Skoda Superb Estate (2015 - 2023) SportLine 2.0 TDI 150PS 5d Owner Review

This was the first new car I've ever bought (well, leased anyway) and it's exceeded my expectations. For starters, it looks amazing (Sportline in Business Grey) inside and out, and is lovely to drive despite its size. I undertook extensive research prior to choosing it, and my shortlist came down to this or a Passat. Once I'd had a thorough look at both, it was no contest. The Superb felt so much more upmarket. I'm also constantly complimented on the looks of the car. Initially, nobody seemed to know what it was - Skodas just don't usually look like that! During the first week of ownership, somebody actually lowered their window in traffic to tell me how good it looked and ask me what it was - that certainly never happened in my previous 25+ years of driving! We've had the car just over three years now and the only real issue we've had is the dealer forgetting to remove the suspension transport blocks! After putting up with very stiff suspension for A YEAR, I decided to do some research and realised that it's commonly missed during the vehicle inspection. Once the blocks were removed the ride was transformed. Very refined despite the lowered suspension and the 19" + low profiles. The car sits nicely low and actually looks like it's got aftermarket suspension as standard. We've had a few minor electrical/on-board computer issues as stated but nothing that curtails the enjoyment. The car has effortlessly glided up and down the country with our three (now all teenage) kids. Our previous car was a 2001 Audi A6 Avant. A big car but not big enough for the three of them as they constantly bickered about 'space invasion'. This all stopped the day we got the Superb. I'm 5'10" and actually like quite a laid back seating position, yet there is still a huge amount of space behind me. The interior is CAVERNOUS but you probably know that already. The boot is also huge. It's a little frustrating that the rear seats don't fold flat but it's not been a huge issue. The interior is really nice quality - we love the alcantara seats and the matching door panel trim. Feels superbly put together and all the buttons and fixings are of good quality. The on-board computer works well and, being VAG, is user friendly. The touch screen works well and also has big buttons around it for a more direct feel when you want it and for a proper volume knob etc. The standard audio is actually very good. Trust me, I'm very fussy about car audio - I'm a DJ and music obsessive, and have spent ludicrous amounts of money on aftermarket car audio installs over the years, and I always look forward to getting in the Superb for a listen. That said - we had the L & K on extended test drive which had the upgraded Canton audio system.....for the extra £600, it was PHENOMENAL value. Really refined, punchy, balanced yet powerful. I was happy to pay over the odds to add it on to our lease order, but declined because it extended the lead time from 1 week to 16 weeks! If you're in to your music, give serious thought to paying the extra, you won't regret it. We also have a 19 plate Seat Ibiza FR Sport. I can't whinge enough about how poor the audio is in comparison to even the standard Superb. My only real dislike about the car is the ludicrous Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). I just cannot seem to turn it off and I absolutely detest it. Basically it's over-sensitive and will slow you down too much, too quickly when it senses another vehicle and often it'll try and slow you down when it picks up a car travelling in a different lane on the motorway. It gets VERY irritating the amount of times this happens. You find yourself constantly thinking the car is braking and you have to force it 'through' its brain fart through accelerating. Such a poor design. It'll often pick up the collision detection too readily as well....it hasn't braked significantly on the motorway but it's damn annoying when it overreacts and jabs the brakes at slow speed occasionally, whilst emitting a panicky bleeping noise and flashing up red between the dials - calm down with the drama! I wish I could do away with the ACC altogether but keep a standard CC. The car is really economical for its size. I travel around 55 miles to and from work and 42 miles of that is motorway driving. The whole stretch is subject to a long term 50mph speed restriction ('not so smart' motorway being installed) and it will typically show 65mpg on the computer, with me setting the cruise at 55. On a long run with the family at 75mph on the cruise, it'll return low 50s mpg. It'll give you high 30s around town. The computer mpg isn't actually too far off reality at all - I've measured it with full to full litres/miles driven etc. to verify. Overall, I'd love another when this one goes back next year. The fact is though, two of our three nearly have their own cars so I don't think we'll need all that (ridiculous amounts of) room. This is a very stylish, very well put together car which I really don't think you can better for the money. I'm sure I'll enjoy our last year of ownership as much as the first three.