If you can, cast your mind back to 2001. Labour secured a second landslide election victory, the countryside was devasted by a foot-and-mouth outbreak and the world was rocked by terrorist attacks in America. It wasn’t all doom and gloom – the first Harry Potter movie sparked a global phenomenon, while one Dr Richard Wiseman launched a massive global study to find the world’s funniest joke.
Among the wisecracks he uncovered, there were none about Škoda. Surprising perhaps, given the budget Czechoslovakian brand’s appalling Soviet-mobiles had been the butt of automotive humour for decades.
The 2001 Škoda Superb, front left, re-introduced the name
Things started to look up for Škoda when Volkswagen bought the company in stages during the 1990s, ultimately taking full control in 2000. Dragging the manufacturer into the 21st century was to prove a lengthy process; I visited the Mlada Boleslav factory in Prague back in 1995 and supervisors were still commuting up and down the production line on bicycles.
A spread of Superbs
The 1996 Škoda Octavia was a hint of what was to come but it took the 2001 launch of the Superb to showcase what the now Czech company could achieve under VW control. Twenty-five years on and the Škoda Superb is now in its fourth generation, widely praised by motoring pundits and highly regarded by those who don’t give a stuff about the badge on the bonnet.
The very first Superb model is shown at far left
The Superb story actually began almost a century ago. The name originally debuted in 1935 on a model considered ground-breaking at the time. Measuring 5.5-metres long, the Superb was a luxury limousine for up to seven passengers. It was also built at Mlada Boleslav and you can see one for yourself at the nearby Škoda Museum.
Škoda Superb Mk2 from 2008
The first modern-generation Superb had to do battle with the executive mainstays of the era like the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra, models that both now extinct. It was based on the same platform as a VW Passat, with a wheelbase stretched by 10cm to offer rear-seat passengers palatial travelling space.
Škoda Superb Mk3 from 2015
To celebrate the model’s quarter century, I had the chance to drive a pristine 2001 example from Škoda’s press fleet. It’s obvious why mainstream manufacturers back in the noughties were terrified of the Czech threat. My Mk I model dates from 2006, cost £21,715 and is laden with kit – satellite navigation, heated and eclectically adjustable seats included. A Mondeo Ghia was over £25,000 at the time.
The Superb Mk3 represents peak automotive interior design
The Climatronic heating system proves more efficient than some current models, while the leather seats are complemented by some dashboard wood trim that would have been the height of sophistication 20 years ago. Power comes from a V6 TDI – another benefit of cross-pollination with VW.
The Mk3 estate built on the reputation of the spacious Mk2 car
A decent-sized boot was par for the course back then, but it wasn’t until the Mk II version in 2008 that Škoda introduced the cavernous Combi estate. A practical hatchback refined the shape of the saloon, while the Mk III offered more efficient power trains and saw estate sales surpass saloon for the first time.
The current Superb is available as a hybrid, mild-hybrid, petrol or, surprisingly for 2026, a turbo diesel. The 2.0 TDI 4x4 is the sweet spot and costs around £46,000. A full tank in my test car showed total range approaching 700 miles. When was the last time you registered that in an EV?
The Mk4 estate has served as a support car on the Tour de France
There’s a swanky Laurin & Klement version – named after the original Škoda founders - that can cost upward of £53,000 but even an entry-level Superb SE has class-leading attributes. Both saloon and estate win endless awards, with the latter praised for carrying capacity and refinement. In some senses, Škoda is today what VW was seen as 25 years ago, a true people’s car with a wide bandwidth of models and abilities.
Škoda Superb Mk4 estate, perhaps the best contemporary estate car available today
Dr Wiseman’s funniest joke? Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps: ‘My friend is dead! What can I do?’ The operator says: ‘Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.’ There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says: ‘OK, now what?’
Is there a more self-aggrandising car name than Superb? Before the Czech company diverted into the vaguely sub-Tolkienesque nomenclature it uses for its EV range, it really set out its stall with the original 2001 car, creating a flagship that continues to endure, whether as a commodious hatchback or the high-end hybrid estate.
Škoda Superb, from £36,800