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| Road Test Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 140 Elegance |
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Not Quite Right
The only hint of a dead sheep in the reservoir of life was that what I would be getting was the Wrong Superb. The test car, a 2.0 TDI Elegance with the 138bhp version of Volkswagen Group's fine turbo diesel engine, is so good that this may seem a churlish view, but I had already been spoiled by driving a Superb with the more modern 168bhp development of the same unit. It isn't just a question of power. For some reason - perhaps to do with suspension settings, perhaps because it is slightly heavier - the 168bhp car rides like a limousine and handles like a sports car (well, sort of), while the 138bhp model, on exactly the same low-profile tyres, jiggles over bumps and handles in a way that means you're always aware of its very considerable size.
The size, though, is one of the Superb's strong points, since it gives rise to a colossal cabin which can take four very large adults without the slightest problem. All the seats are comfortable and supportive, and in Elegance models they're upholstered in leather too. The only car I've driven recently which I'd prefer to sit in the back of is the Lexus LS 600h L, and that costs more than four times as much. What manufacturer provides an interior like this in return for less than 22,000 of your Earth pounds? Elegance specification also includes Skoda's innovative nine-mode headlight system which adjusts the beam according to the driving conditions at night. I'd love to be able to describe the wonders of this in detail, but I have to admit that I never noticed it in operation. My slight embarrassment about this is balanced by the conclusion that the system is so good the driver doesn't realise it's working - I can certainly say that the lighting seemed appropriate for all night-time conditions, so the system is obviously effective.
(One small point, though: after I'd parked the car at a supermarket for some late shopping, a policeman grumbled to me that only one of the Superb's foglights was working, and would I please switch the other one off because it wasn't foggy. It turned out that what he was referring to was a cornering light, but he'd gone before I realised this. You might like to have this information ready if you find yourself in the same situation.) As well as the lighting system, the leather and the low-profile tyres, Elegance cars also have a four-spoke leather steering wheel with controls for the radio and - if you've used the Bluetooth preparation - your mobile phone, plus touchscreen satellite navigation, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, folding door mirrors, headlight washers, rain-sensing wipers, a rear sunblind and a tyre pressure monitor.
All Superbs, regardless of trim level, come with the exceptionally clever TwinDoor system which means that the car can be considered as a saloon or a hatcback depending on which button you press. It's quite ingenious, but there are two annoying things about it, the first being that if you want to open the entire tailgate you have to hold one button for a few seconds, wait for the high-level brake light to flash and lots of mechanical whirring to stop, and then move across to another button before gaining access to the luggage compartment. I can see why there's a delay but I'm not convinced that this was the most user-friendly way to deal with it. The other annoyance is that, although Skoda regards the Superb as being at the same time a saloon and a hatchback, it has clearly come down on the saloon side by not providing a rear wiper. It's almost unheard-of for saloons to have these, but I've never understood why, and it would have been wonderful if Skoda had bucked the trend (see our previous feature, Rear With A View, which has clearly had no influence at all in the three years since it was written).
Don't get me wrong, though; the Superb is a very impressive car, costing remarkably little, and I would rather like one for myself. But I'd still pay the extra £900 for the vastly better driving experience provided by the 168bhp version. Price: £21,510 |
