Excellent during a mountain trip

When choosing a car, we often take into account its transport capabilities in everyday use (mainly the number of shopping bags that can fit), as well as the ability to go on a two-week vacation with the luggage of a family of five. Will the Skoda Superb live up to our expectations in this regard?

The station wagon has been synonymous with the family car for many years. All those who, however, did not visually like its shape, more often opted for liftbacks. Of course, it's not the same - trunk capacity isn't the greatest, and the sloping rear window makes it impossible to haul taller items without folding the rear seat. However, the Skoda Superb is a completely different liftback. This is a car with a base trunk volume of 625 liters, which is significantly inferior even to station wagons from other manufacturers. But what is its practical use? We decided to see how our editorial long-haul Superb would handle a trip to the mountains, loaded down with luggage for several days, with four adults on board.

280 km only on asphalt?

We planned our trip in advance, but one of us was supposed to arrive a day later. So we decided that the three of us would go on the trip earlier, using a different mode of transport, and the driver and car would join the next day.

So the Superb's first ride had to be empty - it was the perfect situation to check fuel consumption and compare it to fuel consumption on the way back with a full car. The road from the center of Katowice to Szczyrk, in the vicinity of which we intended to tread several mountain trails, is about 90 km along a route where traffic is heavy throughout the year (from here the one-way trip took almost two hours). There were high-speed sections, on a two-lane road, as well as traffic jams in places where roadworks were carried out. The average speed was 48 km / h, and the computer showed an average fuel consumption of 8,8 l / 100 km.

It must be said, however, that the 280-horsepower TSi engine with automatic transmission tempts you to push harder on the gas, and all-wheel drive allows you to be the first in the race under the headlights even during heavy rain. The DSG gearbox makes the ride even more enjoyable - it has only six gears, but this does not interfere with either a dynamic track or a quiet city ride. The influence of variable driving profiles is noticeable. When we select "Comfort" mode, the suspension noticeably "softens up" and picks up bumps while driving much more effectively, and remember that our Superb runs on XNUMX-inch rims. At higher speeds, air noise is heard in the cabin, but those who drive premium cars on a daily basis will especially feel the difference.

The problem in everyday use is the size of the car, so often had to use the parking assistant, which worked without reservation, just to find a really large parking space.

Having reached Szczyrk, it turned out that the car would have to go to the area of ​​the walking route, where there is no asphalt, and after heavy rains the surface is sometimes dirty. Luckily, the 4X4 drivetrain handled the rather daring gravel ride without issue. The car gave the impression that the type of surface did not affect the level of driving pleasure, you can say more - the harder, the more fun.

Limousine Cargo

When they reached the trail, everyone packed their bags and were equally amazed at how much space was left! Superba's trunk, even in the liftback version, is huge (625 liters) and could accommodate the backpacks of the entire school trip at once. Wanting to load luggage with full hands, we appreciated the Kessy system with the ability to open the hatch with a movement of the foot. There was dirt everywhere, the car wasn't the cleanest anymore, but you didn't have to worry about getting your hands dirty.

Comfort after hardships

After a vigorous walk, we returned to the car. It's impossible to hide here - four people inside a limousine the size of a royal family travel like royalty. Everyone, after several hours of hiking in 6 degrees Celsius, enjoyed the heated seats. They also praised the comfort of the seats in the Laurin & Klement version, which are upholstered in good quality leather. Undoubtedly, everyone appreciated the large legroom (the height of the shortest person on board is 174 cm, the tallest is 192 cm). The ambient LED lighting also made a good impression, bringing a modern and luxurious feel to it, as passengers unanimously emphasized. There were also questions about the massage function in the seats - but this is not a car price class.

However, when descending the unlit track, accusations were made about the effectiveness of the headlights. The color of the light is quite pale, which caused discomfort and the need to strain your eyesight.

Unfortunately, the low catalog load capacity of the Superb also made itself felt. With four people on board, each of whom had luggage, the car landed significantly on the rear axle, so you had to take this into account when overcoming obstacles or curbs. Of course, the Superb is not an SUV, but such a low payload can also be felt when transporting heavier things on a daily basis.

On the way back, we removed the on-board computer. The first thing the driver noticed was that the car, despite its workload, did not become less dynamic. The feeling of acceleration was almost identical - neither overtaking nor accelerating the car from a standstill did not cause any problems.

Fuel consumption on the return trip, when a smoother ride could be afforded, stopped at around 9,5 l/100 km, and the average speed increased to 64 km/h. The result surprised everyone, but it was confirmed that a very powerful engine with high torque works equally well with an empty or almost full car.

A quick vacation trip? Please!

The cruise car passed the test with an A. The trunk allows you to take a huge amount of luggage, even a two-week trip to the sea for a family of five will not “scare” him. The Laurin & Klement version with the best equipment provides comfort and convenience, regardless of the length and nature of the route. The 4X4 drive is not only useful on wet pavement, but also saves the car well on dirt roads, and is also likely to come in handy during ski trips. The engine not only provides a sporty feel, but also allows for efficient and safe overtaking, and when riding in Comfort mode does not show its sporting aspirations in a painful manner, smoothing out the suspension.

Fuel consumption is also not dizzying - fuel consumption of 9-10 l / 100 km, taking into account the capabilities and weight of the car, is really acceptable. While smaller wheels would have been more comfortable for everyday driving, the XNUMX-inch turbine-shaped appearance lends character to the entire body. We will definitely take Superba again and again.