Test: Skoda Superb Combi – Remained wonderfully normal

Isn’t the new Skoda Superb ‘just’ a Volkswagen Passat?

Actually it’s the other way around. The new Skoda Superb is indeed a sister model of the new Volkswagen Passat and even largely shares its bodywork with it, but Skoda was the driving force behind the development. You can see this, among other things, in the size: previously the Superb was clearly larger than the Passat, now they are both larger than the outgoing Superb. The two do have their own nose and butt. The Skoda’s is a bit more linear, sleek and more traditional, making it quite similar to its predecessor.

Are the Superb and the Passat the same on the inside?

No, Skoda puts its own spin on it. Literally: when getting in, our eyes are immediately drawn to the three physical dials under the screen, with which you can regulate the interior temperature, among other things. At the press of a button, the same units suddenly serve to adjust the seat heating, an idea that we first saw at Land Rover. That doesn’t matter, because this is just a very good idea. A real button like this works infinitely better than the wanderings in touchscreens that we have almost come to consider normal, but which of course are not. For the rest, the Superb proves to be a beacon of calm in turbulent times. Turning off the backward, but unfortunately mandatory speed warning is possible with two simple actions with a scroll wheel on the steering wheel, where you can switch off the lane assist in one go if desired. Then it is a matter of selecting ‘D’, pressing the gas and driving away, still with a petrol engine in the forecastle. So ordinary, but therefore special in 2024.

Ordinary or not, there is probably no longer a nice, fat diesel with a manual gearbox.

Indeed. The new Superb is only available with automatic transmissions and is available in two flavors in the Netherlands: as a mild-hybrid 1.5 and as a PHEV with the same four-cylinder on board. The latter has a range of more than 100 kilometers on electricity thanks to a 25.7 kWh battery, but we start with the regular 1.5. With 150 hp, the mild hybrid is not oversized for the 1,575 kg Combi, but especially in the Netherlands you will not be short of anything. The four-cylinder runs nicely, has its torque available quickly and works smoothly with the fast seven-speed DSG automatic transmission, although things could use a bit more focus from a standstill.

Speaking of smooth: that’s the chassis of the outgoing Superb too!

An important complaint about the previous Superb is its very flexible chassis, which is certainly not to everyone’s taste. We drive the new one with the optional and extensive adaptive suspension, which offers all the choice in the world with no fewer than fifteen settings for the dampers. Although: it never becomes really stiff, but in ‘normal’ it is considerably firmer than before and even the most comfortable tuning feels less squishy than we were used to. That makes the Superb more stable and predictable. It does not overcome short bumps – and they have plenty of them in Portugal – in the most refined way, but with its comfort, pleasant steering and ditto drivetrain, the Superb is a real friend to everyone.

And now the most important question: how spacious is the new Skoda Superb Combi?

The purchasing argument for a Skoda Superb Combi is its space offering, and this is not compromised. At 4.90 meters, the car is even slightly longer than its predecessor, offers a lot of space on the back seat and even has 30 liters more space behind it than before. With the bench flat, that is 30 liters less, but the overall picture is at least comparable to the old model. It is a pity that the rear seat does not fold completely flat and therefore does not create a flat loading floor. This is slightly less true in the PHEV, because it has a raised loading floor to accommodate the battery pack. This does mean that the plug-in hybrid is considerably less spacious: of the 690 liters that the petrol version can hold under the (electric!) roller screen, 510 remain with the PHEV.

But yes, that PHEV will be cheaper in the Netherlands…

So that’s the crazy thing: no. This is the case with the Passat with the same equipment, but not with the Superb. Skoda and Volkswagen clearly make different choices in this regard. Overall, the Superb is the cheaper of the two and for the (provisional) starting price of 45 grand you buy a lot of car, which in no way compromises the successful Superb recipe. Delicious, simply!