Skoda Superb review

There’s a lot more room in the front of the Superb than you'll find in executive cars such as the BMW 3 Series and Jaguar XE. The wide front seats will comfortably accommodate most people, while the range of adjustments on offer mean head and leg room won't be an issue for any but the tallest. The interior is also wider than average, so there’s plenty of shoulder and elbow room.

There’s plenty of storage, including a large, air-conditioned glovebox, cupholders in the centre console and a hinged cubby underneath the steering wheel. The door bins are also large and shaped to hold a 500ml bottle of water. Thoughtful touches include a glasses holder by the rear-view mirror and, on SE trim and above, space for an umbrella to be neatly stowed inside each front door (one umbrella is provided as standard).

Not much this side of a Mercedes S-Class will offer you as much rear leg room – or head room, for that matter – as a Superb. If your regular passengers are over six feet tall and you want them to have space to relax, this is the car to go for. Getting in and out is easy, too, thanks to wide-opening doors and low sills. 

The middle passenger is not quite so well off. Their slightly raised perch provides less headroom, and there’s a bulky central tunnel to straddle. However, for those of moderate height, it’s still a comfortable place to travel for a reasonable distance.

The fold-down centre armrest includes two cupholders. There are two map pockets on the backs of the front seats and, at the rear of the centre console, a hinged cubby with a 12V socket. Meanwhile, each door has a pocket that’ll hold a 500ml bottle of water.

The rear seats are split 60/40 and a ski hatch in the centre seat allows long, slim loads to be accommodated while retaining space for two passengers in the back. On S, SE and SE L trims, you can order a fold-flat front seat, enabling the car to accommodate extra-long loads.

The rear seatbacks can be lowered by simply pulling a lever on the top of each backrest or, at extra cost, with a release mechanism with levers that are conveniently located by the boot opening. Unfortunately, when the seatbacks are folded down, they leave a step in the extended load area that makes the loading of long, bulky items that bit trickier.

Even with the rear seats in place, there’s enough room in the Superb’s boot for a number of large suitcases. Being a hatchback, its wide-opening tailgate makes it easy to load bulky items; it’s far more convenient to load than saloon cars such as the Volkswagen Passat are. That said, there’s a sizeable lip at the boot entrance and there’s no variable-height boot floor. Of course, if your regular Ikea haul is truly vast, you can go for the Skoda Superb Estate, our 2019 Estate Car of the Year. 

Helpful touches that are standard on all models include a number of carrying hooks to hang shopping bags on, a large cubby either side of the main boot area, a 12V charging socket and a rechargeable torch. You also get two plastic dividers with Velcro feet that can be attached anywhere on the boot floor, to help secure loose items. A boot net that allows you to tie down loose items is standard on Laurin & Klement trims, and an option on all others.

An electrically operated tailgate is standard on SE L, Sportline Plus and Laurin & Klement trims, and is an option on SE. With it fitted, you can also specify the Virtual Pedal, which allows you to open the boot by waving your foot under the rear bumper – this is standard on Laurin & Klement (but not available on SE).