Skoda Superb Sportline 4x4
Few long-termers work as hard as a photographer’s car, as a week with our staff snapper shows
LEADING A CONVOY ACROSS THE North Pennines at night, a pair of 911 GT3S in the rear-view mirror, was an incredible experience. The roads were like something from a driving fantasy, with insane blind crests followed by the kind of long downhill sections that really get your adrenaline pumping. The Skoda held its own that night – on the way to a shoot for last month’s cover story – as the wet roads and inky blackness played into the hands of its four-wheel drive and adaptive headlights.
It also helped that I’ve been playing around with the Superb’s driving modes recently. The Comfort setting has impressed me most, as it flattens the very worst surfaces and makes this Skoda possibly the best car I have ever used for taking tracking shots from. When I want to drive for pleasure, Normal mode is pretty good, but it lacks the punch of Sport. Sadly, though, Sport is a little too firm when I’ve got a load area full of photography equipment. It feels like it would probably work best on track. Imagine that: a Skoda Superb at a trackday. Now there’s a thought…
The Individual setting is therefore the one I use most. In my old Octavia VRS long-termer my preferred configuration for this was Sport power delivery, Comfort damping and Normal steering weight. Interestingly, the Superb bounces all over the place if driven in a spirited fashion with the same set-up, so instead I’ve put its suspension in Normal. I guess this suggests the bigger Skoda model leans more towards comfort than the Octavia does.
I’ve also discovered that it’s necessary to operate the twin-clutch gearbox manually to get the best out of the 276bhp 2-litre engine. Left to its own devices the ’box is all too keen to change up a gear when you lift off at high revs for an approaching bend, which instantly destroys your corner-exit acceleration.
Exmoor was next on my list of photoshoots, this time with a BMW M2 and Audi RS3 Saloon (see page 66). The four-hour journey there gave me plenty of time to appreciate the Superb’s cockpit, with its comfortable seat with lots of adjustment, the latest Skoda entertainment system, cruise control and lots of storage space for drinks and Haribo.
Upon returning from Exmoor it was straight over to the the Bedford Autodrome with a stepladder and a bunch of cleaning stuff to shoot last month’s cover image. It was the last job of another busy week that demonstrated that, whatever I ask of the Superb, it has the ability to adapt to all of my needs.