Few modern diesels betray their compression ignition as vocally as this one at idle, but the upside of the pump jet, or unit injector, system is that it gives a crisp, powerful response to the accelerator.
Ultimately this Superb isn’t massively fast – top speed is claimed to be 128mph and 0-60mph is dispatched in 10.3sec – but its pace is very accessible once past some initial turbo lag.
Cruising is very quiet, with little noise from the engine, which becomes more refined once into its stride. It runs out of revs at 4800rpm, but there’s no point in going even that far as peak torque is over by 2500rpm.
Overtaking in the mid-rev range is a good turbodiesel’s forté and this one is true to type. A smooth and precise six-speed gearchange helps the impression of low-effort pace.
This now-dated engine acquits itself well, then, but the more modern 168bhp common-rail engine – which has stronger performance, better refinement and only marginally worse fuel consumption – is worth the extra £900.
As the UK’s roads worsen, there’s a greater need for cars with supple suspension that is able to allow fluid handling over poor surfaces without feeling vague or sloppy. The Superb is just such a car.
You don’t get super-sharp steering and razor responses from a Superb, because it isn’t that sort of car. It’s meant instead to give its occupants a serene ride, and if the driver can enjoy the process, so much the better.
Body control at speed, over undulations and through bends is excellent.
Naturally, this nose-heavy, softly sprung Skoda understeers strongly if coaxed too quickly into a corner, and any line-tightening it offers in response to a lifted accelerator is too languid to be of much practical use. But if you drive the Skoda in the flowing fashion it encourages, it shows strong grip, terrific poise and confident steering.