Karla Pincott road tests and reviews the Skoda Greenline Superb 1.9-litre turbodiesel in Slovenia.
Enviro is going viral. Just about every maker has an ‘eco’ model on the market, and Skoda is not about to let that slice of the market get away either.
Cue the Superb Greenline – the frugal sibling in the Czech brand’s large-size sedan line-up. Don’t let the ‘green’ reference fool you into thinking there’s hybrid or electric technology afoot. There’s a more-or-less normal diesel engine, but with a raft of nips and tucks designed to whittle fuel consumption.
Similarly to its Volkswagen cousin, the Passat Bluemotion, the Greenline’s frugality has been achieved with taller gearing, engine remapping, low rolling resistance tyres, some aerodynamic nose and underbody tweaking and lowered suspension to reduce drag, and weight trimming with tricks like a foam-sealant tyre repair kit replacing the 13kg spare wheel in the boot.
Drivetrain
Essentially, it carries the same somewhat aged VW-sourced 78kW/250Nm 1.9-litre turbodiesel engine as the normal version (offered in overseas markets), which although a bit long in the tooth is itself if a fairly frugal operator at 5.69L/100km. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission as the only box on offer.
We don’t have that engine in the range launched locally this week, comprising 118kW/250Nm1.8-litre and 191kW350Nm 3.6-litre V6 petrol engines and a 125kW/350Nm 2-litre turbodiesel – all mated to Volkswagen’s DSG twin-clutch automatic transmission.
And if we do get the Greenline here, Skoda Australia would be very keen to have the DSG in play. “The Australian market doesn’t really have the desire to drive manual cars – the majority of drivers are automatic drivers,” says Skoda spokesman Karl Gehling.
Economy and emissions
The Superb’s Greneline changes slice 12 per cent off the fuel consumption, resulting in an official figure of 5.09L/100km. We had half a day with the Greenline in Slovenia, mostly cruising around at 100-120km/h, but with about 40 minutes spent nudging through an accident and some roadworks, and at least an hour at around 140km/h on the autobahn system. Neither of those last two driving styles will help you keep the consumption low, but we finished the day at just 5.1L/100km overall. Emissions have also been cut by nearly 10 per cent, dropping the CO2 from 150g/km to 136g.km
Appearance and fit-out
The standard Superb has fairly conservative styling – nothing there to offend, and little to excite either. But while you’d think anything touted as green would just mean the design equivalent of added brown rice and hemp sandals, the changes to the Greenline actually improve its looks a tad, with the lowered stance and a tiny boot spoiler giving it a hint of cheek.
That boot is worth a second look, too, for the nifty ‘twindoor’ function that means it can be opened as either a normal bootlid or – by pressing a button that locks the bootlid onto the rear window – as a hatch. That function allows you full access into a black hole of space so cavernous we feared bags might disappear in there and not be found without calling on a search party.
The cockpit is classy, showing some happy DNA from the VW Golf GTI, and while it’s not in the prestige class there’s a definite impression of quality.
To the Superb’s baseline equipment list – including umbrella holder in rear door, over-ride on the passenger possie among the seven airbags, stability control and eight-speaker MP3-compatible CD audio – the Greenline adds cruise control, darker tinted glass beyond the B-pillar, and a few leather and metal accents.
Pricing
There’s no firm decision on what the Greenline would cost in Australia, but an indication can be given from the overseas difference, where it’s about a $1500 step up from the base level. So if Skoda get’s its wish for the DSG, expect somewhere between there and $3000 as a premium to go green.
Driving
The curious thing about the changes made to render a normal Superb into a green one is that most of them could be applied across the range. So it’s a mystery why they aren’t, especially as they don’t seem to undermine the driving experience.
Sure, the 1.9-litre sounds a bit agricultural, especially at idle. But it’s going to sound like that anyway, whether in a green car or not. The five-speed manual could do with an extra slot at the top, but otherwise is well tacked onto the engine, working with the throttle to wring the best out of the unit.
The lowered suspension and reduced weight are probably key factors in its surprisingly agile handling ability, but it still rides well enough over rougher sections to absorb most of the irritation.
It’s roomy and comfortable – front and back – and is very quiet except for some noise from the low-resistance rubber.
If we ended up with a niggle, it was the Greenline badge on the boot. Rather than trumpeting its greener ability with a slick visual fillip to the Superb nameplate, the little chrome rectangle seems like almost self-effacing statement on what is quite a good car. Standard Skoda operating procedure, then.
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