Interior, Cabin Comfort and Features
Skoda has left most of the interior untouched, only a few bits have been added in the already plush and well appointed cabin. On the inside both Ambition and Elegance trims come with mostly similar interiors except for the steering wheel which varies 3 spoke and 4 spoke, depending upon the engine option chosen. The beige interiors are clothed in Nappa leather, and the sunroof adds to the airiness of the cabin and the overall build quality remains impressive as before. The face-lifted Superb now comes with the “Bolero” audio player with CD changer and SD/MMC slot. The USB slot still remains sorely missed.
Stepping inside, one is sure to get most comfortable behind the wheel as well as in the passenger seat as it comes with 12-way electrically adjustable seats with memory function (paired with the ORVMs). This coupled with the tilt and reach adjustable steering helps immensely on occasions when the owners would like to take the wheel as otherwise this could mostly be a chauffeur driven luxury sedan. The black dash top is the industry favourite grain finish with matte effect and prevents the annoying glare on the windscreen, while rest of it is a mish mash of faux wood trim, piano black panels with chrome surrounds and beige treatment for the lower half of the unit. The leather wrapped multi function steering wheel has the regular telephony controls.
It must be noted that the Bluetooth devices can only be paired via the steering mounted controls and the MaxiDot display (instrument cluster) while the vehicle is stationary, the touch screen audio player does not support this task. The leather wrapped steering wheels (3 spoke as well as 4 spoke) are fantastic to hold and also carry the same piano black theme which complements the new Skoda logo without the green accent. The clear dials which house the customary check lights (upon ignition) are split by the MaxiDot display which handles the duties of various information like the trip meters, digital speedometer and lots more; which can be cycled through the button on the Wash/Wipe stalk. The twin chrome-ringed binnacle layout of the instrument panel looks symmetrical as well, and Skoda has still retained the temperature gauge which otherwise nowadays has been replaced by “engine check” warning light. The symmetrical design and placement of MuFu buttons (knurled roller) along with a well finished steering are a joy to use.
Skoda has given a touch screen enabled audio player and though quite intuitive and simple to use, we would have loved some more sensitivity for the screen. While touch screen helps in reducing the number of buttons in the cabin, the “Climatronic” controls make it look a bit cluttered and the buttons are a bit too small as well. The air-con controls offer the settings for the dual zone air-conditioning with the big rotary knobs being assigned with the temperature selection task where as the fan speed can be changed with a typical “+,-“ button underneath. Twin cup holders with a slide shutter are neatly integrated near the handbrake lever and come very handy to stove away belongings at random. The central storage bin has decent space, houses the aux port and an adjustable leather wrapped lid which also doubles up as an arm rest-neat.
The electric sunroof with bounce back feature-controls, as well as the sunglasses holder and interior monitor/tilt sensors are all housed near the cabin light. The rain sensors are cleverly incorporated in the RVM mount and remain undetectable otherwise.
The door pads carry the similar tri-tone theme as the dash and has chrome finished door release which looks classy. The door pockets aren`t too large and can strictly be used to carry no more than 500ml pet bottles, the passenger side door gets the lock/unlock button while the rear doors away with it altogether. The air-con vents for the rear passengers are integrated in the B pillars and can be adjusted for flow and direction; these seem more effective than the ones usually provided in the central console between the front passenger seats. Speaking of which, the central console doubles up as an ash-tray with a 12v socket and a digital clock.
The rear seats of the Superb is what the business is all about, with acres of legroom (with lounge step), foot-well lighting, multi functional central arm rest as well as the ac vents – Skoda has taken care of it all!. The central arm rest has a shallow storage recess and works well for your smart-phones as does the push to pop twin cup holders which can hold anything from a fizzy drinks bottle to a cappuccino. The legroom, thanks to the lanky wheelbase begs for more thigh support from the seats, perhaps softer cushioning as well. The seats are supportive and fantastic per se, however as Skoda has spoiled the occupants with so much comfort; asking for a bit more pampering isn`t harsh or is it?
Right from the first generation of Octavia, Skoda cars have been known to offer cavernous boot space and the Superb as in its earlier avatar is no different. At 565 litres, it has more space than what a family of 4 or even 5 (may be more) would require. Add to this, its Twindoor rear hatch which is a clever piece of engineering that enables to electrically lock the hinges so that it can be opened as a normal boot or like that of a hatchback, we love the latter. The voluminous boot also has cleverly placed 6 luggage anchor hooks apart from 2 storage compartments on either side, superb!
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