2019 Skoda Superb facelift spotted ahead of international launch

Team OD Updated: July 09, 2019, 11:19 AM IST

The Skoda Superb's mid-cycle refresh is due for launch internationally by the middle of this year. In the meantime, a few test mules have been spotted doing the rounds around Skoda's Mlad Boleslav facility in the Czech Republic. The new Superb will debut at the 2019 Geneva motor Show and is a reworking of the third generation Superb that launched internationally in 2015.

The refresh is, unlike the Octavia facelift, more evolutionary than revolutionary. The butterfly grille now has a thick chrome strip running over it while the headlamps look slimmer and wider, and the lighting element has changed too. Also new is the front bumper. The air dam is wider and stretches the entire length of the car, also housing wide LED fog lamps.

The rear too has seen a light brush-up. It gets the wide Skoda lettering seen on the Scala while the tail lamps now have new detailing. Most notable is the thin chrome strip that runs the entire length of the rear, cutting through the lights. The rear bumper too has been redesigned with new grey inserts. The side profile remains identical, just with new split chrome badging on the fenders and doors.

There are no details yet on the changes inside but we can reasonably expect the virtual cockpit instrument cluster and a 360-degree camera to debut on the L and K trims. Engine options will likely remain unchanged for India but international markets will get a new plug-in hybrid which will pair a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine that makes 156PS and 115PS from an electric motor. This unit will have a combined output of 217PS and 70 km range.
The 1.8 petrol with 180PS and 250Nm and the 2.0-litre diesel with 177PS/350Nm should continue unchanged.

The Skoda Superb has had this segment mostly to itself, dominating the Passat with better value and more space. But a new Camry Hybrid is now available and this facelift will keep the Superb from feeling like it has fallen behind.

Also see: Toyota Camry v Skoda Superb v Volkswagen Passat Comparo Video