Skoda profiles itself as an extremely smart brand, which is apparent from the many ingenuity in its models. Simply clever, that’s what it’s called in Czech. In this respect, the new Fabia follows in the footsteps of two extremely successful predecessors. Can he take the challenge?
Skoda has been around for a while in the Netherlands, but the real breakthrough came when the Octavia made its debut in 1997. That was the first completely new car after Volkswagen acquired the brand in 1991. Until then we were still doing it with the Favorit and the Felicia. A few years later, in 2000, the first Fabia saw the light of day. In 2011, sales of the Fabia rose to unprecedented heights thanks to the 1.2 TDI. The Octavia benefited from similar tax benefits in 2014 and sold like a crazy that year.
No more Combi
We are now at the fourth batch of the Fabia and a big difference with the predecessors is the fact that there is no longer a Combi. Many will regret that, because it really was the most spacious in its class (530 liters of luggage space in the latter!). A tip for bargain hunters: the ‘old’ Fabia Combi is still for sale and for only €20,790 you have the Business Edition with 95 hp TSI! In the latest version there is also little choice in terms of motor: a 1.0 TSI with 90 or 110 hp, in the latter case linked to a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission. On the German market, among others, there is a basic version with the 65 hp 1.0-liter without turbo for €13,990 with an extremely meager equipment. However, there is also a 1.5 TSI there. The TDI has disappeared from the scene for the Fabia. Once we even had a Fabia RS with 1.4 TSI and 180 hp and the previous generation there was even a 1.9 TDI RS, with 130 hp. Okay, a little more history; the first Fabia (also delivered as a sedan) was available with a two-litre engine, the same as the third Golf GTI. It was simply called Fabia 2.0. In those years the base model had a 997 cc four-cylinder with 50 hp. But now back to the present, to our brand new test car in the trendy Phoenix Orange color and as the most complete version, Business Edition.
adult car
The youngest type clearly shows features of the previous model series, but still looks modern and fresh. It’s 11cm longer, 5cm wider and 1cm lower, on a 9cm longer wheelbase. He now looks less narrow and tall. We should certainly not leave the interior untouched. Skoda seems to get a little patent on having a nicer interior than the sister models of Volkswagen. The dashboard has an original design and is made of beautiful materials. In this case, it has a large infotainment screen and digital instruments. A strip of fabric runs across the full width. We see that more often these days and it looks cozy. The seating position is good and the controls are nice and clear. With this you can drive away without extensive instructions beforehand. And it drives well. The small turbo engine gives off its maximum torque quite quickly and does its job in silence. Especially when you drive at 100 km/h in fifth gear, you don’t hear the three-cylinder and you don’t feel any vibration. A beautiful piece of technology and very economical too. We really never missed a sixth gear.
Better than its predecessor
The steering works quietly and precisely and only the enthusiasm with which the lane assistant works, you could experience as irritating, but more cars suffer from that. The good sound insulation in combination with the comfortable chassis make the Fabia a mature car. This allows you to cruise to Italy or Norway at your leisure. You only have to hold the steering wheel a little bit, because the electronic watchdog keeps the Fabia neatly in the middle of the lane. It is a better car on all fronts than its predecessor, that is beyond dispute. The space in the back seat and in the trunk is not disappointing for this segment. In that area, Skoda usually has the best cards.
You lack almost nothing in the Fabia. A nice infotainment system, adaptive cruise control and active lane assistance are good examples. In this case, this means that the base price of the tested version increased by more than €5,000 due to all those nice options. Nevertheless, the Czech at the bottom of the line is an excellent offer. Success again seems assured.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl