Skoda ups price and value
Skoda Australia has announced a raft of 2018 model year changes to its Superb sedan and wagon line-up including price rises of up to $4800, which applies to the flagship Sportline variant.
Now priced from $56,790 before on-road costs for the four-door body style, Sportline customers are compensated with the added inclusion of adaptive chassis control, hands-free tailgate operation, a Canton premium sound system, parking assistant and electric seats with rear heating function.
The Czech car-maker claims this package adds $7510 worth of extra value, $2710 more than its increase in cost.
Elsewhere, the entry-level 162TSI and mid-range 140TDI sedans swell in price by $700 each, starting from $40,690 and $44,690 respectively.
Further upstream, the four-door 206TSI 4x4 is $800 more expensive than before, kicking off from $51,790.
Meanwhile, all wagon versions attract a $1700 premium over the aforementioned sedan list prices.
According to Skoda, the range-wide additions of blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping assistant, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with stop-go function, emergency assist and a 9.2-inch Columbus multimedia system helps improve the Superb’s value proposition by $2770. The options list is short, with a $1700 sunroof available for sedan models, while wagon buyers will have to fork out an extra $200 to receive a panoramic version.
A special paint colour dubbed ‘dragon skin’ costs $1700, but it can only be selected on Sportline variants, while metallic and pearl effect hues command $700 each. There are no mechanical changes to any of the Superbs, meaning all are still powered by 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines paired to a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The petrol-powered 162TSI pumps out 162kw-350nm, while the 140TDI diesel produces 140kw-400nm, with both sending drive to the front wheels.
Alternatively, the 206TSI 4x4 and Sportline petrol both employ the same 206kw-350nm tune with an allwheel-drive system.
Last month, Skoda Australia enjoyed its best June on record thanks to 594 units finding homes, which represents a 23.8 percent improvement over its 2016 result.
Specifically, the Superb is off to a strong start this year with 509 examples sold to the end of June.
This is a significant jump from the 270 sales it achieved during the same period in 2016.
The refreshed Skoda Superb line-up will start rolling into Australian showrooms from September.