2005 Å koda Fabia Details

Press Release

As of August 2004 Å koda Auto will start to sell Fabia for the model year 2005. The Å koda Fabia has undergone many important innovations with the main aim of diversifying and enlivening the model range. This will make the innovative small Å koda even more attractive to customers.

Changes are apparent throughout the whole car. The exterior of the car is especially eye-catching because of the new front bumper and the newly-designed rear light cluster. The range of equipment has also been modified and the Comfort middle equipment specification has been renamed Ambiente. The design of the interiors has also been revamped and they include new colours, new patterns and new seat upholstery. Additional modifications such as the new steering wheel and the newly designed surface of the instrument panel, the front part of which below the windscreen now has a different design, underline the cosiness of the interior.

Description of the Å koda Fabia model range

The Å koda Fabia model range is the only one in its category to offer three body specifications. The range consists of the five-door hatchback, the spacious, elegant estate and the four-door saloon. All three models have many common elements and they can be distinguished mainly by the shape and design of the body. Like the chassis and the majority of the interior, the power units - engines and transmissions - are virtually the same for all models.

The compact Å koda Fabia hatchback with a length of 3,970 mm gives the customer above-average interior space. The 260 l luggage compartment can be increased up to 1,016 l with the rear seats folded down (split rear seats 1/3 to 2/3 are available with the Ambiente and higher specifications).

The Å koda Fabia estate has an elegant extended rear section, of which the overall length is 4,232 mm. The estate's luggage compartment holds 426 l and has a roller cover that includes a compartment for an umbrella or other small items. The luggage compartment can be increased to 1,225 l by folding the rear seats (split rear seats are available with the Ambiente and higher specifications).

The Å koda Fabia saloon is 4,232 mm long and has a luggage compartment of 438 l. In addition the car is equipped with split rear seats so that the luggage compartment can be increased to 789 l.

The RS sports model is a hatchback derivative. The most significant feature of the exterior design is the new robust front bumper with an integrated spoiler. The bumper protrudes forward and its design blends perfectly with the style of WRC cars - the rear section of the car clearly demonstrates its sporty character. This is emphasised by the spoiler over the rear window, the rear bumper with its integrated spoiler and the stainless steel tailpipe. The large, sixteen-inch light alloy wheels add to the sporty dynamics of the car. The interior design lives up to the external appearance of the car, incorporating features that clearly demonstrate the character of the Fabia RS. Above all they include sports seats with original Cross-Tuck upholstery that provide more than adequate luxury and comfort and also the necessary support during fast driving. The sporty character of the car is emphasised not only by the three-spoke steering wheel wrapped in leather, as are the gear lever handle and the hand brake handle, but also by many other items such as the silver data display on the instrument panel, the sports pedals with stainless steel covers, the door-sills with the RS symbol and mats also decorated with the RS symbol.

Design of the car

The Å koda Fabia has a timeless design and still produces an elegant, charming and attractive impression even after several years of production. The car has a progressive appearance without fashionable excesses in its design. In addition the Fabia is easy to identify because of its typical features and it can be easily distinguished from cars of other makes.

The Fabia range of cars has a sophisticated and compact design where individual design items blend in a logical manner and create a compact, harmonious unit. Any significant changes could easily disturb this harmony and balance and therefore an approach of only partial changes to the exterior, retaining the character of the car, was implemented during the facelift of the Å koda Fabia.

The most significant modification of the exterior of the updated Å koda Fabia is the new front bumper. Compared to the current model the new Å koda Fabia has rounder and finer shapes but the overall concept gives the car a much more dynamic expression. The current horizontal air opening in the bottom part of the bumper has been divided into three parts by coloured diagonal partitions. The side openings now contain new circular fog lamps. Another detail is the black protective strips, which are slightly higher than normal. This significantly increases the overall balance of the front section because it reduces the impression of robustness and visually reduces the height of the car.A clearer design of the front section is evident from the modified radiator grille. The fins of the radiator grille are slightly inclined, producing a smoother, finer expression.

The appearance of the rear section has been changed by the new rear light cluster glass. Its design makes the car optically wider and helps to produce the impression of a solid, spacious, safe car.

The car's appearance is also enlightened by the large new wheel trims and the new alloy wheels. The following table shows the available wheel trims and alloy wheels.

Note: As a standard feature the Classic with the 1.2 HTP/40 kW engine and without the steering booster has steel 5J x 13" wheels with 13" wheel trims. As a standard feature the Ambiente with the 2.0/85 kW engine is equipped with 6J x 15" steel wheels and l5" wheel trims, the Elegance then has 6J x 15" alloy Band wheels.

The wide range of exterior colours contains five non-metallic colours, of which Petrol Green is completely new, and eight metallic colours.

Non-metallic colours:

• Candy White
• Lemon Yellow*/**
• Corrida Red
• Dynamic Blue
• Petrol Green.

Metallic colours:

• Diamond Silver
• Sahara Beige*
• Flamenco Red*
• Deep Sea Blue
• Nature Green
• Stone Grey*
• Graphite Grey*
• Black Magic with pearl effect.

* Not available with the Junior version.
** Not available with the Saloon version.
The Å koda Fabia RS is available in four attractive colours: Diamond Silver metallic, Lemon Yellow, Corrida Red and Black Magic with pearl effect.

Interior

Great attention has been paid to the interior when updating the Fabia for the 2005 model year. The instrument panel has been successfully modified. The front part of the surface below the windscreen has been newly designed. This modification makes the instrument panel visually lighter; it now looks airier and stresses the fresh atmosphere of the interior. The new ergonomically-designed steering wheel contributes significantly to this. The instruments have also been modified, specifically the design of their scales has been changed to match the current Å koda models.

Another important modification is the new colour design of the interior of individual equipment specifications with the option of choosing the interior colour for the Classic, the Ambiente and the Elegance. The upper part of the instrument panel on all specifications is in Onyx Black which prevents reflections in the windscreen. The elegant, all-black interior is now available starting from the Classic specification. All upholstery fabrics for the modified Å koda Fabia (except the Junior and RS versions) are completely new. In addition, leather upholstery is now available for the Elegance as an option. The following table contains a summary of the new interiors.

The Dynamic sporty interior with the new Onyx upholstery which can be combined with all colours of the instrument panel is available with the Classic, the Ambiente and the Elegance as an option. This interior also includes a three-spoke sports steering wheel, hand brake handle, gear lever handle and gaiter in black leather.

Equipment

The Å koda Fabia still has five equipment specifications: the basic Junior, the Classic, the Ambiente and the Elegance; whilst the special RS sports version crowns the range.

The structure and scope of the equipment of individual specifications remains the same; only partial modifications have been made to the range. The standard equipment includes a driver airbag, front seat belts with pretensioners, an immobiliser, and progressive electro-hydraulic power steering (available as an option on cars with the 1.2/40 kW engine). The surface of the instrument panel is soft and touch-friendly because it uses material produced by Slush technology. The heating and ventilation system has a pollen filter and interior air re-circulation. Higher equipment specifications feature such items as alloy wheels, a front passenger airbag, automatic air conditioning, height-adjustable driver seat, central locking, an on-board computer and electric front windows.

The standard equipment of the RS model matches the character of the car and provides a high degree of safety and more than adequate comfort for passengers. Standard equipment includes driver and front passenger airbags, the ABS and ASR systems, a tilt and rake-adjustable steering wheel, height-adjustable driver seat, remote-control central locking with a folding key, an on-board computer, electronically-controlled front windows and radio preparation with eight speakers.