Skoda recently launched the new Superb in India. We find out if it lives up to its legacy.
What’s it like on the inside?
Comfy. Yes, the Superb’s calling card has always been seat comfort, specifically at the rear where the seats are large and offer good support. The new Superb’s seats are similar to those of the Octavia, but here, they get an extension for greater thigh support, so you are more comfortable, and the cabin is wider as well, which makes the rear feel more roomy and less constrained. And Skoda’s footrests that are attached to the floor with Velcro, work pretty well too. Sitting in the middle at the rear isn’t extremely comfy though. It’s much narrower, the seat is significantly harder, and as always, you are seated a bit higher up, putting you closer to the roof. And then there’s the large central tunnel to contend with. The rear AC vent blower has its own temperature control, but there’s no blower control and no ‘B’ pillar vents as on the earlier car, so the big cabin does tend to get a bit stuffy unless you adjust the blowers up front correctly. It, however, does get three-zone climate control and the system also has a humidity sensor that prevents the interiors from fogging up.
As the Superb is based on VW's MQB platform, Skoda has used many common parts on the inside, and this does tend to make it feel not so special in a few areas. The design looks a bit too similar to that of the Octavia, the center console, steering wheel and instrument panel are similar and though these bits are attractive in their own right, they don’t always feel special enough to be on this car.
Being a Skoda, there are a few clever touches in the cabin, like the bottle holder that can grip the bottle, allowing you to open the cap. Another feature is the boot release – if the key is on you, all you need to do is place your foot below the bumper (where the sensors are) and the boot swings open. There’s also a system that prevents the tall hatch from fouling garage ceilings (it limits the opening height). The boot itself is a huge 625 litres that can be extended to 1,760 litres with the rear seat-back folded down. And there are other useful features such as a side luggage box, loads of hooks and the option of cargo nets.
And of course, it’s a Superb, so like the old car, this one gets an umbrella too; but this time, there's two, one in each door.