1.5 TSI - reason in XL

There are “good and cheap” cars as well as wasteful decadence cars. And there is a car that belongs to the first category and also offers properties of the second: Skodas Superb Combi, which we were able to experience as a major everyday hero in its version updated a few months ago with base petrol and manual transmission.

Everyday hero? With a length of almost 4,90 meters, it is quite a bit wide. Especially in city traffic. But he can stand out a little from the mass of family suits on chic 18-inch wheels and with his sharp-edged business casual tin dress. The Czech's prestige aura is by no means pretentious.

The somewhat grandiose appearance finds its counterpart on the inside, because among other things the space is simply colossal. Without guests, as a driver you would like to ask if someone happened to be there to wait for your own echo that didn't come. Children also seem lost when they stretch their legs on the seat covered with comfortable textiles towards the front seat back, but cannot reach them with the tips of their feet. There is also plenty of space for luggage, which people can load in large quantities without any previous knowledge of Tetris. Almost two cubic meters go into the back with the rear seat back folded down. In addition to plenty of space, there are also small storage options and locking aids that prevent loads from slipping or tipping. Thanks to these ideas, too, the Superb Combi is experienced as a practical everyday hero.

Since the model update in summer 2019, you can also enjoy infotainment worlds of delightful maturity in the Superb. In the center of the dashboard is the nifty giant display of the versatile infotainment system, which costs 400 euros. At the push of a button, a lady accepts voice commands here in order to become the commanding party for route guidance. DAB radio, a sonorous loudspeaker system, connectivity technology, telephone integration, gesture control and online services - the Superb is not only big, but also smart. And all of it is digital as well, because the good old analogue times in the cockpit can only be experienced virtually.

The Superb can also drive. Quite mannerist even. The 110 kW / 150 PS of the new 1.5 TSI do not give the 1,5-tonner any noteworthy temperament, but even on the left-hand lane of the freeway, with usually a little more start-up than with the powerful diesel vehicles, you are reasonably fast. If desired, the chassis adds a sporty touch, because thanks to adaptive dampers it can be adjusted from comfortable to direct and binding at the push of a button. On brisk highway rushes, this sport setting is the clearly more relaxed mode, despite certain toughness, while comfort mode relieves the cobblestones.

For intermediate sprints with the Superb, the right hand must grip the manual translation adjuster in order to allow the non-slip lever to move briefly forward and / or back. Lots of revs or not: the injection gasoline engine is hardly pushy. And not overly thirsty either. Around seven liters came together on motorway tours just above the recommended speed.

However, the Superb is not a miracle of saving either. At least not when fuel is being used. But with the price. In the basic engine tested by us, the Combi is offered for 29.850 euros. That is around 2.360 euros above the price of the new VW Golf 8 with the same 1.5 TSI. At least in terms of size, the Superb is upper middle class, but its price is only slightly above that of the compact class. And so the purchase price of the Superb also appears to be a tariff of reason, but one in XL.