Skoda Fabia 2000 test drive - 2007 -

Cosmopolitan

I must say, Russia is well prepared for the appearance of Skoda Fabia. Everyone is remembered by the pre -crisis boom of demand for relatively cheap Skoda Felicia, close in operational indicators of VAZ products, but distinguished by the better quality - foreign cars after all. It was a verified marketing course of the Volkswagen concern, which was rapidly taking the company Skoda, a successful and inexpensive modernization of the car (if anyone forgot, the Skoda Favorit hatchback), which fell into the niche of available family machines, especially popular in the countries of the winning capitalism with a low living standing standard.
So, Skoda Fabia, a member of the Polo family. Actually, she is the first representative of the fourth generation of this Volkswagen model. For the concern, it becomes ordinary practice to try out new basic platforms on foreign cars. So it was in the case of Seat Arosa - the twin VW Lupo, the example of Skoda Octavia, which was the first model of Volkswagen on the Golf IV platform, is even better known. The result is obvious: both the new Golf and Octavia found their customers, and the Volkswagen concern, which by that time had already completely owned the Skoda brand, once again confirmed its reputation as a manufacturer of reliable cars of various price categories for the mass consumer.
In the hands - the keys to the brand new Fabia radical blue Volkswagen color in the Elegance configuration. It seems that the car is shorter than Zhiguli, four meters in length (to be precise - 3960 mm) I won’t give it any way. A sort of little stronger. But this is a trick of vision. The unusual proportions of the body with a visually dominant salon, a large area of \u200b\u200bglazing and almost one and a half meter height are to blame.
From a stylistic point of view, Skoda Fabia is a completely new car with brand brand traits. The designers managed to give the machine an original memorable appearance, which is especially important for mass demand cars.
The Volkswagen platform, on which the Polo - Ibiza - Fabia family is built, is a new edition of a proven long -term successful operation of the combination of Macpherson and the rear semi -dependent suspension with tied levers. In the last spring, they are inconspicuous with shock absorbers - to increase the volume of the trunk. The steering mechanism of the rack type with an amplifier, the disc ventilated brakes on the front wheels, drum or disk (depending on the configuration) - on the rear, ABS and EDS systems on more powerful modifications. These include our Fabia, which has a 1.4 liter engine and a capacity of 101 hp. at 6000 rpm/min. Twisting - 126 Nm at 4400 rpm. So far, this is the most powerful Fabia motor, it is made up of two more gasoline engines of the same volume and with a capacity of 68 and 75 hp, the first is eight -valve (all the rest are sixteen -valve), familiar to us from Skoda Felicia. There are also two 1.9 liter diesel engines, which differ in the presence of turbocharged on one of them and with a power (64 and 101 hp).
Let's get back to the car. The driver's door swings widely, sit in a chair. The salon seems very spacious largely due to the high ceiling and light upholstery of seats and door panels. On the upholstery - a squeezed pattern in the form of dancing men. In fact, cars of this class cannot be too large, especially for the width, and Fabia is an example. The interior harmonizes with the appearance of the model, it is strict and solid, like many new VW cars. I would like to call such a stylistic direction by the Teutonic style, which has some principles of the pre -war German architectural and design school Bauhaus. Two -color torpedo - a dark top, light bottom, with a number of additional amenities, for example, hidden containers (including ventilated, with a supply of cold air from the air conditioner) for small objects.
The driver's seat turned out to be very convenient, delighted side support. The range of adjustments in length, height and over the angle of the back of the back is amazingly wide, so I did not even drop to the end with my two meters of growth and left the opportunity to go back even more a more tall driver. At the same time, the legs were bent quite naturally - you can be driving for a long time. The steering column is adjustable along the length and angle of inclination, which also contributed to the correct organization of the driver's workplace. The steering wheel itself is very convenient - but at first glance it seems that on the contrary, there are already many sharp faces painful. In fact, they are necessary in fit with the roundness of the rim and knitting needles, this gives an excellent result in terms of both functionality and style. The location of the rest of the governing bodies is ergonomically verified. The small lever-jacket of the box has small moves and clearly turns on the gears. The pedals are located competently, there is a platform for the left leg. The visibility of the driver’s place is quite normal, however, the wide front racks interfere somewhat, in addition, the glass of the fifth door looks too narrow in the rear view mirror. Asymmetric (like Mercedes-Benz cars) external mirrors should help here. The algorithm for their adjustment is unusual - the left and right move simultaneously, and then the position of the latter can be separately adjusted. Mirrors - with heating.
Trying to get behind. The legs are barely enough, as if I were clamped between the ceiling, the upholstery of the rear door and the back of the front seat - but it is not shifted back to stop. Fortunately, I do not need to undergo a survival test in conditions of long stay here, for some time you can tolerate. Again, again, that my dimensions are above average.
Now the trunk. It opens from both the driver's place and with the help of a handle covered with a rubber casing in the fifth door. If you do not fold the rear seats, you can’t call the trunk volume impressive. This is a comfort for comfort in the cabin, in addition, Fabia does not impress a truck, so there is nothing to grieve.
I return behind the wheel. Turning the key in the ignition lock - the control lamps blinked on a combination of devices, the engine easily launched and almost silently earned at idle. Several bells with a characteristic metal timbre were clearly heard, which, apparently, makes sense of the message - everything, they say, is in order, you can go. So we will do it. The clutch pedal is squeezed out with almost no effort, the first gear is easily turned on, and the car moves from the place. The adhesion pedal is acceptable in size, but the drive does not differ with informativeness - there is no clear sensation of the connection of the engine and transmission.
The accelerator, unlike the clutch pedal, is very sensitive, but the engine, strangled by European environmental norms (the machine is prepared for the Czech market), is thoughtful and does not immediately understand what they want from it. This also manifests itself when you drop the gas when switching the gears - the motor does not have time to reduce the momentum and continues to grumble in bewilderment for some time (thanks to good soundproofing of grunts, it is almost no heard).
I get out from the parking lot, and at the same time I check the operation of the steering wheel amplifier and how things are with maneuverability. Everything is in order: the car can easily turn around on a small platform, while the steering wheel rotates almost without effort.
The turn of the dynamics came. The engine, as already mentioned, reacted with delay to a sharp pressing of gas pedal, but was able to give the car a tangible acceleration, filling the salon with a pleasant sound. If not for this delay, the dynamics of the overclocking Fabia could like. When trying to reduce the speed of gas resetting, it was well felt that the motor would be happy to help, but did not have time, so I had to immediately attract brakes that have high efficiency to work. The effort here, as when working with a clutch, is required a small one, but the slowdown process is easily controlled. The early threshold of ABS operation seemed strange.
The Fabia suspension provides a comfortable driving in our roads, however, this Czech does not feel well on the tram tracks and in the places of repair of the roadway, where they made asphalt - the car shakes and rocks. Lesser redness are absorbed without severe blows and excess noise. You also go quietly in the water column and gravel - I became interested and, to my pleasant surprise, I found that there were felt shelters from behind.
In general, the sound gamut of the salon is unusual. He, as already mentioned, is well-insulated, and each sound of internal origin is accompanied by something like an echo. So, when locked by the central locking lock of door locks, something like clasping the gun shutter is heard. It is interesting in the acoustic sense to go in the rain - the sound of falling drops penetrates inside mainly through the glass of the fifth door.
By the way, about rain ... You can not be afraid to lose control of the machine, getting one wheel in a puddle - Fabia perfectly withstands a given direction of movement. The car steadily prescribes turns of turns, the rotation is close to neutral, without a tendency to a sharp change in its character.
Good controllability. Skoda Fabia quickly and confidently changes the trajectory, while the steering wheel of the car is quite acute - a faster engine reaction to the action of the accelerator pedal would be very useful. (As we were told in the car dealership, after the Russian debut of the car, which should take place on the MIMS-2000, cars will be supplied with a reprogrammed engine control unit, increased road clearance, as well as other modifications.)
Here is such a car released Skoda. In the new car, nothing but the brand does not indicate its Czech origin. Skoda Fabia, in fact, is a German product, which, as you know, is an indicator of reliability. For this, people of different ages and social groups mainly value German cars. Including in Russia.
Text: Sergey Ivanov
 

Source: Motor magazine [No. 8/2000]