 Every European manufacturer mirrors the image of its country of origin. The perfection and detailing in all German marques is a portrayal of German precision. While it is Italian chic that pervades every Lambo and Ferrari. The Rolls and Bentley are very stiff upper crust English. And Citreon and Peugeot are as ooh-la-la French as it gets. By the same yardstick then, auto maker Skoda has that special something that is distinctly Czech - though the company is part of the Volkswagen group now. Much like the home country, an equitable blend of the modern and traditional minus chaos or confusion, Skoda’s cars too fit the same mould. A prime example of this is the Skoda Octavia, launched in India in 2002. Endowed with superb build quality and exceptional fuel efficiency along with a clean uncluttered look, the Octi is the iconic no-nonsense car. Though considered as premium and upmarket mainly due to pricing and marketing chutzpah, the Octavia still remains one of the more basic cars. Basic, because it was neither revolutionary, nor did it employ any space age technology. What won people over was that it did everything it was asked to with elegance. Much like the country of its origin, simple yet fantastic, the Octi exudes quality that’s rare as Jurassic age fossil. Given that Skoda was an unknown entity in India in 2002, the Octavia’s runaway success then is pretty remarkable. The Superb and then the Laura further bolstered Skoda’s foothold in India. But the company still needed a car to rake in mass volumes. Enter, the Fabia, which till date had proved to be Skoda’s most acclaimed and successful car internationally. Skoda has been mulling over bringing the car to Indian shores for nearly two years, since showcasing it at the Auto Expo 2006. This being the smallest car from the Skoda stable, everything had to be spot-on to ensure a conquering winner innings for it. Setting up new dealerships, especially in smaller towns, was crucial to ensure sale targets were met; which is a key reason for the Fabia’s delayed Indian yatra.  The second generation Fabia is the first car to get the new Volkswagen PQ 25 platform that will underpin other small cars of the empire including the Polo which will roll out of VW’s new Indian plant next year. Though larger and roomier, the new Fabia’s design is in no way revolutionary. There is however a definite shift from the earlier design theme. Gone are the straight crisp lines and angular profile; the new Fabia exudes a well rounded theme from every pore. The design inspiration comes from the Roomster, no mistake. At proverbial first sight, the Fabia brings to mind the Swift, especially with the black window pillars that gives it a floating roof effect. The Skoda design team has chosen to adorn the Fabia with a quirky beak-like visage rather than one of an aggressive in-your-face narcissist kind. This is mainly due to the large high mounted headlamps which wrap around the grille and are set deep within the fenders. The smiley grille with its vertical lines along with the large prominent front bumper gel well to make it attractive from head-on perspective. With its pronounced sidelines and along with the roof which tapers towards the rear, the Fabia looks like a large hatchback which in all respects it is. The Fabia’s larger overall length and wheelbase than that of the Ford Fusion is a case in point. The car’s rear bears thick C- pillars and characteristic C-shaped tail lights. Much like the front headlamps, the tail lights are placed high and from a distance lend the car its understated sophistication. It has Skoda written all over it. The design elements combine to endow it with a beefy look. No queenly Egyptian beauty queen to sell on face value alone, the Fabia however is far from an eyesore.  The Fabia’s premium aura is emphasised by the interiors. The cabin architecture draws heavily from the VW parts bin, like the switchgear. A judicious use of space is evident at first sight. Everything is clean and uncluttered, and reassuringly easy to use, with touches of aluminium on door handles, AC vents, gear lever knob and speedo and tachometer dials. The two-tone soft touch plastic dashboard offers two, though rather small, glove boxes. The interiors emanate an upmarket feel which is a cut above those of other hatches on our roads. The well laid out, high quality cabin is more befitting a Rs 10 lakh plus car. It wouldn’t be amiss to say that the Fabia interiors put the Octavia’s to shame. The seat fabric, fit and finish and roof lining further enhance the ambience of a mature, cut-above-the-ordinary car.  The Fabia ergonomics complement the interiors and features. The driver seating position is comfortable, the height adjustable seat having more than adequate travel. The absence of lumbar support adjuster is a surprise. The steering wheel is adjustable for both rake and reach. The good news from the front seats continues at the rear. There is generous leg room for rear passengers even with an XL size driver, what with the front seats being generously scalloped. The rear seat that can accommodate three in a pinch has decent thigh support which is important on long hauls. The seat back is a little too upright for our liking while shoulder room and head room are adequate. The icing on the cake is the 300-litre boot cavernous enough to gobble up weekend luggage of a family of four. Getting to the meat in the pie, the engine, the Fabia’s 1422cc 3-cylinder diesel engine produces 69.69PS at 4000rpm and 154.9Nm of torque between 1600 to 2800rpm. The motor is actually the same as on the Laura, minus a cylinder. The engine uses a fixed geometry turbo and Volkswagen’s Pumpe Duse diesel injection instead of common-rail injection. This translates into a more rev happy but clattery and noisy engine. Switch it on and there’s no doubt this 1.4-litre TDI is a diesel engine. Though the clatter is rather loud outside, the excellent insulation keeps NVH at tolerable levels inside. Just under 70PS of power seem lowly in face of the Swifts and Getzs, as is the 154.9Nm of torque. However the powerband, with torque kicking in as early as 1600rpm and holding on till 2800rpm, results in the Fabia’s excellent driveability both in-city and on highway. Though no Olympic sprinter, the Fabia is as comfortable weaving through labyrinthine city traffic as she is on the highway. At over 150kmph on the Greater Noida highway, the Fabia felt game for a lot more given free rein. The engine seemed unstressed at speed and unruffled at catching and keeping up with fast moving traffic. Power delivery is linear with excellent mid and top end. As with diesel engines, there is a bit of lag when you floor the pedal in first gear. Well spread gear ratios mean minimal gear changes, the Fabia pulling strongly in all gears. She ambles merrily along even in third gear under 20kmph. The steering is direct and has that weighty feel you would associate with the Octavia. The gearbox too, like that of the Octavia, is slick, precise and a delight to use. It slots without ruffle, offers positive feedback - and encourages you to work the ’box. Our test Fabia came shod with 14-inch 185/60 tubeless matador (a Czech make). In the international markets she comes with either 15- or 16-inch rims and thus on the 14’s looks distinctly undertyred especially with the large gap between the wheelarches and the tyres at the rear. Predictably handling also is compromised though the fat meaty tyres ensure adequate grip around corners. Though the Fabia understeers like all front-wheel-drive cars, amongst the small cars we have today she goes straight to the top of the handling stakes. Body roll is also well controlled. She runs on independent MacPherson struts in front and non-independent compound link crank axle at the rear. And despite riding on those small 14-inch rims the Fabia’s ride is on the stiff side with passengers getting a solid jostling over broken patches. Things do improve at speed but even then the ride is a little too harsh to be ever termed comfortable. The upside though is excellent stability at speeds and with the long wheelbase she feels planted at all times. The ventilated front discs and rear drums acquit themselves very well during hard braking and is backed up by ABS.  |
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