[Auto] Skoda Superb 2020 long-term review

[Agent47]

Life with a Skoda Superb plug-in hybrid: Month 4
Experimenting with drive modes - 5 August 2020

A family trip in the Superb was our first mass outing since lockdown. While I drove, both passengers fell fast asleep and stayed that way even over rough roads. I put that down to the pillowy ride when the DCC suspension is in Comfort mode, although the plush seats help, too. Between the cushy ride and the car’s refinement in EV mode, the Superb feels like a cut-price Rolls-Royce.

Mileage: 8020

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An iV infusion would help improve our plug-in’s vital signs - 15 July 2020

The disadvantages of not having my own home charger are quickly becoming apparent, I’m afraid.

Although I’ve been running this new plug-in hybrid Superb for a few weeks now, my current total of attempted plug-ins stands at just one. I say ‘attempted’ for good reason, too: as soon as I’d hooked the Skoda up to the Ecotricity motorway charge point I’d located on my way back from a day-long photoshoot, I discovered it wasn’t actually working.

Admittedly, this discovery didn’t come as much of a surprise, given the network’s known issues with reliability. And because I knew I could simply roll away again on petrol power alone, my encounter with the broken charger wasn’t the disaster it might have been had I rocked up in a pure EV. But even so, the fact that I’ve only really been able to reliably charge the Superb’s battery using energy drawn from its 1.4-litre four-pot engine while sitting on the motorway isn’t ideal.

 

For those owners with the luxury of dedicated off-street parking, the whole charging issue probably won’t even register. Chances are they’ll be able to install a home wallbox pretty easily, and they’ll be able to do so with a bit of government cash, too. But for those of us forced to park on already crowded residential streets without reliable charge-point access?

Well, it seems that electrified vehicles maybe aren’t 100% suitable for us just yet. If battery power is indeed the future, it appears charging infrastructure still has a way to go. Hopefully my borough council will install a few of those lamp-post chargers on my North London street in the next few months.

Aside from my (largely self-inflicted) charging grumbles, life with the Superb iV has been pretty great really. To my eyes, its saloon bodyshape is much sleeker than the comparatively boxy estates that I was running about in previously, and I think it looks particularly fetching in grey. It’s understated without being boring and smart without looking too ostentatious or flashy.

In short, it’s a tastefully attractive car – which is never a bad thing. It drives well, too. With Skoda’s Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive dampers fitted as an option, its ride is about as plush and comfortable as it gets at this price point. Combined with an electrified powertrain that, while not exactly exciting, is cleverly integrated and capable of delivering impressively instantaneous torque, wafting about in the Superb iV could never be deemed a taxing experience.

I can’t see myself ever feeling compelled to get up at the crack of dawn to take it for a thrash on the mountain roads of South Wales.

But on the flipside, if it’s still in my possession when lockdown eases a bit further and we’re once again able to head out that way for photoshoots, it will definitely make those 4am wake-up calls a bit easier to bear.