In his role as car fleet manager for Stark Building Materials, Kevin Choules looks after an armada of vehicles about 1,400 strong.
“My role is to go out to the manufacturers and negotiate discount levels and drive the vehicles to see if they’re suitable for our business,” says Choules. “I drive about 12,000 miles a year but some of our sales employees can do close to 30,000 miles.”
So, will a day with the all-new Škoda Superb plug-in hybrid convince him to add the plug-in hybrid estate to his roster?
Meet and greet: Choules gets acquainted with the Škoda Superb ahead of putting it through its paces
First impressions
It’s a rather miserable morning in Southampton when Choules and the Superb meet – but it cuts a dashing shape through the drizzle.
“It’s a fantastic-looking vehicle,” he says. “And it’s very spacious. We own Jewsons, the building materials company, and the boot is massive and able to fit all of a driver’s requirements.”
Putting some numbers to that, with rear seats folded the Superb’s carrying capacity increases from 510 litres to a massive 1,770 litres.
Climbing aboard, Choules settles into the driver’s seat. “Sometimes you can feel a bit restricted in certain vehicles. But this is very, very comfortable,” he says.
On the road
Choules’s chosen route takes him out of Southampton and into the New Forest, about 60-odd miles of mixed driving, taking in 20mph villages and longer stretches of fast, open road.
“The ride is really comfortable,” he says. “It’s so pleasant to drive and even going over the bumps – it’s so smooth.”
Despite the English weather doing its best to spoil the fun, Choules is taken with the confidence that the Superb inspires from the driving seat. “The handling is absolutely perfect, going around the corners, it holds well. It’s a bit wet out there but it feels like I’m always in control of the vehicle. It’s a really good drive.”
Exceptional efficiency
The Superb plug-in hybrid is powered by a combination of a 1.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor. Together they deliver a formidable 204PS*, while the electric range on a fully-charged 25.7kWh battery alone is up to 84 miles**. Choules is pleasantly surprised to discover that during the entire test drive the petrol engine isn’t engaged once by the car.
“You’re always a bit sceptical of what a car can actually do, but I’ve got to say the Superb is fantastic,” says Choules. “It does exactly what Škoda claims and you don’t always find that with some other manufacturers. In electric mode it’s responsive and going through villages I was able to generate electricity [through the regenerative braking system] too.”
Choules plugs in a location to the Superb’s 13in central screen
Intuitive technology
Despite only spending a few hours with the Superb, Choules found it very easy to get to grips with its infotainment system and controls.
“It feels like the centre screen is bigger than usual [it’s 13 inches] and the satellite navigation is great. You can see the map really well and it’s very clear when you have to make a turn. Some systems can be a little tricky but this is really good,” he says.
Choules especially likes the fact that there are Škoda Smart Dials under the infotainment screen – physical buttons to control key features instead of everything being operated from the touchscreen. “It’s really easy to use. The three buttons underneath the satnav, where you control the heating with the middle button, you press to change the volume and you press it again to change the speed of the fans, that is really quite clever. I like that.”
Simply clever stuff
“Simply clever” is something of a Škoda mantra and the Superb features numerous handy features designed to make its owners’ lives easier. One such touch is the umbrella that lives within the driver’s door, which Choules makes good use of when he steps out for a coffee break. It turns out he has also browsed the accessories catalogue and discovered the Smart holder for passengers that can take an iPad or similar tablet. “That’s such a good feature for people on the move,” he says.
Simply clever: the Superb’s on-board umbrella; Škoda Smart Dials
Money matters
As manager of such a massive fleet, Choules is ever conscious of costs – but the Superb has a particular appeal thanks to its plug-in hybrid powertrain, which incurs a relatively low benefit-in-kind (BiK) liability of 5%. BiK is a tax on employees who receive benefits or perks on top of their salary. “This is a gamechanger for our drivers,” says Choules. “For most of the hybrids we have in our fleet, it’s around 8-12%.” The BiK rate for a fully electric vehicle would be an even lower 2% but, as Choules says, “for an extra 3% you’ve got the hybrid option. And you’ve got that petrol engine as well, in case you ever need it.”
Joining the fleet
By the end of his test drive Choules is sold. The Superb’s subtle good looks, driving comfort, performance, technology and financial good sense have him convinced.
“It’s comfortable, affordable, pleasant to drive, and also has a lot of great features. Our drivers will absolutely love this vehicle because of the 80-mile range that you can get on electricity and the low BiK,” he says. “I can certainly see a lot of our drivers going for this vehicle. This will definitely be on our list.”
To learn more about how Škoda can support your fleet requirements and explore the all-new Superb further, please visit the Škoda website
*PS is the metric unit for horsepower; 1PS is equal to 0.9863 horsepower.
**Max. official WLTP electric range for Superb PHEV SE Technology based on a full charge. For comparison purposes; may not reflect real life driving.
