Skoda has given more details on its imminent Superb Mk4, which we've already driven as a Combi estate - and the good news is that it will be offered with a hatchback body once again, despite the fact many other manufacturers are abandoning this vehicle type in favour of more profitable SUVs.
More aerodynamic, despite being bigger
Slated to sit alongside the Combi, Skoda says the fourth-generation Superb hatch has grown in length and height, but at the same time it has also become more aerodynamic too. Although the car in the pictures is clothed in eye-twisting camouflage, it's clear to see that features like Skoda's octagonal grille have made the cut, although perhaps less obvious is the fact the Superb has a new design of door handle this time around.
It's a big car, mind, with Skoda confirming it has expanded in length by 43mm to an overall 4912mm, while the roofline has also gone up 12mm to 1481mm in total. Obviously, the direct corollary of this is that headroom inside is improved, by 11mm for front-seat passengers and 6mm in the rear. One of the Superb's strong points, its absolutely cavernous boot, has also been enlarged by 20 litres here, to a gargantuan seats-up figure of 645 litres - so much for needing that Combi model.
But all of this extra space is not at the cost of the Superb's ability to cut cleanly through the air; with the same width (1834mm) and wheelbase (2841mm), and revisions to all of the air intakes, passenger compartment and door mirrors, the coefficient of drag for the Mk4 is as low as 0.24.
New interior concept, mild-hybrid drive offered
Within the Superb Mk4, Skoda says it has completely redesigned the interior, with the central focus pinned on a 13-inch freestanding display screen. This works in tandem with a head-up display, the first time a Superb has had such technology, while there are also 'Smart Dials'. Good news for those of you against the touchscreenification of car interiors, as this phrase relates to three rotary push-buttons below the infotainment screen, each containing a 32mm display. These provide quick and easy access to various in-car features, so they promise to be a more intuitive user interface than wildly stabbing at a digital screen while driving. Elsewhere, Skoda has tidied up the centre console by shifting the gearlever to the steering column.
This is because all models in the Mk4 Superb range are seven-speed DSG automatics as standard; there is no manual option any longer. However, what there is for the first time is mild-hybrid fuel-saving technology. This 48-volt system is offered on the base TSI petrol, a 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit with 150hp. Like any mild hybrid, the Superb 1.5 TSI will be able to recuperate energy during braking, storing it in the battery to be used as an electric power boost for the engine, or to allow the vehicle to coast with the engine completely switched off.
More engines have been confirmed for the fourth-gen Superb, with two different specifications of a 2.0-litre TSI, with either 204- or 265hp. Those wanting diesel power are catered for too, by a 2.0 TDI engine with a choice of 150- or 193hp outputs. All of these engines meet Euro 6d emissions standards, by the way.