Skoda Superb: What's In a Name

If someone were to make something and go on to name it something ostentatious like the ‘Superb’, you would assume that the person was mighty confident in what they made. Even without seeing what it was, you would assume that it was excellent, outstanding, wonderful, terrific, splendid, fabulous, marvelous, and all other synonyms that pop up when you type the word into the Google search bar. What we are trying to say is that, with a name like Superb you leave no room for compromise. And with that in mind, let’s get on with the review of the Skoda Superb.If owning an elegant, luxury sedan falls on your bucket list of things to do before you bite the dust, the Skoda Superb is a good spot to earmark. The Superb is a low slung sedan that embodies the timeless sophistication that you look for in a sedan. Jozef Kabaň, the man behind the design of the Skoda Superb, pulled out stuff from the top drawer when he was working on the third generation of the flagship sedan.It’s low slung and well-proportioned despite spanning across a significant length. The design of the Skoda Superb wasn’t created to knock you off your feet when you see it. Instead, it exemplifies a mature styling that grows on you and promises to age well.There is an undeniable resemblance of the Octavia in the front end of the Skoda Superb. The trademark grille with chrome vertical slats takes center stage and is flanked by Skoda’s cleverly designed headlights. All variants get bi-xenon adaptive headlamps with L-shaped LED DRLs that bend in the same direction as the steering wheel (up to a certain degree) and 'adapt' themselves to different driving conditions (city/highway/rain) by changing their light pattern. The DRLs also doubles up as the indicator lights. Those keen on the details will notice that the headlights also get a crystalline design theme which is a tip of a hat to the Czech glassmaking industry.As you would expect, the profile of the Skoda Superb looks impressive. The sheer size of the Superb is immediately apparent. The sedan measures 4861mm in length, which is 191mm longer than the Octavia and 166mm longer than the massive Pajero Sport. Our point being, the Skoda Superb is a lengthy boy, as a proper sedan should be. The body lines are sleek and low.Other noticeable elements on the profile are the chrome strip area that surrounds the window area, sharp ORVMs with integrated turn indicators and puddle lights, and a beautiful set of 10-spoke 17" Stratos rims on the L&K variant. Around the back, you once again get the crystalline themed LED taillights.Opulent Interiors and Clever FeaturesAmongst many things that Skoda is popular for, lavish interiors with clever features fall amongst the most recognized characteristics from the brand. This could not fit the description any better in the Laurin & Klement variant that we had been driving. In true luxury sedan fashion, the Skoda Superb feels lavish the moment you step into the cabin. The door closes with a satisfying thud and you are greeted with a magnificently designed interior.The black and beige color scheme works well and you will have a hard time finding cheap bits inside the car. The interior doesn't have any of the wooden inserts that we saw in the previous Superb. What you get instead are piano black panels with tastefully inserted chrome bits. You get great leather seats with a 12-way electrically adjustable driver's seat including adjustable lumbar support that has 3 memory settings. Frontal visibility is extremely good; however, rear visibility is slightly restricted. Thankfully, you get very useful rear parking assistance in the form of reverse parking cameras. For a car of this proportion, this was a very welcome feature.The center console gets a 6.5” infotainment system that is as good as it gets in terms of responsiveness and quality. The L&K variant gets a Canton sound system with 12 speakers (610W). 6 speakers in the front doors, 4 in the rear doors, 1 on the dash, and a subwoofer in the boot.There is ample headroom and legroom for all occupants, maybe not so much for taller passengers in the rear due to the sharp sloping roof. For added privacy, you can pull up the window shades on both passenger windows and the rear windscreen. And if you need any more light in the cabin, go ahead and open up the panoramic sunroof.  Thanks to an 80 mm longer wheelbase (compared to the older-gen), this car sets a benchmark when it comes to rear bench space this side of the S-Class / 7-Series.Also not shy on space is the boot of the Skoda Superb with 625 litres of cargo capacity. Further, the rear seats can fold down in a 60:40 ratio to give you 1,760 litres of boot space.Driving the SuperbAs great as the Skoda Superb is to look at, it is even better to drive. The 1.8L direct-injection turbo-petrol churns out 178 BHP (@ 5,100 - 6,200 rpm) and 250 Nm of torque (@ 1,250 - 5,000 rpm). Those are impressive numbers that translate to the driving experience you get from the Superb. Shift into the drive, dab the accelerator, and the turbo-petrol gets into duty mode in an instant. There is enough power in the lower power-band to get you rolling into a comfortable glide. Push it forward and the engine responds with a controlled chaos that you will find in few other cars in the market.The Laurin & Klement variants are equipped with four driving modes – ECO, Normal, Sport, and Individual. Each mode changes the four different parameters of the car - the steering, transmission, dynamic cornering lights, and climate control – to get the required performance, efficiency, or a combination of both.In ECO mode, the transmission is more relaxed (lift off the throttle and the car coasts at a low rpm), the air-con compressor works lesser, the adaptive headlamps are deactivated and the start/stop system is activated. In Sport mode, the steering weighs up, the transmission is more aggressive and the adaptive headlamps are more sensitive to steering input. In 'Individual' mode, you can configure the 4 (steering, gearbox, cornering lights & air-con) individually.No points for guessing, but we spent the most time in Sports mode. That’s where you feel like there is something special under the hood. The DSG transmission is, as always, best in what it does. Overtaking confidence soars off the roof when you are behind the wheels. Ask it to accelerate from a standstill and it responds in a brutal fashion. Ask it to overtake a pesky traffic goer and it does that too, effortlessly.However, while it can do anything a car enthusiast would want a car to do (keeping in mind it’s a sedan), you can also ask it to tone things down to a more sophisticated pace. Despite its 4.8m length, the car feels agile and eager to change direction. Further reinforcing your confidence is the plethora of safety aids are there to help you in an emergency maneuver. It gets a 5-star safety rating gets 8 airbags, ESP, TC, ABS + EBD, EDL, and lots more.Our VerdictWe’ve been living in the age of SUVs for a long time now, many thanks to the amazing roads that we have in the country. However, the charm of a good sedan has never been lost on us. And when it comes to good sedans, there are very few that do it better than the Skoda Superb.Whether it’s in terms of drivability, aesthetics, or the sheer class it exudes, the Skoda Superb is what you look for in a luxury sedan. It is a car that can take things slow so that you can take in the regal beauty of your surroundings, make your business calls on the way to work, or watch the sky pass by from the panoramic sunroof as your chauffeur drives you around. On the other hand, you can get into the driver’s seat and drive a car that actually has the potential and an eagerness to be driven for driving pleasure.The Skoda Superb accomplishes the difficult task of living up to an ambitious name. It is, in fact, superb.Location Courtesy - Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu