Time and time again friends and family are surprised that what they¹re sitting in is a Skoda.

They're always put off by the name though.

That might sound like a petty thing to get hung up on, but as customers finally come to terms with the fact that Skoda makes quality cars like this Superb estate, they then have to get over another stumbling block. Every single person that has seen the car comments on the name and how much they dislike it.

It will be interesting to see if Skoda moves in a different direction with the name as it moves forward to become more of a modern design-led prospect, rather than a value-led product, in the future.

Putting the model name issues aside, the Superb estate is an impressive offering in its Elegance trim.

Interior quality is extremely close to matching key rivals with fine leather finishing and the VW Group¹s solid build, although it doesn¹t surpass them.

At £24,795 it undercuts the Ford Mondeo estate 2.0 TDCi Titanium X which is priced at £25,495.

The Citroën C5 Tourer, which is also a very good alternative to the Mondeo, is £400 cheaper though.

However, the Superb has some tricks up its sleeve the competition can't match, such as rear leg room. The Superb estate is the longest out of the three at 4,838mm, which is only just longer than the Mondeo. However, the way the Superb estate is packaged means rear occupants get a class-leading amount of leg room and that doesn¹t sacrifice boot space.

AM's Superb is fitted with park assist as a £720 option. The system automatically guides the steering for parallel parking manoeuvres.

The Superb's got more room in the boot with the seats up with 633 litres of space, as opposed to the Mondeo estate¹s 542 litres.

Potential customers will have to decide whether the cheaper entry price and extra space outweighs their own badge snobbery.

Specification

Price £24,795
Engine 2.0-litre TDI CR: 168bhp
Transmission 6-sp man
Performance 0-62mph 8.9sec,
top speed 137mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg, 151g/km CO2
Start mileage 18,467
Current mileage 20,103
CAP RV 3yr/30k 42% 60k 36%
Rivals Ford Mondeo estate, Citroën C5 estate