Road Test: Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 170 L&K

Price as tested: €36,645

+ Comfort, practicality, space, solidity, quality, refinement
– A touch pricey for a Skoda?
= Lovely car, but lesser Superbs are just as good

It’s doubtful that Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement established their eponymous motorcycle and bicycle company in 1895, that either of them ever imagined having their names on a car that competes with contemporary BMWs. Very doubtful in fact, because in 1895, BMW didn’t exist. Nor did The Czech Republic, modern federated Germany or much else that we today consider so familiar. What did exist was the Skoda Engineering Works, founded in 1859 by the aristocratic Count Wallenstein-Vartenberk. Skoda would buy out Laurin and Klement in 1925 and the two were joined at the hip until the creation in 1945 of Czechoslovakia and the nationalisation under Communism.

A little bit of history there, and apologies if it dragged, but it’s a necessary bit of background to understand why modern-day Skoda is launching a pricey limited edition (just 40 units coming to Ireland) of its Superb saloon, complete with calligraphic Laurin & Klement script on the wings.

€36k may seem a lot to be shelling out for a Skoda, any Skoda, but the fact is that these days, the brand seems able to bear such an expensive car with ease. We’ve all waffled on so much about how far Skoda has come since its eighties nadir, but the simple fact is that the cars now turned out by the Mladá Boleslav factory in what is now the Czech Republic are among the very best that you can buy, and stand easy comparison with rivals even from premium brands such as BMW and Mercedes.

Certainly when you crank open the Superb’s hefty door and lower yourself onto a buttery-soft dark brown leather seat, you’d be hard pressed to call the Superb L&K anything short of properly luxurious. The surfaces of the cabin are all finely graded, the seats terrifically comfortable and, as has been the Superb’s calling card since its introduction, the rear seat space practically presidential.

Out back, accessed by the oddball TwinDoor boot system that allows you to decide whether you want your Superb to act as a saloon or a hatchback, lies a massive 565-litre luggage area (which even with two demanding children aboard, we were unable to overwhelm with luggage). It’s these practicalities of space and comfort that give the Superb such an instant ‘want-one’ factor – the fact that there are few, if any, tasks you could give it which it would not be able to easily deal with.

Standard equipment includes bi-xenon headlights, 18” alloy wheels, Bluetooth phone and media player connection, full leather trim, climate control (for both front and rear passengers), heated seats (ditto), automatic wipers, cruise control, sat-nav. The list goes on and on, but it should be noted that apart from the deep brown colour of the leather seats, there is nothing here that you couldn’t already spec an existing Superb model up with.

As with all other Superbs, the L&K steers sweetly and faithfully. It never exhibits the handling alacrity that you’d get in a Ford Mondeo, but it’s never less than utterly competent in the corners and is a very relaxing, easy-going car to drive. Skoda has improved the Superb’s ride quality over the years, but it remains a touch too jiggly at times, which is a shame given the car’s overall levels of comfort and refinement.

The 170bhp 2.0 TDI diesel engine, familiar from many other Volkswagen Group applications, remains a paragon of its kind – quiet, efficient and with decently brisk performance. We averaged 6.5-litres per 100km, better than 40mpg, but bear in mind that your overall touring range will be limited by the Superb’s surprisingly small fuel tank. An on-paper 8.8secs 0-100kmh dash time makes the Superb sound quite quick, but the reality is that its performance feels more relaxed than that.

It’s a very satisfying car, the Superb L&K. One of those cars that feels instantly ‘right’ the moment you sit in, and that’s a feeling that doesn’t fade with familiarity. As a spacious, high-quality family car, it’s all but impossible to beat, and loaded up with the L&K’s extra equipment and luxury appointments, it really can take on the likes of the BWM 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It’s not as agile to drive as either, but destroys the Germans when it comes to interior space and practicality.

For all that, you could say the same of any Superb, and if you’re willing to forego the soft leather and sat-nav, there’s better value to be had further down the price list. Not that dear old Vaclav and Vaclav would have cared though; most of their original L&K cars were luxury models anyway...


Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 170 Laurin & Klement
Price as tested: €36,645
Price range: €24,695 to €47,895
Capacity: 1,968
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 350Nm
Top speed: 222kmh
0-100kmh: 8.8sec
Economy: 5.7l-100km (52.3mpg)
CO2 emissions: 149g/km
Road Tax Band: C. €330
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 90% adult, 81% child, 50% pedestrian, 71% safety assist

Road Test: Opel Zafira Tourer 2.0 CDTI EcoFlex

Price as tested: €30,495

+ Handsome, spacious, deft chassis, high quality
– Confusing badge and market position, 3rd row not spacious enough, engine noise
= Premium product but who will buy it?



The Zafira Tourer has two difficult jobs to do. First off, it has to be a competitor to the brilliant Ford S-Max, a car that has been a roaring success across Europe, if not so much in Ireland. Second, along with the Insignia saloon and Astra GTC coupe, it has to convince people that Opel can be taken seriously as a premium badge with a premium price tag. With sister brand Chevrolet increasingly making European inroads, Opel has no choice but to move upmarket, something that no mass-market car maker has ever managed to do.

But at least Opel is starting the right way; by getting the product right first, and not by trying to over-hype the marketing side of things. The Insignia can stand direct comparison to the likes of the Audi A4, the Astra GTC is handsome and capable enough to give the VW Scirocco and the Zafira Tourer... well, what is it here for, exactly?

Before we get onto the good bits and bad bits of the vehicle itself, it’s worth considering the marketing position. Who, exactly, is going to buy a premium MPV these days? MPVs are, distinctly, family cars. In other markets, there is a small, but significant, market for practically-minded people who want a cushy, pricey people carrier but in Ireland, premium equals saloon. Even an estate is a stretch for those in the premium market, while sensible family buyers simply purchase on price, and Opel will be realigning the price of the existing Zafira, down to a very reasonable €25k, to entice those people.

Which leaves the Zafira Tourer where exactly? It’s reasonably keenly priced, at €28,495 basic, in the seven-seat market, but that’s a price that soon inflates once you start adding trim or equipment. So, it’s a stretch, and probably a stretch too far, for hard-pressed family car buyers, and simply not on the radar for premium badge shoppers. And it has the same name as a car costing €3k less. Which could leave the Tourer marooned between audiences.

Which would be a shame, as it’s actually in isolation a very good car and a dramatic improvement on the existing Zafira. The current car is too plain inside, too bouncy in its ride and too undistinguished in its styling for our taste. The Tourer addresses, successfully, pretty much all of those complaints. It looks great, for a kick-off, with very sharp, layered styling that makes it one of the best looking monospace cars we’ve ever clapped eyes on.

Inside too, Opel’s stylists have done a very successful job; everything looks swoopy and cool, with most of the switchgear lifted straight from the Insignia (nothing wrong with that) and there’s a sense of very high quality. Our test car was a final pre-production prototype, so there were some unfinished surfaces and items, but even taking those into account, the Tourer’s cabin more than lives up to Opel’s hopes for premium status. And the view out is as good, thanks to dramatic-looking split a-pillars that fork down to form a massive quarterlight, which does wonders for forward visibility.

Of course, it’s practical. There’s lots of space in the middle row, and the seats are just as comfy in the back as they are in the front (very) but the disappointment comes when you try to climb in the back row; there’s just not enough room, even compared to the Ford S-Max which is hardly the best-endowed car in that sense. In the Ford, adults can fit, albeit only for short journeys. In the Tourer, it would be a squeeze even for a short hop. Kids only.

Behind the headlights (which look as if they have been taken straight from advanced Ampera range-extender hybrid) lies the 2.0-litre CDTI turbo diesel with 130bhp. Which sounds like not quite enough for a car that weighs 1,571kg with only one person on board. But actually, the Tourer feels quite sprightly, net of a touch of turbo lag. It is noisy though. OK, again, this one was a pre-prod early build car, but still, a bit too much gurgle and grump for our tastes.

Economy is, if it can match Opel’s claims, little short of excellent. Now, we haven’t had a chance to test the claimed figures (not enough time in the car yet) but our experience with an Insignia with the 160bhp version of the same engine suggests that they might not be too far out. 4.5-litres per 100km is pretty good, just over 62mpg, and its 119g/km Co2 rating means that you’ll be paying just €160 a year, whatever the real-world fuel economy turns out like.

The chassis is a peach though. It doesn’t quite engage the driver as much as an S-Max would but otherwise, the news is all good. The steering feels sharp and well weighted, the ride (praise be!) is firm but never jiggly or poorly controlled and the overall feeling is of a car that is well balanced between the demands of keeping things entertaining for the driver yet comfy for the passengers.

So, taken on its own, the Zafira Tourer is nothing short of a success. It looks, feels and drives the part, keeps the usefulness of the old Zafira but adds a thick veneer of dynamic competence and premium-esque design and quality.

If the marketing works out, then perhaps customers will come to the Zafira Tourer, if they take one for a test drive, they’d be hard pressed not to be impressed. But, given the tough competition in the car market, anyone coming in with a proposition that reads “Better, but it’ll cost you” is going to find life very hard indeed.


Facts & Figures

Opel Zafira Tourer 2.0 CDTI Ecoflex SC
Price as tested: €30,495
Range price: €28,495 to €38,995
Capacity: 1,956cc
Power: 130bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Top speed: 193kmh
0-100kmh: 11.4sec
Economy: 4.5l-100km (62.7mpg)
CO2 emissions: 119g/km
VRT Band: A. €160 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 94% adult, 83% child, 53% pedestrian, 86% safety assist