Skoda Superb 280 Review: The Baffling But Brilliant 276bhp Sleeper

Skoda has given its range-topping Superb the 276bhp engine from a Seat Leon Cupra, but left the suspension all soft and squidgy, and the styling incredibly understated. The resulting car is a confusing one...
Skoda Superb 280 Review: The Baffling But Brilliant 276bhp Sleeper

Pros

Cons

Since the death of the Fabia vRS, Skoda has only built one performance-oriented car: the Octavia vRS. We ran a couple as longtermers last year, and we liked them very much. But since then, Skoda has snuck something under the radar that - on paper at least - sounds like it can blow the hottest Octavia into the weeds.

Sure, the car you see here might look exactly the same as a humble 148bhp diesel Skoda Superb, but it isn’t. It’s the Superb 280 It’s been given a Haldex four-wheel drive system, and feeding that four-wheel drive system is the very same 2.0-litre, twin-scroll turbocharged TSI engine you’ll find in the old Seat Leon Cupra 280. So, that’s 276bhp, four-wheel drive, and a 0-62mph time of 5.8 seconds - the same as a Renaultsport Megane Cup-S, only here there are five doors and a massive boot. Or an even more massive boot if you get the estate, which has the same fruity 0-62.

Skoda Superb 280 Review: The Baffling But Brilliant 276bhp Sleeper

Feels quick, too - it has that familiar linear delivery we’re used to with VW’s snappily named EA888 engine, and with the same curiously revvy nature it has in the Leon Cupra. It’s a big car this, but once the six-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox has knocked down a few cogs (no manual, I’m afraid) it picks up pace at an astonishing rate. Modern day sleeper? You betcha.

Don’t be fooled though: this isn’t some sports saloon in a subtle suit: take it round a corner with the slightest dash of enthusiasm - hell, take a roundabout at a normal speed - and you’ll find lean. Lots of lean. And once the four-wheel drive system runs out of grip (admittedly a point that takes a lot of that aforementioned ‘enthusiasm’ to get to), lots of understeer. There’s almost no feedback from the slow steering, and only if you put the Superb in the ambitiously titled ‘sport’ mode is the response anywhere near agreeable.

Skoda Superb 280 Review: The Baffling But Brilliant 276bhp Sleeper

The upshot is it’s incredibly comfortable. The ride is preposterously smooth, and there’s so much space inside, if CT video chief Alex Kersten sat inside I genuinely fear you’d lose him. In fact, I took four fully grown human passengers to the far end of Belgium and back, and no one complained once. That’s not just because I’m a moody bastard: the Superb is ultra roomy. Leg room in the back is Superb (sorry, had to do that at least once), and it generally feels cavernous inside. The only thing I’m not a fan of is the driving position: wherever you sit you feel like you’re on top of the steering wheel rather than behind it.

Skoda Superb 280 Review: The Baffling But Brilliant 276bhp Sleeper

The trouble is, I’m just not sure who this car is for. It’s bloody quick, but doesn’t look like it is, nor does handle anywhere near as well as you expect a car this fast to. Are there people out there who want a fast car that’s not a performance car? Not many, it seems - Skoda says the 280 accounts for just two per cent of all Superb sales in the UK, a figure that’s likely to be similar (if not even less) in most other markets.

So why bother building it at all? Because Skoda can, is the answer, and it can because the Superb now sits on VW Group’s MQB architecture.

Skoda Superb 280 Review: The Baffling But Brilliant 276bhp Sleeper

This modular architecture makes pinching the engine from a hot Seat and sticking in four-wheel drive something that doesn’t cost the company a whole lot. So why not?

For me though, the £31,445 280 is just an odd proposition. Dare I say it, the sensible and much cheaper diesel options - one of which Alex took on a 2000 mile European road trip - make a lot more sense in a car like this. But, this isn’t where weirdly fast Superbs end: there’s a Sport Line 280 on the way with 15mm lower suspension and sportified styling, and even talk of a Superb vRS. A 300bhp+ Superb with a few bits pinched from the Golf R? Sign me up…

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Comments

Kyle Ashdown

Excellent review, as if I expected any different. Reminds me of the North American Passat—and begs the question of why they didnt shove the glorious 3.6L VR6 in the Skoda like they did here…amazing engine.

09/04/2016 - 17:06 |
18 | 2

If I recall correctly, isn’t the 3.6 VR6 a bit…Obsolete? Mainly in Emissions?

09/04/2016 - 17:22 |
6 | 0

The previous generation Superb had a 3.6L in it, same as Passat, but had a different firmware for the transmission. Superbs would change to 6th gear before reaching vmax to be “worse” on paper when compared to Passat, which would stay in 5 and go closer to the redline, giving it more power. Other than the fact that both cars had trouble accelerating beyond 120 mph, the engines were very reliable and robust.

09/04/2016 - 17:51 |
2 | 0

Thought the VR6 was long dead? In Europe at least

09/04/2016 - 19:00 |
6 | 0

The reason why North American Passat (More formally known as NMS) get the V6 is that Japanese midsize family sedan, i.e. Toyota Camry, Honda Accord Nissan Altima and Subaru Legacy, all get a 6-cyl engine. VW is just trying to keep up with the crowd. That is the reason I think why North American market can not get the latest B8 passat. I don’t think MQB chassis can fit a 6-cyl engine(as it is the case here). The only MQB vehicle with a V6 is the upcoming Teramont, however that is the MQB Evo chassis. The fact is the only thing NMS has over B8 is that V6 and lower cost to make. That’s it. It is dated from outside to inside.

09/04/2016 - 21:32 |
2 | 0
iCypher(Joel Chan)

Well, its a Superb…So its Superb.

09/04/2016 - 17:06 |
98 | 0

I have to say that the Octavia isn’t bad either, I drive a 2015 model with a 7-speed DSG and it’s so smooth and effortless to use. Best equipment level in the price range and it’s not ugly, just different. We have to remember that all these cars come from the VW group and they have been making good and solid cars in the last 5 or more years.

09/04/2016 - 20:09 |
18 | 0
CZ 69% Muscle

So this car is the Gran Tourer version of the sedan version of the Leon Cupra 280…

09/04/2016 - 17:14 |
4 | 0
Poke

If only RWD

09/04/2016 - 17:36 |
0 | 2
André 🇳🇴 (rÃ¥nersquad) (subaru) (gf4) (

In reply to by Poke

its awd just mess a bit around with the drivetrain and chip it,weld the diff and tadaaaa DRIFT MISSILE OF DOOM

09/04/2016 - 20:00 |
2 | 0
240sx ftw

Great review Matt!
This Skoda sounds like a seriously cool car. However if it was my choice I would save about 4K and by a Octavia VRS and send it to revo. Or spend the same money and by the R

09/04/2016 - 17:43 |
4 | 0

We went from a Mk 2 Facelift Octy vRS to a Golf R, but we think that we maybe should have bought a Superb 280. The Skoda would be a financial disaster, but a lot more comfortable to live with on “ordinary” road trips.

The good news is that I’ve kept my 4-year old Superb 2.0 TSi & although it’s only remapped to 251 ps it’s still nice & quiet for when we feel the need to act our age, (we are both OAP’s……..) or want to drive
something that’s discreet but nippy. DC

09/06/2016 - 08:07 |
0 | 0
Jakob

The thing about the driving position can be explained easily. Old men have a hard time getting out of the car if the seat is too low, this is also why they buy SUVs even though they won’t see any dirt in their life. My grandfather (76 years old) once tried to get in the Ford Fiesta, no problem. But he genuinely couldn’t get out without help because the seats are too low. And since the majority of people who buy new cars are in fact old men, it’s easily understandable how they make a car targeted to them. It’s the same as you explained with the BMW X1: it’s awful to drive for me, but all the people who have one (they all were pensioners) found the seating position and the steering more than excellent. No shame in building an old man’s car.
I may sound like James May now, but the only thing I don’t understand is why they put a 280 bhp powerhouse then. Old men will probably take the 1.4 TSI and company cars all have the 2.0 TDI. Sure, it’s fast, but the question is whether the car actually needs this power. Let’s face it, nobody would buy a Skoda Superb if he wants a fast car.

09/04/2016 - 18:17 |
4 | 0
Anonymous

276hp and 0-60 in 5.8 seconds… a sleeper?

Am I missing something? Are you just talking about in it’s class?

09/04/2016 - 18:41 |
2 | 6
Jakob

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

0-100 km/h in 5.8 s are quick, unless we are looking at some kind of sports car (which we aren’t). Sure, the German premium marques are offering eight cylinders under the bonnet, but these aren’t sleepers anymores with all the vents and exhaust pipes as thick as an arm. The Superb 280 looks exactly like the base model.

09/04/2016 - 18:58 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Can’t wait for my black estate to arrive!

09/04/2016 - 19:00 |
2 | 0
Mark Mason

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Lucky you!!!

09/05/2016 - 03:34 |
2 | 0
That Guy Who Drives a Skoda

Same reason the superb 3.6 V6 never caught on, flipping quick car, but do you really want a V6 skoda/280bhp skoda?

09/04/2016 - 19:11 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

I know who this car is aimed at. Getaway drivers. Fast, but subtle enough for nobody to notice

09/04/2016 - 19:33 |
28 | 0