Our fleet: Škoda Superb 2.0 TDI SE Business car review - April 2016

Since the badge was revived by Škoda in 2001, the Superb has collected numerous awards, including four Fleet News trophies. The latest came this year for the third-generation model, launched in 2015.

Our new long-term test car is the 2.0-litre TDI 150hp SE Business hatch with six-speed manual transmission, priced at £22,725 with two options: petrol blue metallic paint at £535 and a temporary spare wheel at £100.

Business is, as it suggests, the trim targeted at the company car driver. Among the generous list of equipment are fleet favourites such as Bluetooth, sat-nav, electronic stability control with multi-collision brake and autohold, front and rear parking sensors, front assist with automatic braking function, stop-start and tyre pressure monitoring.

Škoda is pitching the Superb against the likes of the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia (although don’t rule out a few Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series drivers taking a peek). So, our initial thoughts?

The first thing you notice is the size: it’s a big car with ample rear leg, head and arm room. The boot space is cavernous at 625 litres, compared to, for example, the Ford Mondeo (541 litres), Vauxhall Insignia (530 litres), Volkswagen Passat (586 litres) or Audi A4 (480 litres). It’s bigger than most cars in the class above.

Despite the size, the driving experience is outstanding. Not in the tyre squealing, ESC-bothering sense; this car’s forte is its smoothness. So smooth, in fact, that it actively encourages you to follow suit with restrained, moderate driving.

Further promoting this behaviour is the gear-change alert, keeping revs low and progress efficient. So far we have managed to average just under 60mpg, rising to more than 63mpg on a handful of longer journeys – less than 10% off the official figure. Our car is barely out of nappies, though, having not yet hit 3,000 miles.