Skoda Superb VS Subaru levorg

For a start, The dials go a long way to making the interior much more pragmatic and functional, particularly for the driver, compared to almost every other VW Group product.

Not only do they provide physical hardware for ease of adjustment, you can also press them down to switch what they control. It’s even customisable via the centre screen if you don’t want to have to click through all the options all the time.

I’d go so far as to say the Skoda interior features are the best the brand has to offer. It features the best of the new stalks, screens, and touch-based light function buttons, without the inconvenience and distraction of the touch sliders which appear in VWs and Cupras.

Let’s also not forget the brand’s signature ‘simply clever’ touches, of which there are new ones. Yes, of course the umbrella is still hidden in the door, but there’s now also a little screen cleaning eraser block in the centre console (a genuinely great idea in the era of touchscreens which I’ve never seen before), a set of removable floating caddies in the armrest console (which Skoda refers to as the ‘Jumbo Box’ thanks to its 5.5-litre capacity), integrated rear window shades, Velcro cargo brackets in the boot and removable bins in the front door pockets.

The rear seat offers an enormous amount of room for myself behind my own driving position at 182cm tall, and there’s no shortage of leg and headroom. Unfortunately there is a raise in the floor to allow for all-wheel drive, making it squishy for an adult in that centre rear position.

Aside from the integrated window shades, the Superb also gets a set of three pockets on the backs of each front seat, mounting brackets for tablets or game consoles (great for kids) and a small touch panel on the back of the console for the rear climate zone.

There are also adjustable air vents and USB-C outlets for charging. Large bottle holders appear in each door, with a further two in the armrest, which also has a flip-out tray with a little phone holder.

The liftback still benefits from an impressive 645-litre luggage capacity, while the wagon balloons to 690 litres while adding that hatch opening back, larger and more useful than most mid-size SUVs.

Towing will be possible, although we don’t yet have figures for the new car, as it is subject to change in line with Australian design rules.

The Levorg really hasn't changed much from the Impreza-derived wagon that debuted in 2016, aside from styling tweaks, new adaptive headlights, a triple-fold rear seat and revised multimedia systems across the range.

The boot space holds 486 litres with the seats up, which one-ups its Forester sibling by 64 litres (maybe it 64-ups it, then?).

The size increases to 1446 litres when the 60/40 split-fold seats are dropped down. Tie-down points and a 12-volt (12V) socket are present in the rear, along with flip-down switches for the rear seat backs.

There's plenty of room in the rear seats for head room and leg room, though three-across is a tight squeeze for adults.

There are a few not-so clever touches, though, including a myriad of controls on the steering wheel that could easily be reduced. The multimedia system, too, is starting to show its age, even though it offers access to apps like Pandora (which has now been killed off).

Another irritation is the roof-mounted sash belt for the rear centre seat.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts for the outside rear seats, and a cargo blind for the rear area is included. A run-flat spare lives under the boot floor, too.

It's nice to see a pair of USB ports for rear seat passengers. There's also a USB port in the centre console bin as well as in the storage area under the centre of the dash. Bottle holders live in all four doors, while cup holders are present front and rear.