Opening
Ever since Skoda came into the Indian market, they have offered luxurious carsat not so reasonable prices. The SkodaSuperb was the answer to Mercedes, offering the luxuries of an E-class Benz at priceslesser than then theC-class Benz.
Even though the Superb is ageing, we guess it has decent market demand for Skoda to roll out a new variant- the Superb Ambition 2.0 TDI AT. The Ambition comes with all the safety and comfort features that are available in the Skoda Superb Elegance baring an economical price tag.
Appearance Exterior
The Superb is known for its super XXL dimensions. It’s long stretched wheelbase which makes you wonder is this a limo or a sedan? The Superb indeed has got more styling cues as compared to its predecessor, from any angel color, variant the car looks dominating, aggressive and stands out from its rivals. The downside of this design is that it looks like every other Skoda on the road but then again it’s supposing too.
The exterior design remains the same across all variants and is impossible to judge from the outside about the variant of the car since none of the variants carry any badge. The long face comes with a large Skoda logo and the classic Fabia like grill along with the chrome inserts across and the lower on the air dam giving that nose a bold smart look. This fairly imposing front look makes you forget its enormous length of this car.
The Halogen Projector headlamps replace the Bi-Xenon headlights head lamp. The headlights retain the auto On/Off feature. The front fog lamps also remains along with the cornering feature (Turn Lights) on them. The exteriors rear view mirrors auto foldsand have the turn lights integrated in them. Thesemirrors also have the auto dimming feature which useful while driving at nights.
The car looks long and wide from the side.The doors come with chrome strip that givesthe car rich a look. The windows boarders also get the chrome detailing around them while the pillars are blacked out identical to that on the Skoda Superb Elegance. The rear door is huge so you know inside the car leg and head room is not an issue. From the back it looks a bit different it feels plain and a bit disconnected from the front. The tail lamps have a soft glow and run a bit on to the booth lid. Unlike other cars the way the model name is written this is something new, in most car the badge is on one side. The little bit of chrome on the booth lid is subtle and comes with an integrated little lip making a statement with being in your face.
The Twin Opening boot with soft close stays standard, you could open it like a Sedan or for large sized load it also opens like a lift back (like on the Octavia). Boot space is 565 liters which expands to over 1700 liters when the rear seats are folded down. The Sun/moon roof is now available only in the Elegance. The Superb Ambition gets only the rear park sensors while the Elegance has both front and rear parking sensors. The Ambition comes with 5 spoke Spectrum alloy wheels but have the same tire specs as on the Elegance that of 205/55 R16.
Appearance Interior
Since this car is super in size, you can expect loads of leg and head room. In the cabin you find the same dual color dashboard as on the Superb Elegance and light beige Nappa leather seats which are standard across all variants. The black-beige combo on the dash has wood trims in the middle this combination is carried on the door pads too.
The drivers and front passenger seats are fully electrically adjustable for height, lumbar support and back rest tilt. The driver seat comes with programmable pre-set seating positions for 3 memory settings. The seats are comfortable offering well under thigh support and lower back angle for those long drives. Visibility is perfect from the driver’s seat and the foot pedals are placed with comfortable distance between them. Space is abundant inside the cabin of the Superb with miles of legroom available for the rear passengers.
The front seats get a center arm rest with storage space under it and for the rear passengers there is a foldable arm rest with some amount of storage in it. The rear seats come with three adjustable headrests. The retractable sunscreen on the rear windows and the rear windshield are standard on the Superb Ambition as on the Superb Elegance. Comfort level is very high in the Superb’s cabin and there is no cost cutting evident on its in-cabin materials and build quality. The cabin is well insulated and cuts out the engine and road noise
The Dashboard is strongly built; the materials and plastics used are of the best quality and don’t look cheap. The Superb Ambition gets a single CD/Radio system as opposed to the 6 CD changer systems on the Elegance. The single CD player plays through eight speakers. The AUX port is standard on the Superb Ambition; it was a bit disappointing to find no USB port.
The Skoda Superb Ambition comes without the multi function controls on the steering wheel. The steering is chunky to grip and can be manually adjusted for height and reach. The dial cluster remains the same across all variants.The twin pod Speedo gets the chrome insert lining and the multi function display in the middle of the RPM and odometer.
The Ac has automatic Dual climate control unit along with two blowers for the rear occupant’s mounted on the B pillars on the doors. The 6 speed DSG automatic transmission shifter comes with a leather and chrome combo making its looks very rich.
The Skoda Superb Ambition retains the rear centre clock-outside temperature display as on the Superb Elegance. All the in-cabin lighting package that’s there on the Superb Elegance is retained on the Superb Ambition which includes the Cat Vision (under dash, seats) lights, footwell lights, door pad warning lights, reading lamps, vanity mirror lamp, glove box light and the boot light.
Safety wise the Superb Ambition comes with front dual airbags, side airbags for front and rear and curtain airbags. Height adjustable seatbelts are standard along with active front head restraints. ABS braking is standard along with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution). The Skoda Superb Ambition by far has a one of the best built cabin in terms of safety, quality and comfort.
Performance Drive
We drove the Diesel Superb Ambition that is powered by a 1968cc Turbocharged diesel engine that has 140Ps of power @ 4200 RPM and churns out about 320Nm of torque between the 1750 to 2500 RPM. This latest generation diesel engine is mated with a 6 speed DSG (Dual Clutch) automatic tip-tronic transmission.
The Superb’s 2.0 liter diesel engine is a performing unit. There is ample of power delivery with loads of torque available across all speeds. The DSG gearbox shifts gear smoothly and in perfectly in tandem with the speed and varied RPM. The steering is responsive, light and lively; driving this car in heavy traffic and narrow by -lanes is child’s play.
The suspension set up on the Skoda Superb Ambition also remains the same with McPherson suspension with lower triangular links and torsion stabilizer on the front and Multi-element axle, with one longitudinal and three transverse links, with torsion stabilizer on the rear doing their duty perfectly.
The ride quality feels very comfortable and smoothbut sometime you occasionally will feel a thud or two when you hit a pothole ridden road. At high speed the car feels solid and stability is top notch and so is the braking which has an all disc set up. Overtaking is a pleasure with the vehicle springing ahead with slight tap on the throttle.
Tech Specs
| Technical Specifications | ||
| Make | Skoda | |
| Model | Superb | |
| Variant | 2.0 TDI CR(A) | |
| Engine Capacity | 1968/4 | |
| Power in PS/RPM | 140/4200 | |
| Torque in Nm/RPM | 320/2500 | |
| Gears | 6/AT | |
| Dimensions in MM | ||
| Length | 4838 | |
| Width | 1817 | |
| Height | 1482 | |
| Wheel base | 2761 | |
| Ground clearance | 158 | |
| Fuel tank capacity | 60 | |
| Mileage in KMPL | 17 | |
| Tyres rating | 205/55 R16 | |
| Tyres type | Tubeless | |
| Gross weight | 2285 | |
| Turning Radius in M | 5.4 | |
| Boot space | 565 L | |
Features
| Features | Ambition | Elegance |
| Electric sunroof | No | Yes |
| 12 Way adjustable driver seat | Yes | Yes |
| 12 Way adjustable Front Passenger seat | No | Yes |
| Audio player with 6.5" TFT touch screen | No | Yes |
| Integrated 6 CD player | Yes | Yes |
| Dual Zone Climatronic | Yes | Yes |
| Neppa Leather seat upholstery | Yes | Yes |
| Twin door-Variable fifth door opening | Yes | Yes |
| Gear shift control on steering wheel | Yes | Yes |
| Personal comfort settings | Yes | Yes |
| Cruise control | No | Yes |
| Automatic front wipers with rain sensors | Yes | Yes |
| Eight airbags including rear side airbags | Yes | Yes |
| 2-DIN-Radio+CD+MP3Player | Yes | Yes |
| Tilt steering | Yes | Yes |
| Adaptive front light system | No | Yes |
| Bi Xenon Projector Headlight | No | Yes |
| Antilock braking system | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic brakeforce distribution | Yes | Yes |
| Traction Control system | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic Differential Lock | No | Yes |
| Electronic Stability Programme | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Hold Control | No | Yes |
| Tyre Pressure Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Parktronic Front and rear park distance control | Yes | Yes |
| Engine Immobiliser with floating code | Yes | Yes |
| Ex show room Mumbai | 2315171 | 2500269 |
Competition All Specs
| Specifications |
Skoda
Superb |
Honda
Accord |
| Variant | 2.0 TDI CR (A) | 2.4 AT |
| Engine Capacity | 1968/4 | 2354 |
| Power in PS/RPM | 140/4200 | 180/6500 |
| Torque in Nm/RPM | 320/2500 | 222/4300 |
| Gears | 6/AT | 5/AT |
| Length | 4838 | 4950 |
| Width | 1817 | 1845 |
| Height | 1482 | 1475 |
| Wheel base | 2761 | 2800 |
| Ground clearance | 158 | 155 |
| Fuel tank capacity | 60 | 70 |
| Mileage in KMPL | 12 | 11 |
| Tyres rating | 205/55 R16 | 215/60 R16 |
| Tyres type | Tubeless | Tubeless |
| Kerb weight | 1608 | 1635 |
| Turning Radius in M | 5.4M | 5.6M |
| Boot space | 565 L | - |
| Features | ||
| Electric Sunroof | No | Yes |
| Six Airbags | No | Yes |
| Eight Airbags | Yes | No |
| ABS, EBD, BA | Yes | Yes |
| Cruise Control | Yes | Yes |
| Paddle Shift | Yes | Yes |
| 8 Way Power adjust Driver seat | No | Yes |
| 12 Way Power adjust Driver seat | Yes | No |
| Ex show room Mumbai | 2315171 | 2178999 |
Conclusion
The Skoda Superb is one of the best luxury Sedans in the segment with rear seat comfort, drive quality and it’sup market build quality. Even though there are some features are missing but the basic USP that of comfort, quality and brand values have been fully retained on the Skoda Superb Ambition.
The Skoda Superb Ambition Petrol starts at Rs. 18.27lakhs and the Diesel version of the Superb Ambition TDI Automatic that we tested priced at Rs. 22.84lakhs Ex Showroom Mumbai surely making the competition stiffer with its rivals.
The Superb definitely excels in every department that the chauffer-driven customers consider. It is spacious, comes with loads of creature comforts. The Skoda Superb diesel is undoubtedly the car we’ll put our money on if we were to choose a diesel car in the Rs 20-25 lakh bracket.
![Skoda Superb [2020-2023]](https://imgd-ct.aeplcdn.com/160x89/n/cw/ec/39039/superb-exterior-right-front-three-quarter-2.jpeg?q=80 "Skoda Superb [2020-2023]")
