The first example of Skoda's all-new, fourth-generation Fabia supermini has left the production line in the Czech Republic, as the firm prepares its Ford Fiesta rival for an early 2022 market launch.
The Czech manufacturer claims to have invested €110 million (£94 million) in adapting its Mladá Boleslav production line to build the new supermini alongside its Kamiq and Scala siblings.
The fourth-generation Fabia is said to be the most spacious car in the supermini segment, thanks to significant increases in dimensions across the board compared with its predecessor.
It makes the landmark shift onto the Volkswagen Group’s MQB-A0 supermini platform, as used by the Audi A1 Sportback, Seat Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo, ditching the PQ architecture used in various iterations since the Mk1 Fabia arrived in 1999.
These much more modern underpinnings accommodate “improved comfort features and numerous advanced safety and [driver] assistance systems,” as well as a range of more efficient powertrains.
The hatchback is due to be launched in the UK early next year, priced from around £13,500, plus Skoda has confirmed that the unique estate version will return as well, most likely in 2023.
Design
The Fabia is 111mm longer than before, at 4108mm, and 48mm wider, at 1780mm. Its wheelbase has been extended from 2470mm to 2564mm to improve the space inside, especially in the rear, while the boot, up by 50 litres to 380 litres, is said to be the largest of any supermini on sale today.
The new Fabia’s design cues are only evolutionary but bring it more closely into line with newer Skodas, including the Scala, Kodiaq and Enyaq iV.
Slim headlights (LED as standard), new foglights and and a reshaped bumper are the most obvious changes at the front, while the new-look rear also mirrors the latest Skodas, with the brand’s name spelled out across the bootlid, optional LED brake lights and a more prominent spoiler.
Head designer Oliver Stefani hailed the new Fabia as “much more dynamic and grown-up” than the Mk3 and said: “We’ve deliberately not changed the essence of the Fabia: as is typical of a Skoda, it’s a functional and practical everyday companion.”
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"can apparently save “up to 0.2 litres” of fuel per 62 miles at a constant speed of 75mph, equating to 5g of CO2 per kilometre."
Impressive messed up mixing of imperial and metric units, almost none of which are helpful for the UK readership.
Skoda was supposed to be the "value" brand of the VW Group but it's perhaps indicative of its aspirations to go up-market (and tread on the toes of VW) that the fabric covered dashboard is only available on higher end versions; Dacia is offering this on much cheaper versions of the Sandero.
Probably another good reason not to buy a Golf or Polo.