Today, large SUVs are the true flagships of general car brands, the models in which they show all their technological innovations and what they are capable of doing. Few firms retain medium sedans in their ranges, the Skoda Superb is one of the last, beyond premium and luxury firms.
Since its arrival, back in 1934, through the first modern Skoda Superb, which arrived at the beginning of the 21st century, these were all the evolutions experienced by this model throughout its long history:
Škoda Superb. 1934-1949
The original Superb began production in 1934. It was not the first high-end model of the brand, but it was innovative for the Czech brand. Perhaps the greatest of its innovations was the central tunnel chassis, which retired the previous longitudinal chassis. By having two beams in the front part, it could shelter the transmission shaft in the central tunnel and left more free space for the independent suspension, improving ride comfort.
It was not the only novelty, since it was the first model of the brand that incorporated single-circuit hydraulic brakes with the same action on all four wheels, as well as wiring that operated at 12 volts, something that now seems normal but was not then. not common at all. Its body (it was modified in 1939) was built with a wooden structure with sheet metal panels, which allowed the Superb to be manufactured in a wide variety of styles. In the 13 years that its production lasted, there were five civil and three military versions.
It was equipped with SV engines or with the more recent OHV distribution from 1938, with powers between 40.5 and 70.7 kW (55 to 97 hp) and displacements from 2,492 to 3,991 cc. Most were six cylinders, except for the superb 4000with a V8 under the hood (one is preserved in the Škoda Museum in Mladá Boleslav as gold on cloth).
Between 1934 and 1949 around 900 civilian vehicles and 1,600 military of all variants of the Superb.
Skoda Superb (3U). 2001-2008
After a decade within the Volkswagen Group, in 2001 the brand began to reorient its range. The Skoda Fabia with a three-volume body and the well-known Simply Clever practical innovations arrived. But the most important thing, especially when it comes to assessing Skoda as a brand, was the return of the Superb sedan, climbing several steps in the assessment of potential customers.
The new Superb was built on the PL45 platform, which has been widened by 100mm to offer an exceptionally spacious interior. The model also featured a wide range of longitudinally mounted petrol and diesel engines, from a 1.8-litre turbo four-cylinder with 110 kW (150 PS) to the top-of-the-range version, a 2.8-litre V6 with 142 kW ( 193 hp).
With it also came many technological innovations, such as bi-xenon headlights, the Tiptronic automatic transmission, the Coming Home lighting system, electronically controlled brake assist, which improved braking action or the multi-link front suspension.
In 2006, the first generation Superb underwent an update incorporating the characteristic C-shaped taillight concept.
Skoda Superb (3T). 2008-2015
The next chapter of the successful story began in 2008 with the introduction of the second generation of the Škoda Superb. It came to the market with a five-door body and shared mechanical elements with the Volkswagen Passat.
With a length of 4,838 mm, the occupants enjoyed a lot of space and it stood out among its competitors for the available space for the legs in the rear seats. It also offered comfortable front seats and a large number of storage spaces, many of them upholstered or with a non-slip bottom. They were added to the 565-liter trunk, with a gate that allowed opening only the lower part of it called Twindoor.
The range of initial engines included in gasoline from the 1.4 TSI of 125 CV to the 3.6 FSI V6 of 360 CV. In diesels there were the 1.9 TDI of 105 CV and the 2.0 TDI of 140 CV and 170 CV. Some of them could be associated with the automatic transmission DSG six or seven speeds and four-wheel drive.
And in 2010 his second body arrived, the Skoda Octavia Combi 2010. Both had an update in the middle of their commercial life, the Superb 2013 and the Superb Combi 2013.
Skoda Superb (3V). 2015-2023
In February 2015, the third generation of the Superb was presented in Prague. First with a five-door sedan body… and a few months the family variant. They both held onto the MQB modular platform of the Volkswagen Group, which made the third generation of the Škoda Superb able to incorporate all the latest technologies available.
For the first time, the model offered DCC Adaptive Chassis elements, tri-zone climate control and assistance systems such as Traffic Jam Assist and Emergency Assist. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Lane Assist and Travel Assist were also available on the Superb range. The number of Simply Clever elements also increased: Skoda began to offer with it offered, for example, a virtual pedal for opening the trunk, a 230 V socket for rear seat passengers and umbrellas on the panels of both front doors. .
Following the update, the third generation Superb incorporated state-of-the-art equipment items such as Matrix-LED headlights, Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control and KESSY keyless entry on all doors in 2020. More importantly, the range has been expanded to include a new variant: the Superb iV plug-in hybrid with a 1.4 TSI PHEV engine. And, of course, the Skoda Superb Combi 2020 also arrived, with this interesting Scout version:
To date, Škoda Auto has produced more than 1,550,000 Superbs in all its variants and generations since 2001, of which more than 780,000 belong to the third generation Superb.
Skoda Superb. 2023…
The new fourth generation Skoda Superb will be presented this fall, 90 years after the launch of the first model. We will update this article when it sees the light.
