In a sea of SUVs, it’s refreshing to know there are still enough people out there interested in buying a good wagon. Europe was essentially the last bastion of the long-roof model, and Skoda was one of the last major brands to sell it. Yes, the Fabia Combi subcompact is now dead, but the silver lining is that the Octavia and Superb estates stay in line. The larger of the two will make the switch to the next-generation model in 2023.
New speculative rendering of College takes the latest spy shot of the midsize wagon, which will be mechanically linked to the Volkswagen Passat Variant more than ever. So much so that both will be assembled at the same factory in Slovakia, but rumors say there will be no Passat Sedan this time around. As evidenced in several spy photos, expect evolutionary exterior looks for these VW and Skoda models because both companies know their customers prefer safe designs.
While the exterior won’t rock the boat, there will be some big changes on the inside. A spy shot from last week allowed us to take a peek inside a near-production prototype of the 2023 Superb with a tablet-like display. The touchscreen seems to be following Enyaq, so that effectively means the days of a neatly integrated display are numbered. Doing so will allow Skoda to fit a much larger touchscreen compared to the previous model, big enough to swallow separate buttons and knobs for climate settings.
Logic tells us that Superb will stick to the MQB platform given that the VW Group is investing most of its funds into engineering architectures developed exclusively for electric vehicles. A final batch of petrol and diesel engines is in the works as these ICEs must comply with Euro 7 regulations due in a few years in the European Union. Skoda’s flagship car is already the largest in the shrink segment, offering ample rear legroom and cargo capacity, making it unlikely to grow significantly in size.
The plug-in hybrid has already been confirmed taking into account the latest VW Passat prototype spotted with an additional cover for the charging port. Skoda has never made a fully fledged Excellent RS, but we hope the powerful Sportline with its 280-horsepower 2.0 TSI engine will live to see the next generation. Most (if not all) petrol and diesel engines are likely to benefit from mild hybrid technology to reduce emissions and offer a bit of a low-end boost.
The next generation Superb will be followed in 2024 by a facelifted Octavia as Skoda core models will join ICE in the future.
