Correct

FWIW my 225/40/18 did not fit in the spare wheel well either (Combi with variable boot floor)

Well, yes. On a budget, and in a country where sets of winter wheels are hardly the norm, I thought to go for a single spare wheel wasn't 'ridiculous' money. I am considering getting a set of wheels with winter tyres as well, as British winters look set to get a lot worse over the coming years. In the short term though I think I'll go with a single spare that's the same as the other current wheels and then I could decide to get a full set of steels or whatever for winter tyres, or just get 3 more 18" Themisto's!

I ordered the steel spare with my Octavia, but when the dealer damaged a warranty replacement alloy, I thought I would ultimately keep it for use as a full size spare. In the meantime I've changed tge 205/55 16 on the steel spare for a cheap non-directional all-season 205/60 16 as its closer to the circumference of the other tyres and can also be used on our quattro where matching sizes is more critical. The tyre shop offset the cost of my unused spare against the supplied all-season spare. As I'm planning on getting a Scout/Outdoor version of the Superb, this size spare should be perfect.

I thought the Superb Outdoor also had 205/55r16 (or 225/45R17) wheels?

I thought the Superb Outdoor also had 205/55r16 (or 225/45R17) wheels?

Hoping for 225s or wider/larger, but there's not been any spec, or indeed confirmation of variant here in the UK. It's been suggested that VW wants some breathing space for its Alltrack to avoid cannibalising sales.