I emerged from Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport to the spectacular sight of 10 spanking new Skoda Superbs, their colours shining magnificiently in the bright sun.
I emerged from Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport to the spectacular sight of 10 spanking new Skoda Superbs, their colours shining magnificiently in the bright sun. The Czech carmaker had charted out a scenic journey for auto journos to check out its new model: Dehradun to Mussoorie to Dhanolti to Chamba to Rishikesh, culminating at Ananda in the Himalayas. But that, as it turned out later, was just the tip of the iceberg.
After tossing my luggage into the cavernous 565 litre boot (which has twin doors for small and big luggage) and posing for pictures, I was on my way, feeling kicked at being among the first few lucky ones to be driving a car that was still a couple of days from its official launch.
Programming my seat preference on the 12-way adjustable driver seat, I wanted to quickly get out of Dehradun and on to the highways, desperate to unleash the horses beneath the hood.
The Skoda Superb came strapped with a four-cylinder 1.8 litre turbocharged petrol engine as compared to the earlier V6 engine. It had a seven-speed transmission as well as automatic gearshifting, which saved me the trouble of taking my hands off the steering while driving.
I experimented with both the Drive mode, meant for economical driving on congested highways, as well as the Sport mode to truly enjoy the thrill of dynamic driving both on flat roads as well as 2286 metres above sea level in Dhanolti, a launching point for treks to the surrounding snow-capped mountains. The 16-inch alloy wheels held up well as I negotiated my way through loose gravel where parts of the road surface had disappeared. And yes, several times through the journey, I was thankful for the virtues of ABS — the Anti-lock Braking System. The electro-mechanical power steering, adjustable for both height and reach, helped to keep a grip on things too.
Inside… sheer tranquility… The car’s central infotainment system had a 6.5 inch LCD colour display for things like travel distance before re-fuelling, distance traveled, and average speed, but my attention was first drawn to the six-CD changer to look for favourite tracks. The only other sound inside the cabin was that of the ice-box (that Skoda had thoughtfully placed in our cars with refreshments) that kept sliding from side to side as we negotiated blind turn after blind turn on the slopes of Dhanolti.
The rich interiors with wood design and dual-tone onyx-ivory in Nappa leather smelt of haute couture and the reason why I kept getting whiffs of the new leather upholstery was because of the odour and pollen filters in the car. Of course, this wasn’t Mumbai, so I could just open the sunroof and take in lungfuls of unadulterated air, without bothering with filters.
As it grew dark, I got to experience the car’s much-talked-about adaptive frontlight system, with corner lamps that changed the geometry of the light beam depending on the conditions. This proved to be a boon as it lit vast portions of the dark mountainside all the way to Ananda.
It was only a day later, however, that Skoda unveiled its best feature — a price tag a shade lower than Rs19 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) compared to the Rs20 lakh plus for the earlier Skoda Superbs. That with an engine guzzling less fuel positions this luxury car well in a souring economy.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}