14 November 2011

This isn’t your mother’s dorky old station wagon. The 2011 Skoda Superb Wagon 125TDI DSG is a sleek, stylish five-seater wagon with a luxury look, so mum definitely doesn’t have to hide around the corner while picking up the kids from school.  

Last year, the Skoda Superb Wagon took the prize for Best Large Car under $60,000 at the Australia’s Best Car Awards. The base, entry level Elegance model is priced at $55,409.

Style & drive
Skoda used to have a rep in Europe for producing cars you wouldn’t be seen dead in, but under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, Skoda’s had an extreme makeover and emerged Cinderella-style looking less like the ugly sister and more like the belle of the ball. The interior looks like a top-of-the-line Volkswagen, and it drives like one too. The diesel engine gives the big car surprisingly good fuel economy, and best of all, the car handles like a much smaller vehicle, so you don’t feel like you’re driving a boat.

The space is impressive, even for a wagon. Passengers in the front seat can push back as far as they want, and those in the rear will still have legroom to spare. And did we mention the boot is enormous? It has a basic volume of 633 litres, which can be extended up to 1,865 litres by folding the rear seats down. The boot also has lots of luggage hooks, a sliding rail system with moveable restraints, and side storage compartments.

The Superb has all the bells and whistles you’d expect, and more. It boasts an elegant interior with woodgrain accents, leather seats with electric adjustment, a 10-speaker stereo system, a touch-screen satellite navigation system, 17-inch alloy wheels and bi-xenon headlights with AFS (Adaptive Front-Light System) -- which helps illuminate around corners. The entire Superb Wagon range comes standard with a Park Assist parallel parking system which includes front and rear parking sensors – a very handy function when attempting to park a long car.


Safety
With kids in mind, the Superb Wagon ticks all the boxes when it comes to safety, with nine airbags, an electronic stability program (ESP), front and rear parking sensors and tyre pressure monitors. The 2009 model scored a 5-star ANCAP rating. The new model has not yet been tested.

Eco
Fuel consumption 6.6L/100km.
CO2 emission 175 g/km.

Describe the car in 3 words
Sleek, cavernous, easy.

What are the best things about this car?
It’s practical, has a boot that would fit a soccer team in it, and it looks good too.

What are the downsides of this car?
None

What kind of petrol does it use?
Diesel

Liked it?
Loved it. Perfect family car with room for anything and everything.

If personified, who would this car be?
Tina Fey.

Soundtrack of choice for this car?
Carla Bruni.