2020 Skoda Superb BS-6 Road Test Review – Premium Perfection

The car in question today is one that needs no introduction; it has its intro in its name, the Skoda Superb. We have with us on our test the 2020 BS-6 Skoda Superb L&K. know all on this beautiful looking luxurious palace on wheels. The Superb has been the flag bearer for Skoda in India right since its entry here in India. There has been a drastic decline in sales for sedans over the last few years with the SUV segment on the boom. The Superb has managed to hold on to its ground all through this.

Exteriors

The Skoda superb has got more sophisticated in this its 3rd generation mid life facelift of the B8 model built on Volkswagen’s MQB platform that is used by many car Models in the group including the Volkswagen Passat. This car always been an attention grabber due to its sheer size and styling and with this latest version it’s design has gone a lot more sharper. The Superb has got subtle update to its front and rear styling that makes it look of current times. It gets clean cut style lines, smoothly shaped surfaces and sharp edges dominating its exteriors.

Let’s get to the changes made to the front end, the radiator grille now gets an extra bit of presence thanks to the more pronounced chrome band running around and the double slats on the trademark Butterfly face. The bumper gets more prominent framing design and a larger air dam with a wider slimmer all led fog lamps in each corner. The new sharp angular design headlights get all white LED glow along with the crystalline detailing on them look classy. The side profile remains more or less the same except for the redesigned alloy wheels.

The rear end like the front gets totally redone. Here the Superb gets a neat looking chrome strip that runs horizontally across the length of the boot lid bisecting the all LED new design angular styled tail lamps. The redesigned tailgate also gets ŠKODA badging in bold of chrome on the middle of the boot area shouts out the premium brand that it is. The boot also gets a lip spoiler that adds some more classiness to the rear end. Overall the face lifted Superb looks very catchy and the changes are very tastefully  done to the exteriors. You also get a large electric Sun/moon roof on the package.

Interiors

Now this is the L&K trim of the Superb which is the top of the line model for this luxury limo. The dual tone dashboard is retained from the outgoing model and comes with loads of premium soft touch materials, metal inserts & faux wood inserts giving loads of premium feel good factor inside here.

The highlight of the updated dash is the 8 inch color touch screen AVN System that is joy to use, needless to say this unit come loaded with all the connectivity features including Apple CarPlay and Android auto apart from the radio, Bluetooth and phone connectivity. The audio quality is just like the car model – Superb playing from the eleven speakers one sub woofer Canton sound system setup.

The seats get all premium leather upholstery with special L&K beanding on them. Speaking of the seating comfort the rear seat is the place that one would be spending most of the time in. The seating here is extra comfortable and as good as any premium couch. Leg room is abundant reminding you of its limousine character. This is the perfect place for you to spend time between your board meetings or conferences. The seating at the rear is strictly for two people with seating in the middle being uncomfortable due to the transmission tunnel that comes in way and a slightly upright seat backrest over long distances.

You also get the boss control buttons using which the front passenger seat can be electrically adjusted by the rear passenger to extend his legroom substantially . Coming to the front seats as you may also want to drive the Superb maybe on weekends to your farmhouse or to the resort. The front seats are 12 way electrically adjustable & also get electric lumber adjust not forgetting the memory function. Both these seats get ventilation option with heating and cooling feature.

The Superb has a mammoth boot capacity of 625 litres that is even larger than some SUV’s. You also get a charge socket along with an rechargeable LED torch placed inside the boot.

The instrument cluster is a twin pod dials in typical bold and crisp Škoda detailing. The Limo comes with a three zone climate control system with individual temperature setting for the rear passenger. You also get yje preset drive mode that can be controlled using the touch screen system. You can choose between Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual.  The party trick inside the Superb’s cabin is the ten color ambient lighting.

Engine – Transmission – Drive

The biggest update on the 2020 Skoda Superb is the all new engine. The car now gets powered with a 2.0L TSI engine that is BS-6 complaint. No more Diesel engine options on the entire Skoda lineup now. This new 2.0L Turbo Petrol engine replaces the earlier 1.8L TSI unit. This engine now develops 190 bhp of power and 320Nm of torque which is around 10bhp more than the older engine and 70Nm more torque. This engine gets mated to a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission.

The drive quality is easily the best in class; the Superb just glides above any road condition that it is put on. The car feels extremely nimble and easy to drive around small roads or traffic conditions. Power delivery is not instant but it is highly refined and very good. The steering feels very light which adds to the ease of drving a car this size. The best place to be seated in the Superb is at the rear, this is where you get the comfort and feel of an premium class airline seat.

Your chauffer would be a happy person to drive the Superb, he gets paddle shifters, heated and cooled seats, joy to use infotainment system, cooled glovebox, he surely would be a very lucky person too.

Things that we missed

The Skoda Superb in the 2020 avatar comes loaded with tons of premium features but we missed a few. The car does not get a wireless charging dock and no USB charge ports for the rear. Also missing is the 360 degree camera on the feature list.

Safety

The 2020 Skoda Superb comes with dual front airbags, side airbags, front and rear curtain airbags. It also gets ABS, EBD as standard along with many more safety features as standard.

Verdict

With the BS-6 update Skoda has taken the Superb lineage way ahead. The car feels much trendier with today’s time. The car feels much more sportier and drives very well. The rear seat comfort is unmatched in this segment and segments higher, perfect that a company board director, company owner or a builder would desire. With all these attributes the 2020 Skoda Superb again becomes one of the better buys in its segment.

Words – Ritesh Madhok
Photography & Video – Govind Gadekar