New Skoda Superb Estate vs used Audi A4 Avant

The contenders

New Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI 200 SE L DSG auto

List Price: £34,790 Target price: £32,332 Official fuel economy: 51.3mpg (WLTP) Emissions: 144g/km CO2 Power: 297bhp 0-62mph: 7.9sec Top speed: 145mph 

Used Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI 190 S line S Tronic auto

Price new: £42,285 Price today: £30,336* Official fuel economy: 44.1mpg (WLTP) Emissions: 167g/km CO2 Power: 187bhp 0-62mph: 7.6sec Top speed: 143mph 

*Price today is based on a 2020 model with average mileage and a full service history

You need only take one look at the gargantuan Skoda Superb Estate to know it'll be a great load-lugger; indeed, we've crowned it our Estate Car of the Year for three consecutive years. It's safe to say that if you own one you'll need never to dread a trip to Ikea, and the embarrassing scenario of misjudging what'll fit in the back.

But how about something with a more premium image for the same money? Well, that's exactly what you get with a one year old, post-facelift Audi A4 Avant. And we're not talking about an entry-level example; an 187bhp 40 TDI could be yours in well-equipped S line form for similar money to a brand new Superb.

So should you go for the car with the biggest boot, or the car that'll be the greatest talking point with your neighbours? Let's find out.

New Skoda Superb Estate vs used Audi A4 Avant – interior & equipment

Build quality, equipment, ease of use

Build quality is excellent in both cars, but it's the Audi that stands out as being really posh when you step inside. The material choices and fit and finish are all top-notch, plus every switch and button is beautifully well-damped. Mind you, you'd expect that on a car that lists at over £40,000 when new.

The interior of the Skoda looks fine in isolation, but it feels downmarket in comparison with the Audi. It's by no means bad by any stretch of the imagination; you're still treated to supple leathers, dense interior plastics, and some chrome and metal-effect trim to lift things. It's a very well-resolved effort considering the Superb's much lower price point.

Both of these cars have generous equipment lists, with LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors and an electric tailgate coming as standard. The Skoda goes one step further with matrix LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and full electric adjustment for the driver's seat. To get this little lot in an A4, you'll need to find a pricier (and rarer) Vorsprung edition.  

However, while we praised the current A4 at launch for having an easy to use rotary dial controller and shortcut buttons to control its infotainment screen, the facelifted car's 10.1in screen is a touchscreen only system and this makes it much more difficult to use while you're driving, taking away its advantage over the Superb's touchscreen-only system. Better news is that the A4's is complemented by Audi’s brilliant Virtual Cockpit, which replaces traditional instrument dials with a 12.3in digital screen that can be configured to display all manner of useful information; you can have the sat-nav map, audio menus and trip computer right in front of you.

The 8.0in touchscreen in the Superb is fairly intuitive to use but would be better if it had proper shortcut buttons for switching between menus, instead of the touch-sensitive icons that force you to take your eyes off the road to find them.

New Skoda Superb Estate vs used Audi A4 Avant – space & practicality

Driving position, practicality, visibility

As standard, the Superb has adjustable lumbar support on the driver’s seat to improve driver comfort on long journeys, whereas you'll need to upgrade to the top-spec Vorsprung for similar on the A4. Despite this omission, the A4 still makes for a great motorway companion, especially because the sports seats fitted provide more lateral support.

You sit slightly higher up in the Superb; this may annoy those who like to be hunkered down, but that means you get excellent forward visibility, plus there’s lots of head and shoulder room, as well as plenty of adjustment for the seat and steering wheel. The same is true of the A4, and you can still sit a six-foot passenger behind a six-foot-tall driver of either car, with the Superb having enough leg room to shame a Mercedes S-Class.

However, the Superb wins hands down when it comes to practicality, thanks to its absolutely enormous boot. To put it into context, we could fit 11 carry-on suitcases into the back of the Superb, whereas we could only get seven in the A4.

That’s not to say that the A4’s boot is unusable; it’s a good, square shape and plenty deep enough for most people's needs, plus the rear seats split-fold 40/20/40 to maximise flexibility when you need to. carry a combination of people and bulky items.

Next: What are they like to drive? >>

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