All of this 'surprising Skoda' stuff is getting a little boring. If you're reading this page, then you likely already know that this Czech maker produces some pretty impressive cars these days - and none more so than the model I've been checking out here - the second generation Superb. This is supposedly a medium range Mondeo-sized family saloon: at least, that's the way it's priced. Check out the room in the back however and it's much more akin to cars from the next class up - BMW's 5-Series, Audi's A6 and so on. Of course, if you don't care about back seat space, that's not going to attract you very much. You might also be put off by the fact that there are no hatchback or estate bodystyle options (hasn't Skoda missed a trick there?). But what you can't get away from is that this car, like every other Skoda, offers quite outstanding value for money. And on that basis, you may well feel like I did, that it's a car you just can't ignore.

Once I seated myself inside, the first thing that struck me was the wood trim - actually done rather well. Adorning the dashboard and the doors, the dark timber is tasteful and Germanic. The Superb's size immediately strikes you. The old Superb was hardly compact but this model is 35mm longer. From some angles, the shape isn't particularly graceful but it's pleasant enough and from the inside it's hard not to be impressed. The Volkswagen and Audi design cues are evident all around the interior and the general feeling of quality is tangible. In the rear, your lucky passengers will find legroom of a level only usually found in luxury saloons. There's 19mm of extra kneeroom over the old Superb and space for even the preposterously tall to get comfy. Hatchback or saloon? It's the perennial poser for buyers in the medium range sector but the Skoda Superb neatly sidesteps it by being both bodystyles at the same time. Skoda has engineered a novel rear opening for the car which provides access to the large 565-litre luggage bay in the style either of a saloon or a hatchback. Press one of the buttons on the Superb's rear and a small saloon boot lifts open. Press the other and the whole of the rear windscreen rises up as one with the boot lid to form a full-size hatch opening. This novel arrangement probably adds little in terms of practicality but the Superb is highly practical already. Fold down the rear seats and a huge 1,670-litre space presents itself.

Most buyers will go for the smaller engine options. There's the familiar 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine that through some dark magic manages to produce 125bhp and moves this one and a half tonne car with some alacrity. Then there's the meatier 1.8-litre turbo offering with 160bhp and the 3.6-litre V6 topping the petrol range with 260bhp. The diesel units are where the money of high-mileage drivers will probably go and here there's an aged 105bhp 1.9-litre option along with two far more satisfactory 2.0-litre TDI units. The 140bhp option will probably account to more sales than any other engine but the pull of the 170bhp option will be tough to resist. It's an advanced common-rail injection unit, the first ever in a Skoda, with high standards of refinement as well as a mid-range that's punchier than Ricky Hatton. Since this car is, as I said, based on a VW Passat, I wasn't expecting a particularly involving driving experience - and I didn't get one. Still, the ride is pretty good even by modern standards thanks to Skoda's careful tweaking of the four-link strut and torsion beam suspension. It's certainly difficult to imagine anyone getting out of shape in one, particularly as ESP Electronic Stability Control is standard.

Skoda, as we all know, has changed out of all recognition over the last five years. And yes, the Superb is just as good as the other VW-inspired designs which have gone before it. Forget the 'surprising Skoda' rubbish. This is a great car. Full stop.