Our latest addition - the Skoda Superb Estate
We welcome the hugely practical and spacious Superb Estate to the fleet and our 2.0 TDI 4x4 version arrives just in time for the winter.
Date: 21 November 2012 | Current mileage: 9138 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 39.0mpg
It's only been a few days since we said goodbye to the Jaguar XF we were running for six months but it's already been replaced with what we regard to be one of the best cars around at the moment - the Skoda Superb Estate. It's a car we've wanted to add to Our Cars for a while now so we're very pleased to get our hands on one for six months.
We've gone for a top of the range version - a 2.0 TDI Elegance 4x4 which comes in at a fairly pricey £27,850. That said it's pretty much fully kitted out for that money and the only options we've gone for are the panoramic sunroof at £1060 plus floor mats and a temporary spare wheel which come to £160 together. Metallic paint is another £495 and we've gone for the Shark Blue finish which I think is the colour best suited to the Superb Estate.
Standard equipment includes the good-looking 18-inch Thermisto alloy wheels. The Superb Estate is a very colour and wheel choice sensitive car and some of the Greenline II versions can look a little cumbersome with their small wheels while going for white paintwork does it few favours. Thankfully the larger wheels on our car suit it really well and help draw the attention away from the fact that this is a substantially large car.
In fact it's almost five metres long (4838mm if you're measuring) which is good news for interior space - there's a massive boot with 633 litres of space - a lot more than a BMW 5 Series Touring which has 560 litres. And when it comes to rear passenger room there's very little that can match it. We're talking Mercedes S-Class levels of rear legroom even with the driver's seat pushed all the way back.
Standard kit on the Elegance also includes leather upholstery and we've gone for Onxy (that's black to you and me) rather than the Ivory which is basically cream and didn't really complement the light blue paintwork. So what else do we have? Well there's a four-spoke multifunction steering wheel, xenon headlights that swivel in corners (known in Skoda speak as Adaptive Front Lighting), headlight washers, heated front seats, rain sensitive wipers, Bluetooth and electrically adjustable front seats.
Just a few years ago a fair few of these features wouldn't have even been standard on a luxury saloon like an Audi A8 so it's mightily impressive to see them on a Skoda, even if it is a top of the range version. The only thing we don't have is DAB digital radio or an iPod connection but there is an auxiliary socket so it's possible to play an iPod through the stereo, although it won't charge it and you can't control it through the main touchscreen.
Our Superb has another extra - it's four-wheel drive. Don't mistake this for a sort of Scout version of the Superb - it looks just like the standard car apart from the 4x4 badge (complete with lots of red letters) on the tailgate. Interestingly though Skoda is launching a more rugged version - called the Superb Outdoor. Our car may not have the chunkier looks but it should be just as capable with its on demand four-wheel drive system. With winter well on its way and freezing temperatures I'm looking forward to seeing just how well it performs.
Superb in the snow
As the snow arrives the Skoda Superb 4x4 comes into its own and even without winter tyres it's proving impressively capable on the white stuff.
Date: 5 December 2012 | Current mileage: 9697 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 38.8mpg
Everyone loves a bit of snow. That is until you actually have to go somewhere. While looking out of the window at the white stuff gently settling in the garden makes me feel all Christmassy, the thought of having to drive anywhere further than the local Sainsbury's fills me with dread. That was until this year.
Because with the recent arrival of the Skoda Superb 4x4, replacing our rear-wheel drive and probably not snow-friendly Jaguar XF (did I mention that I miss it?) I've actually been willing it to snow so that I can test out the four-wheel drive system. I have driven a Superb 4x4 in anger before, but that was on a controlled low friction course in sunny Spain. Not quite the same as snowy Britain in December.
So this weeks snowfall has meant I'm in my element as I get to give the Superb 4x4 its first proper test. Now I haven't gone for winter tyres this year which I'm hoping won't come back to bite me. Last year I fitted them to the Audi A6 we had and although I didn't have any proper snow to cover, they worked superbly well in the cold temperatures they're designed for.
As soon as temperatures drop below 7C you should be fitting winter tyres but the fact our Superb arrived in late November on standard tyres means I've not had a chance to arrange winter tyres. So I'm really going against my better judgement here, after all even a 4x4 will struggle if it has no traction - it just means you have four wheels spinning rather than two.
But unless I'm extremely unfortunate I'm hoping the Superb won't have to tackle any extremely icy conditions. Just the usual snow and slush we get on ungritted roads. And living in a rural area there are plenty of those. So how has it coped? Well so far (and it has only been a couple of days) the Superb hasn't missed a beat. Not that've been taking it through any snow drifts, but on snow covered and untreated lanes it's performed admirably and not once have I been concerned that it wouldn't make it through.
The Superb uses an on demand 4x4 system rather than a permanent set-up. The advantages are that in good conditions it's powered mainly by the front wheels, which is good news for fuel economy. But thanks to a clever Haldex clutch it can divert up to 90% of the torque to the rear axle while an electronic differential lock prevents individual wheels slipping on either axle, so there's always traction somewhere.
So far I've not missed having winter tyres, although that could change if the weather deteriorates or I end up in a ditch somewhere. I had originally wanted a Superb 4x4 with the DSG gearbox but that only comes with the 140PS version of the 2.0 TDI. I wanted the top 170PS version which is manual only. However, in the snow it's proved to be very useful as I can gently pull away in second and feel a bit more in immediate control of the gears and clutch than with an automatic. It's also useful for smoother engine braking.
So we've pottered around local roads and had the odd trip into town in the Superb but we've yet to get it out for some big motorway runs. That's about to change in the coming weeks with some long journeys coming up including trips to South Wales and Lincoln which are not near each other. I'm hoping the Superb 4x4 will continue to impress when it comes to fuel economy.
Racking up the motorway miles
Over Christmas our Superb has been covering some big distances with plenty of motorway miles. And it has proved the ideal car for long journeys.
Date: 28 December 2012 | Current mileage: 11,450 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 40.1mpg
The big Christmas get away always involves a fair few miles for me, from the midlands to Wales and various points inbetween. Or not in the case of Lincoln. This year was fairly modest with only 1500 miles covered. In previous years I've done more than 2000 miles around Christmas and the new year. Luckily there was no snow this year and apart from a lot of rain it was all fairly easy.
As expected, the Superb was ideal for long motorway trips. The 2.0 TDI 170PS engine is well suited to cruising along in sixth gear and over the past week or two fuel economy has improved slightly from 38.8mpg up to 40.1mpg. Not a huge increase but an increase nonetheless and impressively not far short of the claimed figure of 44.8mpg.
I'm not alone though. Judging by Real MPG fellow Skoda Superb Estate drivers are seeing strong fuel economy figures that are close to - and in many cases exceed - the official averages. For our specific model - the 2.0 TDI CR 170PS 4x4 - other drivers are seeing more than the claimed average with a real mpg of 47.3mpg. That's a figure I'll be hoping our Superb will be able to match in the coming months.
Not that the TDI engine isn't without its faults. While it's a common rail diesel and far smoother and quieter than the old TDI PD (that's Pumpe Duse if you're interested) engine that used to be fitted in the Superb, it's still fairly noisy at times. Strangely that's at idle rather than high revs. Push the TDI engine hard and it remains fairly refined, but sitting in stationary traffic it's quite boomy. And that booming noise is quite intrusive which isn't pleasant. I'm not the only one to notice it either - nearly everyone who has spent any time in the car with me has commented on it.
I've been fortunate enough to drive versions of this engine in plenty of cars, from the Audi A1 to the Volkswagen Tiguan and pretty much everything inbetween. While it's not the quietest diesel around it is one of the better ones for noise levels, so it's a surprise to find it quite so intrusive in the Superb. It takes the shine off the otherwise impressive refinement.
It also doesn't feel as sprightly as I expected given the fact it has 170PS. Not that the Superb Estate 4x4 is a car you buy for performance, but it feels a little lacklustre compared to the same engine in something like an Audi A4 or SEAT Exeo. True the Superb is a bigger car - it's 4.8 metres long and weighs more than 1.5 tonnes - but the engine doesn't quite have the same in-gear urgency as it does in other Volkswagen Group cars. And the 4x4 system shouldn't affect that either. It's an on-demand system so in normal driving the Superb Estate is essentially a front-wheel drive car.
Where the Superb does impress is in terms of handling. On country lanes it's agile, composed and has plenty of front end grip. True the steering could do with more feel but it has a good weight to it and is nicely responsive too. It handles remarkably well for a big car. In fact, it just handles remarkably well, regardless of its size.
The Superb's special touches
The Superb is a hugely practical car but there's much more to it than a big boot with plenty of genuinely useful touches designed to make life easier.
Date: 10 January 2013 | Current mileage: 12,224 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 39.6mpg
The Superb Estate is undoubtedly one of the most practical cars around. And that's in a large part down to the huge boot. With 633 litres of carrying capacity with the rear seats in place it's larger than more sizeabler cars like the BMW 5 Series Touring which has 560 litres. The cavernous boot has certainly proved useful recently. Over Christmas I had it fully loaded as I headed off to see family and friends.
The load securing kit really helped too with the adjustable strap and metal bar which can be slid up and down the rails to stop things sliding about. They do take some manhandling at times and don't slide quite as easily as you'd expect, plus it's quite difficult to get both sides to slide together. Removing the bar can be a pain too as sometimes it actually gets in the way if you've got something big and boxy.
The flat and squared off sides make it easy to load and there's only a small boot lip, although there are other estates where there's no boot lip at all which means you can slide heavy objects in and out - much easier than having to lift them out of the boot. At least the boot lip has a metal protector on it to stop the plastic getting scratched.
The Superb has recently had to deal with my mountain bike in the back which has meant dropping the rear seats and taking off the (surprisingly heavy) tonneau cover. With the rear seats dropped there's an almost flat load space and according to the official figures, 1865 litres of space.
With the front wheel off my bike (and a heavy duty cover used to protect the carpets) my bike fits in easily and I managed to fit the tonneau cover back in so that the bike is out of sight. That said I've still taken to parking the Superb back up against a wall or similar if I can find it, just for that added bit of security. Getting my bike in and out has proved fairly straightforward now I've got the hang of it although there are times when I wish the Superb had keyless entry and a tailgate that opened electrcially. Usually when I've got half way through dismantling the bike and can't find my keys...
But what I've discovered recently is that there's much more to the Superb than the big boot. There are plenty of other features that are genuinely useful and make life easier. My favourite is the clever umbrella hidden in the rear passenger side door. The only other car to have something similar is the Rolls Royce Phantom so the Superb is in good company.
I rarely remember an umbrella and if I do it then doesn't rain. So having one on board the Superb has proved useful on several occasions recently, especially on a few days out over Christmas. It's only a small umbrella and not as posh as the Rolls Royce one but it's still very handy. It comes as standard on all Superb models apart from the entry-level S and it's such a clever extra that it's surprising other manufacturers haven't copied the idea. You just have to remember to put it back of course.
There's also an LED torch built into the boot side which you can remove. It's handy if you lose something in the back late at night. Plus it's magnetic so you can place it on the car if you need to do something like sort out a puncture. My other favourite feature is the clever lighting built into the tailgate which not only lights up the boot but the whole area around - really useful when you're parked in dark car parks.
The one feature that's not on the Superb - but does feature on the Rapid and the new Octavia - is a clever ice scraper that's fitted in the fuel filler flap. The Superb is a due a facelift later this year and perhaps that's one feature that might be part of the revisions. The changes are likely to include a redesigned front end, similar to the new Octavia, with a new grille and headlights.
Superb value for money?
Skoda has a reputation for cars that represent good value for money so is our £29,000 Superb Estate 4x4 a step too far?
Date: 25 January 2013 | Current mileage: 12,977 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 40.2mpg
Skoda's image has come a long way since the 1980s and it's now seen as an established manufacturer of reliable and well built cars. And one thing we've always been guaranteed from Skoda is value for money. For those in the know, Skoda has long been seen as a better value version of a Volkswagen. You get all the engineering know how and reliability of the German brand under the body, but you're paying less for it. You can see why the brand continues to grow in the UK when others are struggling.
It has plenty of new cars on the horizon too. Last year saw the launch of the new Rapid - a small hatch that looks like a saloon. It's not likely to be as popular here in the UK as it is in mainland Europe but it's another string to Skoda's bow. The key new car for the brand is the Octavia. The all-new model, based on the same platform as the new Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3 and SEAT Leon, is a big step ahead of its predecessor in terms of refinement and quality. We've already driven and been impressed by it. You can read the road test here. This summer we'll get the Octavia Estate plus the sporty vRS version too.
As the quality of cars improve and brands attempt to move more upmarket, so list prices will increase. That's the case with the new Octavia. Or so it seems on the surface. True prices have gone up, but the level of standard equipment has too so it's actually better value than before. And it's this key selling point which has always stood Skoda in good stead.
There's no denying the calibre of the Superb either. It looks and feels like a quality car and I've has several people mistake it for something more upmarket, one friend of a friend even thinking it was a Mercedes-Benz from the back. It's certainly Mercedes-Benz S-Class like in the back. There's absolutely acres of rear legroom. I've never come across anything as roomy as this. Even with the driver's seat all the way back, there's still limousine levels of legroom. The photo below doesn't quite do it justice. I recently had two six-foot plus friends in the back for a long journey up north and they were mightily impressed. Less so when they realised they couldn't lean forward to mess with the stereo though...
But a few people have raised eyebrows when I tell them how much it is. With the extras, our car is almost £30,000. And for many that seems a lot for a Skoda. Maybe the brand still suffers from an image problem among some buyers. I don't class the Superb as a cheap car, but for that £30k you are getting a lot of car for your money. For starters ours is a top of the range 4x4 Elegance with the bigger 2.0 TDI engine. Go for a 1.6 TDI entry-level S model and it costs £20,000.
Our car comes pretty much fully loaded too. As it's an Elegance mode it comes with the good-looking 18-inch alloys, a four-spoke multifunction steering wheel, xenon headlights plus the adaptive front lighting system with headlight washers. Inside there's full leather, electric and heated front seats with lumbar support plus of course the touchscreen sat nav system with Bluetooth.
Also there are few cars around that offer the space, comfort and quality of the Superb. Stick an Audi badge on the bonnet and you could add £10k to the asking price. So yes, £30k does seem a lot for a Skoda. But look past the badge and you see this is one of the most complete cars on the road. The acid test for me is whether I'd buy one with my own money. The answer to that is a definite yes.
Long distance master
Some recent long distance journeys in the Superb have given us the chance to appreciate what an impressively comfortable car the big Skoda is.
Date: 15 February 2013 | Current mileage: 13,922 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 39.7mpg
Like many people my job involves driving. And lots of it. Of course I'm lucky that I get to drive a variety of different cars with everything from the likes of the Renault Twizy up to posh stuff like the Bentley Continental GT Speed. But it's always nice to get back into the Superb. That familiarity is welcome when you now you've got a long journey ahead. It also means the seat is always in the right place and I don't have to reprogramme all the radio stations.
Recently I've been doing more driving than usual and it's involved some long journeys. There have been trips to the North East, Sheffield, Liverpool, Wales and err, Watford. As I expected the Superb is ideal for this kind of cruising and you can happily sit at a very relaxed 70mph on the motorway with little in the way of noise intrusion. The 2.0 TDI engine is hardly working either and in sixth it's barely noticeable.
Not that it has just been motorways. There have been a fair few single carriageway A-roads too and this is where the 350Nm of torque and that positive gearbox with its well spaced ratios comes into their own. Approaching slower moving traffic, the Superb has enough power in reserve to give you plenty of confidence when it comes to neat and smooth overtaking.
But what's really impressed me is the seats. Being 6 ft 2 tall I really notice poor seats and cramped driving positions. And there's nothing worse than realising your back is starting to ache half way into a five hour journey. And there's no way to remedy it. I'm someone who hates to stop when driving unless I really have to so I always prepare well with a tank full of fuel before I set off. However, long periods sat behind the wheel of a car don't do much good for your back.
Personally I've always found BMW seats to be the best in terms of support. Volvo has a good reputation for comfortable seats but I find them to be a bit too soft. I've had mixed experiences with Volkswagen's with some seats very good and otherwise far too flat. That's why I usually prefer sports seats. Not so much that they are 'sporty' but because they usually have plenty of support. I like to feel secure and sat 'in' a seat, rather than on it.
The seats in our Superb are certainly up there with some of the best in my experience. The leather trim looks and feels good but most important is the support. The base of the seat is long which means good under thigh support, useful as I find that helps my back when driving as I like to angle the seat up at the front if possible. The side support is good too, albeit a little soft, but the best aspect is the lumbar support. For me it's essential for a good seat and in the Superb it's really robust which I personally like. It also adjusts up and down so you can move it to where best suits your back.
The telling point for me has been that I've not actually noticed the seats. That's how good they are. There have been no aches or twinges, just comfortable journeys where I can get out of the car after five hours and feel as good (albeit more tired) than when I left.
We say farwell to our superb Superb
After 6000 faultless miles we say a reluctant goodbye to our brilliant Skoda Superb 4x4. It's a great all rounder that we'll miss.
Date: 19 March 2013 | Current mileage: 15,122 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 39.5mpg
So it's time for our Superb to depart. The big Skoda has covered 6000 miles in its time with us, dealing with plenty of snow, several bikes rattling round in the boot and some big drives to the back of beyond. And occasionally Waitrose. We're not posh, it's just the only supermarket nearby. In fact it was in the car park of the local Waitrose that I was approached by a man asking about the Superb.
He was really interested in one and wanted to know whether it was any good - but mainly if it was well built. I assured him it was a great car but the biggest recommendation I could give was that nothing had gone wrong with it. Since it arrived in November I've not had one squeak, rattle or funny noise. Nothing to report at all in fact. It's been absolutely faultless. I then saw him walk back to his current car - a previous generation Mercedes E-Class estate - and drive off.
If ever there was a barometer for how far the Skoda brand has come this was it. True the old E-Class wasn't exactly a highlight in the history of Mercedes-Benz quality levels, but the fact this chap was buying his next car and looking at moving from a Mercedes-Benz to a Skoda says a lot about how people now perceive the brand.
And the Superb has been a big part of this change. The 'flagship' of the Skoda brand really epitomises all that's good about the Czech manufacturer. It's well built, practical and good value yet is also a car that's becoming well respected. It's not just a car for the 'smart buyer' as they used to be called by car price guides, but a car that people are taking seriously.
Whether that's serious enough to justify the £29k price tag of our (admittedly highly equipped) Superb is another matter but then most people buying one won't be going for the top of the range 4x4 as we have. While the excellent on-demand four-wheel drive system was great in the snow, we didn't fit winter tyres and these make more of a difference than having a 4x4 system. A standard front-wheel drive Superb fitted with winter tyres would probably cope just as well.
Similarly while the 2.0 TDI 170PS engine is strong, albeit a little noisy in our car, the 2.0 TDI 140PS engine is more than adequate in the Superb. In everyday driving you won't notice much difference. It's only really when accelerating hard that you notice the extra 30Nm of torque. The lower powered engine is also more economical and cheaper to tax too.
That's not to say the extra power of the 2.0 TDI 170PS isn't very useful, especially when it comes to swift overtaking. It just depends on the kind of driving you'll be doing. Our Superb has performed pretty well in terms of economy too, averaging just under 40mpg during its time with us. That's not far short of the claimed 44.8mpg for our model and impressive given that the majority of the time it has the extra weight of something (i.e bikes) in the back.
So we're certainly sad to see the Superb go. It's been one of the most complete cars we've run and while it may not seem the most exciting, it's a great all-rounder. I can see why it has sold in such big numbers - no other car can match its breadth of talents for the same money. And then there's that absolutely cavernous boot. It's a car I'd never hesitate to recommend to someone.
