Skoda Superb vs Volvo V90

What's the difference?

If you’re part of the endangered species who wants to continue to go against the crowd and pick a sedan or wagon over an SUV - the Superb is about as good as it gets without spending luxury car money.

It’s slick and classy, refined and practical, it’s dollops of fun on a curvy road, and more entertaining than its most direct rivals. Frankly, it’s hard to see why you shouldn’t look at the Superb if your budget stretches far enough for it.

Remember to check back in early 2025 closer to the Superb’s launch in Australia for our final verdict and some of the missing details, but for now this is one is worth keeping an eye out for.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The V90 Cross Country is a carefully considered, hugely practical, and sleek full-size wagon. It has power to shift a family and all that goes with it, along with leading edge safety for maximum protection. The engine could be quieter, the ride smoother, and the warranty longer. But if you're thinking about a premium five-seat SUV, we suggest checking out the passenger car driveability this Volvo offers.

There are numerous styling tweaks for the new-generation car, but at a distance it’s hardly a revolution from the outgoing version. Skoda sticks to a pretty conservative formula for its core range of vehicles.

In the metal and up-close, I reckon it looks fresh and understated, perhaps even a little stately with its extra length. After all, the Superb has a more important role to fill than ever before for the VW Group with the departure of the Passat.

Key changes include more sleek and compact light fittings, new wheel designs and a tweaked grille.

Inside, some of the most notable changes are the new screens and software, but there’s also a more elegant treatment for the dash, which uses an interesting pattern to cover the air vents and separate the upper and lower sections.

There’s also a notable increase in soft-touch materials. The brand also says 100 per cent of the textiles used in its new interior are made of recycled fibres.

New wheel and column-mounted switchgear helps keep the centre console clear, and key climate hardware makes a glorious return in a set of tidy multi-function dials.

Three people have led Volvo's drive towards its current ultra-cool design look and feel. Thomas Ingenlath is Volvo's long-time chief design officer (and CEO of the brand's performance car subsidiary, Polestar), Robin Page is head of Volvo design, and Maximilian Missoni oversees exterior design.

In a rare case of healthy designer egos not getting in the way of a positive outcome, this trio has developed a classically simple, Scandinavian approach combining echoes of Volvos past, like the large grille, complete with 'Iron Mark' logo, and current signature elements including the dramatic 'Thor's Hammer' LED headlights and lengthy tail-light clusters.

The Cross Country off-roady bit comes courtesy of black wheelarch over-fenders, with the same shade applied to the window glass surrounds, front air vents, side skirts and lower section of the rear bumper.

Inside, the look is cool and sophisticated, with clean form working hand-in-hand with straight-forward function. The colour palette runs from brushed metal highlights, through grey, to black.

Our test vehicle featured three option packages, with two impacting interior presentation. All the details are listed in the price and value section below, but in terms of the cabin, the 'Premium Pack' adds a panoramic glass sunroof, and tinted rear glass, while the 'Luxury Pack' brings ventilated 'Perforated Comfort Seats' trimmed in (partial) nappa leather (the standard trim is nappa leather 'accented'... without the perforations).

The overall feel is composed and serene, with a layered approach to the dash including a mix of soft-touch materials and 'metal mesh' highlight elements.

A 9.0-inch centre touchscreen is portrait oriented with large vertical vents either side, and a 12.3-inch digital driver display sits inside a compact instrument binnacle.

The seats look inviting with raised stitching defining neatly sculpted panels, the curved head restraints another characteristic Volvo touch.

Overall, the V90's design is carefully considered and understated, but far from boring. It's great to look at on the outside, while the interior is as calming as it is efficient.

For a start, The dials go a long way to making the interior much more pragmatic and functional, particularly for the driver, compared to almost every other VW Group product.

Not only do they provide physical hardware for ease of adjustment, you can also press them down to switch what they control. It’s even customisable via the centre screen if you don’t want to have to click through all the options all the time.

I’d go so far as to say the Skoda interior features are the best the brand has to offer. It features the best of the new stalks, screens, and touch-based light function buttons, without the inconvenience and distraction of the touch sliders which appear in VWs and Cupras.

Let’s also not forget the brand’s signature ‘simply clever’ touches, of which there are new ones. Yes, of course the umbrella is still hidden in the door, but there’s now also a little screen cleaning eraser block in the centre console (a genuinely great idea in the era of touchscreens which I’ve never seen before), a set of removable floating caddies in the armrest console (which Skoda refers to as the ‘Jumbo Box’ thanks to its 5.5-litre capacity), integrated rear window shades, Velcro cargo brackets in the boot and removable bins in the front door pockets.

The rear seat offers an enormous amount of room for myself behind my own driving position at 182cm tall, and there’s no shortage of leg and headroom. Unfortunately there is a raise in the floor to allow for all-wheel drive, making it squishy for an adult in that centre rear position.

Aside from the integrated window shades, the Superb also gets a set of three pockets on the backs of each front seat, mounting brackets for tablets or game consoles (great for kids) and a small touch panel on the back of the console for the rear climate zone.

There are also adjustable air vents and USB-C outlets for charging. Large bottle holders appear in each door, with a further two in the armrest, which also has a flip-out tray with a little phone holder.

The liftback still benefits from an impressive 645-litre luggage capacity, while the wagon balloons to 690 litres while adding that hatch opening back, larger and more useful than most mid-size SUVs.

Towing will be possible, although we don’t yet have figures for the new car, as it is subject to change in line with Australian design rules.

At just over 4.9m long, more than 2.0m wide, and a touch taller than 1.5m the V90 CC is a substantial wagon providing seating for five, ample cargo space, and lots of thoughtful touches to help ease the daily grind.

Those in front enjoy heaps of space as well as a centre console incorporating two cupholders, an oddments tray, two USB ports (one to enable Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connection and one for charging only) and a 12-volt socket, all able to be hidden by an elegant, roll-top cover. A similar, smaller cover rolls over a coin tray near the gearshift.

There's also a decent (cooled) glovebox, generous door bins with room for large bottles, and a small lidded box on the lower dash to the right of the steering wheel.

Switch to the rear and the 'roomy' theme continues. Sitting behind the driver's seat set for my 183cm (6.0ft) position I had plenty of leg and headroom, and the width of the car means three average-sized adults can populate the back seat without resorting to uncomfortable contortion.

A centre flip-down armrest houses a pair of pop-put cupholders, an oddments tray and a lidded storage box. But the modest door bins are too narrow for normal size bottles. On the upside, though, parents of small children everywhere will welcome the standard perforated pull-up blinds for each rear door window.

There are also netted map pockets on the back of the front seats, plus adjustable air vents at the back of the centre console and supplementary vents in the B-pillars. Our car's Versatility Pack option added a three-pin 220-volt power outlet at the base of the tunnel console, too.

Then, there's the business end, with the V90 coughing up 560 litres of boot space with the rear seats upright. More than enough to swallow our three-piece hard suitcase set (35, 68 and 105 litres) or the jumbo-size CarsGuide pram, or various combinations of the two.

With the second row 60/40 split-folding rear seat (with through port) down that grows to a substantial 913 litres. And that's measured to top of seat height. If you're loading up to the headlining those numbers stretch out to 723L/1526L.

Plus, there's a 12-volt outlet, bright lighting, a stretchy retaining strap on the right-hand wall, strategically placed shopping bag hooks and tie-down anchors at each corner of the floor.

The Versatility Pack option also adds a 'grocery bag holder' which is a piece of pure Nordic genius. It's essentially a flip-up board that pops out from the cargo floor with two bag hooks at the top and pair of elasticised retaining straps across its width. For small shopping loads it keeps things secure without the need to bring in a full cargo retaining net.

And to make lowering the rear seat and opening up that extra volume easier, the Versatility Pack also brings a pair of power control buttons for rear seat folding located near the rear door.

The space-saver spare is located under the floor, and if you're hitching things to the back, maximum tow weight for a braked trailer is 2500kg and 750kg unbraked.

Icing on the practicality cake is a handsfree power operated tailgate, which combines foot-under-the-rear-bumper auto opening with buttons in the door's lower edge to close it and lock the car.

The question of value in the V90 Cross Country can't be considered without thinking about competitors, and the all-wheel drive premium wagon concept is available above, below, and in line with the Volvo's $80,990 (before on-road costs) price tag.

For $112,800 the Mercedes-Benz E220 All-Terrain offers a similar size package, also powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. It's a well-equipped, luxury-focused offering, but can't match the Volvo for power and torque.

Audi's A4 allroad 45 TFSI is comparable at $74,800, but smaller than the Volvo in every key measure, and its petrol engine can't match the V90's grunt.

Then the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack 140TDI is yet another Euro all-wheel drive 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four, but this time the cost of entry is 'just' $51,290. Appreciably smaller than the Volvo it's a less powerful but neatly resolved option.

So, in terms of standard equipment we'll cover active and passive safety in the safety section below, but aside from that the features list includes: nappa leather accented trim, power-adjustable and heated front seats (with memory and adjustable lumbar support), a leather accented steering wheel and gear selector, four-zone climate control, satellite navigation, and 10-speaker high-performance audio (with digital radio plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity). A voice control function enables hands-free management of media, phone, nav and climate.

There's also keyless entry and start, the handsfree power operated tailgate, a rear sunblind, LED headlights (with 'Active Bending' function), LED tail-lights, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, 20-inch alloy rims, a 360-degree camera (including reversing camera), 'Park Assist Pilot + Park Assist' (front and rear), plus the 9.0-inch centre touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument display.

Then on top of that lot, our test car was loaded with three option packs. The 'Premium Pack' ($5500) adds a power panoramic sunroof, tinted rear glass, and Bowers & Wilkins 15-speaker premium audio.

The 'Versatility Pack' ($3100) adds the grocery bag holder in the boot, a compass in the rear view mirror, the power folding rear backrest, a power outlet in the tunnel console, and rear air suspension.

Plus, the 'Luxury Pack' ($2000) tips in power side support and a massage function in the front seats, a heated steering wheel, and ventilated 'Comfort Seats' with perforated nappa leather accented upholstery.

Squeeze in 'Crystal White' metallic paint ($1900), and you're looking at an 'as-tested' price of $93,490 before on-road costs.

Only one engine will be available in Australia, a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four producing a punchy 195kW/400Nm, a slight upgrade on the outgoing car. It drives all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Aside from this tweaked powertrain, the new car also has some structural enhancements thanks to its merging onto the new VW Group 'MQB Evo' platform which comes with tweaks to chassis rigidity, suspension, as well as new adaptive dampers.

The V90 Cross Country is powered by Volvo's (D4204T23) 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, twin-turbo diesel engine.

It's an all-alloy, direct-injection unit producing 173kW at 4000rpm and 480Nm from 1750-2250rpm.

Drive goes to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and Volvo's fifth-generation, electronically-controlled all-wheel drive system (including off-road mode).

We don’t have official figures for the Australian market, or even for this engine in the European market as it hasn’t started production yet (we tested 2.0-litre diesel AWD versions for this review).

Don’t expect it to stray too far from the roughly 8.0L/100km the outgoing car scores on the official combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle. The new engine will continue to require mid-shelf 95 RON unleaded petrol.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 5.7L/100km, the V90 CC emitting 149g/km of CO2 in the process.

Despite an standard auto stop-start system, after close to 300km of city, suburban and freeway driving, the on-board read-out settled on an average of 8.8L/100km. Using that number, the 60-litre tank provides a theoretical range of 680km.

The Superb is just that when you get it out on the road. While it might look like a plain old sedan or wagon, it drives with quite some finesse.

For this test we weren’t able to sample the 195TSI 2.0-litre turbo-petrol which will come to our market. We drove a 2.0-litre diesel instead.

It still had quite a bit of get up and go, and we’ve driven the 195TSI in other vehicles to be confident enough to say it will remove the occasional turbo lag we experienced.

Regardless, some of the best changes to the Superb are in its suspension, steering and underpinnings. This is a tight, reactive car, with a confident long wheelbase, heaps of grip and sharp steering.

Unlike some smaller vehicles which share the same components, you can feel the Superb’s weight and breadth shift around a little more in the corners. But it does so with a pleasing amount of grace, and powers out of corners in such a way that it’s hard not to have a smile on your face.

This is a car which is pragmatic in the day-to-day, but also a dollop of fun on a curvy road. As you sit nice and low and feel a lot more connected to the road than you do in one of Skoda’s SUVs for example, the Superb is perfect for the ex-hot-hatch driver.

Ride-wise this big car proved very comfortable in our time with it. The suspension components have been upgraded for this new generation version, but so has chassis rigidity.

It’s hard to draw a definitive line through refinement, though, as the European roads on which we were testing our cars are much better sealed than Australian tarmac. Still the Superb soaked what few bumps were there up with ease.

There’s even a notable increase in refinement, thanks to acoustic lamination on the windows, and even the diesel version’s engine note was quite distant.

The drive experience here is hard to fault. Sure, this is a big car with a bit of weight to throw around, but it proved to be confident, graceful and comfortable, at least on the European roads we tested it on.

From the minute you hit the starter button there's no doubt a diesel engine resides under the V90's bonnet. This iteration of the 2.0-litre twin-turbo hasn't been around all that long, so its rather noisy character comes as a surprise. But once you get past that first impression, selecting D and extending your right ankle results in spirited acceleration.

Volvo claims 0-100km/h in 7.5sec, which is especially quick for a 1.9-tonne wagon, and with a grunty 480Nm of peak torque on tap in the suburban sweet spot - just 1750-2250rpm (with much of it hanging around beyond that), plenty of urge is always available. Continue pressing on and peak power (173kW) arrives at 4000rpm.

Add in slick changes from the eight-speed auto and this Volvo is a sleeper for the traffic light grand prix.

But once you've calmed down and settled into the urban crawl, the V90 CC's relatively patchy ride quality starts to make its presence felt.

It's the smaller bumps, holes and joins that typify urban Aussie roads that upset the V90. Suspension is double wishbone front, with an integral link and transverse leaf spring set-up at the back, and even with the optional air suspension fitted to the rear of our example, the car doesn't lead the pack for ride comfort.

Part of that could be down to the standard 20-inch rims shod with 245/45 Pirelli P Zero rubber. There's plenty of grip available with the variable all-wheel drive system obviously doing its bit to put the power where it's most useful. The electrically-assisted steering points nicely and delivers excellent road feel, but that niggling jiggling is always there. Interesting to note 19-inch alloys are a no-cost option.

Other than the engine sticking its nose in, the cabin is calm and relaxed. The seats feel super firm on first contact, but provide brilliant comfort over lengthy stretches. The brakes are disc all around, ventilated at the front (345mm fr/320mm rr) and the pedal is progressive and confidence inspiring.

Ergonomics are excellent, with the V90's dash and console controls and dials striking a user-friendly balance between screens and conventional buttons. The configurable digital instrument cluster is a stand-out.

Volvo and safety are words that mesh like finely machined gears, and the C90 doesn't disappoint in terms of standard active and passive safety tech.

The car hasn't been assessed by ANCAP, but Euro NCAP gave it a maximum five-star score in 2017, in the process the V90 becoming the first car ever to score a full six points in the Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) for Pedestrians test.

As well as AEB (pedestrian, city, and inter-urban) the list of crash-avoidance features includes, ABS, EBA, 'Emergency Brake Light' (EBL), stability and traction controls, 'Intellisafe Surround' ('Blind Spot Information' with 'Cross Traffic Alert' and 'Collision Warning' front and rear with mitigation support), adaptive cruise control (including Pilot Assist lane guidance), 'Distance Alert', 360-degree camera (including rear parking camera), 'Park Assist Pilot + Park Assist' (front and rear), 'Hill Start Assist', 'Hill Descent Control', rain-sensing wipers, 'Steering Support', 'Oncoming Lane Mitigation', and 'Intersection Collision and Oncoming Mitigation' (with 'Brake Support'). Phew...

But if an impact is unavoidable you're supported by seven airbags (front, front side, curtain and driver's knee), Volvo's 'Side Impact Protection System' (energy absorbing body frame system working in concert with side and curtain airbags), neatly integrated child booster cushions (x2), a 'Whiplash Protection System' (seat and head restraint impact absorption), an active bonnet to minimise pedestrian injuries, as well as three top-tether points across the rear seat back with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions for child seats and baby capsules.

Expect Skoda to continue with its seven-year and unlimited kilometre warranty. It’s the first Euro brand to offer such a warranty, and hence moves the game forward and puts pressure on its most direct rivals to do the same.

Expect the usual pre-packaged service plans, although pricing and details will be revealed closer to the Superb’s launch window in 2025.

Volvo offers a three year/unlimited km warranty across its new car model range, including roadside assistance for the duration. Not outstanding when you consider the majority of mainstream brands are now at five years/unlimited km.

But, on the upside, once the warranty runs out, if you have your car serviced at an authorised Volvo dealer each year you receive a 12-month extension to the roadside assist coverage.

Service is recommended every 12 months/15,000km (whichever comes first) with a Volvo Service Plan covering scheduled servicing for the V90 over the first three years or 45,000km for $1895 (inc GST).