We’re used to modern Skodas having classy cabins, but there are usually subtle signs of economising. Not here, though.
The squeezable padding extends to the glovebox lid and its surroundings, and there’s a flock-lined, drop-down storage box by the driver’s knee.
Other standard niceties on this Elegance version include leather trim, dual-zone automatic air-con, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, a touch-screen stereo with built-in six-CD player and a built-in umbrella, plus drainage system, in the left-hand rear door.
Finding a comfortable driving position is easy, and it stays comfortable over a distance. Your rear passengers, meanwhile, can luxuriate with a good view forward, thanks to a high-mounted seat and a fine surplus of foot room.
Behind the foldable rear seat is a boot space seemingly big enough for a small wardrobe, but a high loading sill stops the Superb from being an estate car in the wrong-shaped body. You open the bootlid with a normal catch. To its right is a similar catch; squeeze it until the high-level brake light flashes, then pull upwards to open the entire tailgate.
Less impressive were the electrical gremlins in our test car. The rear interior lights didn’t work; nor, sometimes, did the clever plan-view screen image showing what the parking sensors were doing.
Superb prices start at £15,490 for the entry-level 1.4 TSI and stop at £26,675 for the 3.6 FSI V6 Elegance with four-wheel drive, so the test car occupies the middle ground at £21,510.
It’s very good value, given what you get, the test car’s only cost option being the clever Park Assist system. There’s a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, and the diesel and small-capacity petrol Superbs stand a chance of holding their value well.
Official CO2 output for this 2.0 TDI is 155g/km and our overall test average of 34.0mpg shows the Superb to be usefully economical in real-world driving.