Pulling power

WHAT'S in a name?

While that which we call a rose by any other name would, as Juliet Capulet said, smell as sweet, names can be a minefield for carmakers.

There are the gaffes like the Mitsubishi Pajero. This is distributed with a family newspaper so if you want to know what pajero means to a Spanish speaker, I'll point you to Google or Wikipedia for help.

And just to think, there are people driving around with THAT word emblazoned all over their 4x4s.

Then there's the Rolls-Royce Silver Mist with its scatological name – if you're German.

The French, on the other hand, have been similarly confused over the Toyota MR2 – Toyota 'emm-aire-duh' sounds suspiciously like Toyota Merde – an equally bad monicker.

And there are the riding-for-a-fall names – such as the Mitsubishi Carisma. Not a bad car, pioneering as it did the direct injection petrol engine, but charisma it did not have.

So what about the Skoda Superb, the third generation of which has just gone on sale?

With its competitors in the D-segment including such talents as the new Laguna, Accord and Mondeo, surely a car called Superb is riding for a fall.

Well, actually, no.

You would have to have been on a different planet not to be aware of the giant leap forward in Skoda quality over the past few years.

The new Octavia is the current Auto Express Driver Power Car of the Year and Skoda is manufacturer of the year in the 2008 Top Gear owner satisfaction survey.

The appearance is quite imposing. It might not be the sexiest profile in the class, but whereas some rivals masquerade as coupes, the Superb's straight waistline gives it more of a limo look.

Take a peek inside and that look is lived up to.

While feeling a bit less VW-cloned than some recent Skodas, the interior feels as well made as anything else produced by Skoda's parent group and the space is huge.

Rear seat legroom, in particular, is terrific – easily the best in its class.

The 2001-launched Superb (the original was made in the 30s) was one of the few cars in which a stroppy toddler in one of those fat Britax Cruiser-type car seats could not kick the back of their parent's seat.

As anyone who has ever had to put up with that will know, it is a real pain.

Well, the ankle-biters will have no chance at all in the new car, which has an extra 19mm of rear knee room.

Luggage space is not compromised by that huge passenger space, either.

As a five-seater the Superb offers a huge 565-litre boot, while folding away the split rear seat offers 1,670 litres and that's more than some rival estate cars.

The rear is accessed through Skoda's own Twindoor tailgate, a clever bit of technology that I suspect others in the VW group will soon be borrowing.

Press the central release and the boot lid pops up saloon-car style.

Great if you're dropping off at the airport where the prevailing westerlies rip through the interior as you open the tailgate of a hatchback, estate or MPV, wrecking hairdos and sending passengers scurrying off to Jacksons after their hats.

Moving house? Press a release on the right, wait a second for the technology to react then press the central boot release and the whole tailgate comes up offering an aperture you could load furniture through.

It gives the Superb owner both a hatchback and a saloon for the price of one and also allows Skoda to manufacture one model to sell on the Continent, where the preference is for the boot and in the UK, with its preference for hatchbacks.

Superbs are available in three specifications: S, SE and Elegance and a choice of petrol and diesel engines ranging from 1.4 to 3.6 litres, with manual or DSG automatic

transmissions and with two- or four-wheel drive Paul's Motors demonstrator is a mid-range 1.8 TSI SE six-speed manual coming in at a little under £16K.

As in its other VW group installations, the turbocharged 1.8-litre unit is sweet, free-revving and with good pulling power.

The gearshift was positive and accurate and the steering likewise – just as well for the Superb is a pretty big car.

It does, though, justify that size by offering acres of space and a sense of occasion that is rare at this price – there's even an umbrella in the rear door, a nice limo touch.

The SE model boasts Alcantara upholstery, touch-screen stereo, dual zone climate control, cruise control and rear parking sensors.

Options include the adaptive front light system that is standard on the range-topping Elegance.

This changes the shape of the headlamp beam: shorter and broader at urban speeds, longer and narrower on the

motorway, follows the curve of the road when cornering, and reduces road glare when it is raining. AFS also allows the lighting pattern to be switched from RHD to LHD via the maxi dot computer.

But enough of what the test did not have and back to what it did: seven airbags, a full five-star Euro NCap safety score and a combination of decent cornering ability and an excellent ride.

It might lack the go-kart gene that makes Mondeo the enthusiastic driver's choice in this segment.

But its combination of value, stability, comfort and vast interior space are impressive.