Skoda Superb 2010 review

Spaciousness is what the Skoda Superb is all about. When the Superb sedan arrived in Australia in 2009 it drew the attention of those wanting a lot of space for their money. Early 2010 saw the launch of the station wagon, the subject of our review in this road test.

Skoda Superb wagon retains the limousine-size rear legroom for which the Superb sedan/hatchback is renowned. Indeed, head room for both front and rear seat passengers has been slightly increased due to the longer roof of the wagon. This latter is a useful feature as the rear seat sits higher than the front one to help gain that superb amount of legroom, but someone of my height, 1.82 metres, may find the headroom marginal in the sedan. But I fit under the Superb wagon's roof with room to spare.

The Skoda Superb wagon boasts a voluminous 633-litre boot with all five seats in use and that grows to a huge 1865 litres with the second row of seats folded.

On the downside, the designers have opted for fashion before function in the rear-end styling. The tailgate has a fair slope instead of sitting nicely upright. So, while the floor offers plenty of length the back of the wagon can't cope with large boxy items.

As is the way with European cars, safety and practicality are strong features in this Superb wagon. The rear load area has aluminium sliders and there's an adjustable rail system to lock luggage into place.

At 600 mm off the ground the boot floor is easily accessible. Skoda offers an optional extendable boot floor which can jut out over the rear bumper. It has a load rating of 90 kg. Another option is a powered push-button tailgate.

This Skoda is a big car; longer than the Aussie family sixes. However, the Skoda Superb isn't as wide as the local cars, being similar in width to a typical medium-sized car. This means it doesn't have the interior width to carry three adults in the rear without a fair bit of shoulder rubbing. But if your family consists of Mum, Dad and a couple of hulking teenage sons, the Superb will work superbly.

Neat features abound in the Skoda Superb, before doing your own road test have a look at the clever detachable torch housed in the tailgate. It not only shines into the boot, but also illuminates the area outside the back of the vehicle. The torch even has a magnetic strip so it can be placed on the car's body, for example to change a flat tyre at night. The torch is battery powered and is automatically recharged when it's in it cradle. There's up to three hours of battery life before recharging is required.

Then look at the rear passenger doors that have a compartment for a folding umbrella, not only making it more convenient, but also doing away with the dangerous practice of carrying an umbrella on the rear parcel shelf.

Our road test Superb wagon came with the Volkswagen 2.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel engine that we have enjoyed in several other vehicles from the VW range. It generates up to 125 kW of power and 350 Nm of torque and is linked to a six-speed DSG double-clutch gearbox.

Though it has the usual double-clutch failings of being lumpy and awkward at low speeds on light accelerator pressure, this powertrain is a beauty at all other times. Turbo lag is minimal, there's a huge surge of grunt as the diesel really gets going – and it doesn't use a lot of fuel.

Typically the Superb wagon – a large and spacious vehicle – will only use about seven to eight litres of diesel per hundred kilometres on the open road. And can come down into the sixes with a bit of careful driving. Even around town its consumption will still only rise to about eight to nine litres per hundred.

Other engine options in the new Superb wagon range are a four-cylinder 1.8-litre petrol and a 3.0 litre V6 in the 4x4 model.

Ride and handling show typical European characteristics, with the Superb having the solid feel of all vehicles designed by the Volkswagen group. Some may find the ride is slightly too firm, particularly on roads that should be in better conditions. But keen drivers will like the relatively neutral feel of the chassis and the fact that understeer doesn't come into the equation until the vehicle is going pretty hard into corners.

The Skoda Superb wagon is priced at $2000 over the sedan range. But no other limousine on the market comes with a price tag anywhere near that of the Skoda.