New-Gen Skoda Fabia Advances VW’s MQB Architecture

MADRID –  Skoda launches its third-generation Fabia during the 2014 World Skoda Dealers Conference in Valencia, Spain, making 200 copies of the minicar available for test drives to attendees from more than 100 countries.

The new Fabia is 3.1 ins. (80 mm) shorter overall than its predecessor, but its cabin is slightly extended to 65.9 ins. (1,674 mm). Elbow room is stretched 0.8 ins. (21 mm) to 55.2 ins. (1,401 mm).

The Volkswagen-owned Czech automaker notes the new Fabia’s trunk is the biggest in its market segment with 11.6 cu.-ft. (330 L) of capacity, 0.5 cu.-ft. (15 L) more than the second generation of the model. With the rear seats folded, load capacity reaches 40.3 cu.-ft. (1,150 L).

Four gasoline and three diesel engines are available in the new Fabia, all of them Euro 6 compliant and equipped with standard stop/start and brake-energy-recovery systems. Power in the gasoline engines ranges 60-100 hp, and 75-105 hp in the diesels.

The Fabia GreenLine engine coming to market in 2015 features improvements in fuel efficiency to 75.9 mpg (3.1 L/100 km) and carbon-dioxide emissions to 82 g/km. Skoda engineers say these figures are achieved with a radical weight reduction to 2,156 lbs. (980 kg) and aerodynamic improvements.

The hatchback offers both a manual and dual-clutch automatic transmission.

VW’s MQB modular architecture is used to reconfigure the frame of the vehicle by tweaking the location of the engine and electromechanical steering system.

Safety technology reserved until now for higher-end models is featured in the new Fabia. Optional equipment includes a front-assistance system with a city emergency-braking function that can stop the vehicle automatically. A brake multicollision system automatically slows the vehicle after an accident to prevent a posterior collision.

Standard equipment includes a speed limiter, hill-hold control and tire-pressure monitoring system.

The new Fabia is the first Skoda model offering MirrorLink technology that allows smartphone apps to be viewed on the infotainment-system screen through a simple USB connection. The SmartGate function allows the transfer of vehicle data such as fuel consumption or average speed to specific smartphone apps for storage and later use.