Czech-ing the Right Boxes: First Drive Review

On the twists and turns of the climb up to Madikeri, the new car feels softer than its predecessor. I got the distinct feeling that the older car might have been sharper but one quick glance at the speedo when going through bends told me in no uncertain terms that the new Superb is a superbly dynamic car. It corners like its on rails and body roll is minimal. The electro-mechanic power steering, though light, is full of feedback. You are always aware of exactly where the wheels are. The softer suspension set up also means that the ride quality has improved greatly, something of great significance in the Indian context. Passengers are cosseted from all road irregularities and only the largest of bumps will catch the car out. And that’s a great thing because in the Superb the excellent ride quality doesn’t come at the cost of compromised handling.

To bring this 2,060-kilo sedan (kerb weight 1,565 kg) to a stop there are disc brakes all around, naturally. The brakes offer plenty of bite and more than enough progression. You know exactly how much more pressure you can exert on the large brake pedal before ABS will kick in. At the end of a full day of driving there is no doubt that as a product what Skoda have here is an out and out winner. There is a but however. Two in fact. One is Skoda’s long standing legacy of poor after sales. Admittedly the company is trying hard to reverse that image but it isn’t easy and this will make the Superb’s work harder. Two, the top-of-the-line Superb carries a sticker of Rs 29,36,850, ex-showroom Mumbai. At that price, whatever the strengths of the product, the value of the badge is a big consideration and there Skoda is not up there where it needs to be to compete with the next class. That consideration aside, there is no doubt that the new Skoda Superb could easily be the best in next class.

:: Technical Data ::

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