Skoda originally launched Fabia way back in the year 2000 and soon after its launch it created enough craze to make it a very popular car at that time. It was the first hatchback in the Indian market to have such impressive and striking looks. It was considered a super hatchback with all its features and awesome looks. Since then Fabia has got a few facelifts done to it and some changes in its features too. Fabia till date is considered to be a beautiful hatchback and many consumers are happily taking home this car. So let’s head on to the forthcoming sections that discuss Skoda Fabia review in detail.
Engine and technical specifications
There are about 3 engine options in the Skoda Fabia. Two of them are petrol and the third is the diesel engine. The basic engine which is the 1.2 litre MPI, 3 cylinder, DOHC with liquid cooling petrol engine is capable of developing 75 Bhp power at 5400 rpm. The peak torque pumped out by this engine is 110 Nm at 3750 rpm.
The second engine is the 1.6 litre 1198 cc MPI, 1598 cc in-line 4 cylinder, DOHC with liquid cooled petrol engine at gives maximum power of 105 Bhp at 2550 rpm and maximum torque of 153 Nm at 3800 rpm.
The third engine is the 1.2 litre, TDI, 1598 cc, DOHC, CR, turbocharged, 3 cylinder diesel engine that produces peak power of 75 Bhp at 4200 rpm and top torque of 180 Nm at 2000 rpm. In all the three engine a five speed manual transmission gearbox has been provided.
The front brakes are disc type with inner cooling and piston floating calliper and the rear ones are drum brakes. Fabia has got 175/70 R14 size tyres in all the variants except the top one. The top variant sports 185/60 R15 tyres. The ground clearance comes out to 146 mm and the kerb weight 1090 kilograms. The dimensions of Fabia are length- 3992 mm, width- 1642 mm and height- 1513 mm.
Exterior designing
The designing of the exterior of the Skoda Fabia is quite attractive. It is available in some very beautiful shades such as corrida red, candy white, black magic pearl effect, satin grey, brilliant silver and cappuccino beige. The bumpers, exterior rear view mirrors and door handles are body coloured. The front look of the car is very dynamic and appealing. The projector headlamps, chrome bar and wide alloy wheels are the ones that enhance its exterior. The grille too has chrome finish. With its vertically attached fins the grille looks lovely. The tail lights with LED give a great look to the rear side of the car. The fog lamps are placed at the corner of the wide cluster. The upper part of the bonnet has mainly got the facelift; otherwise rest remains more or less unchanged.
Interiors
The cabin of the car has a good legroom and headroom but is not very wide. The cubbyholes and luggage storing area has good space. Double glove box has been provided in the car. The boot is also big enough to store shopping bags of a mid-size family and the rear seats are foldable with good opening area of the tailgate. This hatchback makes the passengers feel comfortable in the rear seats but people with a good height may feel a little uncomfortable. The front seats however have good legroom. Fabia can seat 5 passengers comfortably. The designing of the dashboard is sober. The meter readings are bold and clear. The air conditioner of this hatchback comes with climate control sensitivity. Rear wiper, air conditioner vent and defogger work efficiently. The music system provided in Skoda Fabia gives out good sound effects and can play MP3 CDs and through USB too.
Performance
The 1.2 litre petrol engine of the Fabia delivers a good mileage of about 16.4 kmpl. The 1.6 litre petrol engine delivers a mileage of 14.5 kmpl and the 1.2 litre diesel engine gives out a fuel economy of 20.9 kmpl which is quite good too. As compared to other leading hatchbacks like the Maruti Suzuki Swift, it lags behind in fuel efficiency. The safety features given in Fabia are anti-lock braking system, motor speed regulation, engine braking control, dual front airbags for driver and co-passenger with seat belt pretensioner. The suspension, power steering and the dynamic constructed chassis together put up a great job. The gear shift also seems to be fine. On the city roads the Skoda Fabia gives a decent driving experience, not the best though. At high speed the driving is absolutely effortless.
Pros
- Beautiful designing
- Comfortable interiors
- Good space
- Fuel economy fair enough
Cons
- Engine is noisy
- Over priced
- Low ground clearance
The Verdict!
Skoda Fabia is a simple hatchback for a small family not scoring very well in value for money criteria but looks great and other factors such as driving experience and space are good in this car. All in all, a decent hatchback which can be bought if you are ready to extend your budget a little higher, between Rs. 4,48,137 and Rs. 7,25,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).
