Skoda Superb Review

Few other estate cars on the market match the new Skoda Superb for cabin and boot space, so if hauling big loads or carrying passengers in comfort is top of your priority list, you should absolutely buy a Superb.

While Skoda’s given the latest car’s cabin a total overhaul, complete with posher materials, a large, standard-fit 13-inch touchscreen and digital dashboard, it hasn’t forgotten its sensible roots. 

New for this generation are three physical dials below the touchscreen, each of which sports a 3.4-inch digital screen that can be prodded to change that dial’s function. For example, the outer dials can adjust the seat heating, seat ventilation and temperature on that side of the cabin, while the middle one can adjust the sat-nav map zoom or driving mode. Skoda’s managed to put plenty of functions at your fingertips, without having to take your eyes off the road for a confusing battle with a touchscreen.

The Superb's engine choice is suitably real-world too. Go for the 2.0-litre diesel – yes, diesel – with 150hp and you’ll easily crack 65mpg in the real world, for a tank range of getting on for 900 miles. The 1.5-litre, 150hp petrol option makes easy progress but sounds a little coarse when revved, but things smooth out if you pick the plug-in hybrid Superb. This mates the same petrol engine with an electric motor, and it can manage about 60 miles on electric power alone and can fast-charge at a rate that’d leave most other PHEVs lallygagging at the three-pin plug socket.

The 2024 Superb is the first of Skoda’s range to showcase the brand’s new cabin design. It’s dominated by a 13-inch touchscreen which is easy to navigate and has a handy row of shortcuts in the top corner. Pleasingly, all the climate controls are handled by those smart dials underneath it – no more swiping at virtual controls in the dark like in other Volkswagen Group models. The infotainment system packs wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both of which look… superb on the big, sharp and vibrant screen.

There’s a fair bit of premium tech on the options list – there’s a head-up display which reflects your speed and sat-nav directions in the windscreen, while heated and cooled massage seats are also there for the taking if you fancy splashing out.

A wireless charging mat is standard on all models too, with a faster-than-usual charging rate of 15W, with fans to stop your phone overheating. Perhaps the most unusual – but welcome – inclusion is a screen-cleaning microfibre block in the capacious centre armrest, ideal for removing greasy fingerprints from that big touchscreen.

The tech isn’t limited to your front-seat occupants either – rear-seat passengers get a couple of USB-C ports, optional heated rear seats and there’s even a ‘sleep pack’, which adds flip-out cushions on each side of the headrests, letting you slump sideways and snooze without headbutting the rear windows. They’re not the most comfortable things, but we’d rather have the option than not at all.

Overall, the Superb’s cabin ambience feels posh, and there are various options for interior upholstery, including a sporty-looking microsuede covering for the armrest and dashboard. Top-spec L&K models get dark brown leather across the same areas, for an Audi-beating feel.

If the Superb had legs it’d be strolling into our practicality section with the cocksure arrogance of a cowboy at a hat party. The latest Superb Estate has a 690-litre boot, complete with a new load cover that automatically opens and closes with the boot lid. It’s one of those boots that will swallow a family of four’s holiday gubbins without breaking a sweat, and there’s even a bit of space under the floor for a spacesaver spare wheel. Handy levers at the side mean you can fold the rear seats down without performing the impossible task of reaching in through the boot opening to push the seats down, and there’s a 12-volt socket for powering electrical devices.

Despite having a boot the size of a paddock, your rear-seat passengers are also given the Duchy Organic free-range treatment. Legroom is bafflingly generous, as is headroom – though any adults over 6’4” may bump their heads on the ceiling when the panoramic sunroof is fitted. The rear-centre armrest can come equipped with a clever tablet rest, letting your kids watch one iPad while on trips.

Elsewhere in the cabin you’ll find plenty of storage, including big door bins that can hold 1.5-litre bottles. It's worth noting that even the rear door bins are felt-lined to stop things rattling around. A large ‘jumbo box’ under the front armrest has a couple of shelves and holders for mobile phones, as well as that infotainment-cleaning microfibre brick.

Skoda’s brought out a new plug-in hybrid engine option for the 2024 Superb. It’s a mix of a 1.5-litre petrol engine with 150hp and an electric motor built into the gearbox. Unlike many other plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), this one can manage 60 miles on electric power, and can fast-charge at up to 40kW, meaning you can top the battery up in about 25 minutes, rather than relying on a three-pin plug for an overnight fill. 

In use, the PHEV system works well, with no jolt as it switches between electric and petrol power, and it can happily use electric power at motorway speeds. There’s no unseemly jerkiness as you pull away, but despite packing a total of 204hp you don’t get a real shove in the back from the electric motor as you would in an equivalent Peugeot 508 SW.

Elsewhere, Skoda’s kept the engine line-up remarkably traditional. There’s a 1.5-litre petrol with 150hp, and some 2.0-litres with 204hp and 265hp – the latter coming with four-wheel drive. 

Unusually for 2024, there’s a pair of 2.0-litre diesels, well suited to long-distance motorway loafing. The front-wheel-drive 150hp option will crack 65mpg in the real world (hello 900-mile tank range), while the 193hp version brings four-wheel-drive to the party. The 193hp option is surprisingly hushed when you accelerate hard, whereas the 150hp one sounds a bit lumpy at low speeds, but smooths out to be quiet at a cruise. Both are fast enough for real-world driving.

One thing you won’t find with any of the Superb’s engine choices is a manual gearbox. All are seven-speed dual-clutch automatics, save for the PHEV which gets a six-speed item.

The Superb’s more refined at a motorway cruise than ever, which means it’s quiet and mostly comfortable. Even with the optional adaptive dampers of our test car set to comfort, we found the ride occasionally a bit jarring over bumps – but it wouldn't put us off recommending one as a long-distance companion. L&K models with their larger 19-inch wheels are more susceptible to occasional jolts in the cabin on rough roads, while lesser models with 17- and 18-inch wheels were smoother over the cobbled streets of our test route in Lisbon.

Despite measuring 4.9 metres long, the new Superb is an easy car to park, thanks to a standard-fit reversing camera (complete with a washer jet to stop it getting covered in road grime). Top-spec L&K models get a top-down 360-degree camera which further eases parking, but good all-round visibility and big door mirrors mean you’ll rarely feel clumsy tackling the local supermarket car park whichever model you choose. New nanosensor radars in the sides of the front bumper help give long-range warning of oncoming cyclists, pedestrians and cars when you're nosing out of junctions or driveways, while standard-fit adaptive cruise control takes some of the strain out of long drives.

Perhaps surprisingly for a Skoda, you also get heated front massage seats as standard with plenty of adjustment, and you can upgrade to cooled seats – we didn’t find the cooling effect to be as dramatic as in a top-spec Kia, but it’s a nice thing to have. Rear window blinds are also on the option list to keep your passengers cool on summer road trips.