Can you believe that the Fabia has been on the market for 22 years?
Skoda has released technical details of the fourth-generation Fabia, which is expected to be unveiled later this year. The automaker says the supermini is bigger and sportier than before, with better levels of safety.
Riding on Volkswagen Group’s MQB-A0 platform, which also underpins the Vision IN concept, the Fabia is 4,017 mm long, 1,780 mm wide and 1,460 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,564 mm. Despite the increase in size, Skoda has managed to maintain the weight close to that of the third-generation model.
The supermini will come standard with LED lighting, but full LED headlights and tail lights will be optionally available. While there are no photos to show, the interior, according to Skoda, features a symmetrical instrument panel with a central, free-standing display, as well as the Virtual Cockpit.
The Fabia will be offered with a choice of five petrol engines from the Group’s new EVO generation – two multipoint injection (MPIs) and three TSIs with direct injection:
- 1.0 MPI three-cylinder with 65 PS/95 Nm
- 1.0 MPI three-cylinder with 80 PS/95 Nm
- 1.0 TSI three-cylinder with 95 PS/175 Nm
- 1.0 TSI three-cylinder with 110 PS/200 Nm
- 1.5 TSI four-cylinder with 150 PS/250 Nm
The first three engine variants are equipped with a new five-speed manual transmission, while the 110 PS 1.0 TSI gets a standard six-speed manual or an optional 7-speed DSG. The range-topping 1.5 TSI comes solely with the 7-speed DSG.
Thanks to highly accurate CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations and active cooling shutters in the front bumper’s lower air intake, the Fabia’s drag coefficient has dropped from 0.32 on the previous model to 0.28. The shutters help the car save up to 0.2 l per 100 km when travelling at a constant speed of 120 km/h.
As for safety, the Fabia gets a few firsts, including Travel Assist and Traffic Sign Recognition. Combined with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), the former automatically adjusts the speed of the car to that of vehicles ahead at speeds up to 210 km/h. The available Side Assist monitors the blind spot and can detects vehicles that are up to 70 m away. Park Assist and Manoeuvre Assist are also included. Depending on the market, there are up to nine airbags in the Fabia.
