The Superb, TopGear’s car of the year 2009 has got itself a cheaper variant. We know what you’re thinking. They have removed everything that makes a Superb a Superb and every time you get in the car, you’d be reminded that you are cheap. We thought so, too. But then, it isn’t. The Ambition looks the same as the top-of-the-line Elegance; it has eight airbags, climate control, electrically-adjustable seats and mirrors with memory function, leather seats, a 1.8 petrol manual, a 2-litre diesel with a DSG gearbox… so where does Skoda skimp by offering a variant that’s about Rs 1.58 lakh cheaper? The 1.8 petrol costs Rs 17.66 lakh (Elegance  Rs 19.23 lakh). And the diesel will make you shell out Rs 22.07 lakh (Elegance Rs 23.54).

What you don’t get with the Ambition are bi-xenon lamps, they do come with cornering function, though. What you also don’t get is a sunroof, a touch-screen media interface, front parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring, steering-mounted controls and Bluetooth and USB ports. Moreover turns out that the Superb is the best-seller in its segment. A TG car of the year actually selling well. Who’d have thought of that.

About the Ambition, we think it’s well priced. We can live without a sunroof and xenon lamps maybe. But while it’s a good thing to have a lower-end variant that’s still pretty luxurious and well-equipped, we would badly miss steering-mounted controls and USB or Bluetooth ports.  But by saving a lakh-and-a-half, even we wouldn’t complain too much.

Would you?

Tags: skoda, superb, ambition