Test drive Skoda Superb and Ford Mondeo

In the Toyota Camry class, the choice is small, but there are at least two more models that are well known to the market: the technologically advanced Skoda Superb and the very elegant Ford Mondeo.

There is little choice in the Toyota Camry class, but there are at least two other models well known to the market. Skoda Superb, to which you can no longer stick the image of the people, can be called the most technologically advanced among classmates. And one of the most spacious - both in length and in the size of the wheelbase, the Skoda flagship surpasses not only the Camry, but also all other representatives of the D / E segment that do not belong to the premium class. With only one exception. The latest generation Ford Mondeo sedan is symbolically larger than the Superb, is also well equipped and is well known to both officials and the conventional middle class.

In the sluggish traffic jam of a suburban highway, you can finally deal with the phone and make the music application change the audiobook tracks in the correct sequence. Superb is not yet taking control, but, in any case, diligently assists, prompts and steers. With a full set of activated assistance systems, the car keeps a minimum distance from the leader, stops and starts by itself, and also works as a steering wheel, focusing on the marking line. Of course, Superb will not allow you to leave the steering wheel for a long time, but the driver can get ten seconds at his disposal.

You can also rely on electronics in highway driving mode, but the assistance of the power steering in this case already seems somewhat intrusive. The steering wheel can indeed be released for a short time even at speed, and the electronics will not be confused by the tangible bend in the road or the lack of markings on one side. However, the car will still insist on the presence of hands on the steering wheel. Otherwise, it will first try to wake up the driver with a sound signal, then with a short hit on the brake, after which it will turn off completely. But you will definitely not need to turn to the light control lever - in automatic mode Superb does not just switch from near to far and back, but constantly juggles with width, direction of light beams and individual headlight segments, "cutting out" oncoming and passing vehicles from the illumination zone.

Mondeo also knows how to switch the near to far and rotates the headlights with lenses in corners, but does not offer such a fine adjustment of the light beam. However, you can rely on the "machine" of the light with it. But driving, distracted by the phone, will no longer work - the adaptive cruise control Mondeo will insure in case of sudden braking of the car in front, but will not start moving in a traffic jam and steer, keeping the car in the lane. And it's not a fact that the radar will be able to identify a dirty car or a pedestrian in the dark. So the parsing of mail will still have to be left for later, and the onboard Sync media system will handle the function of mixing tracks - nimble, but still a little confused.

Electronics, timing and minimization are trends that the new Mondeo follows very closely. The sedan's dashboard is a 9-inch monitor covered with plastic rounds with tachometer and speedometer markings, inside which there are drawn arrows. The free space is used for displaying useful information, the numerous settings of which can be changed with the keys on the steering wheel. Everything here seems modern, restrained and neat. As well as the appearance of the front panel as a whole, from which one even wants to remove some external decor. The tactile sensations correspond to the class: pliable finish, velvet plastic and gentle keys with good feedback. And the dense and comfortable at the same time seats with a combined finish, electric drives and massage are perfectly profiled - even if you remove the skin and adjustment keys, the seats will still remain comfortable.

Superb chairs are elastic in German, but you quickly get used to this orthopedic rigidity. The interior of the Czech car is not so comfortable and seems somewhat standardized, but the pedantry with which it is drawn cannot but admire. Of course, it is similar in detail to the Volkswagen one, but there is also a zest here: LED lighting around the perimeter, the color of which you can choose. The analogue instrument dials are tastefully crafted, but it's still a bit of a shame that the Skoda flagship didn't get the Passat dashboard display that would fit perfectly into this techno style. Against this background, the media system seems to be quite ordinary, although it is intuitively controlled, even if you see it for the first time.

The branded tablet holders for the rear passengers are hardly a sensible purchase, but they are part of the Skoda ideology of useful little things. From the same series, umbrellas at the ends of the front doors, a portable flashlight with a magnet, a pocket for a tablet in the box between the seats and an ice scraper on the fuel filler flap are part of a set of ingenious solutions with which the Czechs captivate practical customers. Mondeo in this sense is much more traditional, although in terms of cup holders, compartments for small things and convenient pockets with rubberized rugs, it is in no way inferior to the competitor.

If, according to the specifications, Skoda is symbolically less than a competitor, then from the inside it seems just huge. The wide rear doors open the passage to the sofa, and this seat cannot be called otherwise than a business box. The atmosphere is businesslike, the shoulders are spacious, and you can even cross your legs while sitting behind a driver of average height. In richer trim levels, adjustment buttons are installed on the sidewall of the right front seat so that the rear passenger can move the front passenger further away. There is also its own air conditioning system, and the ability to control the on-board media system. True, it is organized outside the box - a passenger can connect his tablet or smartphone to the system, and from there interfere with the settings or select a radio station. For such a case, the Czechs even provided special brackets for gadgets that are installed on the center armrest or on the headrests of the front seats.

All this does not mean that Mondeo passengers were left in any way disadvantaged. There may not be more space here, and the console with air ducts and seat heating keys (there is no individual "climate") invades the living space a little more impudently, but the sofa itself is more comfortable and softer. There is also its own, though not entirely obvious, zest - airbags integrated into the rear belts. The compressed gas igniters sit in the rear seat and are connected to the cushion in the belt via a sealed lock. But these thick straps give the passenger a pleasant feeling of security. And here it is a little quieter - massive glass insulates the living space well from outside sounds.

From the passenger's point of view, the Superb is a classic sedan, although in reality its body is two-box. The luggage compartment cover rises with the door and prevents the interior from freezing in winter. And the compartment itself holds a good 625 liters and as much as 1760 liters with the backs of the rear seats folded, and in the list of options there is also a half-transformer, which in the upper position organizes a flat platform from the edge of the bumper to the plane of the folded backs of the rear seat. Finally, the compartment opens with a swing of the foot under the rear bumper - not a new solution, but very suitable for the liftback with its massive tailgate. For the convenience of transformation, the "Czech" puts any sedan on both blades, and Mondeo is no exception. Ford does not open the stowage compartment from its feet, and the traditional boot after the Superb's hold seems rather modest. Although the opening is wide, and 516 liters of volume should be enough not only for a couple of suitcases.

A business-class liftback is an unusual phenomenon, but the Czechs stubbornly refused to offer another sedan in the segment. This was only the first modern Superb of the 2001 model. The second-generation model was both a sedan and a liftback at the same time, offering the consumer a clever mechanism that allowed the boot lid to be opened both separately and with the rear window. The mechanism turned out to be complicated, and besides, it fettered the hands of the designers - the feed of the previous Superb came out very compromise, and the machine itself seemed disproportionate. Now Superb finally looks harmonious, and the strict proportional image with amazing clean lines does not seem boring at all.

But Mondeo has changed even better compared to its predecessor, although there is a clear evolution here. In proportions, this is a well-known official diplomat of the previous generation, but strict and impetuous side lines, neat plastic doors, fashionable narrow optics, as well as a brand new front end with a high hood and a vertical trapezoid of the radiator grille in Aston's style made the appearance of the sedan both relevant and attractive. Unless the feed remained almost the same, but it was also updated with a bolder bumper. Finally, it is Mondeo that has the most impressive dimensions in the segment of midsize sedans, but does not look like an oversized bumpkin at all.

The new styling is much better suited to the character of Ford, which pleases with a unique balance of ride quality. And this is the case when the adaptation turned out to be surprisingly successful. Even so, even during the premiere of the Russian version of the car, Ford themselves assured that the new Mondeo was not about drive, but about comfort - the sedan was driving very briskly. It seems that the car has a European suspension, but there is no trace of stiffness: Mondeo very carefully grinds irregularities, without becoming rolls and providing excellent grip in fast turns.

Chassis capabilities are especially well revealed when a bouncy 2,0-liter turbo engine with 199 hp is installed under the hood. paired with a 6-speed "automatic". The thrust is not explosive, but it is so reliable and strong that you don’t pay attention even to the occasional slippage of the “torque converter”. On the move, the 199-horsepower sedan accelerates gently, but very persistently, and wish for a more powerful version with a return of 240 hp. can only be applied to the road without speed limits.

The Skoda is certainly no slower, but it offers a sharper temper as opposed to Ford's smoothness. The ideologically correct unit for the Superb can be considered a classic 1,8 TSI turbo engine with 180 hp. paired with a DSG box. It is not even the acceleration in the limit mode that is impressive, but the dashing, with the whistle of the turbine, the pickup after a slight hitch, required by the DSG box to change the gear. Frisky, with good pickup in the high-speed zone, the engine provides the car with excellent dynamics and almost does not lose even in comparison with the more powerful 220-horsepower 2,0 TSI unit.

The Superb, built on the bouncy Volkswagen MQB platform, is certainly not a swagger. Precise steering, instant responses and a tight suspension guarantee excellent handling, when the car is felt with your fingertips, and every ride turns into an almost animal driving pleasure. But for the Superb, with its clear accents towards the rear passengers, something more comfortable had to be thought of. For example, the adaptive suspension, which the liftback received as an option. There are five modes to choose from: from boring Eco, in which even the air conditioner tries not to turn on once again, to the warming Sport with clamped shock absorbers, a resilient steering wheel and razor-sharp reactions to the accelerator. Turning on Comfort, you hardly lose control, although the sensitivity of the car is clearly dulled, it becomes quieter in the cabin, and the chassis ceases to repeat the road profile in such detail. But the Superb falls short of the nautical smoothness of Japanese sedans.

This is perhaps the main discovery - Ford is not only more comfortable than Superb, but also no worse than it in terms of handling. And in terms of the quality of sound insulation, it is generally perceived by an older and wealthier car. With such characteristics, the lack of systems to allow you to drop the wheel no longer seems like a disadvantage - the Mondeo is pleasant to drive on its own. Except that the effort on the steering wheel seems a little synthetic, but the electric steering does not deprive the feeling of connection with the car, and you quickly get used to some artificiality of recoil.

Electronic assistants and advanced media systems are an obvious requirement of the times, but they still do not make the cash register in this difficult segment. The traditional bestseller Camry leads in terms of the ratio of the number of cars to the price, and all competitors are fighting only for the remnants of the segment, working more on the prestige of their own brand than on sales. The same Mondeo in Vsevolozhsk is produced in exact accordance with the market conditions only in the sedan body and offering with a traditional aspirated 2,5 liter volume, but the demand remains unreasonably modest - for the economical customers of the segment, this car in any version has become too refined and expensive.

Skoda Superb, having a modest entry price tag, all other things being equal, becomes more expensive than Mondeo and noticeably more expensive than Camry. The truth is that this value cannot be treated without respect. Because the Superb, with its frightening semi-autonomy, unusual bodywork and exquisite handling, is like the cherry on the cake - a model that continues to stand alone and remains perhaps the most correct choice in a world where traditions and stereotypes do not work.

We express our gratitude to the Residential Complex “Olympic Village Novogorsk. Kurort” for help in filming.

	Skoda Superb		Ford Mondeo
Body type	Liftback	Sedan
Dimensions (length / width / height), mm	4861/1864/1468	4872/1851/1478
Wheelbase, mm	2841	2850
Curb weight, kg	1485	1599
engine's type	Gasoline, R4	Gasoline, R4
Working volume, cubic meters cm.	1798	1999
Max. power, h.p. (at rpm)	180/4000-6200	199/6000
Max. cool. moment, nm (at rpm)	320/1490-3900	300/1750-4500
Drive type, transmission	Front, 7-st. DSG	Front, 6-speed AKP
Max. speed km / h	232	218
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s	8,1	8,7
Fuel consumption, l / 100 km (city / highway / mixed)	7,1/5,0/5,8	11,6/6,0/8,0
Cargo space, l	584-1719	516
Price from, $.	22 255	23 095