Skoda Superb 4x4

By Paul Bailey

January 2009

• Rating:
• Latest deal price: from £14,805 to £25,872

It's time for Skoda’s Superb to get serious. The Czech firm is now targeting luxury car buyers with its new flagship version.

This model comes in Elegance trim and has a 260bhp 3.6-litre V6, seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox and four-wheel drive, so even on the ice and snow of our test route, it felt secure. The V6’s silky power delivery and the smooth-shifting gearbox suit the Superb’s comfort-orientated nature, too. You even get the same muted engine growl heard in more mainstream luxury cars. And, of course, it has all the attributes of the standard model, with good build quality and lots of back-seat space.

Compared to the majority of rivals in the comfort and kit stakes, the £26,640 price tag means it’s terrific value of money. Only the simple dash layout and lack of cutting-edge technology give the Superb’s roots away.

In a world where saving money is now of key importance, this unashamedly value-for-money alternative to more expensive machinery makes more sense than ever.

Rival: Audi A6
Newly facelifted A6 is only slightly bigger than a Superb, and for the same money as the Czech car you’ll only get a 2.0-litre turbo model.

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