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CAP Blog > CAP Blog > Martin's Blog
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Nov
25
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Skoda UK managed to get a hold of some left hand drive, Czech registered Superb estate models, and we had the chance to test one for a few days. The estate goes on sale in the UK on 26th February with a large choice of engines, ranging from the 1.4 litre TSI 125ps petrol up to the 3.6 litre V6 260ps petrol; both of which will be sold in very low numbers. The diesel engines though will be the ones that will take over 90% of sales. We had the 2.0 litre TDI common rail diesel that produces 170ps but this engine is also available with 140ps, which is certainly the one to choose. The Estate is around £1,100 more than the five door hatchback model, so the premium that has to be to be paid is about right. Skoda expect the estate to account for around 30% of Superb sales, with around 1,000 per year being sold. I think this figure is a little low for a very practical and versatile vehicle.
 The Superb hatchback has an enormous interior, with rear legroom matching that of a limousine, and the estate is exactly the same. You can sit in the rear in complete luxury, stretch out your legs and feel surrounded by quality and space. You feel as though you are in a premium German car, but remember, this is a Skoda. The size of the boot matches the size of the passenger compartment; it is massive and the amount of luggage you can get into it seems almost endless. All of this luxury and space fits into a total length of  4,838mm compared to its main competitors that measure in at: 4,830mm for the Mondeo estate, 4,908mm for the Insignia and 4,829mm for the C5. Skoda has used clever design and engineering to create so much additional room by moving the front suspension and engine forward, leaving more cabin space. The luggage area is also the current leader as it has 633 litres of volume with the seats up compared to the Volvo V70 at 575 litres, Toyota Avensis at 543 litres, Ford Mondeo at 542 litres, Vauxhall Insignia at 540 litres, Mazda6 at 519 litres, Citroen C5 at 509 litres and Honda Accord at 406 litres. It is the same story with the rear seats folded down: the Superb has 1865 litres of space, V70 has 1600 litres, Avensis has 1609 litres, Mondeo has 1733 litres, Insignia has 1530 litres, Mazda6 has 1,751 litres and C5 has 1432 litres. All these figures add up to an estate car that is the same size as its competitors, but offers more interior space.
 There are some really nice interior touches which have been well thought out by the design team. The load securing system allows the driver to carry goods safely and the rear compartment light pulls out and doubles up as a re-chargeable torch. The optional full length panoramic glass roof makes the car feel so light and airy, especially for the rear passengers. All models have a long list of standard equipment; even the base model S has alloy wheels, air conditioned glove box, drivers’ knee airbag, ESP inc ABS+MSR+ASR+EDL+HBA, halogen headlamps, height adjustable driver and passenger seat with lumbar support, remote central locking, trip computer, ventilation in B pillar, front fog lights and front armrest. However, the car we had on test did not have any damping on the glove box lid which was a bit disappointing and let the car down a bit, but this really was the only criticism.
If someone asked me to pick a car to drive a long distance with family and a lot of luggage, there would be no hesitation in considering the Superb estate. It would do everything you would want it to do, which includes having good fuel economy and all that interior space.
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