Skoda Superb hatchback (2008-2015) - Practicality & boot space

The Skoda Superb was designed from the outset to offer the maximum possible practicality and it shows. It has an enormous boot, which can be configured in several different ways depending on your requirements.

But the massive interior space comes at a price. This is a big car, which means you'll likely rely heavily on parking sensors, which aren't fitted as standard to the entry-level S model.

Interior space and storage

As you'd expect for a large family car, there are loads of storage cubbies dotted around the cabin. But someone at Skoda clearly had their thinking hat on when designing this car, because some models feature additional useful features, such as an umbrella holder in the rear door and a removable torch in the boot.

There's also loads of interior space for passengers. You can comfortably fit three adults across the rear bench, while rear legroom is the best in class by a country mile. With all that leg and shoulder room, being chauffeured around in the back of a Superb is just as much fun as driving one. The only thing to watch out for is headroom – it can be a bit tight for rear passengers over six feet tall.

Boot space

The hatchback's boot is accessed via Skoda's innovative TwinDoor system, which is similar to that used by the BMW 5 Series GT. Push one button above the number plate and a small section of the boot flips open, much like a traditional saloon car. This is perfect for loading smaller items quickly. But when you press a second button, the smaller boot section locks with the rear windscreen and the entire rear hatch opens up.

With the rear seats in their normal position, the Superb has 565 litres of space, but if that's still not enough, you can drop the rear seats to free up 1,670 litres. It would be useful if you could release the rear seats from a handle in the boot, but unfortunately you have to walk around to the passenger door for that.

To get a flat boot floor, you need to flip the rear seats forward, which is a bit of a pain, but for such a large space, it’s worth it. For extra versatility, the boot floor is moveable, too – a lower setting maximizes the space available, while the higher setting creates a perfectly flat loading area.

Towing

With a load limit of 100kg on the roof, plus a towing capacity of 2,000kg, the Superb is an excellent tow car. The Superb Estate 2.0 TDI 4x4 DSG was named overall winner at the prestigious Caravan Club 2013 Tow Car of the Year awards.