Skoda Superb proves pure luxury to Chauffeurs

The words luxury and Skoda have never gone together and unfortunately you mentioned the ‘S’ word to anyone and you still get bombarded with breakdown jokes and wise cracks about poverty.

We all know these are decades old and its common knowledge the brand has been an outstanding one in recent years – and now the new Skoda Superb model continues that trend. We recently announced that a Chauffeur firm in Ireland has purchased 140 of them – so that is a testament in itself as to what to expect from this car.

When the Superb was launched in 2002, there is no way any chauffeur on this planet would have got into the drivers seat – due to its famous history of being cheap and unreliable.

I met my first ‘Superb’ chauffeur in 2003, he offered a traditional service, (with hat and gloves) and drove a fully-loaded Skoda in perfect condition. This was one of the first companies to recognise that some clients didn’t actually worry about the badge on the bonnet, as long as they got to their final destination safely and promptly.

Now, the all-new model brings even higher quality materials, better engine performance and economy and a rather bizarre boot configuration (a unique ‘twindoor’ system which gives you a hatch and a saloon in one vehicle) in which after spending seven days with the car – I still don’t see the point!

Council leaders, private hire, taxi drivers and more chauffeur companies have been flocking to the dealerships to get their hands on the new Superb which has already won 30 prestigious awards worldwide. It goes head-to-head with the likes of the Ford Mondeo, Citroen C5, Renault Laguna and Vauxhall Insignia. However, the Superb is both more spacious and has a larger boot than all its rivals and even offers more rear legroom than a standard Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Priced from a mere £15,500, our first press demo model had an endless list of equipment and housed the 2.0 TDi engine producing a whopping 50mpg and had a price tag of just over £23,000. Skoda has got it perfect – and it has done this by offering all of the creature comforts you would expect from a much more expensive German luxury saloon.

A brand-new touch-screen sat nav and entertainment system is offered which is fast and easy to use, full electric seats, climate, adaptive Zenon headlamps and an excellent parking aid system which I have only ever seen in a £90,000 Lexus.

From the outside, the new design is a great improvement. Sat alongside more popular luxury saloons, it certainly doesn’t look out of place as its long-wheelbase gives it a distinctive prestigious look. When driving our press vehicle, I was surprised when a passer-by had a double-take at the badge then told me he thought it was a BMW – surely this means a successful result already for the Skoda brand?

The engine in our 2.0 TDi was punchy and extremely economical, however much like the other models within the Skoda range, it does sound rather taxi-like on the outside, but when inside the cosy cabin, it’s quiet and comfortable. We have however had the pleasure of experience the flagship model, the 3.6 V6 version which is basically all of the above, but on steroids.

Housed under the bonnet is a whopping 3.6 V6 four-wheel drive version offering 260 bhp, which is a much smoother and refined engine than the diesel, but only delivering 30mpg you would have to be a real petrol head to choose this model. It is a pity that the 2.5 TDI V6 which was offered in its predecessor is not on the list this time round – as it offered a punchier engine with diesel economy.

This is touching the surface of what luxuries the beautifully bolted Superb offers – so what does the car offer the paying passenger when they are parting with their hard-earned cash?

Well, the legroom factor is probably the biggest selling-point. Sitting in the back amongst the wonderfully stitched leather, you would be hard-pushed to find another vehicle with this amount of space without spending £60,000, and nice touches still exist such as the umbrella neatly stored in the near-side rear door.

The long rear window behind the B-pillar proves the amount of legroom from the outside – so the £200 option of a rear and side blinds is a must and with a choice of silver paint and black leather, you have truly got yourself a great budget chauffeur car.

Paul Gibson