When you look at the sales figures for cars in Ireland today, most are showing the equivalent of serious negative equity, writes Brian Byrne.
Among the few which are not is Skoda's Superb. In fact, with nearly 500 units sold to date in 2009, the performance represents an 80 percent increase on last year, admittedly one where for much of the year they were waiting for the new one.
And in terms of the top seller in the medium family segment, Toyota's Avensis by a long shot with over 2,600 units, it is down the track. But a very respectable run nevertheless.
Why? One, it's good value. Very good value for the size and space offered, when you take on board the starting price of around €26,000 for the 1.9 Greenline diesel holding Band B in the CO2 stakes.
With the review car a 2.0 TDI and 140hp, and well loaded with extras, the €37,145 sticker price certainly wasn't over the top, though I guess the bulk of orders have been for the Greenline.
Recession certainly changes value perspective. And it may be that buyers are also eyeing perception itself and not wanting to be seen to be splurging on big badges.
The new Superb has reasonable style in parts, especially the front. It has a bland enough profile, although there's a elegance about it that grows on you. And it certainly has the space, rivalling the Ford Mondeo and maybe exceeding it in this matter.
It is also exceedingly well built and the interior finish on the review car was as good as I'd expect in many a more expensive model. In top level Elegance spec there's enough chrome detailing to satisfy anyone.
In the general specification, the seven airbags, ESP, and supplementary cornering front lights are a good safety package, and there's also the matter of the 5-star ENCAP crash test rating.
The electrically operated front seats and the top end eight-speaker sound system in the review car filled out the luxury touches.
The Superb has a couple of interesting storage ideas, the umbrella compartment in the rear door one we know from the previous model. But the way rear access can be by a traditional boot, or convert to a hatchback, is unique, and potentially very useful for a multipurpose family car.
(Well, did you ever try and load a lawnmower in the boot of a family sedan? Not an easy number.)
I've mentioned the two diesels, but there's a wide range of petrol options too, from variants of the VW 1.4 TSI dualcharged units right up to a 3.6 V6 with 260hp. And that excellent DSG is available throughout, in seven-cog version in the petrol models.
The driving experience puts the car right up in the luxury leve. Soundproofing is excellent and the 140hp under the hood pulls the car along smartly.
The long wheelbase is one reason for the super-smooth ride. The other is probably the fact that Skoda's engineers really know their suspension systems, and have the Superb well tuned even for Irish conditions. Or maybe especially so, because roads in that part of Europe where the car is designed aren't always the best.
Frankly, I was prepared to be a bit bored by this car. And certainly the uninspiring sheetmetal didn't really catch my fancy. Strange thing, though, it took less than a day for me to get very fond of it indeed. Smooth, comfortable, even sporty when pushed.
