NOT everybody agrees, but there are more than a few similarities between Volkswagen’s supposed sub-brand Skoda and the late, lamented Saab.



Think about it, Saabs were quirky, unusual and ran against the grain, and hence appealed to a small but incredibly loyal subset of customers who were not as affected by badge envy as perhaps their friends and colleagues were.



Skoda – at least locally – does not sell vast volumes of cars, but what it does sell, it sells with almost every option box ticked, driving the average sale price up to a place where many seasoned VW execs have never seen them.



The team refers to such sales as ‘Christmas trees’ – in fact, product planner Kieran Merrigan suggested that less than five cars sold last year locally were option free.



The new Superb SportLine is such a car. Sitting just above the 206TSI range topper, it is mechanically identical, using a distinctly more edgy style to set itself apart.

More interesting is that Skoda suggests that the SportLine may well represent what its customers are looking for more than the 206TSI does. Could the rookie knock off the old guard to become king?

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