With the Kodiaq absent from Skoda India’s portfolio, the Superb took over a flagship’s responsibilities in the BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) era. Now, the Czech carmaker has tweaked the sedan by updating the list features and enhancing the aesthetics. As a result, the prices have gone up. As before, Skoda’s offering the Superb in two trim levels – Sportline and Laurin & Klement (L&K). It costs Rs 31.99 lakh (up from Rs 30.49 lakh) in the former form and Rs 34.99 lakh (up from 32.99 lakh) in the latter.

To make the Superb Sportline feel a bit more upmarket, Skoda has injected some carbon décor into the mix. Also, the sedan gets a three-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel along and seats draped in Alcantara. In the L&K spec, the car now flaunts a piano black interior trim teamed with stone beige or coffee brown leather upholstery. There’s more chrome too, and it gets Skoda’s new two-spoke steering wheel with ‘Laurin & Klement’ branding.

On the features front, the 2021 model offers adaptive LED headlamps with swivelling and cornering functionality, a digital instrument cluster (Virtual Cockpit), upgraded 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 360-degree camera, Type-C USB ports and a wireless mobile charger. All those features are in addition to stuff like three-zone automatic climate control, panoramic electric sunroof, ambient lighting, cruise control, powered and ventilated front seats and rain-sensing wipers.

Skoda hasn’t made any mechanical changes to the Superb. That means it continues to carry a 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol engine under the bonnet with 188bhp/320Nm, while a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic handles transmission duties. That, by the way, is the same powertrain that also does duty in the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, the Audi Q2 and the recently launched Audi A4 facelift. The upcoming Kodiaq will also pack the same powerplant.

In India, the Superb’s closest rival is the Toyota Camry. Unlike the Skoda, the Japanese sedan packs a hybrid setup, and because of that, it costs quite a bit more than the Superb.