koda Superb Botoxed!

koda had well and truly laid down the gauntlet to the C/D-segment sedans, when it relaunched the Octavia brand in India in late 2013 to rave reviews. Not to rest on its laurels, koda decided to do something with its top-of-the-line Superb, and unveiled a facelifted version at this years Auto Expo in Delhi in February 2014. Launched in 2004 in India, the Superb had won over many with the sheer space on offer inside, and the grunt generated while on the move. The car went through a metamorphosis in 2008, when the design was made more contemporary, and the engine was moved from the 2.4-litre powerplant to a smaller 1.8-litre one, without compromising on the performance dynamics. The smaller mill also took care of the mileage issues to some extent. We decided to take the petrol and diesel versions of the facelifted koda Superb for a longish spin to figure out if the changes were mere cosmetic or whether there was anything else on offer.

Looks and design This is the real part where koda has done changes on the Superb. This is a mere facelift (unlike the generation change effected in 2008), wherein design elements have been tweaked to make it look younger and more contemporary, even as the global design studio works on the next generation Superb for launch sometime in 2015 possibly. Hence, before we call the people at koda lazy, we need to understand that they merely want to restrict the competition from eating their lunch, till such time the new product is ready to take charge. While overall dimensions have been kept the same, koda has made the new Superb look smarter and sharper, and has eliminated the rounded edges of the current Superb and replaced them with straight lines, to make it look a bit sportier.

Pictures sourced from Internet

For starters, there is the change in the grille. The Superb also carries the new koda family grille with the 21 vertical slats shaped like a butterfly with the new all-metallic two-tone logo sitting on the edge on top of the bonnet, with the sharp cuts on the bonnet giving a certain sculpted look to the nose. The grille is now wider, and hence, the lower intake is wider too. It gets accentuated by the thin chrome arc running through the middle of the lower air intake, and which connects both foglamps. The headlamps and foglamps have been reshaped, while the profile of the bonnet and bumper has been restyled. Headlamps now carry bi-xenon projector lamps with cornering function and a curvature of daytime-running LEDs, which is integrated to the headlamp unit. While Superb continues to be chiseled into the sides of the projector lamps, the turn indicators are now integrated as a series of seven C-shaped LED strips within the unit, immediately helping in making an impact. The power washers upfront of the headlamps in the top-end Elegance trim work when the headlamps are switched on and you pull the wiper stalk to clean the windscreen, as in the outgoing model.

Seen in profile, the facelifted Superb isnt too different from the old Superb, but for the sharper lines that it holds, helping it look more contemporary. The 10-spoke alloys are new, and make the car look more dynamic sitting on the 16-inch radials; so too the chrome moulding to the windows. Move to the rear, and the styling cues are very visible here. The tail-lamps are all-LED, while the chiseled rear is more angular another design feature from the koda family. But while the Octavias rear reminded one of the Rapid, the rear of the new Superb is a cross between the Octavia and the Audi family. The number plate has been moved from the bumper to the boot lid, the typeface of the Superb has been changed to the new one, and the positioning has been moved from the centre to the bottom right of the lid. And the rear also has the new contemporary-looking two-tone koda badging. The base Ambition trim also gets the same LED treatment alongwith the 10-spoke alloys. The boot has 565 litres of space on offer, and comes with the same twin buttons. Press one and the boot lid opens up sedan-style; press the other, and the cavernous boot opens up in hatchback mode!

Interiors and comfort

There is very little that has changed inside. The Superb always had the best-in-class interior space in fact, rear space was the best by a far distance even when compared to higher end cars. The Octavia has come close to challenging the Superb in terms of rear legroom, but the new Superb continues to nail it. That said, a colleague of mine who graduated from the Ambassador to the SX4 to the Superb and who should know about the legroom on offer in the Superb at the rear sat in his favourite position at the rear, and commented that maybe rear legroom has been cut down a tad. I didnt bother trying to measure the legroom and compare it with the outgoing Superb, but sink in the perfectly cushioned rear seats, and you will relaise that the Superb still has that humongous legroom that it has been famous for. But for a car of this class, koda could well have experimented with seats that could recline, a separate climate zone, or temperature controls. While the dual-zone AC works well, and the B-pillar carries vents for the rear passengers, they could have very well been given their own controls at this price point not just for the AC, but also for the audio system.

Doors open and shut as solidly as ever, and all the three mirrors (two ORVMs and the inner one) get night vision treatment. Legroom up ahead is very good, while the head room has been kept consistent through the cabin. Fit and finish, and the high quality interiors look familiar, albeit with minor differences. For starters, there is no slot to crank the ignition. koda has replaced it with a start/stop button, which has been placed cleverly into the side of the steering column. The earlier 4-spoke steering wheel has been replaced with a new 3-spoke steering that is a tad smaller, and feels less chunky than the earlier one. Else, the rest of the dash, including the AC vents and the console behind the steering is the same. Both the DSG auto gearboxes (1.8 TSI and 2.0 TDI; it also has a 1.8-litre petrol in manual mode) get paddle shifters for those looking for that occasional dose of fun when behind the wheel. Surprisingly, the Octavia doesnt get paddle shifters despite carrying more power!

Be that as it may, koda has now loaded the Ambition trim with more features, while the Elegance gets multiple features. There is the new Bolero unit with touchscreen facility, a 6-CD changer, and 12 speakers for a lovely audio output. But on the shocking list is a missing USB port (how much does this cost?), a camera to help in parking into tight corners (although the sensors at the front and rear do a fantastic job), and a simple GPS. I truly believe that the time has come for all manufacturers to start offering a GPS facility with their cars as a service (chargeable, of course) to the buyer. If I do stop cribbing, I would admire the interiors, the quality of the buttons, and the overall layout. But then again, there is no space in the door pockets to carry that 1-litre bottle of water!

Performance and handling

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koda Superb Botoxed!