It's at the rear that seat passengers reap the full rewards of that extra 95mm in the wheelbase. Rear cabin space is truly amazing and makes the likes of the Merc E-class feel decidedly undernourished inside. Even before you climb aboard you can't help but stare in disbelief at the size of the rear doors. Walk inside - because you actually can - and sit on one of the two individually moulded rear seats and you won't mind the person in front moving their seat fully rearwards. Not only is the Superb the most capacious saloon for the money but has more rear legroom than a Merc S-class. With its protruding rear vents and sculpted chairs, the Superb's back row is best sampled by just two people which is a shame because there's ample room for three abreast.

Front seat passengers have it good too with generous seats that come with all the power adjustments and logically placed switchgear. What hits you is the quality of the interiors, which seem to have been lifted straight out from the Passat. The plastics, switchgear and general feel of the materials all reek of VW's legendary cabin quality. There is lots of space storage including a large glovebox and a unique umbrella pocket in the left rear door which has a drainage hole so that an umbrella can be stored even when wet.

Equipment varies depending on the trim level but the minimum (even on the base Classic model) is full climate control, power steering, central locking ABS and a quartet of airbags. The top-of-the-line Elegance gets much more including a leather interior and electrically operated seats.

Whilst the Superb comes with a choice of six engines, for the Indian market, Skoda will initially introduce only its range-topping petrol and diesel models. The petrol Superb will be powered by a huge 2.8-litre V6 with five valves per cylinder (a first in India) that develops an unstinting 190bhp. This unit, borrowed from the Volkswagen Passat, promises to be the most powerful in India, save for the Merc S-class!

No less impressive is the 2.5-litre V6 direct injection turbo-diesel which with 155bhp and 31.6kgm and coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox is the most potent diesel in India. No contest.

Not surprisingly, the 2.8 V6 petrol has a very impressive turn of speed. The reserves of power are enormous and this huge saloon can gather pace at a rate far better than any other luxury car in its class, the Merc E-class included. On Indian fuel, we expect the Superb to despatch the dash from rest to 100kph in around 9 seconds and gallop forward to hit a top speed of over 220kph.

In city conditions, the Superb however doesn't feel as quick as it actually is and this may have to do with the gearing, which we suspect will be unduly tall for Indian conditions. Second gear is good for over 100kph and third for 160kph. Hence, you are unlikely to have an opportunity to visit the engine's 6500rpm rev limit which in a way is just as well as it becomes pretty noisy when extended. From a smooth, unfussed idle, it becomes progressively more vocal as the revs rise and beyond 5000rpm the sound can be intrusive. Also, there is a definite gearbox whine especially in second gear. To brand the 2.8 V6 engine as unrefined would be unfair but compared to the in-line fours of the Vectra and Mondeo, leave alone the silky-smooth E-class V6, the Superb's petrol unit is merely average for overall refinement.

The turbo-diesel 2.5 V6 comes with staggering performance and is highly responsive and eager for a diesel. There is a surge of power from idle speeds and in fact, max torque is produced at a mere 1400rpm! As a result, the diesel Superb lunges forward with a mere tap of the throttle but the story is over very quickly when it reaches an abrupt and lowish 4200rpm rev limit. The trick is to shift up quickly and keep the turbo-diesel in the lower part of the rev band. Again, the turbo-diesel Superb doesn't have the refinement of the Merc CDI units (though it is quieter than the Mondeo diesel) but it promises to set new performance standards for a diesel with a 0-100kph time of under 10 seconds.