Skoda Superb 206TSI 4x4 wagon 2016 review

The heart of a Volkswagen Golf R hot hatch has been wrapped in a family wagon.

Explore the 2016-2017 Skoda Superb Range

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Value

The RRP of $52,690 plus on-road costs coincidentally puts the top-line Skoda within $50 of the $52,740 Volkswagen Golf R hot hatch which shares its 206kW turbocharged four-cylinder engine, DSG and AWD. Standard fare includes radar cruise control, a sensor key, rear-view camera with turning lines, Apple Car Play, built-in navigation, and paddle shifters on the sports steering wheel. Service intervals are 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first, at $315 per visit (a competitive $945 over the first three years). Warranty is three years/unlimited km. A factory-backed extended warranty is optional. The biggest cost after buying the car, though, is a weak resale value: the Skoda has far greater depreciation than other established brands.

Comfort

The Superb is nothing short of huge, inside and out. It has the biggest cargo area in the class (1950L with the rear seats folded flat) and there’s more back seat leg room than a Holden Caprice limousine. The cabin materials have a quality feel. Other nice touches: a ticket holder on the windscreen, a waste bin attachment in the driver’s door pocket and a chilled centre console. It’s also hush quiet on the move, despite riding on 19-inch wheels with low profile tyres.

Safety

Automatic emergency braking is standard but nine airbags and a five-star safety rating will help protect you if the worst should happen. Oddly, some safety items such as lane keeping, blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert are bundled in a $3400 “tech pack” that includes 12-speaker premium audio, hands-free tailgate opening (it uses a foot swipe), stop-and-go traffic jam assistance, advanced suspension and automated parking.

The Skoda is roomier than the Mazda6, Subaru Liberty and VW Passat wagons it competes against.

Driving

The Superb 206TSI 4X4 is marginally slower in the 0 to 100kmh dash than the VW Golf R (a claimed 5.8 seconds versus 5.0) because it weighs 1600kg versus the hatchback’s 1435kg. We didn’t get the opportunity to put a timing device on it, but we suspect it may be a touch slower than the 5.8-second claim. Acceleration is smooth once moving, although there is the trademark hesitation from the DSG on take-off. And the suspension was quiet until we hit a decent bump, which would send a loud thud through the car, especially while accelerating.

Alternatives

The Skoda is roomier than the Mazda6, Subaru Liberty and VW Passat wagons it competes against. That’s Skoda’s modus operandi: offer more metal for the money. The catch, unfortunately, is that Skoda is still not yet a sought after brand on the used market, which hurts resale value. So haggle extra hard on the way in, in the hope you lose less on the way out.