Superb touches from Skoda

At any point from the age of 17 we can learn to drive and that’s what most of us do.

We take lessons, we practice, we pass a test and in all that time we learn how to steer. It’s rudimentary and fundamental to the art of driving and we are all pretty good at it.

For some reason manufacturers and bureaucrats have decided our steering isn’t going anywhere and it is best to fit the most recent tranche of cars with electronic aids.

What started as irritating bingy bongy noises if you had the temerity to even approach the central white lines has developed into full blown, wrest-the-wheel-out-of-your-hands intervention.

That’s gone beyond irritating to dangerous in my book – just ask the cyclist it just tried to steer me into – and the first thing I do is turn it off.

Skoda recognises this all too well and, while complying with European automotive laws, has equipped the latest Superb, for instance, with a quick way of getting rid of this lane keep assist. A simple double dab of a button on the steering wheel switches it off – ah, bliss.

It’s on the top left hand side of the hub. Look for a button marked with a car within a circle. Press once and a window opens up on the virtual instrument cluster. Top of the features drop-down is lane keep assist so if you press it a second time it’s off…until you stop and start the engine again.

It brings a smile to my face, like the many features of this superb estate car which conspire to make the Skoda such an easy car to live with.

Brolly in the door anyone? Ooh, yes please. Lovely.

Someone asked me the other day what I’d been driving lately in a tone that said only include interesting and expensive models.

It’s a shame really as those cars are among the hardest and least enjoyable to actually drive but if you tell folk that they won’t believe you.

I was desperate to say the Skoda Superb Estate was really good but stopped myself because I realised this would not compute – but it is.

The estate version is long and low and looks smart and sleek. Inside there is just so much space, especially behind the front seats for rear passengers. You could build a camp fire there and sit cross-legged with your friends playing guitar.

The load bay is vast but has a useful array of paraphernalia designed to stop your luggage sliding about; it is brilliantly thought through.

Four bags full from M&S would have looked like a teenager’s bedroom at journey’s end had I not been able to attach them to pop-out hooks.

The seats are firm and supportive with loads of adjustability and even a massage function. The clocks are clear with multiple display functions and the dash is dominated by a large touchscreen, though many vital functions remain on easy to locate switches.

Once you have turned off the keep lane assist, Superb is a fabulous drive.

The 150PS diesel is smooth and torquey with more than enough power to make good progress. The distance to empty from full reads 790 miles, the MPG says 60, both bringing joy to my heart. The Superb also handles with poise and security.

The steering is accurate, the ride compliant and the brakes powerful.

The infotainment is excellent, with decent sounds system, satnav and Apple Play. It all works together to make the Superb accomplished and enjoyable.

I’ve driven a lot of cars over the decades, including steering them around the bends, and the Skoda is as good as any.