Large Skoda even longer before
The Skoda Superb was not the smallest car on the market, and yet the new generation is getting a bit bigger. We already drove the large station wagon, which will be on the market at the beginning of 2024.
Already a new Skoda Superb?
Make no mistake, the current one has been around since 2015, so it’s time again! This will be generation number four. And that at a time when competition is disappearing. The Ford Mondeo, the Opel Insignia, the Renault Talisman and Citroën C5: they did not get a successor. We wouldn’t have thought that at the turn of the century. All the more reason for Skoda to pay extra attention to their Superb, to fill the gap that other manufacturers in the middle class have left behind. The brand is working on the latter fine tuning of the fourth-generation Superb, which will be unveiled after the summer.
Skoda Superb
The Skoda Superb was big and will remain so?
Absolute. He is now 4.91 meters, 4 centimeters longer than his predecessor. It will be available again as both a station wagon and a hatchback. Remarkably enough, the new Volkswagen Passat only comes as a station wagon, so Skoda hopes to attract some sedan drivers to the Superb with its hatchback.
In the back it is even more spacious than it already was, where you can wonder if it adds anything. The legroom is unique in anything that isn’t an F-segment stretch limo. The trunk did not get smaller either and now measures 645 liters and even 690 in the Combi. That is 20 and 30 liters more than before.
The new Skoda Superb will arrive in 2024
Surely an electric version?
No, not that. There will be a whole bunch of engines, and also a plug-in version like a PHEV. But for the Netherlands it remains clear because there will be no diesel versions and no powerful petrol versions with a 2.0 TSI to our country. You can also forget 4WD. The demand is not there, according to the importer, which of course also has to do with the high tax burden here. What remains is a 15 eTSI mild hybrid with 150 hp and the PHEV with 204 hp. However, the latter will not come until later in 2024. We could not drive it yet either. In addition to a (not relevant) diesel, there was a Combi ready with the 1.5.
Is such an engine enough for such a large car as the Skoda Superb?
The 1.5 feels a bit like the minimum. The engine has a mild hybrid support for extra torque at low revs and the new cylinder deactivation means that the car is at least on paper more economical than ever. The 150 hp of power feels like a minimum for the car, a handful of extra horses would be nice if you are on the road with a full load. However, the versions with 2.0 TSI and 204 hp or 265 hp and 4WD will not come to the Netherlands either. If you still want more power, you can also opt for a new PHEV variant in the course of 2024. In addition to the aforementioned 1.5, this also has an electric motor with which the car peaks at 204 hp in system power. In addition, the Skoda will soon be able to drive more than 100 kilometers on electricity due to a large 26 kWh battery before you have to recharge. And that is possible with 11 kW on a three-phase pole or even with 50 kW on a fast charger. This is very progressive for a plug-in.
We are curious about the driving behavior of that PHEV, since the version with 1.5 is already quite obese. The new Superb is slightly heavier than the third generation, mainly due to safety requirements. And just like its predecessors, however, you feel the steering wheel that a lot of car is coming behind you. Unlike large BMWs or Audis, you really feel that you are sitting in the front of a very long car, with the premium brands of this size you are slightly more in the “middle” of the car in terms of driving feeling. That makes the big Skoda a good car to drive, you are really moving a lot of mass, regardless of your load. Still, driving behavior improved. Thanks to new wheel suspensions and improved dampers, the Skoda is tighter on the road without sacrificing much comfort. However, the Kodiaq, which we were able to test a few weeks ago, drives better, there is apparently a limit to the length that the platform can handle without feeling a bit unnatural.
Skoda Superb
Do we already know something about the inside?
The interior of the car was still covered, but it is already clear that there will be a large, high-placed touchscreen on the dashboard in the style of the Enyaq, with Skoda cleverly placing some physical buttons underneath for shortcuts and a separate control element for the climate control. The gearbox lever has been moved to the steering column for more space on the center tunnel. All the well-known Skoda tricks, from umbrella and ice scraper to windshield washer fluid funnel, have of course been retained and supplemented with new facilities, such as a double place to wirelessly charge your mobile phone faster than before. The new Superb again isn’t going to be the most exciting car in the segment, but it doesn’t fail anywhere and is still unbeatable in terms of space for your money. The fact that the competition is less will do the car no harm. After the summer we will see it in all its glory.
The dashboard is still covered, but we already see a high-placed multimedia screen
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl