Skoda Superb GreenLine officially launched
Click above for high-resolution gallery of the Škoda Superb GreenLine
Škoda, a European division of Volkswagen's auto empire, believes that big cars can be green too, and to prove it, the automaker has finally officially launched the Superb GreenLine that we first saw last year at the Geneva Motor Show in the U.K. Like the Passat that it's based on, Škoda fits a turbodiesel engine that displaces 1.9 liters and offers up 105 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. More importantly, the GreenLine sedan manages to register 46 U.S. mpg (5.1 l / 100 km) in the combined cycle with carbon dioxide emissions of 136 g/km.
Besides the miserly engine, those mileage and emissions figures are spurred on by a revised aero-friendly fascia, lowered ride height, revised gearing and low rolling resistance tires. Besides the green bits, the Superb GreenLine also offers a Park Assist system that is designed to make parallel parking an easier affair along with a "Twindoor" trunk (or boot, if you prefer) that can operate either as a normal trunk or as a hatchback.
Gallery: 2008 Skoda Superb GreenLine
[Source: Škoda]
PRESS RELEASE:
Core Facts
*Škoda has announced the launch of its new Superb GreenLine. Available in January, the Superb GreenLine is powered by a 1.9-litre TDI PD DPF which produces 105 bhp and is capable of 55.4mpg on the combined cycle and produces only 136g/km of CO2. This means the Superb GreenLine sits in VED band C and attracts an annual road fund licence of just £120 a year.
*The GreenLine uses clever aerodynamics and is lowered by 15mm to alter the airflow around the front end and improve fuel economy. Weight also plays a key part - the GreenLine is supplied with a tyre repair kit in place of a heavy spare wheel and use low rolling resistance tyres. Transmission ratios have been lengthened to improve fuel economy.
*With more rear leg room and boot space than a Mercedes E-Class the new Superb is the perfect car for family or business.
Quotes
Robert Hazlewood, Škoda UK Director
Clever design sits at the heart of the Škoda range. Everything about the new Superb from its great interior and boot space to the engineering that underpins the new GreenLine marks a big step forward for us. It features the world's first production 'Twindoor' boot that allows owners to use the vehicle as a saloon or hatchback.
The Superb range also offers an ingenious Park Assist system that parallel parks the vehicle for the driver and an innovative Adaptive Front-Light system that adjusts the spread and angle of light according to road speeds.
In keeping with Superb tradition the new model offers outstanding value for money. The range consists of three grades, S, SE, Elegance with even the entry level S offering around 10% additional value over all its key class rivals.
Boilerplate Statements
Škoda is the Manufacturer of Happy Drivers:
* New Octavia is the 2008 Auto Express Driver Power survey 'Car of the Year'
* Manufacturer of the Year in the 2008 Top Gear Owner Satisfaction Survey
Škoda is an environmentally-friendly manufacturer:
* Roomster 1.4TDI (135g/km) lowest emitting MPV in UK (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders)
* Average CO2 emissions of 152g/km make Škoda one of today's greenest carmakers (Business Car)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
meme 3:39PM (2/16/2009)
"46 U.S. mpg (5.1 l / 100 km) in the combined cycle with carbon dioxide emissions of 136 g/km."
A great example of the artificially inflated mileage figures of European-market diesels versus American-market gasoline vehicles. The current model Prius is 46mpg combined, too... but 104 g/km CO2 -- 30% less. The CO2 emissions from that "46 mpg" diesel are equal to that of a 35mpg US gasoline car.
Reply
Max 4:22PM (2/16/2009)
meme.......you say the e.u. mileage figures are artificially inflated, but then you forget about mileage and talk about CO2 g/km ??
What are you trying to say? Yeah diesel motors product more CO2 but are also more efficient than gasoline motors, is that a surprise? Name a U.S. diesel car of comparable proportion that gets 46 mpg.(and it can't be a hybrid).
Reply
meme 1:29AM (2/17/2009)
"meme.......you say the e.u. mileage figures are artificially inflated, but then you forget about mileage and talk about CO2 g/km ?? "
The Prius's g/km is measured by the same standards as this car's, and thus it's a direct comparison. The 46mpg Prius is actually 30% more efficient than this "46 mpg" European diesel. It's a perfect demonstration of how misleading it is to quote European diesel mileage figures to a US audience.
"Yeah diesel motors product more CO2 but are also more efficient than gasoline motors"
They're more efficient, but not *that* much more efficient, and you put them on a nothing special car, and you get the sort of CO2 emissions that you get on a 35mpg US gas car. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but certainly nothing to celebrate. Part of the misleading nature of these figures comes from the fuel itself (diesel is more dense than gasoline, so you have more fuel in that "gallon") and part comes from measurement on the more lax NEDC.
This isn't to knock diesels, by the way. If this car was a gasoline car, it'd have a g/km CO2 emission similar to that of a US gasoline car rated for upper-20s mpg. This is just to knock the act of quoting mpg figures from European diesels to an American audience.
"Name a U.S. diesel car of comparable proportion that gets 46 mpg.(and it can't be a hybrid)."
Wait, are you trying to defend diesels or attack them?
Some European diesels that get ~53mpg on the NEDC would give you about 46mpg in the US, but they'd have the CO2 emissions of a gasoline car that's rated at 41mpg in the US or 47mpg on the NEDC. To get the CO2 emissions of a 46mpg US gasoline car, like the Prius, takes something along the lines of 59mpg NEDC diesel.