If you had planned to launch a large new four-door car you could hardly have picked a worse time than now.

As the world slides into recession, sales of big, luxurious saloons are taking a pasting.

So Skoda needed a unique selling point to ensure its new Superb had a fighting chance in one of the most hotly contested sectors of the car market.

Luckily for the Czech car manufacturer, the Superb, which lines up against heavyweight opposition like the Ford Mondeo, Citroën C5, Renault Laguna and Vauxhall Insignia, has more than one.

The most obvious is the so-called Twindoor boot, which effectively makes Skoda’s most luxurious car two cars in one — a conventional three-box saloon, and a more practical hatchback.

Press the soft-touch button on the left of the tailgate edge and the boot lid flips up like a traditional, saloon. Press the button next to it first and the central hinge locks, allowing the full tailgate to be lifted.

The system uses an electro-hydraulic motor to lock and unlock the central hinge. When the hinge is in the process of locking, the third rear brake lamp in the back window flashes twice. When it stops flashing, the tailgate is ready to open.

Inside, the Superb is both more spacious, better appointed and better to drive than the previous version and a switch to a transverse engine layout has allowed the creation of a larger cabin.

In fact, the limousine-like Superb is so spacious in the back that it offers more legroom than a Mercedes S-Class.

The cabin is bang up to date and a very pleasant place to be. The centre console houses the touchscreen entertainment and ventilation controls and top-of-the-range Elegance models are equipped with a new Columbus satellite navigation system, with a 30GB storage facility for music.

The interior even looks stylish at night, thanks to a white LED lighting system, which allows passengers to clearly see controls and buttons.

Among other features appearing as an option for the first time is Park Assist, which uses a total of ten sensors to both find a suitable parking space and automatically help the car to parallel park itself.

The Superb also retains the signature umbrella holder. Standard on the SE and Elegance models, this consists of a water-resistant storage space in the left-hand rear door, complete with Skoda-branded umbrella.

All models come with air-conditioning, Electronic Stability Programme and seven airbags. And the new Superb comes with a far wider engine line-up than ever before, with three petrol and three diesel units on offer, the option of four-wheel-drive and two new twin-clutch automatic gearboxes.

And if you fancy a greener Superb, there is a GreenLine version, powered by a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine, which produces 105 horsepower, and is capable of 55.4mpg on the combined cycle and 136g/km of CO2, which puts it into band C for vehicle excise duty, with an annual road tax of £120 a year.

Auto facts Skoda Superb SE 1.9 TDI PD

  • Price: £17,602
  • Ins group: Seven
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 49.6mpg
  • Top speed: 118mph
  • Length: 483.3 cm/190.5in
  • Width:181.7cm/ 71.5in
  • Luggage capacity: 19.9 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 13.2 gallons/ 60 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 151 g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles