PG
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Skoda SuperbWell a “test sit in the back and driven in” rather than a test drive. I’m in Poland this week for work and at the airport got into a new Skoda Superb taxi. If you are agrophobic, don’t get in a Skoda Superb. It’s just so damn big in there. Rear leg room is just vast. Usain Bolt could almost stretch his legs out in there.
So apart from the hugeness of the rear quarters, what was my impression? I could not ascertain what engine it was (my Polish is even worse than the taxi driver’s English was) but it was manual and so I’m assuming that it would be a 2.0Tdi of 140 or 170 bhp. The engine was near silent from the back and it all felt very smooth. Ride and road noise was exemplary on very variable Polish roads and the back seats were comfy - two rear seats and a centre bit rather than a bench so also aimed, I think, at carrying passengers in comfort. The instruments and controls all looked pretty good with chrome ringed speedo and tacho, tidy climate control panel and a big screen for radio / info.
A few things let it down though. I still can’t get comfortable with the new headlights and bigger grille which spoil an otherwise quite clean shape. The steering wheel is ugly – that bastardised Audi centre just does not suit. And the quality of some near at hand plastics – like the door cards and tops – was pretty shockingly hard (as in rigid and making a nice tapping noise when knocked) and elephant arse grey in colour to boot. It’s almost as if Skoda have to leave something shonky there to separate it from Audis and VW’s.
But as a limo-lite, or if you need or want a huge and comfortable car and care not about badge, it seems to do exactly what it says on the tin.
If Skoda made it look more like a previous gen S class, kept it the same size, changed the steering wheel and addressed some of the plastics, what with the hatchback / saloon as standard, they’d be onto a real winner. It'd be interesting to drive a new E class 200 diesel non-sporty spec and this back to back.
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Martin
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I'm sure it's nice to ride around it, but I just can't get on with the looks. It's bloody ugly!
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Frank Bullitt
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The bloke over the road has one, a hearing-aid beige one with beige leather; think it's an Elegance and deffo a diesel. Don't mind the front but the back is wilfully minging; thankfully the estate version appears to be much, much nicer.
Did I mention he used to own a Rover 75? Guess not but you could have worked it out anyway 
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Dr. Hfuhruhurr
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I really like them - there's one near me in dark metallic blue with big multispoke alloys that looks fantastic. I prefer it to either the Passat or the A4 and A6.
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Martin
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It looks nice in profile with the bigger wheels, but the grille just looks wrong and the rear is plain ugly. I don't think I could choose one over a Passat, despite the extra space and decent level of equipment for the price.
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Nice Guy Eddie
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My mother has the tdi 170 Elegance and I was blown away by how good it was. The interior quality was far better then my Golf and the space in the back and boot was huge. It has every toy under the sun including a button where the car will park itself for you.
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Guitar Zero
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I like these a lot - anything majoring on ride and refinement gets the thumbs up from me....
However
They are pricey - I've had a snuffty at the 3.6 litre model and I only found one that was up for nearly £25k.
Apart from the fact the the Superb gets a gay boy version of the 3.6 (250 bhp), you can get same age and mileage Passat CC 3.6s for £22k. They too major on refinement and ride, but in this case it's wrapped up in a gorgeous body and you get all 300 ponies.
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Dr. Hfuhruhurr
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| Guitar Zero wrote: | | Apart from the fact the the Superb gets a gay boy version of the 3.6 (250 bhp), you can get same age and mileage Passat CC 3.6s for £22k. They too major on refinement and ride, but in this case it's wrapped up in a gorgeous body and you get all 300 ponies. |
Gorgeous is not a word that occurs to me when I see a CC, I'm afraid. It tries too hard, which is why the Skoda is way cooler. All it needs is the 3.0 diesel V6 and the four-wheel drive option.
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Martin
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The Passat CC GT is gorgeous. It's only a 2.0TDI, but I park next to a black one most days and love it, a full fat 3.6 would be great.
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Dr. Hfuhruhurr
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It looks nicely wide and low from the front, but from any other angle, it doesn't do it for me at all, I'm afraid. I like the new A5 Sportback though, even though I'm sure it's another "meh" Audi to drive.
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Pkh72
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There is a Passat CC at work, it is beige but the colour seems to suit the shape really well, especially with this example sitting on the turbine style alloys that you normally find on a Scirroco.
If i was in the market for a Passat i wouldnt' look at the ordinary versions, i would go straight for one of these.
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Martin
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The A5 sportback reports I've read suggest that you're right. It's either worse than the A4 or the expectations are higher, but either way it seems to get a general thumbs down. It's a shame, as it's a good looking car and ideal for families that don't want an estate/MPV/4x4 (that would be me!)
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Dr. Hfuhruhurr
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The trouble is, 99.999999999999% of Sportbacks will be S-Lines, hence all over the place on any moderately rough road.
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ALF
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| Guitar Zero wrote: |
Apart from the fact the the Superb gets a gay boy version of the 3.6 (250 bhp), you can get same age and mileage Passat CC 3.6s for £22k. They too major on refinement and ride, but in this case it's wrapped up in a gorgeous body and you get all 300 ponies. |
Really? People are actually buying these with the V6? That would be one for a future list...
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Matt
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr wrote: | | I really like them - there's one near me in dark metallic blue with big multispoke alloys that looks fantastic. I prefer it to either the Passat or the A4 and A6. |
Likewise. I dig the odd shape of it in profile and positively crave one with the V6 as you get 4 pipes.
On. A. Skoda. 
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Frank Bullitt
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr wrote: | | It looks nicely wide and low from the front, but from any other angle, it doesn't do it for me at all, I'm afraid. |
Agreed - the rear 3/4 looks positively fannyish
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Frank Bullitt
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr wrote: | | The trouble is, 99.999999999999% of Sportbacks will be S-Lines, hence all over the place on any moderately rough road. |
Shamelessly nicked:
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PG
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| Martin wrote: | | It looks nice in profile with the bigger wheels, but the grille just looks wrong and the rear is plain ugly. I don't think I could choose one over a Passat, despite the extra space and decent level of equipment for the price. |
And funnily enough the taxi on the way back to the airport on Friday night was a Passat (some sort of base trim by the look of it). Compared to the Superb on Polish roads, it felt like they had welded up the suspension. The rear seat was flat and unsupportive and the road noise was far worse. As a driver's car it might be better, but for passengers it would be the Superb every time.
White is probably not the best colour for the Superb, a dark colour would have to be the way to go.
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Roadrunner
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Superb?
Marvellous.
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Martin
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If I ever decide to be a Taxi driver, I'll get a Superb!!
Your base Passat obviously didn't have the Ferrari rear seats....they aren't flat!!!
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PG
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| Martin wrote: | | Your base Passat obviously didn't have the Ferrari rear seats....they aren't flat!!! |
No it wasn't a Sport. But if it was and that has harder suspension, I think I'd have needed a new back by the time I got to the airport. But then maybe the Ferrari seats are just so damn comfy that they over-rule the firmer suspension 
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Martin
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| PG wrote: | | Martin wrote: | | Your base Passat obviously didn't have the Ferrari rear seats....they aren't flat!!! |
No it wasn't a Sport. But if it was and that has harder suspension, I think I'd have needed a new back by the time I got to the airport. But then maybe the Ferrari seats are just so damn comfy that they over-rule the firmer suspension |
Not even I would say that, it is/was quite firm but that's what I like!! I never had any complaints from passengers, even my mum who usually moans like mad and refuses to go in her brothers C220 Sport because it's so bad (not in my view). That's the main reason my dad decided to sell the Boxster, she refused to ride in it when they had a comfortable E Class as well!
It was firmer than the Jetta, but more comfortable if that makes sense. Which is probably won't!! There is a big difference between firm, well damped and firm/poorly damped suspension which I won't be able to describe properly....
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Roadrunner
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| Martin wrote: |
It was firmer than the Jetta, but more comfortable if that makes sense. Which is probably won't!! There is a big difference between firm, well damped and firm/poorly damped suspension which I won't be able to describe properly.... |
I know exactly what you mean. The MG is firmly (no pun intened) in the first category. My temporary Golf GT is in the second category. The Mondeo manages to be soft and well damped, Jaguar style.
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Martin
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Yes, the Jetta is very firmly in the second category. I drove on some really good A and B roads yesterday and it fell to pieces when I got about 5-6/10ths. The damping was all over the place and the steering gave me zero confidence.
I can't wait for the BMW to arrive!!
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