Economy business class / Skoda test drives

The two-liter turbodiesel with 170 horsepower is the only representative of heavy fuel in the Russian lineup of this model. By nature, the engine resembles a frugal banker: it is incredibly calculating and primarily designed for companies that are currently concerned with cutting costs without losing benefits.

Those wishing to switch to diesel have three options. For those who count every penny even in their sleep, the most affordable and incredibly economical Superb with a six-speed manual gearbox is provided. All-wheel drive paired with the same manual transmission, on the contrary, will require maximum initial investment. Between them lies a compromise — a front-wheel-drive version with a robotic DSG transmission, also six-speed.

However, important passengers in the back seat will most likely not care which unit turns the wheels. In this sense, the diesel behaves like an ideal subordinate: it does not distract the management with extra noise from thoughts about the crisis. It is nimble and responsive, performing its direct duties — fast transportation — impeccably. And it does not scare the accounting department: the claimed fuel consumption in the city for a two-ton car with DSG is 7.8 liters, in the combined cycle — 6.7, and on the highway the Superb even promises a real holiday of economy — only 4.8 liters and a solid range without stops at the gas station.

The Superb with the "robot" is only slightly inferior in dynamics to the manual version, but it noticeably makes life easier for the driver. To drive actively, you should immediately switch the gearbox to sport mode. In it, the DSG works much more briskly: it quickly and timely clicks gears and does not rush to upshift. The shifts are so smooth that after a while you simply stop noticing them. But the standard Drive mode, tuned for economy, feels less comfortable. Trying to please both the jerky city traffic and save precious fuel, the gearbox starts to stumble. Kickdown confuses it slightly, as if it asks: "What about fuel consumption?", and it does not choose the moments for downshifting so confidently. For comparison, the more flexible seven-speed DSG paired with gasoline engines did not raise such questions.

But if you let the gearbox understand that your style is calm and nothing but calm, everything immediately improves. And passengers, as already mentioned, will not notice any diesel features at all. At the final point of the trip, they will sincerely thank: "Thank you, everything was simply superb."

Alexander Kataev



	XL SALON "Meeting a passenger of such height is not easy..." It will be comfortable even for very tall people – the excess space in the back is impressive! For those sitting here, there are buttons for separate heating and footrests.