This is the 2015 Skoda Superb. It was unveiled amid much pomp and fanfare in the beautiful city of Prague this February.
Underneath its hide, the car has some similarities to the ‘superb’ VW Passat.
Available as an estate or hatchback, with the former making up the bulk of sales in the UK, the all-new Skoda Superb has always been a major steal.
Suffice it to say, the Czech company, under the parental umbrella of VW, offers an abundant amount of automobile for your cash.
The motor has rear seat legroom many executive limousines can’t equal – and penny-pinching running costs too. Basically, it’s a real masterpiece by the Pilsen based firm.
It’s a whopping machine. Indeed, it’s larger than before, and anyone who experienced the previous incarnations of the Superb will tell you just how big they were. Stats-wise, the garden-fresh Skoda has a 625-litre boot (30 litres more than the outgoing model) in the hatchback, which expands to 1,760 litres when the rear seats are folded flush.
It features a bundle of clever safety systems too, including nine airbags, automatic crash preparation tech, an automatic braking system, and even gadgetry to warn you if a vehicle is going to plough into the back of you.
In addition, the 2015 Superb will contain a rear-view camera, three-zone air-conditioning, adaptive cruise control and even an automatic parking system. It can also be connected to a smartphone for the first time and selected apps can be operated from the infotainment system’s screen. This is one state-of-the-art Skoda.
You’ll also get the motor manufacturer’s ‘Simply Clever’ features such as an ice scraper in the fuel flap and storage netting in the boot and cabin. And talking about brand physiognomies, the umbrella in the rear door of the predecessor has been traded for a pair in this model – one in each front door.
British right hand drive Superbs will come with specifications we’re au fait with, so anticipate S, SE, SE-L and L&K trim levels. There’s going to be five engines available, the most prevalent likely to be the 148bhp (150PS) 2.0-litre diesel with a six-speed manual gearbox. The other oil-burners on offer will be a 1.6 with 118bhp (120PS) and a more muscular 2-litre with 188bhp (190PS).
Petrol power comes from a 1.4-litre that houses clever tech which can shut down two of its four cylinders, radically reducing fuel feasting and CO2 emissions – and therefore car tax.
It’ll be available with manual or automatic gearboxes, while the speediest Superb will have a 2-litre, 276bhp engine available solely as a 4×4 with an automatic DSG gearbox. Indeed, all diesels will come with the option of this ‘DSG’ ‘box – the 1.6 gets a seven-speed while the others get a six-speed version.
There will also be a couple of frugal, eco-friendly, and cheap-to-tax Greenline models joining the line-up which should offer truly pleasing running costs. CO2 emissions of 95g/km are likely, which will be a dream come true for fleet drivers keen to slash their tax bills.
Pricing and precise specifications will be made available in March at the international Geneva Motor Show, in Switzerland. The all new Skoda Superb will be launched in September.