FIRSTDRIVE SKODA SUPERB ESTATE:With its huge new premium estate, Skoda is no longer the butt of jokes, writes MARK NICHOL
DURING BMW and Rover’s infamous tryst, the phrase “product synergy” was evidently never uttered in the marital boardroom. How different things could have been if it were: the City Rover rebranded as a sort of “Mini for the elderly”, with millions spent on an antique viral marketing campaign.
Alas it wasn’t to be, and BMW ultimately sold Rover to four thrusting industry young guns for £2.50 each. According to lawyers, nothing untoward happened thereafter whatsoever, and Rover simply died of “natural causes”.
Perhaps if Volkswagen had managed to scrape together the tenner needed to secure Rover, thousands of Brummies might still be knocking Rover 75s together today. Don’t believe it? Look at Skoda.
Anyone over 30 will be well aware of the justifiable derision heaped upon the Czech maker; someone in their 20s might not be so well versed, but will probably still see enough Favorits knocking about to know that something was different in days gone by.
VW’s purchase of Skoda could be likened to Simon Cowell handing current X-Factor scapegoats John and Edward Grimes €10 million each, a five-album record deal and carte blanche on songwriting and promotional duties.
But Skoda has thus far knocked out hit after hit. Mind, that’s because VW did what Simon Cowell would: relieve its protégé of creative control and gently repackage a tried and tested formula, then push it out, en masse, at throwaway prices.
Creative freedom shouldn’t be handed out willy-nilly, so VW decided exactly what the Czech brand should stand for, where it should fit in relation to the entire group portfolio, and how that should be accomplished. Volkswagen’s “budget” marque was born.
Bang. One self-deprecating marketing campaign and a raft of high-quality, high-value cars later, and Skoda isn’t so funny any more. Not very exciting, granted, but not embarrassing.
Then the latest Superb came along. The Superb is bold, brilliant, and has the most unique and pleasing backside since Beyoncé’s. (Unique until the BMW 5 Series GT copied it.)
And now we have the Superb Estate, which is the same but with the promise of even more junk in the trunk. And everywhere else: it’s huge. That’s the thing about the Superb – before you can talk about its consummate build quality, its exceptional value for money and its composed manner on the road, you have to address the practicality of the thing.
The boot holds 633 litres. If that means nothing to you, know that the Honda Accord Tourer holds 406. It follows that the cabin accommodates adults with limo-like airiness.
Yet a clumsy old load-lugger this is not. Skoda knows exactly what every Superb Estate sold will do: stay clean and tidy for a week, thereafter becoming the place where every jacket you ever lost is found, buried beneath months’ worth of junk.
The car is nimble but isn’t set up under the assumption that every roundabout will be a test of its on-the-limit capabilities. Rather, it makes more manageable the monotonies of driving day-in, day-out on rubbish roads: the ride is supple, the steering is light, the cabin is laid out clearly and logically, and it’s built to last.
For the Superb, Skoda has managed to swipe all VW’s best, most squidgy dashboard material, its penchant for clear, concise, classy design, and the engineering nous that makes its cars feel invincibly constructed and wonderfully calming.
Familiar VW Group engines provide power, including the impressive 170bhp common rail diesel – the pick of the bunch for the Estate thanks to a gutsy swell of torque, yet a smooth, quiet delivery thereof. It’s well-equipped too, so even if you plump for a base spec car, you’ll still get alloy wheels, air conditioning and a set of roof rails. We’d upgrade to SE though, if only for the delightful touch screen interface – but the bigger wheels, dual-zone climate, cruise control and parking sensors make it all the car you’ll ever need (assuming Irish specifications will mirror those of the launch cars).
The VW Group synergists must have been on holiday when the Superb Estate was signed off on, because the budget brand now has a properly desirable, premium car in its stable. How times have changed.
Price: estimated from €35,000
Engine: 2-litre TDI common rail diesel, peak power of 170bhp, peak torque of 350Nm, manual six-speed transmission
0-100km/h: 8.9 seconds
CO2: 155g/km
L/100km: 5.9
