Skoda Superb Estate review

Well, it’s supremely comfortable and cossetting, particularly when wafting along the motorway. It’s also seriously refined by anyone’s standards, with very little wind and tyre noise intruding into the cabin. But even around town on mid-spec 18-inch alloys as we tested it, it rides very well, ironing out most imperfections without fuss.

What might surprise you is that the Superb actually handles the less mundane relatively well too. OK, it’s no Octavia vRS nor 470bhp Sleeper Edition, but it remains remarkably composed in fast bends and the steering provides just enough feel to keep even keen drivers interested, just perhaps not any backseat passengers.

Remind me of my engine options…

Opening the batting is the 1.5-litre mild hybrid petrol, which gets 148bhp and 148lb of torque for a 0-62mph time of 9.3 seconds. We’ve driven it in the saloon and the estate: it's quiet and refined, but if you intend to load up such a massive space as this with children or other paraphernalia, you can do better.

So you’re into 2.0-litre territory, with 204 or 265bhp petrol options (and 236/295lb ft of torque respectively), followed by a similar duo of diesels offering 150 or 193bhp (266/295lb ft). As a reminder, the more potent options are equipped with four-wheel drive; every Octavia Estate uses a seven-speed automatic gearbox, save for the PHEV.

We reckon one of the diesels is the best bet here: the lesser powered one manages 0-62mph in 9.3 seconds and the upper one 7.6s, while you’re looking at fuel economy in the mid-50mpgs in the former and mid-forties in the latter. As ever it comes down to usage, but if you’re doing loadsa motorway miles, they're hard to beat.

What about the plug-in hybrid?

Ah yes. It comprises a 1.5 four-cylinder turbo petrol engine and an electric motor built directly into the six-speed DSG gearbox, with the petrol engine developing 148bhp and the electric motor 114bhp for a combined 201bhp. Heady times.

But the bigger talking point is the 84 miles of all-electric range, over double that the old car, from the 25.7kWh (19.7kWh usable) battery. That’s more than enough to cover the average Joe’s daily commute, and if you can charge at home it makes a lot of sense. But if not… that’s a hefty weight to haul around needlessly.

We’re yet to test it here but we have tried it in the VW Passat Estate, which you can read about by clicking these blue words. It’s perhaps most appealing to company car buyers, who can take advantage of the five per cent BiK rate.