2018 Skoda Superb 206TSI Sportline: owner review

Item: 2018 SKODA Superb 206TSI SportLine 2.0L Sedan 4XC
Rating: 9.7

Owner Review

09:4814 September 2020

0comments

Where do I start? After buying a Skoda Kodiaq Sportline, I’ve gained a lot of respect for the Skoda brand. So naturally, when it was time to buy the next car, Skoda was the first place I looked. I went straight to the top of the range 206TSI Sportline, as the looks are enough for me to fall in love and make me spend that little bit more.

What we love

Space, Looks, black roof lining, Comfort, rear view camera, Features, sound system, Sunroof optional

What we don't

Grill is annoying to clean, Sportline trim means you miss out on ventilated seats

Under the bonnet is the same 4-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo petrol from the popular Golf R. Tuned to 206kW and 350Nm matched with a 6-speed DSG, it’s enough to get this family sleeper from 0-100km/h in less than 6 seconds. Whilst it’s not as loud as the Golf R, it’s still loud enough to hear a few farts on up-shift, especially when the DSG is in Sports mode where it changes gears at a higher RPM (making quite a nice soundtrack too). Staying on topic with the highly controversial DSG transmission, I can’t fault it whatsoever. I personally like these more than a torque converter as I feel the power is available quicker, plus I never get sick of the ultra sharp gear shifts.

Currently, we have done just under 80,000km without any problems. Over this time, I’ve fallen in love with the car even more. It’s shown me how comfortable it can be one minute, then the next minute how it can beat a Subaru WRX off the line (sorry Subaru, but I do love the WRX though). It’s a car that you never get sick of driving. It's comfortable and fun.

Now onto the practicality: Cars don’t get much more practical than this; massive 660 litres of boot space behind the hands-free electric tailgate (I’ve heard of people not being able to work the foot gesture but I’ve never had a problem on either the Superb or the Kodiaq), acres of rear legroom and one of the most comfortable back seats of any car. The outer two seats are heated which is great for the cold winter mornings and great on a sore back. Rear passengers also have their own climate control.

Moving to the front, the seats are also heated, but unfortunately getting the Sportline means you miss out on the ventilated front seats. Thankfully the alcantara doesn’t warm up like leather seats so they are generally pretty cool already. The central stack is good looking and it hosts the impressive 9.2-inch touchscreen which is easy to use. It’s compatible with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and has a high resolution reversing camera. Being the Sportline, it gets all the bells and whistles including the upgraded sound system, which has surprised me with just how good it is (and it's also in my Kodiaq).

Handling is also spot on, which is nice and direct and is a good, light weight around town. This makes parking easy and also makes navigating tight city streets a breeze, considering it's a car that stresses over five metres long. The ride can feel a tad firm, mainly in Sports mode but set the car up in Individual mode where you can tailor it to how you like and there is no complaining from the other passengers. I personally have all settings in Sport mode, except for the suspension which is in Comfort mode.

Safety and driving technology is also great with blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning (I love this one as it doesn’t beep at you every time you move out of your lane), 9 airbags including side door airbags, lane keep assist, front, rear and side parking sensors, rear camera, AEB up to 160km/h, pedestrian detection, manoeuvre assist and brake display hazard lights (BDHL).

Here are some things that I personally like

Black roof lining, now that both the Kodiaq and Superb have them, I cant look past them, they add a rather sporty feeling.
Adjustable driving modes.
The resolution of the rear view camera.
Paddle shifters.
Looks - I think it’s a sexy looking car. Add some black badges and black roof racks like this one, and it looks even better!
Auto park feature (although I’ve never used it to actually park, it’s cool to have it there and show it off to the mates when they’re in the car).
Traffic Jam Assist - bu that's yet another feature I don’t use much.

Now for the not-so-good, but there’s not much to fault

Both seats are electric, which is great, but only the driver's seat has memory settings.
No ventilated seats on the Sportline model.
Fuel consumption sits just on 10.5 litres per 100 kilometres around town, which isn’t too bad but not as good as Skoda say.
I do car detailing as a hobby, so spend a few days a week around cars, and the grilles on Skodas are a pain to clean.

So 2018 Skoda Superb, is it really superb? I’m sitting on the fence between excellent and Superb.

Would I recommend one? 100%. Would I buy another one? Yes, I’m already on the waiting list for the new Superb when it arrives Down Under!

So there you go, a new pearly perfect car that suits everyone.

(9.7 - the same score I gave the Kodiaq, so Skoda is on a roll for me!)

MORE: Superb news, reviews, comparisons and videos
MORE: Everything Skoda