I must admit to always feeling a little
sorry for former Australian Rules Football player Richard Champion.
The Brisbane Lions defender who retired in 2000 had a lot to live up
to with his surname and it may have even placed unfair expectations
on his AFL career. Sounds silly – after all it's just a name –
but human nature being what it is, Richard needed to be better than
the rest to live up to his name. Tough gig in the rough-and-tumble
world of AFL.
Enter the Skoda Superb, another player
in a tough league carrying a moniker that screams `make one mistake,
and you'll go down like a bag of spuds.' (potatoes for those not
familiar with the Australian vernacular) To call a car `Superb' is an
open invitation to find out why it's not.
In fact Skoda first starting calling
it's cars by the superb name back in the 1930s, so it's not a name
thought up by some Gen Y marketing whiz kid. After a week in the 2009
Superb 3.6 FSI 4 x 4, we found it a clever car. But not quite Superb.
If we had to pigeon hole this flagship sedan from Skoda we'd put it
down as a poor man's BMW 7-Series. That's quite a compliment.
At $56,990, plus on road costs, the
Superb is in the bargain basement when compared to vehicles with
which it shares engine, transmission and 4 X 4 technology – namely
Volkswagen's R36 Passat wagon at $67,990 and Audi's Q7 3.6 FSI at
$86,529. Which made our first impression something of a surprise. At
low speeds and with the big engine we would have thought the Skoda
would have been as smooth as honey in heavy traffic. Negotiating our
way out of Brisbane in heavy traffic the 6-speed DSG transmission
proved to be a clunky proposition, unlike we have experienced before
in these double-clutch shifters. This was particularly noticeable
at low speeds. It was as if the gearbox could not make up its mind
and the technology was `hunting' between preferences. As the traffic
cleared and we found ourselves with a clear run up to 110 km/h on the
M1 the DSG gearbox delivered what we have come to expect. Rapid,
clean changes.
Now the good part. In appearance this
is not your typical European marque. It is distinctive. Skoda call it
timeless, but the fact remains it does standout and has classic
appeal without looking like anything else on the market. And, it's a
clever car. The interior is limousine size, particularly the rear
pew. Comfort plus, thank you very much. Head, leg and shoulder room
are simply not an issue, even with three adults riding in the second
row. They are also pampered with foot and shoulder height air ducts,
large speakers for the more than adequate audio system, storage
in the back of the front seats and in the doors. For two passengers
it gets even better with a fold down armrest containing a storage
bin.
With the rear seats in the upright
position there's 565 litres of storage capacity – large by any
comparison - which balloons out to a massive 1670 litres with the
rear seats folded. Where the Superb is superb is that the clever boot
system allows you full access to this space. The boot operates as a
boot by pressing the button one button under a lip in the boot lid.
Move to the right and there's a second button which locks the rear
window into the system, and the whole kit and kaboodle swing into the
air revealing an opening that does justice to the Sydney's Luna Park
mouth.
The cabin itself is classy and looks to
us as if it's had some influence from Audi in regards to the quality
of plastics. It has a `club' feel. Power seat operation, three way
memory seats, excellent sound system and a solid `clunk' when the
doors close give you a sense of well-built safety. It also hints at
something else. Weight. The Superb V6 4 X 4 tips the scales at a
hefty 1805 kg, a massive 194 kg heavier than the entry-level Superb
which is front wheel drive and powered by a 1.8 litre TSI engine run
through a seven speed DSG transmission.
The end result of this hefty weight
penalty is the 4 X 4 feels solid in a straight line such as the M1,
but overweight on the winding black top. There's no doubt the all
wheel drive has a role to play in snow and gravel conditions, but for
normal driving it must add considerable kilos to the package. These
days with Electronic Stability Control the safety benefits of all
wheel drive have been all but negated, so unless you travel regularly
on gravel or in snow, the 4 X 4 capability is overkill. As it is at
speed the Superb V6 4 X 4 feels front heavy and cumbersome around our
less than perfect secondary roads.
Urban driving, but the same token, it a
pleasure, apart from the clunkiness in the DSG transmission. The engine is quick and responsive, but
strictly runs on 98 RON fuel. This may be a deterrent if you are
looking for low running costs. As an overall package we actually
liked the Superb. If we were to buy one we would probably look at one
of the other variants which still run VW/Audi drive trains and offer
reduced pricing from $42,990 and lesser running costs through
smaller, more fuel efficient engines and lower body mass.
MODEL
RANGE
Superb
Ambition 1.8 TSI 118 kW DSG $42,990
Superb
Ambition 2.0 TDI 125 kW DSG $45,990
Superb
Elegance 1.8 TSI 118 kW DSG $45,990
Superb
Elegance 2.0 TDI 125 kW DSG $48,990
Superb
Elegance 4X4 V6 3.6 FSI 191 kW DSG $56,990
FEATURES
ABS
Brakes: standard
Air
Conditioning: standard
Automatic
Transmission: standard
CD
Player: standard
Central
Locking: standard
Cruise
Control: standard
Dual
Front Airbags: standard
Front
Side Airbags: standard
Stability
Control: standard
Traction
Control: standard
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE:
Capacity:
3.6 litres
Configuration:
V6
Head
Design: DOHC
Compression
Ratio:
Bore/Stroke:
98.0 mm x 96.4 mm
Maximum
Power: 191 kW @ 6000 rpm
Maximum
Torque: 350 Nm @ 2500- 5000 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven
Wheels: Front 4X4
Manual
Transmission: N/A
Automatic
Transmission: DSG 6-speed
DIMENSIONS,
WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length:
4838 mm
Wheelbase:
2761 mm
Width:
1817 mm
Height:
1462 mm
Turning
Circle: 10.8 metres
Kerb
Mass: 1805 kg
Fuel
Tank Capacity: 60 litres
Towing
Ability: 1800 kg (kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION
AND BRAKES:
Front
Suspension: Mc Pherson
Rear
Suspension: multi-link axle
Front
Brakes: disc
Rear
Brakes: disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100
km/h Acceleration: 6.5 seconds
FUEL
CONSUMPTION:
Type:
Min RON 98
Combined
Cycle (ADR 81/01): 10.2 L/100km
GREEN
VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse
Rating: unavailable /10
Air
Pollution Rating: unavailable /10
STANDARD
WARRANTY:
3
years/ unlimited km
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