My elegantly uniformed chauffeuse, Heike Hebsacker, met me as I arrived in Salzburg, opened the rear door of the Skoda and said: “Good afternoon, sir - your car.” A chauffeuse and a Skoda? Surely a conflict in credibility at a thermonuclear level.

But Heike was totally credible as she smiled and silently transmitted a “You'd better believe it, sunshine” message. So, obediently, I settled into the leather rear seat of the immodestly named Skoda Superb, stretched my legs and considered the words of the writer and wit, Graeme Garden. When asked several years ago to provide the least successful chat-up line for the girl of his dreams, he suggested: “Let's go for a drive in the Skoda.” Now Heiki was taking me for a drive in a Skoda that moved with mellifluous fluidity. So the jokes are passé and the cars are no longer just bought by ageing Uncle Albert and Auntie Doris clones.

Under the aegis of its Volkswagen parent, Skoda has gained total credibility and the new car puts the seal on its transformation. With its long wheelbase, the Superb (priced from about £15,500 to £25,000) seems almost like a junior stretched limo, has many of the accoutrements of luxury and generally looks very good. All this has been achieved without being styled in some sun-dappled, trendy, California studio: the Superb was conceived in Skoda's Czech Republic home town, Mlada Boleslav.

In fact the Superb (80 per cent Skoda with the rest pure Volkswagen) is an impressive achievement, with a hint of hauteur that separates it from its direct rivals, such as the Ford Mondeo, forthcoming Vauxhall Insignia and Citroën C5.

But in some respects, Skoda may have tried a little too hard. In a world of crossover vehicles that combine the elements of two different types of car, the Superb marries saloon and hatchback, with its Twindoor system offering a choice of opening a tailgate or much smaller boot lid. This may be great for marketing messages but adds cost, complexity and, probably, weight - all things that should be anathema to carmakers. The efforts to create the system may be responsible for the car's bland rear-end styling.

By definition, the new Superb takes over from the “old” Superb, which was OK in its way but was really just an elongated, renamed VW Passat. The new car has its own Czech identity and its interior, particularly in Elegance (another immodest name) trim level with woody touches, leather and high equipment specification, gives it an almost premium ambience. This luxury is complemented by excellent ride quality over most surfaces.

Although Heiki plainly believed that the place for a Superb owner was lolling on the back seat, I eventually managed to wrest the steering wheel from her. The car's handling is fine but not sporty and steering feel is unmemorable. The most superb of Superbs in terms of performance is the 3.6-litre V6 FSI that gets to 62mph in a growling 6.6sec and has four-wheel drive as standard.

The big sellers will be the 2.0-litre diesels with 138bhp or, fitted with common rail technology, 168bhp. Both perform well, with plenty of torque, but for those who want to make the most of luxury, space, performance and goodies at a competitive price, the lower-powered car can deliver 0-62mph in 10.2sec and combined fuel consumption of 48mpg. The more powerful engine gives a useful performance edge, though, at 8.8sec to 62mph while the CO2 figures are worse by a mere 4 g/km at 159. Fuel consumption is only fractionally higher, too.

Depending on trim level, standard or optional equipment is comprehensive and includes intelligent lighting with city and motorway functions and automatic park assist.

A planet-friendly 1.9-litre diesel Superb GreenLine will also be available. Its enhanced aerodynamics, lower weight (no spare wheel, just a repair kit) and higher gearing help it to average 55 mpg, with CO2 emissions down to 136 g/km. Those savings would make a meaningful contribution to a cleaner environment.

I am the passenger

Reasons to be driven

Chauffeur can programme SatNav

Allows the word “Breathalyser” to be removed from your vocabulary

Always has mints you can munch

Reasons not to be driven

Chauffeur won't let you drive a car - like the Skoda Superb

Is a better navigator than you

You have to share your mints

Specification

Engine Two-litre turbo-diesel for 168bhp through six-speed manual gearbox

Performance 0-62mph, 8.8sec; top speed, 137mph

Fuel consumption 47 miles to gallon

CO2 emissions 159 g/km

Price Not finalised; range starts at about £15,500

On sale September

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