everything fits perfectly, paint quality is striking and the finish of the chrome exceptional as well. First impressions inside the cabin are staggering -- it simply takes your breath away. Okay, the doorpads could have been built better with softer materials and the design of the central console is quite old fashioned, but apart from these niggles, the insides are . . . well, just superb. Even the quality of the ‘wood’ and manner in which small knobs have chrome piping is impressive. The Superb also comes with a central touch screen that controls everything from the radio and in-dash CD-changer to the phone and navigation system which is much easier to use than BMW’s iDrive or Audi’s MMi interface. There’s acres of legroom and full sized seats. With seat memory and electric lumbar finding your ideal driving position is easy. But, if you really want to be comfortable, sit at the rear. The headroom isn’t equally generous, thanks to the high-mounted seat which gives you a good view forward. We also wish the seat cushions were a bit softer. Traditionally an almost 1.5-tonne car would need more than 1800cc of engine capacity to propel it. But things here are considerably more progressive. For starters, the 1.8 motor uses direct petrol injection and a turbocharger to augment power, with max power rated at 160bhp. Turbo-charged direct-injected motors also produce more torque than normally aspirated ones, this motor making a massive 25.4kgm from just 1800rpm on, really low down for a petrol motor. While the large V6 that powered the earlier Superb made more power, this 1.8 TSI makes almost as much torque. Shift times on the twin clutch DSG ‘box are faster than anything available on conventional automatics and seven gears also mean better use of the top end of the power band, which means better acceleration. As a result the Superb accelerates hard to 100kph in 9.1 seconds and carries on to 150kph in under 20 seconds. That’s faster than the manual 2.4 Accord and considerably faster than the automatic Accord which takes around 12 seconds to 100. Key to the new Superb’s terrific performance is the lusty mid-range and strong top-end. You actually feel the lack of engine capacity more in city traffic. Power doesn’t flow as seamlessly as we would have liked and in fact is delivered in stages. There is a small delay when you floor the throttle after which the car takes off. Then when the boost kicks in, you get another rush of power and now the motor is fully awake. As the ground clearance has been increased Skoda has had to stiffen the Superb’s springs and dampers for good straight line stability. The chassis, which is considerably stiffer than the outgoing Superb, also helps the new car’s dynamics. The car responds in a measured manner to every tweak on the wheel and the feeling of confidence even when barreling along is very high. This allows you to carry masses of speed into corners, even on upcountry single-lane highways. The brakes while offering great stopping power and bite, they seem to have a bit of mushiness to the pedal initially. The low-pro 55 ratio tyres enhance the handling but ride suffers. The Superb is less compliant than before and reveals more of the road surface to the cabin. It’s a touch noisy, rough surfaces filter through to the cabin and you almost feel almost every expansion joint along the way. But ride quality is flat and you are never tossed around, the suspension never crashing badly through potholes, as the tall springs do absorb a lot. As speeds build up, the ride improves though and a lot of the problems subside. We were staggered by the efficiency of the petrol Superb. Covering an average of eight- and-a-half kilometres to the litre in the city and 12.5kpl on the highway, the new Superb went straight to the top of its class. The new Superb makes you feel you are buying a Rs 40 lakh car for nearly half the price. It has technology, features and safety equipment that befit seriously expensive luxury cars. The comfort and quality is in an orbit shared with BMWs and Mercs. There are simply no signs of economising and that’s what makes the Superb so special. The big surprise is the thoroughly capable 1.8 TSI petrol motor which has the performance and fuel-efficiency to threaten the Accord. The stumbling block maybe the awkward proportions and the Skoda badge, which doesn’t give the confidence of a Honda. However, these hurdles are more in the mind. At the Superb’s price of Rs 18.8 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, nothing comes close.
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