Not Looks, Luggage Space
by Ross Finlay (05 Oct 01)

CARkeys caught up with the new saloon version of the Fabia a little later than planned, but not too late to realise that, although it's no beauty, the latest variant of the Czech supermini will haul in another type of customer who might not have been interested in the hatchback or estate.

It's a matter of luggage space, of course. The hatchback's roomy passenger cabin means that it can't offer a massive boot, and there are people who would like to be able to carry more stuff around but, for one reason or another, don't particularly want an estate.

With its high-set boot line, the saloon has about two-thirds more luggage space than the hatchback, and a measurable amount more than even the estate.

Just as important, the boot has been carefully planned so that there are no space-wasting intrusions. The wheel arches have to be accommodated, of course, but it's worth bearing in mind that all the Fabia models have a wider rear interior measurement than most of their rivals. There are smaller stowage spaces in the cabin too, of the box and pocket persuasion.

The saloon is offered with just one trim level, as it will undoubtedly sell fewer units than the hatchback; so there would be no point in making its pages of the catalogue too complicated. There's nothing flamboyant about the interior specification, but - as usual - the fit and finish are fine, and everything feels as if it's in the right place.

Skoda seats tend to be firm, and that remains the case here. The front pair give just the right amount of support for a long journey, although I'm not struck by the haul-up slide-forward adjustment.

Sitting Straight

Things aren't so good in the rear cabin, although the headroom is generous and the legroom pretty good for a car of this overall size. The snag is that, as in several other saloon variants of original hatchback designs, the rear seat backs (which fold forward 60/40) are almost forbiddingly upright. I think I'd be fidgeting after half an hour there. Maybe the answer is not to drive from the back seat.

As has been well publicised, the Fabia is the first car to sit on the VW Group platform soon to be used by the 2002 Polo and the next-generation Ibiza. The comparatively long wheelbase and wide track do more than give the Fabia class-leading cabin space. They help to provide a supple ride, and keep the car four-square on motorways and country roads, and as it sweeps through bends, into dips and over brows.

There are three versions of the saloon. The entry-level model at £9100 has the familiar low-emission 1.9-litre SDI diesel with its direct injection, no common rail and no turbo. It may not have a lot of low-down get-up-and-go, but once it's up and running the 64bhp engine wafts the Fabia along quite smartly. A torque curve which reaches its summit at 91lb/ft hardly seems like a map of the Matterhorn, but the point is that you get there from as low an engine speed as 1600rpm, and that makes it pleasantly flexible.

Skoda has popped the far more lively 100bhp 16-valve 1.4-litre petrol engine into the mid-priced model at £9400. This is a completely different performer, with strong acceleration all the way, good throttle response and very smooth revving characteristics. Even more than the SDI, it benefits from the Fabia's slick-acting gearchange. It has the added power to take advantage of the suspension set-up, and the 0-62mph time drops from the diesel's yawning 19 seconds to 11.6.

In the economy stakes, of course, it's no contest. The SDI manages a combined figure of 57.6mpg compared with the 100bhp car's 39.8, and it produces only 132g/km of CO2.

Top-priced version is the 1.4 fuzzy-logic automatic at £9900, but it's no ball of fire, partly because it uses the 16-valve petrol engine in much lower 75bhp tune. If you must have an automatic, of course, there it is.

Standard equipment on the 100bhp model includes ABS, EBD and anti-slip, which is worth bearing in mind when you consider the price. All the saloons have electro-hydraulic power steering and that drive-by-wire throttle which seemed rather hesitant on the earliest examples of the Fabia but feels quite reasonable now. The steering wheel on all models adjusts for both rake and reach, and the driver's seat adjusts for height. In other words, there's more than just budget-level equipment.

There aren't many extra-cost options, but the list includes metallic paint finish, alloy wheels and an air-conditioning system which cools both the glovebox and a drinks-can holder.

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