Skoda Fabia 2000 test drive - 2007 -

Come on, girls!

The most popular superminations of Europe and Russia are ready to meet new rivals.
Fair of brides
They go! Already traveling! - The most keen kid in the village yells heart -rendingly. For local beauties, this is a signal for actions. It is necessary to hastily bring beauty, blush their cheeks and set on the table - the matchmakers arrived. They like it is a cunning thing. One mossy braid here is not enough. A good bride should not only be a beauty, but also a skilled mistress, and generally a flexible girl. Yes, it would be nice to be prosperous.
 
Today, the acquisition of a small city car of class B, or, as they are called in Europe, supermini, in many ways resembles a matchmaking. Remember the requirements for such machines? Good, easy to communicate, reliable and unpretentious - as if it was going. That's just choosing a girlfriend of life for the next three years today oh how hard it is. Motor dealers are breaking from varnished beauties, colorful advertisements sometimes contradict each other, and the groom confused, he is also a stunned from such a leapfrog, sometimes takes what comes by the arm.
We categorically disagree with this choice at random: not jeans, tea, we take. That is why we did most of the work for you, having experienced four cars on ourselves at once. These are Skoda-Fabia and Peugeot 206-the most popular superminos in Russia, as well as Volkswagen-Polo and Citroen-C3-ambitious debutants who are determined to squeeze competitors in the brides market.
 
 
For all you are a darling!
No matter what they say about the beauty of internal, spiritual, unobvious, matchmakers first look not at a plate with cabbage soup, but in the eyes of a potential bride. And in our mini-festival of beauty, the winner decided in advance. You even know what her name is - of course, Peugeot 206. The fifth year is the car on the conveyor, but until now its beauty does not need facies and restyling. Slender, elegant, pretty - just grab and run! It is not surprising that the opponent girlfriends against her background look pale.
Citroen, however, stands out with the courage of the outfit. Not endowed with by nature by unearthly beauty, C3, however, is distinguished by an excellent taste, or maybe just follows a fashion imposed by glossy magazines. One way or another, her appearance, if not stunning, then certainly attracts attention. And the cornflower dress to her face - well emphasizes the sculpture of forms and masks accelerate for class B size. Meanwhile, the smallest of Citroen is even higher than the solid C5 sedan!
In short, Fabia and Polo are clearly in the rearguard. Remember, they probably studied at your school. A skirt without folds, a white bow, Golfiki Gray - you can invite it to a canopy cafe only in complete nonsense. At the same time, both of the skin climb to seem older. Skoda smeared lips, that is, the grille of the radiator, chrome. And the front headlights Polo - like fashionable glasses from Chanel on the nose of the first -grader. A little funny, agree.
Do not drink from the face of water
The most common opinion that the first impression is the most true is completely not suitable for women or cars. Who would have married bbw in this case or bought a Zhiguli? The chances of our applicants are also changing, you just have to look at their boudoirs.
This is to the fact that the Peugeot-206 salon has earned only fourth place. The Frenchwoman’s irresistible outwardly - in everyday life, a bourgeois collecting porcelain elephants and signs tea, protruding the little finger. And that cockroaches scurry in the corners, she does not care. It is worth opening the door, a sea of \u200b\u200bbudgetary relief plastic sparkling in the sun is striking in the eye. He ran a finger along his wrinkles - all in dust. FI! This plastic in Peugeot is everywhere - on a dashboard, upholstery of the doors, the central console. The situation is fixed only by a skillfully selected color plush, which gives the interior a little home comfort.
Nevertheless, in the selection of upholstery materials, competitors went on eternity ahead. But cheap plastic is not the only splinter in the graceful fingers of the Frenchwoman. A short pillow did not allow you to get a job with convenience, although the adjustment range is sufficient even for a tall person. A good overview is spoiled by small external mirrors. The feeling of room disappeared, it was only worth it to sit back - with a fully pushed front seat there simply not to take a breath there. The impression of a good assembly was overshadowed by a cricket, waking up in the upholstery of the middle rack of the body when driving along the tram tracks. Little things in life, say? But in Citroen everything is wrong.
 
    
The French cannot without tricks - in Peugeot (photo left below), the digitization of the speedometer goes through an odd number of dozens. And how do you like Citroen's tachometer - a red arrow on a red scale? In Skoda (right at the bottom right) and Volkswagen dash panels are much more familiar
 

 
This apartment is very stylish - to match the appearance. Cute door handles, original - I really want to turn it - deflectors, a funny digital speedometer -akvarium, except without guppy. Admire! In everything, you feel your special, perky style - youth sing this song! And most importantly, bewitched by the design, I immediately forgot that the apartment is small. Here, of course, is more spacious than in Peugeot, largely due to the tall roof and vertical landing in front, but still cramped - you are difficult to reduce your knees.
Although it is hardly true to demand from supermino comfort C5 or C8. But Citroen designers did not exchange style for convenience, but combined them. The cool control panel of the audio system is convenient to use, the cylindrical ashtray will delight the advocates of the antinicotine campaign - it can easily be removed from the cabin without harm to the appearance. The stylish gearbox lever - a spilled joystick of a computer game console - surprised with clear moves, for PSA concern cars this is almost a revelation. And to be a cornflowing baby a worthy rival, if it were not for the truly French slack. The panel to the left of the steering wheel covering the fuse block is disgusting - the plastic is puffed like a dry leaf. I would have torn my hands for this ... However, perhaps this is just a lack of a pre -production model? I hope ... for now the third place.
But the championship for the salon I would not award anyone. Perhaps the interior of Fabia and Polo seems to someone and the height of perfection. Black and boring design leads me to longing for me. But in practical terms, all the type is. Fabia resembles a business girl. Moderately friendly, as expected by the office manager, at times cold-universal, is almost impeccable in work. Even the basic package of Skoda includes metal door handles (they don’t dream about such in the 206th!), The steering wheel with height and tilt adjustment and very high-quality upholstery. Box lever is a role model. The driver's seat - no complaints. Without delights, the designed tidy pleases with magnificent readability.
In general, the list of amenities can be continued for a long time, the main thing is not to forget about the rear sofa. Placing him, he did not believe it at once - yes, here, perhaps, more spacious than even the older sister of Octavia! Not to mention Peugeot and Citroen.
 
    
In the photo, it seems that the rear seats of all four cars are quite spacious, but this is not so. Polo and Fabia (at the top) are larger than the place. The most closely on the sofa in Peugeot (left below). But French cars, unlike competitors, can boast of three head restraints even in the basic configuration
   

What is the other side of the scales? I did not like the toy -melodious mirror on the right, a cheap strap of trunk closing, and a slightly strange pedal node - the clutch is almost in the center. Agree, a little.
But to the latest polo of claims even less. The solidity and thoroughness of the adjustment of the panels, the clarity and impeccability of the switches, the thoughtfulness and convenience of each detail - all this simply delights. The most obvious example, do not believe it, the cup holder. A trifle, it would seem, but evaluate the highest piloting of execution. The variable adjustment of the holder allows you to fix any container - a bottle, a jar, and a glass. What is it?! The salon even in a three -door version (a five -door is only 433 euros more expensive) at least is not inferior to Fabia and is precisely ahead of French models.
The weaknesses of the Germans are similar to the Czech whims - a small mirror on the right, eccentric pedals ... Clear business - the chassis, in fact, the same thing. And the main surprise from the category of unpleasant prepared the sensor of the remainder of the fuel. If the tank has less than ten liters of gasoline in the tank, the Polo salon, for each acceleration and braking, announces the warning b-i-and-p, the sensor in the Volkswagen lies as shamelessly as on the front-wheel drive vases! Oh no no no...
But Polo has a different talent. At the wheel of this Volkswagen, it seems that you are driving a class higher by car. And this is the merit of not only a high -quality salon, but also excellent sound insulation. The rumble of the motor and the rustle of the tires, unlike rivals, practically do not penetrate the salon. Even the sound with which the doors are slammed is noble and roads. Maybe it’s not in vain on this Volkswagen round, a la e-class, headlights?
Citroen has its own pride. The trunk C3 is the most spacious in the quarter - at least 305 liters, and with the seats folded all 1310! In addition, in the luggage compartment C3 provides a convenient folding shelf -organizer - each thing has its own place. Both cute and comfortable. Fabia also has its own highlight - this is a mandatory winter package for Russia - spray, enlarged clearance, shelters. That's right - do not stick to Siberia without felt boots.
    
Euro comes
Perhaps soon the cost of European machines will increase. The point is the slow but true fall of the dollar in relation to the euro. In a word, do not be surprised if the car to order is more expensive than that that is already flaunting in the showroom at the dealer.
 
 
The city is not a aunt
Having seen enough of the applicants, it's time to go to the promenade in the city. Walking the streets is also science: do not stoop, look down at others, do not seed with your feet, but you do not weave, like a turtle. With the latter, as if, difficulties are planned. Indeed, under the hoods of all four super-Mini modest 1.4-liter engines. But for urban traffic jams, it is usually no longer necessary. What difference does it make how many horses under the hood, when the traffic light will still cut everyone under one comb? If you are of the same opinion, you will even suit you even the Fabia motor, the least powerful out of four.
A flat, calm, sedate and slightly dull acceleration in all modes, even if the gas pedal is drowned into the floor - such is the 68 -horsepower Czech. True, the gear rates are selected so that I hardly felt the lack of moment on the bottom - for the city it is. Skoda gets to a hundred with dignity, but not in a hurry - 15 with a lush of seconds, of course, not a record. What, one wonders, is demanding from a 1.4-liter motor? But reproach here to the place - after all, the German and Frenchman are much faster!
Moreover, the smallest - polo. Despite the exactly the same power of three engines - 75 liters. S., the German engine seems more frisky. And there is a logical explanation for this: the 16 -valve head allows you to remove a slightly larger torque - 126 NM against 111 of the French unit. In addition, the Polo has a shorter gearbox. Say, the second, most accelerated, Volkswagen has a gear ratio of 2.1, and in Peugeot and Citroen - 1.81. Just thanks to these indicators, the eyes of the eyes of a low start wins half a corps at the peak and a half more heavier Citroen. In general, three cars showed very good dynamics: from 1.4-liter engines, I admit, expected less.
     
 

Washingrs for these peepions can only be obtained in a winter bag worth 331 euros

Box inside the seat in Volkswagen the most solid
 
 
Polo cup holder - an example of practicality and style

The clarity of the work of the gearbox for five with a plus
 
  

High-tech ashtray

Multifunctional trunk C3 - the largest and most convenient
in the quartet
 
 
The gearbox lever and ventilation deflectors are conceived and performed perfectly
 
      
 

The 206th pleases customers with mirrors in both anti-loner visors

The design and convenience of controlling this Blaupunct is a maximum of three points
 
 
The on -board computer display is perfectly read
     
 

The trunk of the trunk closing is cheap

The hood lock does not need to be sought by the touch
 
 
Metal door handles give Fabia of solidity

Cooling glove box in the summer is indispensable
 
 
Adult demand
The conversations that the good controllability of supermi is, as it were, at all, they seem to us not just unfounded, but even harmful. Let for most owners the most extreme maneuver - in reverse parking. Everyone can happen on the road, and the car should be ready for this to no less than the driver. And if so, then the demand with Supermini is very expensive. We’ll calm down right away: not one of our four had to blush for controllability. The difference is, as always, in the nuances.
Sorry, Fabia, but actively spending time with you the most boring of all. Noticeable rolls in corners, a cotton, not informative steering wheel, dull reactions - such a skoda will not amuse you even with 101 -horsepower one and four, not to mention a less powerful option. But the medal always has two sides. And it is worth looking at the Czech supermino from another side, how the picture changes. After all, in fact, Fabia is characterized by incredibly reliable and safe handling. No wonder, it is obvious that it is it that is considered the most popular female car in Russia.
 
What do women do if they suddenly go into a turn at too high speed? They click and remove the leg from the gas. Neither the first nor the second is not recommended. But even to such a provocation, Fabia reacts with a very smooth sliding outward with all four wheels - I just bring the steering wheel and return to the trajectory. You can’t imagine more reliable. What are we unhappy with?
And you move to Volkswagen! The equally safe and reliable character is complemented in the Polo with a more acute steering wheel, which, unlike Skoda, does not bite even with sharp restructures. And immediately the character of the car became alive and mobile. He enters the turns with youthful excitement and easily allows you to command gas. On such a car, you can step aside - take a handbrake in a turn, go into a turn with a skid, go through the snake on the verge of the clutch of the wheels and at the same time avoid a hospital bed and a slope of the tin.
Citroen controllability is close to Volkswagen, but, as it seemed to us, it is a little more perky. Sometimes it seems that this blue vessel is simply bastard from turn and turns. I threw off the gas in the bend - the machine went outside with all four wheels, pulled the steering wheel, added gas, and with a slight drift of the rear axle, the baby obediently wrapped it inside. The most important thing is that the reactions of the car are transparent and understandable even to a novice driver. Not at all like Peugeot.
 
The 206th is considered the most well-controlled class B. I agree, but provided that you mean almost sports control by good. In Peugeot, the most sensitive steering wheel and the most competently tuned hydraulic power steering is to complain about the lack of feedback is to scream your soul. On the winding tracks, the 206th is just a song: a brisk, tenaciously holding road, with a hard, energy -intensive suspension. But beware, if you suddenly calculate that Peugeot allows the driver to be infinition. Unlike rivals, the 206th demonstrates excess rotability in turns. Therefore, having thrown off the gas in the turn, be careful - the skid of the rear axle can begin very sharply. I did not blink with my eye, and the pepper has already deployed across the road! To remove the 206th from the skid, a clear operation of the steering wheel and gas is required. Are you ready for this? Peugeot allows more than others on a winding highway, but does not forgive the driver of the amateurism.
     
What's how much
The simplest C3 with the motor one and four can be purchased for $ 11,990. Moreover, the third is supplied to Russia in the so -called Scandinavian version: double -sided galvanizing, anti -gravel coating, heating of mirrors and front seats, headlight washer. Of the other charms of life in the standard - frontal airbags, electric mirrors and front glasses, a steering wheel, a central castle with DU, immobilizer. Additional options: ABS ($ 425), parking sensors ($ 270), air conditioning ($ 700), foggy ($ 200), leather interior ($ 690). But in order to get a climate or cruise control, you will have to order a car with an automatic checkpoint- and this is at least $ 13,690.
 
The starting price is quite appetizing for Volkswagen-Polo. However, for 12,085 euros ($ 11,480) you literally get a 3 -door body, motor, seats, wheels - and that’s it! To turn Polo from the Spartan vehicle of transportation into a modern car, it will require at least $ 13,980. This amount includes ABS, air conditioning, a 5-door body, front windows, electric drive and heated mirrors, 2 front airbags. However, unlike C3 on Polo, it is still impossible to order either leather upholstery, nor parking sensors, nor cruise control.
 
Peugeot 206-1.4 in the database costs even cheaper - $ 11,260. However, the XR Pressense equipment is also not particularly generous: a driver’s pillow, electric windows of the front, immobilizer, steering hydraulic power steering - that’s all. The cost of options is comparable to the Sitroensky price list: air conditioning - $ 700, ABS, supplemented by EBD - $ 435. But listen to the good advice: it is more profitable to immediately opt for a more advanced configuration than to stuff the base with options. For example, the HT option for $ 12,318 is already a well-equipped car with climate control, a front passenger airbag, fog, electric drive and heated mirrors, as well as 15-inch alloy wheels.
The Skoda Set of Set of Set is copying Volkswagenovskaya. That is why the 68-horsepower Fabia can be purchased for $ 10,500, but there will be nothing in it, besides the fog and heating the seats in it. The Skoda who visited our test is estimated at $ 11,500, implying air conditioning and front windows. ABS will cost you $ 500.
Peugeot and Citroen provide a 3-year guarantee (1 year factory plus 2 dealer). Volkswagen and Skoda are limited to a two -year guarantee according to a 1+1 scheme.
     
 
Citroen (left above) is a clear leader both in spaciousness and the convenience of using the trunk. It's nice that the backs of the seats of all four cars are folded both together and in parts
 
 
Wives are different
So, with whom to connect your life for the coming years? Much depends on your character. Introverts, for whom their own inner world is infinitely more important than the opinions of others, are well suited Volkswagen and Skoda - self -sufficient, solid, inspiring a sense of confidence and self -esteem. Fabia, in general, is possible, the ideal city car is moderately comfortable, very safe, high -quality and inexpensive. Polo is tangibly more expensive, despite the fact that, by and large, the difference in price is justified only by a more powerful engine. However, for many, the prestige of the brand and the branded Volkswagen feeling of a large car are by no means ephemeral. French women - for those who, as Makarevich sang, go laughing through life. Holy, pretty, elegant and somewhat stupid, they are really created for pleasure. Peugeot will also be happy to satisfy the driver's ambitions, and Citroen, despite the modest size, is very universal.
And yet I am sorry that cars, unlike Lego designers, cannot be assembled as you like. Otherwise, my perfect car would look like this: stunning
    
Soon, the choice of Supermini will be an even more difficult task. As you know, Skoda-Fabia can also be bought with a station wagon body, as well as with a classic 4-door-sedan-nonsense. Moreover, Fabia with a separate trunk is by no means such a frequent sight on our roads as Renault-City Simples. But this is a logical explanation. Notchback is a top version of Fabia, with powerful engines - gasoline, as a rule, 75 or 101 hp. - And a good level of equipment. Therefore, buying such a car is cheaper than $ 15,000 is unlikely to work.
A 4-door sedan will appear in the gum of polo, but it will be intended exclusively for Brazil and China. It seems that the Germans cease to consider Russia a third world country. This is also evidenced by the fast debut of diesel polo. Moreover, a 1.4-liter turbodiesel with a pump record is the most powerful in its class-101 hp.
The world premiere of the convertible based on Citroen-C3 is not far off. It is absolutely known that this will be a battery compartment, the hard roof of which is automatically cleaned in the trunk a la Pezho-206ss. Most likely, the outwardly C3 Cabinet of Coupe will resemble the concept car Lumier (in the picture), which debuted in Frankfurt-99.
Well, the Russian dealers of Peugeot are about to begin to accept orders for an elegant and sports station wagon 206SW. The debutant of the current Geneva is already sold in Europe and, we hope, will take root in Russia. Prices have not yet been declared, but they are unlikely to much exceed the basic hatchback
Peugeot-206
Per
The most attractive appearance,
sports control,
reasonable price,
inexpensive options
 
Against
Budget execution of the cabin,
crowding in the back seat,
nevazhnetsk noise insulation
 
Volkswagen-Polo
Per
The best sound insulation,
perfectly thought out workplace of the driver,
frisous engine,
good handling,
feeling a big car
spacious salon,
production quality
 
Against
High, taking into account options, price,
boring interior design,
nozzle
 
Skoda-Fabia
Per
Spacious salon,
production quality,
affordable price,
safe controllability,
big list of additional equipment
 
Against
High cost of additional options,
boring interior design,
average dynamic characteristics
 
Citroen-S3
Per
Bright design outside and inside,
rich equipment,
good handling,
tenacious brakes,
roomy trunk,
affordable price,
impressive list of custom equipment
 
Against
Not the most spacious salon
small shortcomings of assembly
 
Mikhail Medvedev, photo Maxim Goncharov

 

Source: Magazine "Limousine" [07-08/02]