New Skoda Superb review, test drive

Now the Superb isn’t exactly a car you buy to get your dose of driving thrills. Still, it’s remarkably stable and allows me to carry a fair bit of speed into corners, which makes it nice to drive. This is especially true in Sport mode, where the dampers are stiffened, the throttle and gearbox responses are sharpened and the steering gets a bit more weight. Yes, I often have to coax it into corners and it doesn’t respond well to quick steering movements, but it is fun if you’re smooth, deliberate and slow with your driving inputs. Stay disciplined with your driving style and you can keep going progressively quicker with plenty of confidence. VW’s MQB platform, on which it is built, certainly helps it get its dynamics right. And the brakes do a fair job of giving you confidence before you enter a corner. Where the Superb driving experience does feel like a bit of a letdown is in the gearbox department. Our car was fitted with Skoda’s six-speed, twin-clutch automatic which, though great for upshifts, often hesitates when you call for a quick downshift.

Finally I stop – another nice patch in which to take pictures, and not a threatening cloud in sight. Time to take a walk around this massive sculpture of cuts and creases. Done by Skoda’s chief designer Joseph Kaban and his team, this Superb is so much better-looking than its predecessor that comparing the two is unfair. Several times more mature in both outlook and detail, it blends near-perfect proportions with bold details. And the best bit is that it all works fabulously. The wider new-age Skoda grille, the crystal-like diamond cut headlamps, the sculpted fenders and sides and the especially attractive rear. The challenge, of course, was keeping the design simple, in line with other Skodas, and the designers have managed that too. What really stands out, however, is the all-new level of sophistication – a level not seen on a Skoda yet.