Skoda Superb review - Interior, design and technology

In the past, the Superb has been the ugly duckling of the large family car class, as Skoda’s efforts to maximise interior space left its flagship with some ungainly exterior proportions. However, the latest version has shaken off its predecessor’s dowdy image, with a facelift in 2019 improving things further.

The Superb’s latest facelift brought new bumpers front and rear, a new grille and headlights, along with some new wheel designs. Inside, uprated infotainment was the most significant change.

In profile the Superb has a traditional look, yet despite its saloon car proportions features a versatile hatchback tailgate – Skoda has ditched the old car’s Twindoor mechanism, which was complicated and heavy. Overall, the Superb has its VW Passat sister car beaten hands down for kerb appeal - especially in cool-looking SportLine trim.

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Inside, the Superb is more than a match for the VW. It features a slick design, a thoughtfully laid-out dashboard, plenty of high-grade materials and has a real premium feel.

Look closely and you’ll find much of the switchgear has been carried over from the Passat, while all the plastics you can see and touch have a soft feel. The fit and finish is first rate, while a wide range of adjustment on the seat and steering wheel makes it easy to find the perfect driving position.

As you’d expect from Skoda, there’s plenty of standard equipment. All models get heated mirrors, air conditioning, cruise control and an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with DAB and Bluetooth, plus all-important Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The lack of standard sat-nav is a moot point if you are happy to use your smartphone through either of these systems.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

All cars come equipped with a dash-mounted touchscreen, with SE models getting the basic eight-inch ‘Bolero’ version, SE L getting a the ‘Admusen’ unit with sat-nav and Sportline Plus and L&K cars getting the larger 9.2-inch ‘Columbus’ system. Top-spec L&K models also get a Virtual Cockpit digital dial display in place of traditional gauges – it costs around £475 as an option on other versions. An optional Canton stereo is available on SE models and up (standard fit on L&K cars), which boast a 610-watt output and 12 speakers.