The Superb, powered by a 2.8-liter V6 motor. The Superb is built on a stretched VW Passat platform, with an additional 95mm between the wheels; the Superb is a massive car by any yardstick. Almost as long as Mercedes’ new E-class, the Superb’s impressive length and gently curving profile lend it an air of understated class. The metal flows organically over the entire length of the car, the Superb looks sleek enough to slip through the air without creating much turbulence.  The long Bi-Xenon headlamp cluster with the integrated lamp washers, behind the chrome wedge, looks very impressive too, but it’s bland apart from that when viewed from the front.

 

A front-wheel-drive car powered by a longitudinally mounted V6 engine, the Superb utilises a four- arm multi-link front suspension, anti-roll bars and traction control to help the front wheels deal with the 190bhp belted out by the motor. The rear suspension is also from the Passat and, surprising for a car of this size and cost, is of the torsion beam type, but you do get Anti lock brakes, Electronic Stability Control and Electronic Brake Force distribution.

 

The Superb’s interiors are its trump card. Beautifully built and crafted to VW-Audi standards, this vast comfortable cabin is nothing short of first class travel. The Superb’s whale-like innards look and feel as if it is wide as the QE 2, the massive seats and 70mm fascia make you very conscious of the overall size and you really have all the space you want or need. The Superb’s driver is very comfortably seated. The large seats adjust with servo motors, settings for individual drivers can be memorised, and the mirrors are electronically foldable too. The steering that is adjustable for both reach and height can only be adjusted manually. The rear seats are well moulded, support in the right places and generally allow you to relax totally.

 

The Superb is also full of interesting bits of equipment. You have a unique umbrella holder in the left rear door pocket that drains water away outside the car, the cabin is bathed with soft red pilot lights that make it look like the flight deck of an aircraft, there is a sunshade that can be drawn up or down manually at the rear, the rear view mirror dims automatically, the wipers can be deployed automatically due to a rain sensor and the Superb also has a ski-sack — ideal for carrying long items in the rear of the car. It has six airbags for your protection, a uniquely lockable boot and fuel cap, sure to deliver peace of mind when the car is valet-parked, and a clever storage box in the dash.

 

The Superb tracks dead straight, with no glide or floaty movements experienced even when the incredibly powerful massive ventilated discs are used hard. Steering and handling however are not the Superb’s forte. Where general levels of turn-in provided by Pirelli’s P6000 tyres are decent and the quick steering is willing, you’re forced to adopt a more relaxed driving style as the Superb lacks the body control or the grip to make it.  The Superb returned 7 kilometers on the highway, with consumption when driving within urban confines and traffic down to 6.1 kilometers per liter.

Filed under: Skoda Cars in India