With some of the best wheels around, Skoda is no joke, says Andrew Hamilton. He checks out the marque's new flagship
Some journalists writing about Skoda still feel the obligation to be funny. For most of us, though, it's just not on and we think a more serious attitude is overdue by media people - and indeed by everyone else. Skoda is once again a venerated Czech manufacturer that is wholly-owned by Volkswagen and the latest offering, the Superb, is a powerful testimony to just how much of a class act it is.
Superb is aimed at the heart of the upper-medium sector, starting with cars like the Ford Mondeo and the VW Passat and extending to loftier heights like those occupied by the Peugeot 607, Opel Omega and Toyota Camry.
There is probably not another marque on the planet that has undergone a greater transformation than that enjoyed by Skoda. About 20 years ago, Skodas were decrepit, styleless cars bought by those who couldn't afford anything else. The Estelle - who remembers it? - offered one of the least pleasant experiences in driving history.
The Superb models that we drove last week were a quantum leap away from the Estelle but that's hardly a surprise. Skoda produces some of the best wheels on sale these days. Its Fabia hatchback for instance, is the best small car that money can buy. It's pioneering too, because under the smart, roomy body lies the bones of the all-new Volkswagen Polo that is about to make its Irish debut.
Superb is Skoda's flagship car, and like all Czech-built models it is based on an existing Volkswagen - in this case a Passat, with a stretched platform. In styling, there's a conspicuous difference with a chromed grille and flamboyant trapezoidal-shaped headlamps creating the distinction. Superb is wider as well as longer than the Passat.
Its refined driving manners are very reminiscent of the Passat, which is hardly surprising, considering that the six-engine range of petrol and diesels is carried over unchanged from the VW. The base version is a 115 bhp 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrol, while the two other petrol models have 150 bhp turbocharged 1.8 litre four-cylinder and 193 bhp 2.8 litre V6 engines. The three turbodiesels have 100 and 130 bhp versions of the 1.9 litre four-cylinder pumpe-duse engine as well as a 155 bhp 2.5 litre V6.
We didn't get an opportunity to drive the entry-level 115 bhp 2.0 litre car: it wasn't presented at the international press launch. But the 2.5 litre V6 diesel, mated to an automatic Tiptronic gearbox, provided smooth and lively acceleration, and there was an abundance of low-down torque that was useful for overtaking.
The Superb's winning ways aren't just represented in the driving. The cabin and particularly the fascia, has the sort of opulence that suggests a luxury saloon. But most outstanding is the amount of interior space, especially for rear-seat passengers. The extended wheelbase has provided them with cross-the-legs comfort. Boot capacity is commodious too, at 462 litres which is the same as for the Passat.
The Superb is being marketed with three distinct trim levels: Classic, Comfort and Elegance. Air conditioning is standard across the range, and so too is a trip computer. Customers opting for Elegance get Xenon headlamps, electric seats with memory function, automatic air conditioning, a CD sound system, rain-activated wipers and 17-inch alloy wheels. A full leather trim is optional.
This new Skoda goes on Irish sale in early July. There's no word yet on Irish pricing, and Skoda sales manager Colin Sheridan is reticent about giving even an approximate idea of what the entry-level car might be. However, in the UK, a tag of around £15,000 sterling has been mooted. Allowing for a more extensive tax situation here, €29,000 may not be to far off the mark.
He is reluctant to say just how many sales Superb will represent for the second half of this year: "The problem is going to be getting product. There simply will not be enough cars to go round." Production at the Czech plant has been fixed at a fairly conservative 35,000 cars annually, and in Britain supplies will be limited to only 1,000 cars a year.
Superb, even with its limited numbers, is still going to be a superb ambassador for Skoda in Ireland and elsewhere. Since Motor Distributors Limited took over as Skoda Irish importers in 1993, just under 20,000 cars have gone on Irish roads. Models like the Fabia and Octavia have already done a hugely successful job at influencing and winning the customers. Happy times indeed for Skoda, which really has had the last laugh.