Skoda Superb iV PHEV Review

Practicality and Boot Space 

All Superbs since they first launched in 2001 have had huge levels of space inside. It’s a well known fact the Superb offers more rear legroom than a Mercedes S-Class, and that’s before you even consider the boot space. The Hatch has a large, wide and flat loading space while the Estate offers Cathedral-like levels of room. Cubbies, luggage nets and even a magnetic torch are thoughtful touches too. While Skoda has cleverly managed to store the plug-in hybrid iV’s battery pack under the rear seats, its engineers haven’t managed to hide all the electric paraphernalia needed for the plug-in hybrid system. Some electrical components have had to be positioned under the boot floor, and consequently the boot room in the Hatch has slumped from 625 to 485 litres and down from 680 to 510 litres in the Estate. That’s still more than enough space for most people though, and there’s still some space beneath the boot floor for storing cables.  

Technology

The plug-in hybrid iV arrived at the same time as a subtle facelift for the third-generation Superb range, and this update focused on giving the big Skoda a classier look on the outside and a tech boost on the inside. All Superbs get an eight-inch touchscreen with DAB radio and LED headlights, and moving higher up the range opens up sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a wi-fi hotspot, digital dials, Matrix LED headlights and LED rear lights with Audi-like scrolling indicators. Sportline models get a rather pointless g-force indicator and the range-topping Laurin & Klement gets massaging front seats. There are a number of practical lifestyle accessories, but you shouldn’t have to venture into the options list that much as compared to the equivalent Volkswagen, Skodas are very well equipped and the Superb is no different. 

Safety

The Superb has the maximum five stars for safety and was tested by the independent testing organisation EuroNCAP back in 2015. And, as you’d expect from a Skoda, there’s a good list of safety kit as standard. All Superbs get an automatic braking system along with pedestrian detection. Moving up through the range adds a fatigue sensor, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control and park assist. Super powerful but non-dazzling Matrix LED headlights are standard on entry-level iV SE L models. Matrix includes a number of different LED ‘segments’ within the headlamp unit and works by allowing the driver to have their full beams on. Once the car detects an oncoming vehicle, the respective segments that would dazzle the oncoming driver are switched off, while the other segments illuminate the rest of the road. It’s very clever and once you’ve tried it you won’t want to drive another car without them again.