Box with a secret / Skoda test drives

Superb in English means "magnificent", "luxurious", "noble", "majestic", "wonderful" and so on. It would seem, what do all these epithets have to do with the Skoda brand? With the same success, one could call the view from the window of a typical residential area magnificent, a room in a three-star hotel luxurious, the taste of cola noble, the sound of a harmonica majestic... And a patty prepared in a fast-food joint could be classified as a delicacy. To the credit of the Skoda company representatives themselves, they all understand this perfectly well and openly admit that, despite their already quite long-standing membership in the solid VW concern, the brand has not yet completely shed the reputation of a manufacturer of ordinary cars acquired in previous years.

It hasn't shed it, but it strives to. The first big step in this direction was made in 2001, when a car with the historic name Superb for Skoda appeared in the lineup. And now, 7 years later, as expected, the company has presented the world with the second generation of its flagship. And this time, the car seems to have everything to prove that it is truly Superb – real, worthy of its authentic "progenitor". That very first Superb, which saw the light not 7, but 70 years ago, back in distant 1938, was indeed a car of what is now called the premium class.

Back in the mid-20s, Skoda decided to secure its place in the "club of the chosen" and took up the production of luxury limousines, first under license from Hispano Suiza, and then of its own design, but the subsequent global economic crisis forced the company to switch to producing simple small cars. The Superb was a worthy attempt to return to the luxury market segment, but the war interfered – as a result, the car was in demand only by top government officials and staff generals. Well, in the post-war socialist times, there was even less time for magnificence... At first quick glance (only if you don't look from the front!) at the new Superb, it's obvious that this is at least a business-class car.

Long wheelbase, classic "cut", like a good English suit, the roof at the back is emphatically high (no modern flirtation with a coupe silhouette), nobility in details – the Superb exudes solidity, respectability, and respect for traditions. This is no longer a Passat with a Skoda emblem serving as a cheaper price tag. And not even a "limousine for the poor".

Inside, there's practically nothing to fault: the interior, as they say, is super! Or rather, it would be correct to say – "superb". Everything for the benefit of people, mainly the passenger. It's no coincidence that after the main part of the route, we journalists were given the opportunity to ride to the hotel as passengers – with a personal driver in a strict suit behind the wheel. And the Superb is that rare case when it's worth talking more about the car from the point of view not so much of the driver, but of the passenger in the back seat. Why – I'll explain a bit later.

The name of the simplest trim level – Comfort – already reflects the undeniable advantage of this model: it is extremely comfortable, and its finish would not disgrace a much more expensive car. The names of the higher trim level – Ambition – and the top version Elegance also speak for themselves: they are equipped even more richly, but this richness is purely functional. There is no place for luxury for the sake of luxury, but there is emphasized respect for the passenger's status. There are no obvious excesses that only flatter the owner's ego, but there is everything necessary for a person accustomed to a high level of comfort – and even a little more.

For example, a special, inconspicuous container in the inner panel of the left rear door for placing and drying (thanks to the drainage system) a wet umbrella, and the umbrella itself as a bonus. As they say, a trifle, but pleasant. Real care, not empty show! If we again resort to the already used comparison, the Superb is, of course, not presidential apartments, but a decent standard room in a five-star hotel. The list of options in addition to the basic equipment is truly endless and includes everything a modern limousine can be equipped with! Therefore, you can make "presidential apartments" out of the car too – as long as you have enough money.

And, of course, special mention deserves the noticeable lengthening and widening of the car's interior space with a slight increase in its external dimensions. Due to the transverse engine layout and the relocation of the gearshift mechanism, there is much more room for the driver's and front passenger's legs, and in the back, legroom has been increased by 19 mm. When you sit in the back seat, even with a height of nearly two meters, the distance from your knees to the back of the front seat is almost as large as in a London cab!

The main (and patented) attraction of this car, which turned it into a kind of box with a secret and made thousands of people click their tongues in surprise and admiration back at the March Geneva Motor Show, is the classic sedan trunk lid, which with an "elegant movement of the hand" turns into the rear door of a hatchback! If you need to place some trifle like a couple of suitcases in the already spacious trunk, you open the lid. And if you need to transport something like a massive armchair – a couple of seconds of holding a special key next to the lock release button, and now the lid goes up together with the rear window. Everything ingenious is simple! True, a natural question arises: why does a limousine need such a door and cargo capacity? An Octavia with such a door would sell like hotcakes. And probably, it will.

The driver, of course, is not forgotten either. It is very convenient for him not only to sit, but also to drive the car. When the engine is started, the speedometer and tachometer needles fly up and describe a circle, reporting full readiness and serviceability of the instruments, which feature beautiful and perfectly readable white markings both day and night. The interior lighting with white diffused light emitted by the CatVision LED system creates a soft and refined atmosphere in the cabin...

As for the driving itself, in this regard too, the character of the Czech flagship is primarily determined by comfort, not driving capabilities. As befits a limousine, the Superb moves smoothly, relaxed, with a sense of self-worth and weight. Moreover, this pleasant feeling of solidity does not disappear even in the version with the most powerful engine, which endows the car with truly sporty dynamics (acceleration to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds). And at the same time, its stateliness does not mean it is bad from the driver's point of view.

On the contrary, it is difficult to find flaws in handling. The steering wheel is moderately weighted, provides a clear sense of the road and a fairly direct connection with the front wheels. There is no rocking. The Superb feels equally confident on a high-speed highway with fast turns, and on a winding mountain road (the test took place on the border of Austria and Germany between Munich and Salzburg, where there is plenty of both) it does not behave like a clumsy fellow. Perhaps, in terms of handling, it is very reminiscent of the VW Passat. However, this is not surprising at all – the Superb is assembled from adapted chassis modules of the modern Octavia (i.e., Golf) and Passat, supplemented with special elements. Hence the familiar suspension operation and verified handling.

Summing up, it remains only to state that the new Superb turned out to be truly magnificent. This is no longer just a car on a new platform, but a quality step for the Skoda brand, even a leap forward. But who needs such a wonderful luxury car if, after all, it is still a Skoda? Even despite the fact that the 1.4-liter version will cost the buyer a relatively affordable price (although overall prices for Czech cars remain exorbitantly high), it is difficult, almost impossible, to imagine a person who needs a car of this class but who would be satisfied with the Skoda emblem on it. And who can't wait for a limousine with a rear door like a hatchback to transport an old armchair to the dacha. And the V6 version is even more doubtful in this regard – after all, the more sophisticated the car, the higher the requirements for its origin. In those circles where they meet you by your clothes (by the same suit from an English tailor, by Armani glasses and Rolex watches...), arriving even in a limousine, but of the Skoda brand, is like coming to a formal dinner in Chinese sneakers and a shirt from the neighboring hypermarket. Sad examples of attempts to break into the luxury segment by the related VW Phaeton or Opel Signum are clear confirmation of this. And how many more years and generations of Superb will be needed to break this banal snobbish stereotype is unknown.

But it's unlikely that either Skoda or the VW Group as a whole employs complete idiots, right? So what is the secret of the new Superb, besides its double rear miracle door? The answer, apparently, is this: in corporate sales. The previous Superb gained popularity in many countries as a taxi, as well as a service vehicle serving government and international organizations, as well as large companies. The new one has everything necessary to multiply this success and become one of the leaders among cars replenishing corporate fleets. And then, perhaps, individuals not from among the snobs will join and keep company with the numerous buyers of mass models Fabia and Octavia...