Skoda Superb Combi - rides like a nobleman, but the trunk is more important

Almost immediately after the sedan, the Czechs showed a combined version of the new generation of their top model - Superb Combi. The Superb Combi is 50mm shorter due to a different rear bumper and the wheelbase is the same. An 80 mm longer wheelbase over the outgoing model adds 15 mm more rear knee room. Optional - 19-inch wheels, standard 16-inch. Unfortunately, full LED headlights are not available even as a paid option, but the long headlights can be adjusted with a simple mechanism. Among the options is a panoramic glass roof with a length of 1364 mm and a width of 870 mm.

Technically, the two cars are identical, and in the case of the second, the trunk is the most important. This is a whole cave 110 cm deep from the edge of the torso to the back of the rear seat and almost that wide. From the floor to the bottom line of the windows, the volume is 660 liters, which is 27 liters more than the previous station wagon. Load height 620 mm. Access is through a nearly one-meter-long opening, and the door opens automatically if you walk a little under the bumper. And do it - objects up to 3.1 m long can be loaded diagonally into the back of the car! Inside there is a table with hooks for hanging, including opening ones. There is a “basement” in the floor - at the bottom there is a spare wheel, and above it there is a very spacious compartment.

The new generation Superb Combi also benefits from next generation engines and MQB modular platform technology. This allowed the car to become more powerful, more dynamic and more economical. The new engines are more compact, lighter and offer an 88 kW / 120 hp power range. and 206 kW / 280 hp, all variants are equipped with a stop-start system and energy recovery as standard.

For its new brainchild, Skoda (www.skodabook.ru/en) offers a full range of petrol engines, starting with a four-cylinder 1.4-liter TSI with 125 hp. 1.8 liter engine with 180 hp. impresses with its quiet operation even at wide open throttle and accelerates the car to maximum speed quite convincingly.

The manual transmission allows the maximum torque of 320 Nm to be transmitted to the wheels of the 1.8 TSI engine, while the version with the DSG dual-clutch robotic box handles much less - 250 Nm.

There were four of us in the cabin of the two-liter station wagon, but this did not bother the 220 “horses” of the bike, which even with the DSG box drove the car like a 1.8-liter with a “horse”. The higher power felt best on the track, where the 200 caught even faster than the 1.8 with two people.

The Superb (description) is even quieter in its new generation, possibly due to improved aerodynamics - the Combi's Cx ratio ranges from 0.288 (1.8 TSI) to 0.317 for the 4x4 2.0 TSI variant. The Superb "recognizes" traffic signs for the first time, stops in traffic on its own and keeps its lane at 60 km/h, but the driver still has to keep his hands on the wheel. The new VW Group infotainment systems now "interoperate" with various smartphone systems that support MirrorLink, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.