When we think of the Austrian car-makers Skoda our mind automatically jumps to the Superb, a sort of upper middle class vehicle. But, not much hype or fan-fare follows their lower models like the Fabia. The topic for discussion here is the “Skoda Fabia vRS”, Skoda’s latest attempt at introducing a rally car on the roads.
Let’s start off with the most important part of the vehicle, the engine. This particular engine has been used in everything from the Golf to the A6 and is, to be fair, far better than anything else it has ever produced in this class. The 1.9 liter, 4 cylinder, OHC, turbo charged diesel engine might not be the fastest car around but it sure does try really hard.
130 bhp at 4000 rpm doesn’t sound like much, but keep the car between 1500 and 2700 rpm and you feel the full effect of the 310 nM of torque under the hood. It does 0-60 mph in approximately 9.6 seconds. Quite normal for this class of vehicle but the crucial pick up from 50 to 75 mph can be achieved in around 10 seconds in 5th gear which sounds very contenting when you think of the vehicle class. It tops out at a maximum speed of 127 mph which isn’t very fast, but, it is good for its class. This car can easily complete 40 mpg, but, hit the motorway and you will be touching 60 miles to the gallon. The steering wheel (a three spoke sports steering wheel) gives terrific feedback and the performance of the car is far superior to any other ones in its class. The vRS moves on 16 inch aluminium alloy wheels through which you can spot green brake calipers.
When it comes to looks, the Fabia, has very little on offer whether it is on the inside or the outside. Skoda’s chief designer, Thomas Ingenlath was in charge of designing the vRS and he has done a decent job in raising the bar for its down-market siblings. The front has been equipped with a pleasant front bumper, encasing the usual mesh-vent between two fog lamps. Around the back, you will find a deeper bumper with a chromed tail pipe which is a little off-centre, a boot spoiler and some discreet badging. This all sounds real nice, but, it is not even close to the stunningly fashionable World Rally Car.
The interiors have the same feeling as most of the cars from the Volkswagen group. The switch gear (made of aluminium) is well laid out and the dials are clear and easily readable. The seats (monogrammed RS grey and black fabric sports seats) are actually, very comfortable and move in every possible way which makes finding a comfortable position relatively easy. A couple of vRS logos on the dials complete the look.
Skoda has gone all out when it comes to specking the vRS. ABS, MSR and ASR all help with the handling while ESP can be added at an extra cost. On the comfort and safety front, air-conditioner, electric front windows, single-slot CD player, alarm, remote central locking and driver and passenger airbags all come as standard.
Now that everything has been discussed let’s come down to the price. At £12000 it is far better priced than any of its rivals and it has a good re-sale value as well.
All-in-all, this car is good without being great. It is very reliable, economical too and it can still turn heads. Really. .
When we think of the Austrian car-makers Skoda our mind automatically jumps to the Superb, a sort of upper middle class vehicle. But, not much hype or fan-fare follows their lower models like the Fabia. The topic for discussion here is the “Skoda Fabia vRS”, Skoda’s latest attempt at introducing a rally car on the roads.
Let’s start off with the most important part of the vehicle, the engine. This particular engine has been used in everything from the Golf to the A6 and is, to be fair, far better than anything else it has ever produced in this class. The 1.9 liter, 4 cylinder, OHC, turbo charged diesel engine might not be the fastest car around but it sure does try really hard.
130 bhp at 4000 rpm doesn’t sound like much, but keep the car between 1500 and 2700 rpm and you feel the full effect of the 310 nM of torque under the hood. It does 0-60 mph in approximately 9.6 seconds. Quite normal for this class of vehicle but the crucial pick up from 50 to 75 mph can be achieved in around 10 seconds in 5th gear which sounds very contenting when you think of the vehicle class. It tops out at a maximum speed of 127 mph which isn’t very fast, but, it is good for its class. This car can easily complete 40 mpg, but, hit the motorway and you will be touching 60 miles to the gallon. The steering wheel (a three spoke sports steering wheel) gives terrific feedback and the performance of the car is far superior to any other ones in its class. The vRS moves on 16 inch aluminium alloy wheels through which you can spot green brake calipers.
When it comes to looks, the Fabia, has very little on offer whether it is on the inside or the outside. Skoda’s chief designer, Thomas Ingenlath was in charge of designing the vRS and he has done a decent job in raising the bar for its down-market siblings. The front has been equipped with a pleasant front bumper, encasing the usual mesh-vent between two fog lamps. Around the back, you will find a deeper bumper with a chromed tail pipe which is a little off-centre, a boot spoiler and some discreet badging. This all sounds real nice, but, it is not even close to the stunningly fashionable World Rally Car.
The interiors have the same feeling as most of the cars from the Volkswagen group. The switch gear (made of aluminium) is well laid out and the dials are clear and easily readable. The seats (monogrammed RS grey and black fabric sports seats) are actually, very comfortable and move in every possible way which makes finding a comfortable position relatively easy. A couple of vRS logos on the dials complete the look.
Skoda has gone all out when it comes to specking the vRS. ABS, MSR and ASR all help with the handling while ESP can be added at an extra cost. On the comfort and safety front, air-conditioner, electric front windows, single-slot CD player, alarm, remote central locking and driver and passenger airbags all come as standard.
Now that everything has been discussed let’s come down to the price. At £12000 it is far better priced than any of its rivals and it has a good re-sale value as well.
All-in-all, this car is good without being great. It is very reliable, economical too and it can still turn heads. Really. .
Since 1999, the Czech manufacturer, Skoda Auto has been producing one of the most stylishly designed supermini. The looks of Skoda Fabia are based on new designs by its parent company, Volkswagen. The car is offered as 4 door saloon or 5 door estate and hatchback models. Available in petrol and diesel versions, most recent models are equipped with 1.4 16valve 80 PS engines which are able to produce torque up to 132N at 3800rpm.
Appeal
Earlier models of Skoda Fabia were heavier in comparison to its competition but designers soon came out with an innovative 1.2HTP engine which became so popular that VW Polo also adapted it in their newer vehicles. In 2006, engineers boosted specifications by adding a rear seat headrest, three point seat belts and four bodywork colors. In fact, it was the overall design which attracted young buyers who were readily impressed by its sporty looks. To cater to increasing demands, engineers have introduced classical designs including Silverline, Bohemia, Sport, Ambiente and Blackline. Minor changes are also reflected in junior models sold in Eastern Europe which are relatively low priced but doesn’t include standard features.
Powerful Diesel Engine
The diesel version of Skodia Fabia has also been an instant hit. The 1.9L turbocharged direct injection system can produce 130 metric horsepower and an amazing 310N at 1900rpm. It is controlled by a manual six speed gearbox which can accelerate to 100km/h in approximately 8 seconds. Although, the official acceleration speed is quoted to be more than 9 seconds but tests by major industry outlets have proved that the reliable diesel engine is actually more powerful than its contemporaries. A 6 speed tiptronic transmission and 7 speed direct shift gearbox are also available for customized models.
5J Model
The new 5J models have been rolled out with additional safety features. All European models are fitted with driver, passenger and side airbags. A highly advanced internal safety feature that prevents wiring from heating up is another distinguishing aspect of 5J models. According to Euro NCAP safety tests, Skoda Fabia is recommended to be 4 stars in adult occupancy ratings and three star for child occupant. Considering traditionally lower safety ratings for small cars, it is an impressive feat to achieve such high ratings in its class.
Gurg Sumit Kumar
Nowadays, all cars including the one we are talking about here, the Skoda Fabia vRS, have a computerized Engine Management System. This system can be re-programmed to adjust the amount of fuel or oxygen that goes into the engine at a time, the spark plug timing and even engine power at different RPM’s. This process is called remapping a car and it is usually done so that you can get the optimal performance from your vehicle.
The amount of power you can gain depends on your engine type. Seeing that this is the sports version of the Fabia, the performance has already been improved. But, with a little more cash this diesel engine can really push the limits. The Fabia engine already has a very impressive performance and the extra power that is gained from the remapping more often than not will see the owners face light up.
Where you get your remap done from is important but as long as the dealer is recognized it shouldn’t make much of a difference. One of the best car remapping companies, in my opinion, is Angel Tuning and you should definitely consider them when remapping your Fabia. Initially, it gives you 130bhp and 310nm of torque. There are two ways in which you can remap this:-
1. Generic remap: Here, the car can gain anything from 20-40bhp. These are pre-designed remaps sometimes called “off the shelf” remaps.
2. Custom remap: The car gains from 40bhp upwards and is based on your preferences and other modifications that you may have.
What actually happens is, the Engine Control Unit (ECU), the engine’s computer which controls everything from the ignition timing to when the turbo kicks in, has a pre-designed map stored on its system. This map can be re-programmed so as to provide you with the optimum driving experience in your vehicle. It takes approximately 30 minutes to an hour to complete this process. The work that is done does not damage your Fabia in any way as it is entirely software based and thus you only risk your ECU.
After getting your Skoda remapped, if you are not satisfied with the significant increase in performance you can choose to get the mapping un-done so that you are back to your stock car settings. You can continuously remap your car, so, if you are a speed junkie, you should stay updated on the latest remapping software’s available so that you can have the best possible remap on your vehicle at all times.
At this point, you must be wondering why the stock maps installed in your vehicle aren’t already at optimum performance. The reason for this, a law, which states that all new cars must have a dip in the engine power at RPM’s of 2000-3000. This law is was made to reduce harmful emissions from vehicles, although all it does is make people accelerate more in this rev range which leads to increased emissions anyway plus wasted fuel. The Skoda’s performance is also limited from the company itself so that they can release new faster models later by just changing the map on the ECU. They will use this opportunity to charge you 1000’s of pounds more, just like they did when releasing this variant of the Fabia.
One thing that you should consider before actually remapping your car is whether or not this will affect the insurance on your vehicle. In most cases, the insurers won’t be able to tell the difference between a remapped vRS and a stock vRS, but just to be on the safe side you should thoroughly go through the documentation relating to your insurance before remapping your engine.
Skoda has a few months back launched their flagship the Skoda Superb. It is an excellent car that combines luxury with power and lives up to the name of the Czech manufacturer. The Skoda hit the Indian market about a decade back and the car has made a name for itself for reliability and durability. The new Skoda superb which has been launched has won good reviews from Europe as well, where the Czech manufactured car holds it own against other similar cars.
The car is built on a VW Passat platform as it comes from the same stable. But it has more legroom compared to the Passat. The car comes in both petrol and diesel versions and certainly gives competition to other brands like Camry and Accord. The Superb has a very capable petrol engine and a brilliant diesel engine and hence is a much better bet than the earlier Superb. In short, if you are in the market for a D-segment sedan you cannot just ignore the Superb. It is a regal sedan and has all the trappings of an excellent car.
The car is loaded with the usual goodies. In addition it has a luxurious feel with touch screen stereo. The usual features available in a high end car are all there like climate control and cruise control.
The Superb comes with three engine variants beginning with a 1.8 TSI turbo petrol, the 2.0 litter PD engine and lastly the powerful superb with the V6 petrol engine. The 1.8 petrol has an output of 160 bhp and can touch 100km in about 10 seconds. That is pretty good. However in case you are looking for greater economy than the diesel 2.0 will stand you in good stead. It churns out 140bhp and can race to 100km in 12 seconds. In addition in actual city driving conditions the car clocks 10km to a liter and on the highway you can get 15.Which is fine and will not pinch your pocket.
Lastly, if you are looking for refinement than the V6 is certainly your cup of tea. It generates an awesome 260 bhp and accelerates to 100km in less than 8 seconds. Power from this FSI engine goes to all four wheels making this the safest executive sedan to drive in adverse weather conditions like slippery and wet roads
The Skoda Superb has proved that a European sedan can take on the established players in the segment like the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry. The car is an excellent buy and priced between Rs 22 to 25 laky. However the V6 will set you back by Rs 30 laky, but the extra features and the 4×4 system alone compensates for the relative high price.
The Skoda superb is definitely a car that is a cut above similar Japanese cars. It also has an excellent dealership network and the car can be serviced at centers all over India. Spares are not a problem with such an extensive dealership and maintenance network. The Skoda is certainly value for money. In case you have the money than buying a Skoda superb is an excellent proposition. It is like buying a cheaper version of the Merc and will tickle your palette.