Skoda's new saloon: Superb by name, impressive by nature

Giving a model range the name of Superb is a bold task – supposing the car doesn’t live up to its name? Still for Skoda the use of the Superb model name is not new.

The Czechoslovakian car maker, one of the oldest in Europe, used the title back in 1934 and then re-launched it in 2002. From 18 September 2008 the third and latest incarnation of the upper-medium sector Superb went on sale at prices ranging from £15,490 to £26,675.

Although the UK’s new car sales are in free-fall due to the economic instability, predicted to be at least 20% down in September this year, traditionally the second highest sales month in the year, Skoda sales are holding up relatively well and already after just two weeks 1,011 new Superb cars have been sold, many to small and medium-sized companies..

For the first nine months of this year Skoda sales were reported to be down by just 0.6% year-on-year. One reason for Skoda’s success is that nine out of ten owners recommend other people to buy a Skoda and for the last 13 years the brand has been in the top five in the industry’s J D Power Study of Customer Satisfaction.

Another boost to the new model’s potential for it to become another Skoda sales success story is the fact that the new Superb has just been voted The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2009 overall, as well as winning its class beating the defending champion the relatively new Ford Mondeo 2.5 diesel estate.

The new Skoda Superb is also likely to be in the final lists for many of the annual Car of the Year competitions due to take place shortly.

Although the upper-medium sector of the new car market has been in decline since its peak in 2002 when 560,000 UK sales were recorded, due to customers down-sizing because of by higher fuel prices and higher taxation, the sector has seen a recent upturn with new models being added.

These include the Ford Mondeo, VW Passat, Honda Accord, Citroen C5 and Renault Laguna with the Vauxhall Insignia due to go on sale soon.

Skoda Auto in the UK says the larger, more stylish and better equipped five-seater, four-door new Superb has a clever boot/hatchback feature and this will appeal to traditional saloon buyers as well as customers who require the convenience of a rear tailgate and large load area.

The new Superb has one of the roomiest cabins in the sector with impressive rear passenger legroom, rear headroom to match and one of the biggest boots which ranges from 565 to 1,670-litres depending on the configuration of the rear seats.

Chris Horrell, product marketing manager for Skoda in the UK, expects full year sales of the new Superb to exceed 4,000 units with up to 80% of them to be bought by fleet and business users.

The previous Superb achieved only 2,800 UK sales in its best year with 50% going to fleet users. Over three-quarters of sales will be for diesel powered models.

There is the choice of three petrol engines, 1.4 TSI 125bhp, 1.8 TSI 160bhp and 3.6-litre 260bhp and three TDI turbodiesel power sources, a 1.9-litre unit with 105bhp and two 2.0-litre units with 140 and 170bhp power outputs.

Six or seven speed twin-clutch DSG automatic transmissions are available, depending on the model chosen, and 4x4 all-wheel drive is available with the 2.0-litre 170bhp TDI diesel and 3.6-litre, 260bhp petrol engines.

Trim and equipment levels are S, SE and Elegance. There is also a low CO2 Superb Greenline variant powered by a 1.9-litre TDI, 105bhp unit capable of 55.4mpg and with 136g/km of CO2 giving a VED Band C rating costing £120 a year.

Horrell’s view is that saloons are traditionally the biggest sellers in the sector with a 34% share while hatchbacks take 27%.

The new Superb’s Twindoor boot/hatch design means the car competes in 61% of the market sector with just one model. A Superb Estate arrives early in 2010.

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