The modular potential of Volkswagen’s MQB platform continues to surprise us. The Volkswagen Golf’s platform has been deployed beneath the new Superb, and although the finished Skoda may be only 23mm longer than its predecessor, its wheelbase has sprouted by a far more considerable 80mm.
Much of the additional length appears to have been concentrated in the voluminous boot, where Skoda claims the largest luggage compartment in the class, at 660 litres, which is 85 litres more than before with the rear seats up, more than offered by Ford Mondeo Estate and BMW 5 Series Touring, and just bigger than the equally cavernous Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate. This is of particular benefit to the hatchback version, which offers an improved 625 litres as recompense to buyers for losing the aforementioned Twindoor boot access.
Ignoring its weight and complicated manufacturing process, the double-jointed hatchback wasn’t the old Superb’s prettiest feature, and its junking improves the normal hatchback’s appearance significantly. So do overhangs that were easily shrunk in the redesign, thanks to the MQB underpinnings.
The Superb is a nicely-proportioned machine, helped no end by a lower front end and almost 50mm of additional width. Unlike rear leg room, which is said to remain constant, the greater width does transfer inside, with Skoda claiming additional elbow room for passengers in both front and back rows.
Predictably, again because of the MQB’s cleverness, none of this comes with a weight penalty. Skoda suggests that a saving of 75kg separates the new Superb from the old. A proportional doubling of the high-strength steel content means the car is now 13 percent stiffer, too.
