Overview

The Skoda Superb has long been a Parkers favourite thanks to its blend of space, value and serious long-distance chops. It’s an honest, unpretentious large family car that even in hatchback form has more room inside than most rival estate cars. It’s been completely renewed for 2024, packing in new tech and hybrid motors under its familiar looking skin. It should, therefore, still be highly recommendable. 

The new Superb’s already been reviewed in Estate form, where we praised it for all of the above qualities, plus a much improved interior and driving experience. The hatchback is now following a couple of months later, probably highlighting Skoda’s expectation that the Estate is likely to be the bigger selling bodystyle in the range. 

It shares its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Passat, but there is no VW-badged counterpart to the Superb hatchback. This means rivals for this car are few and far between –  you either go for similarly sized cars, such as the Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz C-Class or BMW 5 Series, which are far more expensive.  

Or you go for cars in roughly the same price band, such as the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but offer nowhere near the same amount of practicality. Only the now-discontinued Jaguar XF comes close for bang for your bucks, but stocks are running out fast – and it is a saloon as opposed to a more versatile hatchback. 

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What’s it like inside? 

The Superb is a brilliant luxury car if you’re looking for acres of room. There’s vast amounts of legroom to play with in the back, even if the front seats are set up for the tallest of occupants. The load bay, also, is huge and well-shaped, and packed with useful features like a boot dividers, cubbies and a false floor.  

The infotainment screen is generously sized and despite looking like it should impede your view, it doesn’t. It’s simple to use and glitch-free, which hasn’t always been the case in recent years. This is a similar setup in the Enyaq and works very well – you won’t necessarily feel the need to resort to using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, which isn’t always the case with its rivals. 

Otherwise, it’s well judged inside, with three multi-function ‘Smart Dials’ operating as heater and seat controls, and a selector for the drive modes – such an improvement over stabbing at a touchscreen. The centre one is configurable, which means you could use it to control your drive modes or the stereo – it’s up to you. They work well, and we welcome the use of these physical controls. 

The Superb’s party piece is the quality and design of its interior right down to the smallest detail. It has an agreeably premium feel, while the build quality is excellent. The switch feel is excellent, while other touch points such as the door pulls are exquisitely detailed and are a delight to use. Trims and colours are also tastefully chosen, with plenty of variety to choose from. 

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Skoda Superb engines 

All Superbs are automatic, but this feels in keeping with this car’s station in life. The benefit to you is you get loads more space in the centre console as the transmission selector has been moved to behind the steering wheel. 

The petrol range kicks off with a 150hp 1.5-litre petrol power unit. Now, a mild hybrid, it’s more economical than before. There’s a pair of more powerful 2.0-litre TSIs also available, topped by a 268hp version, which takes over the job of range-topper from the old Superb 280. Refinement and efficiency are improved over its predecessor, though.   

The diesels are improved versions of the old 2.0-litre TDI. In this diesel is still relevant, and Skoda predicts up to a third of new Superbs will be TDIs. Your choices are the same engine in 150 or 190hp forms – with four-wheel drive available on the more powerful model.  

This is mainly a car bought by professional drivers, so it’s likely that the 204hp plug-in hybrid is going to be the biggest seller. It is now powered by a new 1.5-litre allied with a 25.7kWh battery pack for a claimed battery range of 62 miles. You get rapid charging, too, unlike most PHEVs. This model will follow a little later. 

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What’s it like to drive? 

We were at the internationaI launch in the Czech Republic and managed to drive three versions, and you can read elsewhere how we test cars, but needless to say, we managed to get a long run in several versions. Starting with the entry-level 1.5-litre mild hybrid, I found that with 150hp to play with this wasn’t the ideal choice for a car of this size. Its claimed 0-62mph time of 9.2sec is reasonable enough, but it felt disappointingly gutless.  

If you’re in a hurry, you need to shift it into its Dynamic drive mode and use lots of throttle. The engine sounds strained when stretched, while the DSG automatic transmission either responds lazily or holds on to revs too long, forcing you to change up manually. 

However, think of it as a relaxed cruiser and it’s just fine. It is quiet and unobtrusive and whispers along at motorways speeds, which is exactly how it should be. Here, I found the Superb relaxing, but also surprisingly economical, with an easy 45mpg on a European-paced high-speed run. 

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The diesel offers an identical 0-62mph time and similar top speed. It’s rougher at start-up but settles down to a similarly quiet high-speed cruise. Getting up to speed involves less effort, rarely seeing more than 3,000rpm on the rev counter. This could well be the sweet spot of the Superb range, because 60mpg is the name of the game with no real penalties in terms of overall refinement.  

The 2.0TSI is an altogether faster car, though, and the one to go for if you do regular high speed journeys or carry lots of people. Performance is far more lively with easy overtaking and an effortless motorway demeanor being the name of the game. Fuel consumption is heavier of course, but more than 35mpg should be easily achievable on the motorway. 

Body control has taken a major leap over the last Superb. This one is far tighter on more challenging roads, with much more incisive steering, sharper damping and less roll. And it’s like that out of the box, so no need to dip into the drive modes – leaving it in Comfort will be more than enough for most. The supple ride, effective elimination of noise and excellence on the motorway are Superb’s highlights, however. 

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What models and trims are available? 

Of most relevance to most buyers is the plug-in hybrid version. But diesel models that will easily go more than 700 miles between refills still has appeal, as does the fact that even entry-level models now features mild-hybrid technology.  

Entry-level SE Technology cars get a still-well-sized 13.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, digital instruments, heated and massaging front seats and adaptive cruise control. Matrix LED lights, full leather upholstery and an electric boot are reserved for the business-focused SE L model.  

The range-topping Laurin & Klement model ramps up the luxury, but also comes at a cost. You get an upgraded Canton hi-fi, seat chillers, and some extremely nice interior trim and material choices, which make it a true luxury choice – but think carefully before optioning up, as you’ll soon be into a very different price stratosphere. 

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What else should I know? 

The fastback body style is a very gentle visual evolution of its predecessor, but careful attention has been paid to aerodynamics. So it has a very slippery bodyshape and features some interesting airflow management technology. For instance, air intakes for the braking system are integrated into the lower front bumper while the angle and height of the sloping, coupe-like roofline and designed to lower wind resistance ss much as possible.  

The benefit to you is less wind noise, and better economy at speed as the engine is working less hard to push the Superb through the air. And from my first drive and the impressive economy returns from all models, this looks to have been a very effective strategy. 

But does this combination of technology and conservatism make the Superb as easy to recommend as before? Should you buy one, or just submit to the obvious and buy a bulkier and family-friendly SUV instead? Read on for our verdict to find out.