First Drive Review: Skoda Superb Estate 2016

Skoda professes to be selling cars on the strength of their practicality and value, so estates should be an easy sell; none more so than the flagship Superb Estate.

When this ambitiously named, Passat-based Skoda first came to market in 2001, many scoffed at the name and carried on. Then they tried it. It may have fallen short on ‘superb’, but it wasn’t half good, offering space, practicality, quality and even a hint of luxury at the right price.

Fast-forward 14 years and the third-generation Superb is here, building on the strengths of its predecessors with smarter styling, more cabin space and stronger fuel economy, despite lowering the asking price by £50.

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Cavernous

If the old Superb Estate was ‘roomy’, we’re struggling for words to describe the new car. ‘Enormous’ or ‘cavernous’ are candidates but we’d still be selling it short.

Measured up to the window line, the Superb has 660 litres of cargo space – enough to lead the segment. Of all the rivals, the VW Passat comes closest to the Skoda, with 650 litres, but Ford’s Mondeo is far behind, offering a comparatively measly 525 litres.

That’s good, but if you fold the back seats down you’ll be looking into a much more impressive 1950-litre space. That makes the Superb’s boot bigger than that of a Ford Transit Courier van.

When a boot’s that big, there’s little point comparing it with rivals, but rest assured that you’ll have 200 litres more room than in the Passat and nearly 350 litres more than the Mondeo.

Don’t go thinking Skoda has pinched all the space in the cabin and given it over to the boot either. The new Superb has just as much rear legroom as before, serving up a class-leading 157mm, or 'more than enough' , as it's otherwise known.

It isn’t just space that makes this car practical though. With 27 ‘Simply Clever’ features available and ranging from a torch in the boot to a 'hands-free' tailgate operated by swinging a leg under the rear bumper, the Superb has been well thought through.

Well equipped

You can park all that practicality on your drive for a mere £19,840, or about £200 a month on a personal leasing deal (around £160 for business users), but despite this, the Superb isn’t badly equipped.

Basic S models come with 16-inch alloys, Bluetooth connectivity, a digital radio, steering wheel audio controls and a 5-inch touchscreen infotainment system, while those looking for more luxury need only spend another £5,500 (perhaps an extra £50 every month) to get the leather seats, 18-inch alloys, parking sensors and two-zone climate control offered by the SE-L Executive trim.

Fleet drivers are expected to make up a large proportion of Superb customers though, and they will probably be looking at the SE Business model, which costs £226 a month on average (from £22,790 OTR).

Providing 17-inch alloys, satellite navigation, a 6.5-inch touchscreen, Alcantara seat upholstery, front and rear parking sensors and two-zone climate control, it's kitted out with everything you're ever likely to need. It even has a mobile signal-boosting chubby which, for the 2017 model year, will include wireless charging.

You'll be buying a lot of quality for that money too. Unlike the Octavia and the Fabia, you won't find much in the way of dodgy plastic in the Superb. The materials used are right up there with the VW Passat, as is the way it all fits together, and while it may not be an especially exciting place to sit, it is at least ergonomic;  everything is exactly where it should be.

Balancing act

Happily, the low price is matched by the running costs. SE Business models (the ones to go for personal and business customers alike) come with a range of frugal diesels.

We drove the 1.6-litre 120 diesel with the six-speed manual gearbox (the engine many fleets are likely to be tempted by) and its 118bhp diesel is capable of returning 67.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 109g/km. That's low enough to put it in the 19% BIK company car tax band, while VED for private buyers is just £10 a year.

Add in the predicted £230 monthly personal lease rate and it'll look tempting, but be aware that going for this basic diesel engine might well prove to be a false economy.

The more powerful 2.0-litre 150 diesel is not only quicker and punchier (0-62mph takes 8.9 seconds as opposed to 11.0) but it's also more efficient. According to the official figures, 68.9mpg is achievable and the CO2 emissions are identical.

In the absence of a Greenline model, however, those looking for the ultimate in economy will have to opt for the combination of the 1.6-litre diesel and seven-speed automatic gearbox. Low CO2 emissions of 105g/km keep tax bills low and 70.6mpg economy should do the same for fuel costs.

Despite these impressive figures, however, we'd still recommend the 2.0-litre: it's the best balance of driveability, price and economy.

Smaller petrol engines and more powerful diesels are offered with other trim levels, such as the 187bhp 2.0-litre diesel which powers all-wheel-drive variants and the basic 1.4-litre petrol with 123bhp, but it's these mid-range oil-burners that Skoda expect to take the lion's share of the sales.

Great cruiser

Speaking of driveability, the Superb manages not to feel like a car that's the best part of five metres long.

All the controls, from the steering to the pedals, are feather-light, which gives you a sense that you're driving something more Golf-sized than E-Class-sized (the big Merc is just a few cm longer than this Skoda). But maybe that shouldn't come as a shock, because under the skin, the Superb is based on a stretched version of the Golf's chassis.

It's nowhere near as sharp as the Golf though, with heaps of body roll and numb steering making sure you know that this is much more of a long-range cruiser than a B-road barnstormer.

But what a cruiser it is. The soft, cushy suspension keeps you insulated from all but the most severe lumps and bumps and though the diesel engines are a little raucous, most of that sound has been deadened long before it reaches the passengers.

Verdict

The third-generation Superb still doesn’t quite live up to its name – numb steering and iffy body control have seen to that – but by providing the fleet manager’s dream combination of practicality, efficiency, equipment and value, Skoda's engineers have ensured that this is the closest we’ve come to a truly superb Superb.