Skoda Superb review

The Skoda Superb starts at £34,875 for the mild hybrid. The heartland diesels start at £35,390, and the petrols at £41,465, though that big jump is in part because you’re forced to hop up a trim level. More on those in a bit.

On lease, you’re looking at £340, £370 and £450 a month, with £4k down up front, a 10,000-mile yearly limit and repayments over four years. 

That’s a lot of car for the money. You’re looking at roughly the same price for a Peugeot 508, but significantly more for its German rivals, including the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Merc E-Class.

Gotcha. Can we talk trims now?

Sorry, may have got slightly sidetracked there. You’ve the choice of three: SE Technology, SE L, and Laurin & Klement.

Base-spec SE Tech gets 17-inch alloys, LED head- and tail-lights, heated and massaging front seats, 13-inch infotainment display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, front and rear parking sensors, rear camera, five USB ports, predictive adaptive cruise control, and all the active safety gizmos.

Mid-range SE L adds keyless entry, LED matrix headlights, cornering lights, animated rear indicators, exterior and interior ambient lighting, leather/artificial leather upholstery, 14-way adjustable ventilated front seats with advanced massage function, electrically operated boot with virtual pedal. Oh, and a boot net.

Top-spec Laurin & Klement throws in 18-inch alloys, dynamic chassis control, heated windscreen and rear seats, a 14-speaker CANTON sound system, park assist with arial view camera, and a spare wheel. The full bells ‘n’ whistles, as you’d expect.

Generous, huh? So what would you choose?

Of the petrols, it’s hard to look past the 1.5-litre mHEV, which rarely feels underpowered thanks to the gearbox-integrated starter generator and electric motor, and still offers improved efficiency too.

We don’t reckon you need to look higher than SE Tech trim either, which comes nicely equipped as standard, and you get all Skoda’s Simply Clever features included.