Offer the average American — OK, below average but with a winning smile — the chance to drive a Skoda Superb and they will stare at you blankly, as I did upon accepting this car for review. "Hey Liam, would you review this Skoda for us?" they said. "Gesundheit," I replied.
Seriously, even if you ignore the fact that Skoda, Seat, Scania, and whatever other fourth cousins Volkswagen might have lurking out there in some corner of Europe, aren't actually sold in the US market, there are simply too many Golf, Passat, and Jetta re-badges out there for anyone to keep track of. If that sounds like automotive cultural insensitivity, please know that I've only owned Japanese and European cars, not a Ford or a Chevy in the bunch.
None of this is to say I wasn't intrigued as there's a certain 2001 fully loaded Passat Estate in my family that is the stuff of legends. As it turned out the Superb is based on Volkswagen Group's B Platform, which means it is actually an extended Passat with Eastern European styling (it comes with giant ashtrays).
Ultimately, none of this is very important considering how the car drives and it drives, in a word, fine. It has enough power to overtake when needed, although the throttle seemed a bit conservative for my taste. Basically, I don't want to have to floor it to know that I'm behind the wheel of a V6, but I wasn't getting much ‘oomph' out of the Superb until I donned a pair of Czech folk dancing clogs with lead soles; at that point the car really came alive although I did develop a nasty tendency to mat the brake pedal as well.
The Superb's handling doesn't quite live up to its name, but it offers a pleasing enough experience in the corners relative to its price point. It feels solid and indestructible, but that tank-like quality extends ever so slightly to the way it feels on the road as well.
The interior of the car is definitely a high point, and it offers a cushy but well-appointed cabin that would take good care of you on longer journeys.
The driving position is comfortableand offers a refined level of adjustment,as do the seats. You will probably either love or despise the fake burl wood panels, but aside from that, everything thatadorns the interior is good quality andthe sat-nav and stereo package offeredis the same as the increasingly upmarketVolkswagen Touareg.
The car has an enormous boot for its class. This is great if, like me, you are a new parent and haul around an unbelievable payload of gear for an 11 pound (sorry, I mean 5kg) human being. Thanks to Skoda's patented Twin Door system, the boot can be opened in two stages — the rear windscreen opens with the bootlid in the second stage — opening up a larger access to 565 litres of cargo space, which can be increased to 1,670 litres just by folding the rear seats down. Rear passengers enjoy Mercedes-Benz S-Class levels of legroom, which could be nice if the driving experience occasionally lulls you into a stupor.
OK, on rereading this review it sounds slightly snotty, and while I do suffer from allergies, I really don't want to give the Superb a sub-par rating. It is a perfectly good car with loads of nice features. The thing is, the ‘check engine' light came on and Skoda came and scooped the thing up a tad prematurely, leaving me to wish that I had more time in the car.
But here's the good news, if you'd like to give it a try the good folks at Skoda have a brand new showroom here in Dubai and they would like nothing more than to give you, dear reader, a chance to test-drive the car. Tell them Liam says "hello".
specs & ratings
Model Superb Elegance 3.6
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Transmission Six-speed auto, AWD
Max power 256bhp @ 6,000rpm
Max torque 350Nm @ 2,500rpm
Top speed 249kph
0-100kph 6.5sec
Price Dh136,500
Plus Space, smooth ride, build quality
Minus Styling, badge appeal
