[Music] it's not easy being a sedan here in the indian market you see what was once the body style revered for its premium feel has now found itself struggling against the mighty and endless onslaught of the suv yes suvs have dug their fingers into every segment and in some cases have come close to killing them all together case in point the premium executive sedan which once was a really vibrant and exciting segment is now down just to two cars today we're driving one of those cars that has long been the flag bearer for this segment just because of the immense package that it offers especially in the back seat the skoda superb has been face lifted and by the looks of things it's even better now [Music] but first what do you our viewers think of the skoda superb facelift does it look better and is it a good alternative to an suv or perhaps even more expensive luxury cars tell us in the comments below and be sure to give us a thumbs up if you like this video and subscribe to the channel if you haven't done so already the changes to the exterior are subtle in keeping with the superb's understated appearance but look hard and you will spot them they've added even more chrome most noticeable in the form of a strip in the larger lower air dam encasing the new led fog lamps there's more of it in the frame and slats of the butterfly grill which is flanked by new full led headlamps as before you'll find chrome in the window surround but there's now a strip at the base of the doors too between the smart new set of 17-inch alloy wheels at the rear there's a chrome strip joining the reprofiled led tail lamps a chrome garnish at the base of the bumper that mimics exhaust tips and the word skoda written large on the boot lid in you guessed it chrome oh and speaking of the boot it remains one of the car's highlights open the powered lift back and you'll find a colossal 625 liters that's more than most suvs will get you and you can even fall the back seats down to liberate 1760 liters before we go any further though you should know that the car you're looking at is the top spec lauren and clement or lnk variant you can also get a lesser trim called the spot line which swaps the chrome for gloss black trim and even gets a neat lip spoiler on the boot little has changed on the inside but then that's not necessarily a bad thing as before the superb cabin feels plush with a generous use of soft touch materials fine detailing and a built-to-last feel to everything it's thoughtfully laid out too with all important controls in easy reach the new chrome line binnacle for the updated touchscreen is nice but if anything it's the dashboard overall that looks a bit generic do note while the lnk features a more conventional black on beige look for the interior and you can even opt for chocolate brown upholstery the superb sportline adopts a sportier all black theme that said the lnk does get more equipment overall than the spotlight and owners will be treated to the likes of powered heated and ventilated front seats with driver side memory an 11 speaker canton audio system three zone climate control driving modes a sunroof and an 8 inch touchscreen with apple carplay and android auto there are however no connected features here [Music] now what other seed could i start the review of the superbin than this one because really this is a car that's catered to the chauffeur driven not a whole lot has changed back here just a few things but then nothing really needed to change because this was always one of the best back seats to be in just look how much room i have to stretch out nikhil who's driving is nearly six feet tall but even in his driving position i have ample knee room and even plenty of headroom the seat itself is very well contoured and that makes it very very comfortable it does have to be said though that a third passenger might be a little uncomfortable thanks to the really high central tunnel that flows through the middle of this cabin other than that there's plenty else to keep you comfy back here including these sun shades that are quite easy to put in place a third separate climate zone for the back seats a facility to move the front passenger seat electrically from the back seat in case you want even more leg room on that side of the car and something it seems to have inherited from the kodiaq these restraints that are meant to hold your head in place in case you want to have a nap while on the move the right quality of the superb has just the right amount of softness built into it it's not too soft so as to move you around too much but it absorbs bumps really really well in fact we had criticized the previous superb for being just a tad too firm especially for a chauffeur driven car but they seem to have remedied that with this one but once you're done with your nap and the chauffeur goes home for the weekend you're going to want to take the wheel yourself once in a while because just as before the superb is well rather superb to drive the biggest mechanical change with the new superb can be found under the hood you no longer get the diesel engine and the old 1.8 liter tsi engine the petrol has been replaced by a two liter tsi engine it makes 190 horsepower and 320 newton meters of torque and while that power output may only be 10 horsepower more than the previous car the torque output is a full 70 newton meters more there's a noticeable tug in the mid-range followed by a sustained charge to 6000 rpm all of which is accompanied by an entertaining snarl from the engine the motor feels alert ready and willing at all times and the quick shifting gearbox plays its supporting role well sure the dsg gearbox isn't absolutely fluid in shifts more so at low speeds like a torque converter auto would be but it's far from a weakness keen drivers will love to take manual control via the pedals or the gear lever it revs far more freely it builds power a lot smoother and overall this engine feels far better suited to a big car like this it's pretty brisk and can be launched effectively off the line thanks to a launch control system in fact even on a wet surface we managed a 0-100 sprint of 8.43 seconds so in the perfect conditions you could probably get pretty close to skoda's claim time of 7.7 seconds [Music] now put your foot down and you actually can have quite a lot of fun with this car and find yourself a bit of windy road and it actually is quite entertaining too and since this is a car more geared towards the chauffeur driven let's dial things down a little bit let's put it in eco mode the gearbox is also in its softest setting and let's see what it's like in a gentle driving environment shall we as you'd imagine for a big premium executive sedan refinement is just top notch now yes on this concrete road on this really wet day i am hearing a bit of water splashing around in the wheel arches but that's about it the engine is super quiet i've got it just under 2000 rpm it's cruising beautifully and smoothly and i suspect this is the way the car will be driven for the most part and it's really rather serene whoever sat in the back seat is probably not going to need those side head restraints to nod off peacefully it's a pretty long car the super but steering it doesn't require too much effort thanks to the rather light and rather quick steering [Applause] and moreover you will have a very easy time of driving this car because visibility all around is very very good the new superb then continues to do what the old superb did so well it looks the part it pampers rear seat occupants with acres of room and a cushy ride and as an added plus it's good to drive too some might argue that the facelift isn't as comprehensive as it could have been but given the fundamental package is so strong it really shouldn't be a deal breaker the skoda superb spotlight comes in at 29.99 lakh rupees ex-showroom while this lnk trim sports a 32.99 lakh rupee price tag that's not cheap by any means but then let's not forget its only direct rival the toyota camry hybrid starts at 39 lakh rupees forget suvs when you view the superb alongside its peers or even alongside like-sized german sedans from the luxury brands you see the skoda for what it is a car that breaks the class ceiling [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] you