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Skoda Superb Combi Outdoor with added Rufty-Tufty

The Skoda Superb Combi Outdoor is the Skoda take on the VW family ‘Allroad’, with a raised ride height and bolt-on plastic goodness. Even now, when Skoda has all but managed to shake off the mantle of Soviet Skip, the Superb Combi is still a much underrated car. The Superb Combi looks good, is well equipped and far more appealing than its (perfectly decent) hatch sibling.

New Mercedes-Benz S-class spotted in SoCal

The new Mercedes-Benz S-class must be hustling toward the developmental-cycle finish line, because it's been spotted en masse in places such as Toronto (where it must be undergoing cold-weather testing) and Irvine, Calif. (where it must be gauging the interest of Benz-crazy vox populi). Because as devoid as it is of bodywork-breaking pillboxes, camera-obfuscating swirl paint, and surly engineers, the fact that it's seen here in little more than some sticky paper and a pair of cheap sunglasses on the driver means that the elder statesman of the automotive world is readying its next debut.

Autoweek in review: What you might have missed

Rally driver Ken Block spent his summer on a three-continent tour of car trickery, and his highlight video can be viewed here. The Chevrolet Volt has been in the spotlight this week because of a NHTSA investigation into battery-pack fires, but the car still topped an owner-satisfaction survey. Tokyo Motor Show press days were this week, and you can check out our complete coverage here.