Swapnil Desai

 

Exterior The body is very heavy and well built.Driving in Mumbai Suburubs can be really painful and there is likely to be an odd incident where other senseless car drivers might bang in to you. I have had a couple of these since last one year but to my luck cos of the strong body contours and the robust body SKODA fabia has escaped the wrath of scratches and bumps.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) The beige interiors in SKODA AMBIENTE FABIA are the best.The cockpit console is super and the overall look and feel of dashboard is awesome.There is super space in the car. From comfort point of view,cos of the weight of the car and its robustness there is absolutely no exterior noise of traffic can be heard  in the car. The seats are really comfortable and the back seat leg room is spacious .the door knobs and the  power window  buttons are made of good materail with super finishing, the seats overall are comfortable and the retractable tract is smooth in operation. The car all the models have airbags, a rare sight in any of the hatchback cars at that cost.

the AC is pwerful and the best designing for air flow so far.There are ducts below the passenger seat  and the driver seat which gives the option of flow of cool air at the back.I think it is one of the coolest design offered in hatchback cars.As most of the cars have a air duct right in the central and blows straight on your knees.

The lighting is adequate and pleasant .The glovebox is well designed and serves the purpose.The retractable springs are fantastic and happy that they do not make any noise.The additional glove box below the passenger airbag is handy to keep few items and documents.The vents on the roof near the mirror are provided for circulation of the air to the roof.A super idea especially in humid place like Mumbai.Right no. of bottle and cup holders are provided in the car.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The engine is 1.2 with 3 cylinder.It has 77 bhp a bit on the lower side but powerful enough for urban driving.Highway driving is fine as the car fully loaded lacks the power to overtake swiftly.But nevertheless it is more powerful then 4 cylinders of other manufacturers.

Fuel Economy is super. I am clocking 13-14 kms per litre at a speed of 50-60 kmph in city.In traffic situations with AC on it is just about 10 kms per litre.

The car generates a lot of power when the AC is off.One can surely experience it on the highway and the mileage goes up to 16-17 kms per litre at a constant speed of 70-80 km per hour. Gearbox is super smooth and i rate it 5/5.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride Quality is super as the shock absorbers are carefully designed and absorb most of the shocks. I beleive from handling point of view. no car in that particular segment can beat SKODA FABIA as the car stays on the road no matter at what speed.the car doesnt give you a feeling of risk at no time even at a speed of 180 kmph.

Final Words A TRULY, VALUE FOR MONEY CAR...MY SECOND CHOIC OF CAR WOULD STILL BE A SKODA.

Areas of improvement Provision for Light on the Back side.The cup holder on the back side central can be done away with as there are adeqaute no.of cup holders front and back in the car. It would give that extra spacing comfort for the 5th person in the car.

I have driven almost all cars and makes in all segments and me and my family are super impressed with the SKODA AMBIENTE but i see there is lack of marketing of this car and I beleive the dealers or the OEM should reach out to people . I am sure this car could be the top rated car in A2 SEGMENT.No car in this segment at that rate can offer so many features so why not go for aggresive marketing.

The noise cancellation in the car is the best amongst all the other car manufacturers in A2 segmentthe cup holder at the rear central