What's all this about?
Skoda has revealed prices for the third generation Superb; the first cars are due to arrive in September and the entry-level model is £50 cheaper than before at £18,640. Customers get a choice of four trim levels - S, SE, SE L Executive and Laurin & Klement - with four petrol and three diesel engines.
What do you get?
The new Superb is bigger and roomier than before. Despite that it manages to be lighter than the outgoing model, with a quoted weight saving over the old Superb of up to 75kg.
All cars include alloy wheels, LED tail lights, air conditioning and a touch screen infotainment system as standard. Skoda also fits the ESC stability control system across the range, including Multi-Collision Brake automatic brake intervention in the event of an accident.
SE models are priced from £21,190 and include the Superb's signature feature: two umbrellas, one stowed in each front door. Additionally you get 17-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors and cornering fog lights on the outside. Inside there's dual-zone air conditioning, adaptive cruise control and Smart Link, which allows smartphone users to show the phone display on the touch screen.
The SE L Executive, available from £24,220, can be identified by 18-inch Zenith alloy wheels, bi-Xenon headlamps and LED daytime running lights. It gets an electrically operated boot, leather upholstery and Columbus satellite navigation with an eight-inch screen.
At the top of the range the Laurin & Klement (£28,740) comes with 18-inch Pegasus alloy wheels with an anthracite finish. It also gets a range of advanced features including blind spot monitoring, lane assist, a TV tuner and 'Virtual pedal', which opens the boot with a wave of a foot under the rear bumper.
What about engines?
Four petrol engines consist of the 1.4-litre TSI unit with 125- or 150hp and the 2.0-litre TSI with 220- or 280hp - both 2.0-litre units come exclusively with DSG automatic gearboxes. Diesel power comes in the form of a 1.6-litre TDI unit with 120hp or 2.0-litre 150- and 190hp versions.
John Lambert - 11 Mar 2015