Skoda Fabia

The Škoda Fabia is a supermini produced by Czech manufacturer Škoda Auto since 1999. It was the successor to the Škoda Felicia, which was discontinued in 2001. The Fabia was available in hatchback, estate (named Fabia Combi) and saloon (named Fabia Sedan) body styles while from 2007 merging in the second generation starting with hatchback and awaiting the new estate version. No saloon variant of the current Fabia is planned though. It is based on the platform of Volkswagen Polo Mk IV. The first generation Fabia (given the internal type code 6Y) was officially presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1999 and production of this model started in October the same year. The estate version Fabia Combi was introduced in September 2000 at the Paris Motor Show. It was the first model to use the Volkswagen Group's A04 platform, which it shares with the Volkswagen Polo Mk IV and SEAT Ibiza. This car won 2000 What Car? "Car of the Year" in the UK. The range starts with the 1.0 8v Classic (which is cheaper than Volkswagen's smaller 3-door 1.0 Lupo) to the 1.9 PD TDi vRS. Part of the Fabia's success is the fact that all of its mechanical parts are developed by or in conjunction with Volkswagen, but are offered in a package that is priced to undercut other models in the Volkswagen Group. The only trace of non-VW Škoda left in the Fabia is the 1.0 and 1.4 8v "MPI" engines, which was a modification to Škoda's own 1.3 engine, and was used in pre-Volkswagen Škodas such as the Estelle and Favorit. In 2005 the Fabia received a facelift, with changed front fog lights and grille, slightly different rear lights, new steering wheel and revised specification levels. The vRS also had its final gearbox ratio changed. Most importantly the Sport model was added, with the 75 PS (55 kW) 1.4 petrol being offered with a manual transmission. This engine was quickly dropped for the 1.2 HTP, which was not as powerful but is a much more free revving engine giving a more sporty feel, the sport also had its specification changed to include red seat belts and sunset privacy glass from the B pillar to the rear. Again in 2006 the Fabia range shown at the Geneva Motor Show had minor specification revisions. These include a center rear head rest, a central three-point seatbelt and an additional four bodywork colours. The 1.4 16v 75 PS (55 kW) petrol engine was replaced with a more powerful 1.4 16v 80 PS (59 kW) engine.

Introduced in 2003, the Fabia vRS, while not the first diesel hot hatch, was the first exclusively diesel hot hatch, having no petrol equivalent. The engine is Volkswagen Group's 1.9 litre Pumpe-Düse Turbocharged Direct Injection diesel engine, producing 130 metric horsepower (96 kW) and 310 N·m (230 lb·ft) at 1900 rpm, with a six speed manual gearbox. It was named the "Diesel Car of the Year 2003" in the Scottish Car of the Year Awards. It also falls in a low tax band (Band C) in the UK, further increasing its cost benefits over its (chiefly petrol-powered) counterparts. Official figures state 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 9.6 seconds, but several motoring magazines and websites have measured faster times (around the 7.0-7.5 seconds range) (Autocar: 7.1 seconds, Auto Express: 8.1 seconds, and FastHatchbacks.com: 8.5 seconds). The in gear acceleration times are 50-70 mph in 5.6 seconds, quicker than BMW's 330i which takes 6.0 seconds. 20-40 mph in 2.4 seconds is as quick as the Lotus Elise 111R. Despite this the Fabia vRS can achieve better than 6.2 L/100 km (46 mpg-imp; 38 mpg-US). If driven carefully some drivers have experienced MPG rates of 65-70 mpg over long periods. The Fabia VRS has a top speed of approximately 130 mph (210 km/h). The vRS was shown to be quicker than a similarly priced MINI Cooper around Top Gear's and Fifth Gear's test tracks. In 2007 1,000 Special Edition Fabia vRS models were produced featuring individually numbered black leather seats, sporty red brake callipers, Race Blue metallic paint and a 6 CD autochanger. This model was known as the Fabia vRS SE. The last Mk1 Fabia vRS came off the production plant in March 2007 - being UK 2007/07 registered. According to Skoda UK, there were only 22 of these 2007 registered marks (not including the 1000 Special Edition vRS SE). The second generation Fabia (internal type code 5J) was officially presented at the Geneva Auto Show in March 2007 and was sold from April 2007. It still uses the PQ24 platform. The car is however slightly larger than its predecessor and takes styling cues from the new Roomster leisure activity vehicle. The exterior of the two cars, Roomster and Fabia, were designed simultaneously to create synergies by Thomas Ingenlath and Peter Wouda. For the launch of the new Fabia, Škoda UK commissioned an advertising campaign called Cake, featuring the making of a Škoda Fabia car out of cake which swapped rivets for raisins, metal for marzipan and spark plugs for sugar. The soundtrack for the advert was "My Favorite Things", from The Sound of Music. Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive introduces the new Fabia to the public at the 2008 Guangzhou Motor Show. And it sells as 2009 model year in China. The estate variant was officially announced in August 2007 and was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2007. Compared with the first generation the new Combi is 7 mm (0.3 in) longer, 46 mm (1.8 in) higher and the boot has grown by 54 litres (to 480 litres total). The engine portfolio is the same as the hatchback version, without the 1.2 44 kW one.

Skoda India launched the latest version of Fabia in 2007. The car however couldn't live up to the hype created by the previous generation Octavia. Fabia has not succeeded in this market due to dealer problems, steep prices and Skoda trying to position itself as a luxury marque. Skoda has decided to bring in more powerful engines at better prices and taken strict measures to curb dealer quality levels primarily the service costs. The initial petrol engine lineup was a mixture of newer engines from the Volkswagen Group and some carry overs from the outgoing model. The base 1.2 remains the same (44 kW) while the higher powered version has its power output upped to 70 PS (51 kW). There was only a single 1.4 litre 16v petrol on this model, producing 85 PS (63 kW). The range topping petrol engine was the 1.6 16v engine producing 105 PS (77 kW) . There was also an option to link this engine to a 6 speed tiptronic transmission sourced from Aisin. Diesel engines consisted of the same 70 PS (51 kW) and 80 PS (59 kW) 1.4 TDI units from before. The range topping diesel was a 1.9 TDI producing 105 PS (77 kW). As of 2010 the engine lineup was updated along with a facelift; this was introduced at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Turbocharged petrol engines are now available for lower fuel consumption. The diesel engines now feature the common rail system and 4-valve technology. The top-of-the-line VRS model features the same engine as in the Volkswagen Polo Mk5 GTI, producing 180 PS (132 kW). A 7-speed DSG transmission is standard in the RS model and optional for the 77 kW (105 PS; 103 hp) 1.2 TSI. And it has its own version of the Cake advert, with a rock/metal cover of 'My Favorite Things', emphasizing the advert's "meaner" theming.