2017 Skoda Superb vs Volkswagen Passat

What's the difference?

It's genuinely difficult to fault the Superb in this spec, although the front-wheel drive 162TSI version is on par in practical terms and can be had for almost $12,000 less, albeit with fewer toys.

However, the Superb SportLine wants for almost nothing in terms of specs and appointments, and it differs from the regular 206TSI thanks to its subtle, sporting demeanor.

It's flexible, strong and elegant, and it's as practical as any sports utility vehicle on sale today.

Skoda does well with the Superb in relation to the rest of its line up, but even within its own ranks, a coming challenger in the form of the Kodiaq SUV will make life unnecessarily difficult for this well-priced, well-specced wagon.

If you don't need a high-riding 4x4-esque SUV, and you're not concerned about the badge your car wears – or even if you are – you really need to short-list the Superb for a test drive.

Europeans have long had a crush on sportscar wagons and the Passat 206 R-Line represents a good combination of practicality and performance, in a premium package, at good price; an excellent reason not to buy an SUV.

There's a feeling that the Skoda brand has supplemented the now defunct Saab as the thinking driver's car of choice. In fact, Skoda defies its origins as a discount sub-brand of Volkswagen, with almost every vehicle sold locally optioned up like, as Skoda's product manager Kieran Merrigan told us, "a Christmas tree."

The Superb has a bold, masculine, yet friendly shape that manages to avoid being slab-sided and dull. The blacked out presentation of the SportLine variant is nicely underplayed, while the distinctive alloys give the Superb a real presence.

The Superb wagon is an amazingly versatile car that's easy to live with.

Its front end is not a million miles away from the one that adorns its smaller Octavia sibling, but in its wagon guise, the Superb SportLine is a genuine head-turner.

Inside, the Superb is clearly a high-end VW Group car, but the unique seats and sports trim and interesting Skoda touches - door bins, for example - set it apart.

The new-gen Passat sits on the same MQB platform as its Golf, Audi A4 and Skoda Superb Volkswagen Group siblings, only it’s scaled to suit the car. 

The Passat and Superb wagons share a huge amount of DNA but they aren’t identical twins. A quick peek at the dimensions show the Passat wagon to be 89mm shorter than the Superb at 4767mm end-to-end and 32mm narrower at 1832mm wide.

The Passat is also arguably better looking than the Superb. Rumour has it Skoda designers have Post It notes stuck on their computer screens saying, "Don’t forget. Must not be as pretty as a Volkswagen!”

The Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon is easy to pick from the other Passat variants thanks to its sports body kit, LED headlights and specific badges.

If you were to press your face up against the glass you’d see R-Line leather seats, alloy pedals, paddle shifters and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. If this was an airline the interior would be business class – not over the top, but seriously handsome. 

Just an aside, and I know it’s not the done thing, but I think the Superb’s interior is plusher.

The Superb wagon is an amazingly versatile car that's easy to live with. Its electric tailgate opens to reveal a cavernous luggage space; there is 660 litres behind the seats, which expands to 1960 litres when the seats are flipped down.

We love the handy seat releases near the rear door, along with shopping bag hooks, cargo cover, load restraint points, nets and a 12-volt socket. The load cover can interfere when larger bags or boxes are stowed, though, and the Skoda also sports an odd pseudo storage hammock that could easily be deleted.

Storage is plentiful, and there are two cupholders up front and another pair in the flip-down rear centre armrest – though the cupholders are frustratingly tiny in their diameter, defying even a regular can of drink.

Another four bottles can be stashed in the front and rear door pockets.

Rear seaters can also control the climate via temperature adjusters if they so desire. The SportLine even has heated rear outside seats, which also have ISOFIX child seat mounts added to them.

Up front is an inductive phone charging slot; simply place a suitable phone flat on the pad, and the car will charge the phone without a cable. Not only that, but the pad can enhance the signal of the phone. It didn't work with every phone we tried, though, and the slot is too small for huge devices like Apple's iPhone 6S.

If you're worried about ride height, don't be; the Superb cleared our steep drive test front and rear with ease.

The multimedia system has an 8.0-inch touchscreen and easy to use satellite navigation as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Phones are easy to connect and stay connected, too.

Seating is generous and supportive in all positions, with loads of room throughout the car for five people. Rear legroom is a particular standout, with our lanky teen enjoying limo-like space in the back seat.

The Alcantara fabric isn't perhaps as soft and as luxurious as the leather you'd find in the 206TSI 4x4, but it's grippy and comfortable, and cleans up just as easily as the leather, despite having perforations. Don't ask how we tested that...

And as usual, Skoda adds its cool little touches, with small umbrella ports in both front doors and garbage bins in the door pockets, as well as sun shades on the rear side windows.

Oh, and if you're worried about ride height, don't be; the Superb cleared our steep drive test front and rear with ease.

Let’s get straight to the point, the cargo capacity of the Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon is 650 litres and that’s enormous. That’s 35 litres more than the latest Volkswagen Tiguan mid-sized SUV’s boot and 70 litres more than the even bigger Toureg’s cargo space. The Subaru’s Levorg is a smaller wagon, and with only 486 litres can’t match the Passat’s boot capacity. But the Skoda Surperb wagon beats it with 660 litres.

With the rear seats folded flat the luggage capacity of the Passat wagon increases to 1152 litres.

The cabin is cavernous and thanks to a wheelbase of 2791mm rear legroom is limo-like. I’m 191cm tall and can sit behind my driving position with a full hand-span distance between my knees and the seat back.

Many cars are called five seaters – but ask the person mashed in the middle of the back row if they agree and in most cases they’d disagree violently. But it would have to be an extra portly human who would say the same about the Passat wagon.

Headroom is also excellent – even with a sunroof. You couldn’t wear a top hat, but a bowler would fit perfectly.

The centre fold down armrest in the back row has three cupholders – two regular sized and an espresso hugger, while up front there are two more normal cupholders. All doors have big bottle holders.

The ride height of SUV’s tends to make putting small children into car seats and taking them out a lot easier on the back. Having a toddler myself, I know this to be true and would say this is one of the greatest strengths of an SUV. But while the Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon is indeed lower, its rear doorways are large – both wide and tall, with a roofline that’s as flat as a table. That somewhat makes up for the lack of ride height.

It also means just getting yourself in and out is a lot easier – especially good for those who are tall or aren’t as agile as they used to be.

The Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon lists for $59,990 ($2000 more than the sedan) making it the king of a line-up which starts at $35,490. 

You may be paying a lot more than for the entry variant, but the extra dollars unlock the most and best features of the range. 

There’s proximity unlocking, 19-inch 'Verona' alloy wheels, three zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, an 8.0-inch display with the 'Discover Pro' media system that includes sat nav, eight-speaker stereo, reversing camera and parking sensors. 

The standout standard features are the leather seats, the LED headlights, the stunning 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, auto parking and a suite of advanced safety kit.

The Superb 206 TSI lists for $52,690 but doesn’t get some of the Passat's fancier toys like LED headlights and a digital instrument cluster.

Our test car’s optional panoramic sunroof and Harvard Blue metallic paint brought its price up to $62,690.

The same (EA888) 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder motor that powers the VW Golf R is the engine of choice for the SportLine, and it makes the same 206kW as its corporate cousin.

Torque is rated at a hefty 350Nm from a low of 1700rpm, and it hurls the SportLine wagon to 100km/h from rest in a claimed 5.8sec.

It's backed by a six-speed dual clutch transmission and runs a Haldex all-wheel drive (AWD) layout that biases traction to the front wheels. The Superb also has a drive mode select switch that modifies the behaviour of the throttle, gearbox and steering. It also runs adaptive dampers.

Did you just jump straight to this section? Can’t blame you if you did. The Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon engine is a special thing. The 206kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder is the same heart that beats inside the revered Golf R, and like that hot hatch the Passat 206 TSI is all-wheel drive. A six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission shifts gears unfathomably quickly.

The Golf R version of the engine has the same power output but it pulls harder thanks to 30Nm more torque. In the 0-100km/h sprint the Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon trails it by only 0.7s 

Skoda rates the Superb SportLine at 7.3L/100km on the combined fuel economy cycle, and it needs 95RON fuel as a minimum. Its 70-litre tank should yield 958km of range.

Over 380km of testing, the Superb returned 12.2L/100km according to the dash, which is a surprisingly high figure when compared to the claimed average. The majority of the test was conducted with the car in Sport mode, but this has only a marginal effect on consumption.

Serving suggestions – they’re just a guide whether its fuel for your body or for cars. Volkswagen reckons the Passat 206TSI R-Line drinks at an average combined rate of 7.4L/100km. Country roads, highways, the 25km daily city commutes and day care drop offs saw our test car return 13.7L/100km according to the trip computer. Please note: I tend to drive like I'm trying to outrun an atomic blast.

The Golf-R engined Superb belies its size with mid-range urge that would shame a lot of larger capacity engines. It's not as vocal – it's not an RS model, after all – and it's missing a bit of the oomph that Skoda Australia's hot weather tuning takes out of the European spec engine (about 16kW and 30Nm), but it's still a marvel to think this big car has such a relatively small engine under the bonnet.

Its chassis balance is spot on, too, with the 19-inch wheels and 235/40 R19 tyres still offering a decent ride compliance, as well as sharper handling when the dampers are turned up to Sport.

The Superb shrinks around the driver, behaving for the most part like a smaller, more agile car.

The AWD system, too, is a great addition, providing a more stable, connected feel that ties both ends of the car better than the FWD-only versions. Be warned, though – AWD cars need to have all four tyres replaced at the same time, even if you've only worn the fronts or damaged a single tyre.

Steering feel is good, if a little isolated, but overall, the Superb shrinks around the driver, behaving for the most part like a smaller, more agile car.

The Passat 206 TSI R-Line is a bit of a sleeper in that it’s far more powerful and agile than its fairly sedate appearance would let on. Sure, it’s not as quick as a Golf R, and it sure doesn’t feel as ‘chuckable’ as the hot hatch either, but the Passat 206 TSI R-Line is impressively dynamic.

From a standstill there’s only a slight pause between mashing the accelerator and the jump into hyperspace as the turbo spools up and all 350Nm of torque charges in at 1700rpm.

Our test loop through some great bush roads showed the wagon to not only power out of corners well, but the balance, poise and grip is excellent. As we swung it through the corners we could feel its width and length, but in a low-slung grand tourer way.

The ride on 235/40x19 low-profile Pirelli Cinturato P7 tyres is on the firmer side, but you can adjust the suspension from comfort to sport settings for a soft or harder ride. The cabin was quiet even on coarse chip roads, the steering was quick and sharp, and those sports seats were still comfortable and supportive after two hours straight.

A special mention needs to be made about the LED headlights – these are brilliant, literally – the uniform, bright light provides excellent visibility which is so vital on dark Australian country roads.

This latest generation Passat scored a maximum five-star ANCAP rating. Coming standard on the 206 TSI R-Line is some great advanced safety kit such as rear traffic alert, blind spot and lane keeping assistance and auto emergency braking – although this only works at speed under 18km/h.

For child seats there are three top-tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts across the second row.

Under the floor you’ll find a full sized spare alloy wheel along with more tools than you’ll ever need to change the wheel.

Skoda offers a pre-paid 'Service Pack' for the Superb , with a three-year/45,000km plan costing $1299 and a five-year/75,000 plan coming in at $2650.

Service intervals of 15,000km or 12 months are suggested.

The car is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

The Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon is covered by Volkswagen’s three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended at 12 month/15000km intervals. The first five services are capped at $3471 in total.