The new Skoda Superb will bring substantial tech upgrades, a new 62-mile plug-in hybrid powertrain and a revamped cockpit that majors on user-friendliness when it goes on sale in mid-2024.
Skoda's fourth generation executive flagship returns in hatchback and estate bodystyles – and sticks with combustion power, bringing a choice of six engines from launch: three petrols, two diesels and a petrol-electric PHEV.
Prices for the new Superb are expected to represent a slight premium compared with the outgoing car, which starts from £32,605 - but Skoda has promised minimal increases for the Kodiaq and the same is expected to be true here. Plug-in hybrids, meanwhile, are likely to nudge towards the mid-to-high-£40,000s to slightly under-cut the closely related Volkswagen Passat.
The Superb could be the final all-new internal-combustion car Skoda launches, as the brand pivots to offering solely electric cars by 2030. But the Czech firm is yet to confirm whether each of its current ICE cars will go electric in their next generation.
>> Skip to the Skoda Superb prototype drive
Engine line-up
The petrol line-up opens with a 148bhp, mild-hybrid 1.5-litre, while the 201bhp and 262bhp 2.0-litre options – the latter driving both axles – forego electrical assistance.
The two-wheel-drive diesel produces 148bhp, while the four-wheel-drive version makes 190bhp.
The range-topping PHEV pairs the entry-level 1.5-litre petrol with a single electric motor to send 201bhp through the front wheels. Pure-electric propulsion is powered by a 25.7kWh pack that can be recharged at rates up to 50kW (DC), allowing a 10-80% charge in 25 minutes, Skoda said. The PHEV is only available in estate form from launch, unlike the previous-generation car, which could be had with plug-in power only in four-door saloon guise.
The firm has yet to detail the performance yielded by these engines, but it is expected to match the outgoing model in a straight line. For reference, the previous 215bhp Superb iV plug-in hybrid dispatched the 0-60mph sprint in 7.3sec in our full road test.
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I think that Skoda design reached its peak with the current outgoing Superb. Finally here was a Skoda that was in proportion, rather than being an extended VW platform which made for awkward looking long and narrow cars. It looks classy, elegant and sufficiently detailed to be a Skoda without any fussiness.
The new one however just looks like a.n.other car. And as someone rightly points out below, the one thing it didn't need to be was bigger.
i think it's fair to say that we have now passed peak car. New cars are too complex and only seemingly designed for a life of up to 5 years before the over complex systems start failing and causing otherwise good cars to become economic write offs. Shame
A bit underwhelming. I think the current car looks better, particularly at the back and it's too similar overall to the Passat. That said, it's better looking that the Passat which begs the question, why would you buy one over the Superb?