Possibly fearful of all those dreaded third-party leaks, Skoda is now flaunting most of Superb's goodies way before the official world premiere set later this year.
In this Internet-driven day and age, no automaker can possibly hope to keep everything a secret. As such, certain carmakers do not fight the army of 'leaksters' and instead themselves choose when and where to spill some of the beans. Skoda is one such obvious case, as the Czech company has made it a tradition to share most information about a pending model while the cars are still clad in heavy camouflage.
They did it before with the second-generation Skoda Kodiaq mid-size crossover SUV, and the yellow-black prototype shared most of its tech goodies. They also shared CGI sketches of the Scala and Kamiq ahead of their nip and tuck procedure so we can all see what's new, and now it's time for the fourth-generation Skoda Superb to join the funky camouflage party mix.
The mid-size/large family car will soldier on as a liftback sedan and in wagon form – the latter twinned with the upcoming Volkswagen Passat that is ready to ditch the sedan body style. And while the Passat Variant was dressed in red-black camouflage, its Czech cousin flaunts an appealing neon green-black attire. At least they like to showcase all the rainbow colors, right?
Anyway, the new generation Skoda Superb is teased to be "even more spacious" (meaning it's larger than before), just as comfortable, and "full of brand-new features" – no less than 28 'Simply Clever' ideas "help simplify everyday interactions with the new Superb." At the world premiere taking place this November, the new Superb will appear with a comprehensive range of powertrains.
Three gasoline mills, two (dreaded yet efficient) diesel, a first-ever mild hybrid, plus a new plug-in hybrid will be among the options that span outputs ranging from 148 to 261 hp (110 to 195 kW – 150 to 265 ps). The PHEV, meanwhile, will have an EV range of more than 62 miles (100 km). Progress means sacrifice, too – so the Mlada Boleslav-based company thinks state-of-the-art technologies can make the center console do without the traditional shift lever.
That's because all Skoda Superb versions will come standard with an automatic DSG transmission, and the gearshift lever will be mounted on the steering column. The 'Simply Clever' features, by the way, date back to 2001 when Skoda reintroduced the Superb as a modern-day automobile, and now some of the up to 28 ideas are brand-new for the latest iteration – the bespoke electrically-controlled roller blind for the Superb Estate, the integrated tablet holder for the rear center armrest, and the double pocket for documents and smartphone fitted to the back of the front seats.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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