WHEN it comes to a luxury limousine for sensible money there is nothing on the market to touch the Skoda Superb.
For anyone who has not tried this car, limousine might seem like a misnomer, but once you sit inside you will see that the Superb is a very large vehicle indeed.
A little like Dr Who's Tardis, it is one of those vehicles which is much larger on the inside than it looks from outside.
It is easy to look at the Superb and get the impression that it is the same size as VW's Passat, but although the shape might be similar the space certainly is not.
Sit in the rear seats of the Superb and you can quite literally stretch your legs fully out, which makes it a great vehicle for the businessman or the family man.
And with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, three spec levels and prices ranging from £13,900 to £21,600 there is plenty of choice.
My test car was the less powerful of the two diesels on offer, the 130bhp 1.9-litre TDi unit, which has proved to be so popular in severla models made by other member companies within the VW/Audi group.
In top-of-the range Elegance trim it is a car which is Superb by name and superb by nature.
Some Skodas can look a little utilitarian inside, but not the Superb in Elegance trim. It has electrically operated leather seats with three memory settings in case more than one person uses the car.
And unusually both the front and rear seats are heated, something more normally associated with just a handful of cars - normally costing twice as much as the Superb.
Also boosting the executive appearance of the car is the wood finish on the console and gear knob.
The Superb is incredibly well equipped, with everything from cruise control to acoustic rear parking sensors and bi-xenon headlamps.
A great deal of thought has gone into making this car easy to live with. You not only get illuminated leg space in the rear but lights set into the door mirrors to illuminate the ground outside the car. No stepping into dark puddles with the Superb.
Talking of water, the Superb in Elegance or Comfort trim even comes with an umbrella in a special compartment in the left rear door.
The TDi engine is well suited to this big car, having plenty of torque to ensure you are always ahead of the crowd even when fully laden.
It is obviously not as quiet as the 2.5 V6 TDi but it is still very refined and on test it was easy to average fuel consumption in the high thirties around town.
The Superb is one of those rare cars that shocks because it just offers so much that you don't expect, in terms of features and performance.
Skoda obviously knew what it was doing when it selected the name for this, its flagship saloon.
FAST FACTS
Skoda Superb 1.9 TDi PD Elegance auto
Price: £20,000
Mechanical: 130bhp, 1,896cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via automatic gearbox
Max speed: 125mph
0-62mph: 11.7 secs
Combined mpg: 39.2
Insurance group: 11
CO2 emissions: 194g/km
BiK rating: 27%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage; 10yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint