Tow Car Awards: overall winner 2016
The Tow Car Awards is Britain's biggest and best tow car test programme, with a history stretching back to 2007...
Kerb weight 1485kg Max towing weight 2000kg Towball limit 90kg
In 2016, the third-generation Skoda Superb earned the Czech brand its second Tow Car of the Year title. Here's what we said at the time:
As a tow car, the Superb absolutely lives up to its name. Stability at speed is excellent, with only the slightest movements between 60 and 70mph when the wind was blowing.
The lane-change test often exposes weaknesses in cars which feel fine towing in a straight line, but the Superb put in a textbook performance. As we pushed harder and faster, it simply came back for more.
If you have to brake hard in an emergency, the Superb also does its best to keep you safe; the stopping distance of 10 metres exactly from 30mph is among the shortest recorded in this year’s tests.
There’s plenty of pulling power from the 2.0-litre diesel engine with its 251lb ft of torque, so long as the revs don’t drop too low. The Superb pulled a caravan weighing 85% of its kerb weight from 30-60mph in a respectable 13.5sec.
That pulling power came in handy for our hill-start test, too. The electronic parking brake held the car and caravan still on the 1-in-6 gradient and released smoothly. Pulling to the top of the slope needed some balance of clutch and accelerator, but was refreshingly straightforward for a front-wheel-drive car with a manual gearbox.
Leave the caravan behind, and the Superb is a much better car to drive than the previous-generation model. It steers more crisply and corners more eagerly. Our test car was fitted with Dynamic Chassis Control (a £750 option), and we found the ‘Normal’ setting struck a fine balance between comfort and control.
Inside, meanwhile, the Superb is simply huge. Rear-seat passengers have even more space to stretch out than in the Volkswagen Passat, and the hatchback’s 625-litre luggage capacity is bigger than that of many estate cars. Our practicality test team had no trouble finding space for a full load of holiday luggage. Plus, they praised the tow bar installation and the fitment of a trailer stability system.
The Skoda’s value for money is the real clincher, though. Even if the Superb cost almost as much as last year’s overall winner, the Passat, we’d have a hard time separating them. Given that it tows as well, has more room for passengers, almost as much luggage space and costs almost £6000 less, the Superb is a worthy winner.
Our ratings
Towing 5/5 Solo driving 4/5 Practicality 5/5 Buying and owning 5/5 Overall 5/5
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