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      Skoda Superb: Spoilt in Luxury

      Aditya Chatterjee

      Aditya Chatterjee

      Opening

      Skoda Superb: Spoilt in Luxury

      With fuel prices reaching an all time high, fuel efficient budgets cars are in great demand. These cars are purely functional. They are meant to travel from point A to B. Customers who chose these cars might compromise on comfort and luxury but are very precise about its fuel efficiency. These vehicles are built to be the best value for money deals but if you dare to look beyond this, there are premium luxury cars. They offer much more than any other mundane ride.

      The Skoda Superb needs no introduction with respect to D+ sedans as it has always been the leader of the segment. Be it its ultimate luxury, elegant looks or its powerful heart, the Superb has always been chosen by the connoisseurs of luxury. This luxury limousine by Skoda has always been a delight for the niche class.

      In this New Year, Skoda will launch its refurbished Superb which claims to take the legacy ahead. The detailing done on the new Superb endorses the belief that the new car like its predecessor will be par excellence and continue to impress all with its design, feel and performance. We drove it from Mumbai to Lonavala to pamper ourselves and find if the new Superb has it all in our first impression report.

      Appearance Exterior

      Skoda Superb has always been the classiest looking car in the D+ segment. Not that the Czech are known for their design contributions to the world but then the Superb indeed looks “Superb” when seen from any angle possible.

      Its luxury limousine looks can make anyone be in awe. Designers at Skoda were kind enough not to play with the lines too much but then just make the design crisper than before. The new design does not look too different from the earlier model but that is good as the Superb has always been the best looker of the lot.

      The New Superb is based on the new design language which has made the design cleaner, more precise and crystalline. The voluptuous design has been succeeded by straight lines which makes this one as sophisticated as earlier. The main change is the new radiator grille which has been worked on meticulously. The detailing on this grille is amazing with piano finished vertical slats. These slats also have chrome garnish on them. The surround of the radiator grille also gets generous chrome treatment.

      The bonnet now features a more defined profile. It has the characteristic rib line flowing on it. The Superb also features the new bolder Skoda logo situated on the temple over the radiator grille. It makes a “V” design on the grille. The headlights too have been revised and now offer better illumination. There are daytime running LEDs (DRLs) which make the design look modern. The front stance now looks wider as the front bumper too has got some new changes.

      The overall dimensions are similar to the existing model except for minor changes which are due to the new design changes. The New Superb has a wheelbase of 2761mm. Superb has always been a car which has looked more like a limousine than a normal sedan because of its long flowing roof line. It gets a chrome window line and external mirrors with turn indicators.

      Rear tail gate has also been redesigned. The number plate which was on the rear bumper earlier has been shifted to the boot lid. The boot lid has been divided into two parts with a partition. The tail lamp now makes use of LEDs and lights up the lamps in the conventional C shape. The rear design looks impressive and reminds of Maserati from some angles.

      The New Skoda Superb continues to look as stunning as it has always been. The change in design has elevated its minute details. It continues to look as sophisticated and modern as earlier.

       

      Appearance Interior

      If your life is juggling between different meetings and conferences, then the five star cabin of the new Superb shall keep you in extreme comfort. The new Superb pushes the level very high when it comes to premium luxurious interiors.

      Gets yourself the best seats in the cabin, the rear seats and you will feel delighted. The rear seats feel more like a king’s throne. If only there was an artificial partition screen, then the Superb would have felt a true limousine. The leather seats, fine stitch quality, great trims and spacious feeling make it a very pampering experience.

      Front row passengers get electrically adjusted seats with lumbar support adjustment. These seats can be adjusted in 12 different positions. Even after adjusting the front seats according to individual comfort, there is ample space for the rear passenger which is amazing. The steering wheel is rake and reaches adjustable. The front visibility from the driver’s seat is very good.

      Rear passengers can spread their legs generously with the amazing legroom. The seats are very comfortable with great back support and under thigh support. In fact the comfort of these seats can give 3 Series, C-Class and A4 a run for their money. An addition of electrical adjustment of the front passenger seat to increase the legroom further could have been of great help which is seen on the Toyota Camry. One more drawback is the rear seat armrest which has no functions. If only the armrest featured controls for the music system then it would have been very engaging for the rear passengers. In the Toyota Camry, not only does it feature controls for the music system, but also has different rear seat position adjustments.

      The front passenger area is equally joyous to be in. For starters, it has a 3 spoke steering wheel which is a new addition. The steering wheel has multiple controls embedded on it. The front console also gets a faux wooden vinyl which makes it look premium. The central console is simple yet stylish. It gets a with 6.5” LCD TFT colour touchscreen which has doubles as rear parking sensor screen. It was surprising to see Skoda ditch reversing camera for rear parking sensor. It also features auto climate controls with adjustable rear AC vents located on B-Pillars. The Superb also gets a 12 speaker music system and the Bolero music system which comes in stock condition is simply brilliant.

      There are twin cup holders in the central area. Also, under the front armrest there is ample space for storing miscellaneous articles. The glove box which opens with a slight click has decent space. The door pockets too are useful as they can store a litre class container with great ease. The rear armrest also has foldable cup holders. The rear boot space is enormous. It can take a gold kit and two guitars very easily. The boot lid opens in two ways. It has 565L of space and 1700L with rear seats folded.

       

      Performance Drive

      We began our drive from Mumbai and so it was obvious that we could not have dodged the famous Mumbai traffic but then as we approached Mumbaui Pune Expressway the road kept getting better.

      The Superb is mainly a chauffeur driven limousine and so I decided to be the back bencher as this is supposedly the best zone to be. The rear seats are amazingly comfortable and offer grand space. It feels very roomy. In addition to the great headroom, it has a fantastic legroom too and even taller passengers cannot complaint as the seats can accommodate everyone with great ease. Rear seats also get a foldable armrest and a quick rear boot access chamber similar to that on the Octavia.

      After being driven for long, I decided to switch places with the driver not hoping that the comfort of the rear section will be continued on the front section as well. The front zone too felt amazingly comfortable. After making myself understand the detailed features of this new offering, finally pushed the start button and got the diesel motor running.

      The diesel engine is a four cylinder 1968cc 16V turbocharged DOHC engine. This engine produces 140 PS of power at 4200 rpm which is less than its petrol variant. However, this diesel motor produces 320Nm of torque between 1750 to 2500 rpm. It comes in a 6 Speed DSG gearbox which also has an optional manual gear changing.

      It is one of the quietest diesel engines I have driven. It only gets audible when it peaks at a particular gear. The automatic gearbox is comparatively a smooth unit but then there is a mild lag felt while rapidly changing gears. The engine redlines at close to 5000 rpm. On first gear, the tacho needle goes all the way to the 5000 rpm mark before dropping to 3000 rpm for second gear. In initial speeds, it might offer some resistance but once the 2200rpm mark is crossed the needle rapidly races to redline limits. The engine remains at its torquey best in the range of 3000 rpm to 5000 rpm where you can attempt some high performance driving especially on twisted sections of Ghats.

      The suspension setup is soft and took the undulations with great ease. At 1644 Kgs of Kerb weight, the new Superb is not a light car but then with perfectly tuned suspensions, it does not feel heavy at all. The road to our final destination had a good number of rough sections but the Superb took them all decently. It was only in some rare sections where the ground clearance felt less but then overall the experience was impressive.

      Long open stretches on the highway is the place where the Superb resides in great comfort. The drive quality is excellent. The steering wheel too is very quick in precise in maneuvering the vehicle. Even on tight corners, it manages to handle well.

      Not that a Superb customer would like to throw his limousine in corners at great speeds but then even if he tries doing that he won’t be disappointed. It also gets an ASR button which can be switched offoptionally; I preferred to keep it ON throughout. The all wheel disc brakes work efficiently in trying to reduce speeds. They are very effective even at high speeds. We managed to get an overall mileage of 10 kmpl. Skoda claims that this motor can give as much as 17 Kmpl.

      The New Superb continues to have host of safety features it had. It gets Bi-Xenon lamps with dynamic levelling on the Elegance variant. It also offers Hill Hold Control, Anti-lock Braking System, Anti Slip Regulation, Electronic Differential Lock and Traction Control System along with many other safety features.

       

      Tech Specs

      Technical Specifications
       Make Skoda
       Model Superb
      Variant TDI CR (A)
      Engine  4 Cylinder turbocharged diesel engine16V DOHC
      Engine Displacement/No. of Cylinders 1968/4
      Power in PS/RPM 140 / 4200
      Torque in NM / RPM 320 /1750–2500
      Transmission 6-speed, DSG
      Dimensions in mm
      Length 4833
      Width 1817
      Height 1482
      Wheel base 2761
      Ground clearance 159
      Minimum Radius 5.4m
      Gross weight (Kgs) 2124 Kgs
      Tyres 205/55 R16
      Fuel Tank capacity in Liters 60
      Mileage in KMPL 17 Kmpl

      Features

      Features Ambition Elegance
      Wheels
      Alloy wheels 16inch, Helix Yes Yes
      Exterior Chrome Package
      Chrome surround for radiator grille Yes Yes
      Chrome smile around lower air dam in front bumper Yes Yes
      Chrome protective side door strips Yes Yes
      Chrome side window frames Yes Yes
      Chrome trim on the boot lid Yes Yes
      Chrome cover for headlight washers No Yes
      Sportive Flair
      Rear decklid spoiler Yes Yes
      Polished twin exhaust tailpipes Yes Yes
      Interior Chrome Package
      Chrome front and rear door sill trims with 'Superb' inscription Yes Yes
      Chrome frame on air conditioning vents, radio, air conditioning controls, gear-shift console, headlight switch, reading lamps, and information display screen on rear centre console Yes Yes
      Chrome interior door handles Yes Yes
      Chrome ring on instrument cluster dials Yes Yes
      Chrome trim on steering wheel and chrome upper bridge on the instrument cluster Yes Yes
      Wood Design Décor Yes Yes
      Interior wood design décor on front upper dashboard and door panels Yes Yes
      Leather
      Ivory leather upholstery, Nappa Yes Yes
      Colour Coding
      Bumpers, external mirrors, door handles, roof trim strips painted in the colour of the vehicle Yes Yes
      More
      Turn indicator in external mirrors Yes Yes
      SAFETY
      Illumination - -
      Bi-Xenon headlights with dynamic levelling No Yes
      Halogen projector headlights with manual levelling Yes No
      AFS  (Adaptive Frontlight System) No Yes
      Light Assistant - automatic headlight system with light sensor Yes Yes
      Retractable headlight washers No Yes
      Front fog lights Yes Yes
      Corner function with front fog lights Yes Yes
      LED Daytime Running Lights No Yes
      LED taillights Yes Yes
      Warning indicators on all doors Yes Yes
      Rear fog light Yes Yes
      Visibility
      Automatically dimming interior and external rear view mirror Yes Yes
      External mirror defogger with timer Yes Yes
      Rear windscreen defogger with timer Yes Yes
      Braking
      HHC (Hill Hold Control) No Yes
      ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) Yes Yes
      EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) Yes Yes
      MBA (Mechanical Brake Assistant) Yes -
      HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assistant) No Yes
      Traction
      ASR (Anti Slip Regulation) Yes Yes
      EDL (Electronic Differential Lock) No Yes
      TCS (Traction Control System) Yes Yes
      Stability
      ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) No Yes
      Park Distance Control
      Parktronic sensors at rear Yes Yes

      Competition All Specs

      Specifications
      Skoda
      Superb
      Volkswagen
      Passat
      Hyundai
      Sonata
      Variant TDI CR (A) Highline DSG AT
      Engine  4 Cylinder turbocharged diesel engine16V DOHC 4 Cylinder Common Rail Diesel Engine 2.4 GDi AT
      Engine Displacement/No. of Cylinders 1968/4 1968/4 2359/4
      Power in PS/RPM 140 / 4200 168 / 4200 198 / 6300 RPM
      Torque in NM / RPM 320 /1750–2500 350 / 1750 250 / 4250
      Transmission 6-speed, DSG 6-Speed AT -
      Dimensions in mm
      Length 4833 4769 4820
      Width 1817 1820 1835
      Height 1482 1470 1490
      Wheel base 2761 2711 2795
      Ground clearance 159 150 155 
      Minimum Radius 5.4m 5.35m NA
      Tyres 205/55 R16 215 / 55 R16 215 / 55 R17
      Fuel Tank capacity in Liters 60 70 70
      Mileage in KMPL 17 Kmpl 18.5 Kmpl 11 Kmpl

      Conclusion

      The New Superb is a different car from the earlier model. It may not have many visually distinct features but then it has been reformed to take the legacy ahead. The Superb was always a stunner and with the new design, Skoda has not gone overboard with it shouting about the changes.

      It has always enjoyed the reputation of being the most comfortable car in its segment. In the new model too, the praises for its premium interiors and plush feel won’t stop. There might be some who would want the new car to offer more features. The new Skoda Superb will be showcased at the 12th Auto Expo 2014 in Delhi. Skoda plans to launch it in mid-February 2014.

      Skoda cars are very well engineered and have earned many accolades for the same but the prime concern for many customers planning for a Skoda is it’s after sales experience which is a stumbling block. The company has taken all possible corrective measures to make sure that the after sales experience becomes an asset. There were some unfortunate experiences but then it is unfair to generalize them and have a strong opinion against a particular manufacturer. Skoda believes that the benefits of their improvements has already started showing.

      So if you wish to get Spoilt in Luxury and wish to travel in a private jet on road, make sure you have a Superb parked outside your office. 

      Skoda | Superb | Skoda Superb