How have they created the rear legroom in the Superb?

[Superb 1.8 TSI]

I am a newcomer to this forum and a happy owner of a Superb 1.8 TSI estate. One thing that baffles me about this car is how they have managed to create so much interior space in a car with a relatively short wheelbase.

There are a number of cars with a longer wheelbase than the Superb (Peugeot 508, Citroen C5, Volvo V70, Ford Mondeo, Audi A6 for instance). But none of them come even close to it's rear leg room. Has anyone thought about why this is so? What "magic" tricks have Skoda pulled to make the interior space so huge?

[Mr Milo]

Umm good point

[PowerMalc]

How does 'Dr Who' get into his police box?

[infoschumi]

After I compared many measurements,I saw that the wheelbase is shorter on the superb(56mm),but the Superb still has more interior space.Then I realised it's all about the seats.

If you look in the pictures,the front seats(red lines) start at the same position,but the one in Superb is shorter.The one in Peugeot 508 in it's most close position to the steering wheel still ends after the B pillar.Same thing about the rear seats(green lines).They end in the same position,but the one in Superb is shorter and it ends almost at the half of the door while the one in the Peugeot ends at 1/4 of the door.

In conclusion,the seats start and end at the same position,but on the 508 they are longer,so they are getting closer one to each other(=>less legroom).

Anyone noticed that we have smaller seats?Skoda engineers are tricky

[gianthotdog]

The superb is hardly a short wheelbase car? It's massive.

[Coops]

Tis a good question - my colleagues have Audi A6s and Passats which are similar in length, but neither have the legroom of mine, or boot space for that matter.

Is the dashboard further forward?

[mannyo]

My current A8 is longer than the superb, but surprisingly has little more legroom than a Mondeo. The reason is that the boot is massive, and the bonnet is very long to accommodate a longitudinal mounted V8 engine.

[smf1007]

I've asked myself the same question and have concluded that it's all about packaging the front end so the driver is closer to the front of the car, as seems to be borne out by your comparison to a 508. Consider my position. I'm coming from a Vectra estate which is 1mm longer than the Superb and has a very long wheelbase at 2830mm (it was based on the Signum floorpan so has an extra 5" rear legroom over the hatch). That's why I've ordered a Superb and although the Superb wheelbase is shorter at 2761mm (2+ inches shorter in English), it has acres more rear legroom. It has a bigger boot also but that about depth, not length. So compared to my current Vectra the front seats are further forward and the rear seats are further rearward creating massive internal space. Can't wait til March.

[Superb 1.8 TSI]

I've asked myself the same question and have concluded that it's all about packaging the front end so the driver is closer to the front of the car, as seems to be borne out by your comparison to a 508. Consider my position. I'm coming from a Vectra estate which is 1mm longer than the Superb and has a very long wheelbase at 2830mm (it was based on the Signum floorpan so has an extra 5" rear legroom over the hatch). That's why I've ordered a Superb and although the Superb wheelbase is shorter at 2761mm (2+ inches shorter in English), it has acres more rear legroom. It has a bigger boot also but that about depth, not length. So compared to my current Vectra the front seats are further forward and the rear seats are further rearward creating massive internal space. Can't wait til March.

Yes, that is probably it. Pretty clever people at Skoda I must say,

[Superb 1.8 TSI]

The superb is hardly a short wheelbase car? It's massive.

Here is a comparison:

Skoda Superb: 2761 mm

Peugeot 508: 2817 mm

Audi A6: 2912 mm

Volvo V70: 2816 mm

Volvo V60: 2776 mm

As you can see there are plenty of cars with a longer wheelbase than the Superb but none of the above cars come even close to its interior space.

[JB.]

It's a pity Skoda shortened the length of the seats. Despite the electric adjustment, I still can't get fully comfortable in the drivers seat due to the base being too short (which may put me off getting another).

[skomaz]

I've asked myself the same question and have concluded that it's all about packaging the front end so the driver is closer to the front of the car

Absolutely spot on. Good frontal packaging, short bonnet and hence driver closer to the front of the car. Look at an older peugeot - say a 307 or 407 especially and the driver is basically located at the centrepoint of the wheelbase, leaving little room behnd. The Skoda's dont; have this

The same applied to the Fabia I compared to otehr similar sized cars from other manufacturers when it came out. Good tight packaging at the front leading to a short bonnet and more interior space, especially in estate form.

[tomcatdk]

Hi

Explained the "Legroom trick" here: http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/176172-a-little-bit-odd/page__p__2136358__hl__legroom__fromsearch__1#entry2136358

From the thread where we got into BMW5 vs Superb:

"Superb comes with 2 different seats. The "Below Elegance models" and Elegance models. Elegance seats should feel a little more like a decent "sofa" and it should not differ from the passat seats. (Below elegance models probably comes with the same seats as the Octavia, but i'm not sure.)

The BMW5 is way different. With it's wheelbase of allmost 3 meters the backseats have lots of space and is not interfering with the wheelhouse. The superbs meager backseat width is a result of the backseats is retracted to the outer limits of whats possible because of the wheelhouse, thus creating the limousine effect with lots of legroom."

In general, longer wheelbase equals wider backseats, unless they are doing tricks like in the superb ."

So the car brands can either prioritize backseat width or legroom space.

Edited 21 January, 2012 by tomcatdk

[digidoctor]

It is all about touching the front seats back with the knees while sitting in the rear.

[Ozsko]

It's a pity Skoda shortened the length of the seats. Despite the electric adjustment, I still can't get fully comfortable in the drivers seat due to the base being too short (which may put me off getting another).

Exactly opposite for me. I find it is the first car I have had which I sit upright in and do not tend to slump and slide down in the seat due to the it being short. Combined with the full adjustability of the driver's seat it makes long journeys a pleasure.

Edited 26 January, 2012 by Ozsko

[ukcruiser]

Short seat base in the front seats?! - Mine are almost too big!

Al.

[redbuta]

The seat base is not short. However the back row is narrower than in Passat.

They push the rear seats further back, overlapping slightly with the rear wheel arches now. That is why the legroom is huge with the trade-off being a bit narrow for 3 big adults. The boot is not very deep either, but no one will complain that in a Superb, already too big!

One more bonus of this design though, is the extra arm'n'shoulder space for passengers next to the doors. Hence they can move sideways slightly to make the middle passenger more comfortable if needed!

[JB.]

The driver's seat definitely seems to have a shorter base than the Merc E-class and BMW 5-series (which I had previously).

I'm not tall with 31-inch inner leg - yet the seat base seems to stop too early for me (I sit very upright in my seat, almost 90 degrees, which may worsen the position for me). I was much more comfortable in my previous cars.

I would really love to stick with Skoda though, far better in every other way.

[redbuta]

I can understand the seats won't be as confy as those two. However, it seems the differences among superb, passat and BMW 5 aren't so obvious from these photos:

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/skoda/superb-hatchback/2-0-tdi-cr-140-s-5dr/pictures/60792

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/volkswagen/passat-saloon/1-4-tsi-122-s-bluemotion-tech-4dr/pictures/59481

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/bmw/5-series-saloon/520d-se-4dr/pictures/58966

Probably the lumbar support is too much on your superb?

The dimensions also tell similar story:

Superb

Passat

BMW 5

The driver's seat definitely seems to have a shorter base than the Merc E-class and BMW 5-series (which I had previously).

I'm not tall with 31-inch inner leg - yet the seat base seems to stop too early for me (I sit very upright in my seat, almost 90 degrees, which may worsen the position for me). I was much more comfortable in my previous cars.

I would really love to stick with Skoda though, far better in every other way.

[hpoom]

I can understand the seats won't be as confy as those two. However, it seems the differences among superb, passat and BMW 5 aren't so obvious from these photos:

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/skoda/superb-hatchback/2-0-tdi-cr-140-s-5dr/pictures/60792

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/volkswagen/passat-saloon/1-4-tsi-122-s-bluemotion-tech-4dr/pictures/59481

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/bmw/5-series-saloon/520d-se-4dr/pictures/58966

Probably the lumbar support is too much on your superb?

The dimensions also tell similar story:

Superb

Passat

BMW 5

I believe a lot of the space in the Superb comes from the bonnet being shorter. This is very clear in those 3 pictures posted. You can see the Superb has a shorter front then both the Passat and 5 Series.

The Superb engine is transverse mounted, where I believe (but not 100% sure) that the other 2 have longitudinal mounted engines.

Can anybody else comment on this, has rotating the engine created the space?

[ChunkyMonty]

Out of interest, how does the superb compare to the A6?

[TonyTonic]

On 28/01/2012 at 10:21, ChunkyMonty said:

Out of interest, how does the superb compare to the A6?

A lot more rear legroom and the A6 has a massive transmission tunnel almost impossible to sit in the middle seat at the back.

[chimaera]

On 28/01/2012 at 09:37, hpoom said:

I believe a lot of the space in the Superb comes from the bonnet being shorter. This is very clear in those 3 pictures posted. You can see the Superb has a shorter front then both the Passat and 5 Series.

The Superb engine is transverse mounted, where I believe (but not 100% sure) that the other 2 have longitudinal mounted engines.

Can anybody else comment on this, has rotating the engine created the space?

An old thread, but it's worth noting for anyone else who comes across it that only three Passat generations have been longitudinal: B1, B2, B5. The Superb 2 is based on the Passat B6 and both are nearly identical mechanically apart from the Superb's extra wheelbase.

[williamshatnerspants]

While I love the legroom in the back of our Superb I'd willingly give a little away to make the rear seats wider. Fitting three across the back is tighter than a Mazda 6, and makes two child seats and one adult nearly impossible. I believe later model Superbs are wider in the rear (steady Vicar).

[TonyTonic]

On 28/01/2012 at 09:37, hpoom said:

I believe a lot of the space in the Superb comes from the bonnet being shorter. This is very clear in those 3 pictures posted. You can see the Superb has a shorter front then both the Passat and 5 Series.

The Superb engine is transverse mounted, where I believe (but not 100% sure) that the other 2 have longitudinal mounted engines.

Can anybody else comment on this, has rotating the engine created the space?

where did you get the pictures from about the internal dimensions? I'd like to check another car