The new Škoda Fabia marks 120 years since the Mlada Boleslav works were founded by Laurin & Klement in 1895. Acquired by the Škoda Group in 1925, Volkswagen took a majority stake in the car division in 1991.
Škoda entered the mass-market 80 years ago with the 1934 Popular. Lightweight bodywork (no separate chassis) and overhead-valve engines denoted a very modern car. Almost 20,000 were sold. Post World War II its successor was the 1101/1102 Saloon. Roadster and commercial variants followed. The Roadster was soon dubbed Tudor becoming the common name for the whole range. Produced until 1952 with a 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine, it could actually reach 62mph.
Škoda entered the mass-market 80 years ago with the 1934 Popular. Lightweight bodywork (no separate chassis) and overhead-valve engines denoted a very modern car. Almost 20,000 were sold. Post World War II its successor was the 1101/1102 Saloon. Roadster and commercial variants followed. The Roadster was soon dubbed Tudor becoming the common name for the whole range. Produced until 1952 with a 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine, it could actually reach 62mph.
Having survived more than four-decades of Soviet domination, Czechoslovakia separated peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. Škoda was Czech-based and VW’s plans well-advanced. In 1987 Škoda had managed to bring out a modern front-wheel drive super-mini, the Favorit. The car was revamped and re-launched as the Felicia in 1994/95 with a range of petrol and (for the first time) diesel engines.
In 2000 however its replacement the Fabia arrived and, with the new lower-medium Octavia and larger Superb, ushered in the modern Škoda era. Second Fabia arrived in 2007. Revised and restyled in 2010 it gained new petrol and Diesel engines.
As before, the latest Fabia sits on a modified version of the previous platform. It is sufficiently distinct for a unique VW Group code number and has a new front end – probably to accommodate the new engines again and for safety improvements (in fact the new Fabia has just won a 5-star award from crash-testing body EuroNCAP).
An estate will follow but no vRS performance version (so they say at present). Although they sold well here, demand elsewhere did not justify the outlay. A Scout variant with more rugged lower body protection and raised ground clearance is likely but, in contrast to the Octavia or Yeti and Superb Outdoor, four wheel drive (again) will not feature.
Carry-over of the existing platform allows Skoda to bring out the new Fabia ahead of VW’s Polo, SEAT Ibiza and Audi A1. Those cars will be part of the vast MQB system which allows the Group’s entire small, lower-medium and upper-medium models to be built on a common base. They are unlikely to arrive before 2016. The Octavia is an MQB product as will be the next Superb, which should arrive mid-late 2015.
Much has been done on the ‘chassis’ however: track is wider and wheelbase slightly longer so the car looks (and feels) well planted on the road. Layout is conventional: transverse engine and front wheel drive with a twist-beam rear axle. Bodywork is all new as is the cabin and interior trim, dashboard, seats, controls, etc.
Fractionally shorter than before but lower and noticeably wider, Fabia is roomier and loadspace claimed to be class-leading. A five-door hatch, the (60:40 split) rear seat backs fold forward but do not yield a totally flat floor (rare nowadays it’s true).
S, SE and SE L the model line-up with asking prices from £10,600 to £17,240. Petrol 1.0 litre 60/75ps (three-cyinder) or 1.2 litre 90/110ps (four-cylinder); diesel 90/105ps (three-cylinder). A weight reduction of 65kg and 17% improvement in economy are claimed – both Diesels are below 100g/km CO2 (Road Tax ‘A’) and petrol engines only 106 to 110g/km (RT-‘B’).
Petrol is the majority choice here (private buyers - moderate mileages) and there is a tangible difference between the lower spec, lower powered models and dearer stuff. The 1.2 TSI 90 SE, for example, feels a much higher quality car apart from the greatly improved response (£13,390) but comes with a five-speed manual gearbox.
The only one (petrol or diesel) with a six-speed ‘box is the 1.2 TSI 110 with the SE listed at £14,040. A DSG double clutch seven-speed automatic available on some models for £1,000 extra. This all becomes quite expensive. Škodas aren’t cheap any more of course and the new Fabia lives up to the “more car for your money” tenet it is said when you take into account the technology and equipment. Ambitious nonetheless.
Apart from Bluetooth connectivity, USB etc., ‘MirrorLink’ is an extra which allows selected Android handsets to integrate and interact with functions and apps via the the Fabia’s touchscreen display. Compared to a built-in system, this is a much cheaper way to get the latest sat-nav technology into the car, for example (around £50 was mentioned). It did give us a bit of a run-around on more than one occasion during the press preview but is clearly the way ahead for this sector of the market.
By Huw Thomas
First published in Welsh Farmer, the newspaper for the Farmers' Union of Wales.
In 2000 however its replacement the Fabia arrived and, with the new lower-medium Octavia and larger Superb, ushered in the modern Škoda era. Second Fabia arrived in 2007. Revised and restyled in 2010 it gained new petrol and Diesel engines.
As before, the latest Fabia sits on a modified version of the previous platform. It is sufficiently distinct for a unique VW Group code number and has a new front end – probably to accommodate the new engines again and for safety improvements (in fact the new Fabia has just won a 5-star award from crash-testing body EuroNCAP).
An estate will follow but no vRS performance version (so they say at present). Although they sold well here, demand elsewhere did not justify the outlay. A Scout variant with more rugged lower body protection and raised ground clearance is likely but, in contrast to the Octavia or Yeti and Superb Outdoor, four wheel drive (again) will not feature.
Carry-over of the existing platform allows Skoda to bring out the new Fabia ahead of VW’s Polo, SEAT Ibiza and Audi A1. Those cars will be part of the vast MQB system which allows the Group’s entire small, lower-medium and upper-medium models to be built on a common base. They are unlikely to arrive before 2016. The Octavia is an MQB product as will be the next Superb, which should arrive mid-late 2015.
Much has been done on the ‘chassis’ however: track is wider and wheelbase slightly longer so the car looks (and feels) well planted on the road. Layout is conventional: transverse engine and front wheel drive with a twist-beam rear axle. Bodywork is all new as is the cabin and interior trim, dashboard, seats, controls, etc.
Fractionally shorter than before but lower and noticeably wider, Fabia is roomier and loadspace claimed to be class-leading. A five-door hatch, the (60:40 split) rear seat backs fold forward but do not yield a totally flat floor (rare nowadays it’s true).
S, SE and SE L the model line-up with asking prices from £10,600 to £17,240. Petrol 1.0 litre 60/75ps (three-cyinder) or 1.2 litre 90/110ps (four-cylinder); diesel 90/105ps (three-cylinder). A weight reduction of 65kg and 17% improvement in economy are claimed – both Diesels are below 100g/km CO2 (Road Tax ‘A’) and petrol engines only 106 to 110g/km (RT-‘B’).
Petrol is the majority choice here (private buyers - moderate mileages) and there is a tangible difference between the lower spec, lower powered models and dearer stuff. The 1.2 TSI 90 SE, for example, feels a much higher quality car apart from the greatly improved response (£13,390) but comes with a five-speed manual gearbox.
The only one (petrol or diesel) with a six-speed ‘box is the 1.2 TSI 110 with the SE listed at £14,040. A DSG double clutch seven-speed automatic available on some models for £1,000 extra. This all becomes quite expensive. Škodas aren’t cheap any more of course and the new Fabia lives up to the “more car for your money” tenet it is said when you take into account the technology and equipment. Ambitious nonetheless.
Apart from Bluetooth connectivity, USB etc., ‘MirrorLink’ is an extra which allows selected Android handsets to integrate and interact with functions and apps via the the Fabia’s touchscreen display. Compared to a built-in system, this is a much cheaper way to get the latest sat-nav technology into the car, for example (around £50 was mentioned). It did give us a bit of a run-around on more than one occasion during the press preview but is clearly the way ahead for this sector of the market.
By Huw Thomas
First published in Welsh Farmer, the newspaper for the Farmers' Union of Wales.
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