The Skoda hasn't graced the PH homepage in a while, for which we have to apologise. It isn't that it has been forgotten; on the contrary, it is in constant use and forever doing long journeys here and there, as proven by 15K mileage. For one, it is the most comfortable cruiser on the PH Fleet and the most practical, which means it's perfect for a Sunday Service wagon. In previous updates, it has been to Wales
and Scotland
but generally spends its time toing and froing from various Sunday morning locations fully laden.
It thoroughly reminds me of my uncle's Ford Mondeo estate. Bear with me. It was a car that was barely driven throughout the year, only taking trips down to the MOT station and the odd drive to the tip, but never missed a beat when called to action. The Skoda is one of those cars that does everything asked of it with little trouble at all. Spending most if not all of its time with us packed with kit, the question isn't who wants to drive it but who gets the keys first. Think of it as your favourite jumper, one that is the most comfortable and is the go-to item no matter what you want to do. That is the Skoda Superb. The suspension is a little vague over bigger bumps in its most comfortable setting, and the start/stop function does get caught out if you try to leave a junction quickly, but fettling the driver options into a sportier setting sorts that out.
Our tenure of the Skoda is coming to a close and the cavernous space it will leave is going to be very hard to fill. With the seats down, the Skoda has 1,950 litres of space. Let that sink in. Compare it with two other behemoths in the estate world - the Volvo V90 and the Audi A6, which are both longer than the Skoda - and they pale in comparison in terms of boot space, with 1,526 and 1,680 litres respectively. There really aren't any other options in the car world that can provide more space - so naturally, our sights have turned to vans. Currently we're looking at a VW Caddy, preferably in Viper Green...
Writing about the Skoda remains a genuinely challenging task because it remains such a complete vehicle. Perhaps fuel consumption isn't all that, but let's not forget that this is a 160mph estate that's frequently hauling hundreds of kilos of Sunday Service junk around - including on its roof. Imagine doing that in something a few years older with a V6 and ever getting more than 20mpg; that we're above 25 sounds alright to me.
Journeying around for last weekend's Sunday Service showed off the Skoda at its very best. Around the country lanes at Goodwood it was far more responsive and keen than a vehicle this large has any right to be. On the motorway its biggest issue was a lack of visibility from all the crap in the boot; otherwise it was serenely refined, amply powerful and super comfy. It also has one of the best installations of CarPlay I've yet used. Then at the circuit its wide loading apertures made setting up for a Sunday meet very easy, and then also when unloading all the junk at the self-storage for use as Christmas transport. That the Superb may well be the best looking car Skoda makes seems almost inconsequential given its vast array of abilities.
As Nik said above, the Superb really is going to be tremendously difficult to replace - any ideas?
Car: Skoda Superb 280 Estate
On fleet since: February 2017
Mileage: 15,332
List price new: £35,300 (As tested £40,255 comprising £600 for Canton sound system, £435 for Crew protection assist and rear side airbags, £750 for Dynamic Chassis control, £350 for front and rear parking sensors, £250 for heated front seats, £765 for integrated towbar, £45 for Isofix on front passenger seat, £150 for LED light package rear, £350 for rear-view parking camera, £90 for rear backrest releases from boot, £100 for temporary space saver spare wheel, £150 for variable boot floor, £600 for virtual pedal, £20 for waste bin in door panel and £300 for wireless phone charging with Bluetooth)
Last month at a glance: Up and down and all around - the Skoda has been impressing wherever it has ventured
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