The Global Warming issue has forced all the automotive manufactures to go green. Most of them are spending billions of dollars on either making electric or hybrid vehicles or designing compact and efficient engines. This has helped technologies like direct fuel injection and turbochargers to evolve even further. The Volkswagen Group has being doing no different. The new Superb was launched with smaller turbocharged petrol and diesel engines (ofcourse, they introduced the 3.6V6 later on for the extreme enthusiasts), and now the Fabia’s old 1.4TDI engine is replaced by the new 1.2TDI.

We were a tad disappointed to hear that the new Fabia gets a 1.2-litre diesel engine which replaces the old 1.4TDI which we believe was the ideal engine choice for the Fabia. Except for the clatter on idling, there was nothing to loathe about that engine. It was a very torquey engine and was a Pump Duse whereas the new Fabia gets the common rail engine. The new 1.2TDI helps Skoda to not only escape the duty as the cubic capacity of the engine is less than 1200, it even reduces the overall investment cost for the VW Group, as the same engine is used to power the Volkswagen Polo. Both the cars share the same engine and even the gearbox remains the same.

The Polo 1.2TDI is a part of our long-term fleet and so we are well aware with the characteristics of this oil burner. The torque in this engine kicks in at about 2000rpm and the engine struggles to pull if it is lugged into a higher cog. This makes it difficult to drive in traffic. This is where the 1.4TDI scored, it had a better low-end torque when compared to the new 1.2TDI. In our performance test, the Skoda Fabia 1.2TDI touched the 100kph mark in 16.8 seconds and completed the quarter mile in 20.6 seconds. The old 1.4TDI had done the 0-100kph run and quarter mile in 16.8 seconds and 20.2 seconds respectively.

The old gear ratios of the Fabia 1.4TDI has been changed to that as seen on the Polo 1.2TDI. But the final drive ratio on the Fabia is different. In our in-gear test, the Fabia clocked the 30-50kph run in 4.5 seconds in the third gear and 8.6 seconds in the fourth cog, it took 8.7kph to complete the 50-70kph run in the fifth gear. It did better than the Polo in in-gear timings (Please check the table below). The new Fabia’s diesel engine is very economical as it returned us an overall fuel efficiency of 15.9kpl, with the best highway figure being 22.7kpl and the worst that we achieved was 13.1kpl during our performance run which is all pedal-to-metal driving.  

We have always been fond of the ride and handling ability of all the Skoda cars, and the Fabia is no exception. The new Fabia’s under-pinnings remain unchanged and it still sports struts at its front and compound link crank axle at its rear. The ride on the new Fabia is highly composed at almost all speeds and the hatch is quiet a handler. To our dismay, the new Fabia gets electric steering system rather than the older electro-hydraulic power steering which inspired confidence. The tyre size (185/60R14) remains the same and the Apollo Acelere grip fairly with moderate tread noise on concrete roads. The brakes on the Fabia are sharp and the figures speak for themselves. In our brake test, the Fabia covered 30.4 metres before coming to a complete standstill from a speed of 80kph.

The Skoda Fabia 1.2TDI Elegance costs Rs 6.83 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai) which makes it an expensive option as the VW Polo 1.2TDI Highline costs Rs 6.98 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The Volkswagen is more premium brand than Skoda and the Fabia misses out on some important features like the rear windshield washer, defogger and rear speakers, but the Fabia wins hands down on space and driving abilities. The new Fabia’s price has been reduced at the expense of some important features. So if you are looking for a solid well-built German hatchback which offers loads of space, has good driving dynamics and a fabulously frugal diesel engine, the Skoda Fabia 1.2TDI should be your choice.