Skoda Fabia Hatchback Makes World Debut at Geneva

Press Release

WITH A SENSE OF PROPORTION BUT NEVERTHELESS FULL OF SURPRISES: THE EQUIPMENT

The new Fabia is available in four different equipment levels. All of these have carefully compiled and coordinated safety and comfort features, while a comprehensive choice of optional equipment makes it possible for the Fabia buyer to achieve a high level of individuality in his vehicle, adapting it to suit his own requirements.

The basis is formed by the Classic, where emphasis has been placed on maximum functionality and safety at a favourable price. The higher equipment levels, the Ambiente, Sport and Elegance, offer additional elements of comfort and, in addition, cater for the different wishes of customers with their adapted interiors and exteriors.

Due to other different demands and requirements in each market, the level of equipment specified in each trim level can vary according to the individual country.

The equipment in the Classic includes, among other things:

• Driver and front passenger airbag with front seat belt pre-tensioners.

• Side airbags

• ABS with brake assistant and brake pad control

• Immobiliser

• Electro-hydraulic power steering

• Steering wheel adjustable in height and reach

• Pollen filter

In the Ambiente, the following items are also included:

• Central locking, SAFE System

• Preparation for radio with four front speakers

• Overhead package I (four folding grab handles, clothing hooks in the rear, two reading lights at the
  front, sun visor on the front passenger side with makeup mirror)

• Multifunctional display (on-board computer)

• Electrically operated front windows

• Fold-down rear seat back, divided 60:40

The Sport version also includes:

• Halogen projector headlamps

• Storage space for spectacles

• Height-adjustable driver’s seat

• Tinted windows

• Black side protection strips

• Front fog lights

The top version, the Elegance, is also equipped with the following:

• Height-adjustable front passenger’s seat

• Electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors

• Central locking system with remote control

• Air-conditioning with automatic control (Climatic)

• Adjustable central armrest at the front with storage compartment

• Windscreen with grey sunstrip

• Overhead package II (Overhead Package I + reading lamp in the centre at the rear)

• Woven carpeting

• 14" or 15" (for 1.9 TDI PD/77 kW) alloy wheels

Fine differentiation: design dependent upon the equipment

The various versions of the new Škoda Fabia differ not only in the volume of equipment provided. The higher equipment versions, Ambiente, Sport and Elegance, also differ in design as a result of individual details. For example, the basic version has exterior mirrors and door handles in black; in the higher versions, these components are in bodycolour. The upper trim and of the radiator grille frame are chromed and the Apillar emphasises the cockpit design. In line with this, the B-pillars are black. The basic version has a matte finish, suited to the black exterior mirrors and door handles, while the B-pillars in the Ambiente, Sport and Elegance versions have a glossy black finish.

Your own favourite programme: the optional equipment

The range of optional equipment offered in the new Fabia is very comprehensive. A large number of possibilities to individualise the Fabia are created as a result, giving each Fabia its own individual character, suited to the its owner’s tastes. The list also contains a number of exceptional details many of which are being offered for the first time ever in the Fabia range and are completely new in this segment. These contain such things as the halogen projector headlamps with their curve function, front fog lights with cornering function and tyre pressure monitoring (TPM).

Among some of the completely new safety standards are things such as head airbags which protect the occupants on the front seats in the event of a side impact. Among the further innovations are electronically controlled air-conditioning, Climatronic, GSM telephone preparation with Bluetooth technology, multi-function module for the operation of the audio unit and mobile phones next to the steering wheel or audio units with the possibility of connecting an MP3 player or an iPod via the aux-in connection in the centre console.

PROTECTION FOR ALL CONCERNED: SAFETY IN THE FABIA

The new Fabia protects not only its occupants but also other road users with its extensive, modern safety systems. The anti-lockbraking system, ABS, is of course, standard in the European Union; in all other countries it is a standard part of the top-level engine versions, the 1.9 TDI PD and
1,4 TDI PD/59 kW with DPF for the world model specification. In addition, Škoda Auto provides the ESP stability program for all models with the exception of the entry-level1.2 HTP/44 kW (60 HP).

In the most powerful petrol engine version, the 1.6 16V with automatic transmission, ESP is standard. Also standard is the engine drag torque control, MSR, which prevents unfavourable influences in drive power in dangerous situations and the Dual Rate Brake Assistant, a mechanical aid which generates maximum brake pressure immediately in the case of an emergency braking situation, thus drastically reducing the braking distance.

Also available is anti-spin regulation, ASR, which prevents wheel spin providing traction when on
a smooth surface. In this way, traction is kept within the limits of the friction grip. A maximum in active safety is also provided by the additional use of EDS, the electronic differential lock, which is combined with a hydraulic brake assistant. The tyre pressure monitoring system, TPM, is also available in the new Fabia. TPM informs the driver immediately of any possible loss in tyre pressure.

The exterior lights of the new Fabia also ensure safety. There is both the curve headlamp system which illuminates the road surface in the direction in which the car is travelling to a much better degree and makes hindrances visible for the driver sooner. The headlights rotate at different angles in the direction of the inside of the curve being taken. In addition, Škoda also offers cornering lights in the new Fabia where, depending upon the direction in which the car turns, the left or the right fog lamp is activated, illuminating a wide area of 60° next to the car. In this way, pedestrians and cyclists are more easily seen but in addition to this, things such as high curbs or other boundary posts are brought into view and to the attention of the driver. This cornering light function operates at speeds of up to
40 km/h, the legally specified limit.

There are six airbags for the new Fabia. In addition to the two front airbags, side airbags protect the occupants in the case of a side collision. As an option, head airbags are also offered in which the airbag expands like a curtain along the window surfaces effectively preventing the occupant’s head from making direct contact with the hard surface of the glass or the B pillars. Isofix mountings for children’s seats are available for the rear seats and the airbag on the front passenger’s side can be deactivated. The rear seats of the new Fabia models are also prepared for mounting a child’s seat by means of the Top Tether belt which, after being attached to the rear of the seat, forms a further mounting point on the child’s seat. This limits the movement of the upper part of the seat in the case of a direct head-on collision.

The new Fabia also provides protection for people who have not even taken a seat in the car. Pedestrian protection was a major development target in the creation of the new Fabia. The front bonnet and bumper give way on impact and absorb energy, reducing the risk of injury to the pedestrian.

The new Fabia has passed all of its crash tests with flying colours, including a comprehensive test range at the new facility in Mladá Boleslav. In this, the developers followed an innovative construction method using load paths. The use of different material strengths and differing degrees of rigidity in individual construction elements leads, on the one hand, to a planned, energy-absorbing deformation of the bodywork and, on the other hand, to a distribution of the impact forces across the whole of the bodywork structure. In this way, the energy generated is dissipated simultaneously in two ways and the survival space in the occupant cell is maintained even at high collision speeds. In the most ambitious range of tests to date, the Fabia has effortlessly survived a crash at a speed of 64 km/h against the 40% barrier, with the doors able to be opened without problem after the test. The load values placed upon occupants, measured with a new generation of dummies, remained well below the specified values in all of the tests. These measures create a good prerequisite for a positive evaluation in independent tests for passive safety, such as, for example, Euro NCAP.

A VARIETY OF THE FINEST: THE ENGINES OF THE NEW FABIA

Low operating costs, low fuel consumption – the range of the engine possibilities in the new Fabia is designed to cater for the needs of the customers and leaves practically no wish unfulfilled. In total, there are seven different engines to choose from, four petrol and three diesel. No particular engine is bound to a specific level of equipment so that the most powerful engine can be combined with the basic level of equipment or the entry-level engine with the top level.

The well proven, thrifty three-cylinder 1.2 litre engine has been further optimised and is now offered in a version with increased power and torque, now providing 44 kW (60 HP) and 51 kW (70 HP). The modern aluminium engines with chain drive for the camshafts are characterised by their low fuel consumption and low degree of internal friction. In the new Fabia excellent acceleration and top speeds of 155 to 161 km/h are the result. Naturally, both engines already fulfil the requirements of the Emission Standard Euro 4. For markets with poorer quality of fuels, special applications are offered for safe operation.

The 1.4 litre petrol engine with its 63 kW (89 HP) excels as a result of its smooth running properties and powerful torque of 132 Nm at only 3800rpm. New in the program is the 1.6 litre aluminium petrol engine which with its 77 kW (105 HP) and a convincing torque of 153 Nm accelerates the new Fabia from 0 to 100 km/h in only 10.1 seconds.

The thrifty three-cylinder diesel TDI engines with their displacement of 1.4 litres are offered as 51 and 59 kW (60 / 70 HP) versions, whereby the more powerful version has a diesel particle filter as an optional extra. Both engines with their carbon dioxide emission values of 120 g/km and 127 g/km respectively fall well below the limiting value of 140 g/km to be reached within the scope of the ACEA self-imposed obligation by 2008. The excellent torques of 155 and 195 Nm throughout a wide range of revs make good acceleration possible and quick reaction in the case of overtaking manoeuvres.

The strongest diesel engine in the range, with 1.9 litre displacement and 77 kW (105 HP) is a smooth running four-cylinder which is also offered with a diesel particle filter as an option. The maximum torque of 240 Nm is achieved at a figure of 1800/min-1 and remains constant throughout a wide range of rev counts. This in turn provides good elasticity and excellent acceleration properties.

All of the cars are supplied with an extended maintenance interval system (WIV). This system allows up to 30,000 kilometres to be driven before the instrument display requests the driver to call in at the workshop for service. Sensors constantly record data on oil temperature, rev count, driving profile, and distance driven, enabling the computer to determine the ideal time at which the service should be carried out. With a conservative driving style, the Fabia driver not only saves money, but also time, thanks to the extended maintenance intervals.

The most powerful petrol engine can be combined with a six-speed automatic transmission. In addition to the standard automatic function, this transmission is also equipped with the Tiptronic mode which makes it possible to Shift gears manually.

Combined consumptions and CO2 emissions of Fabia range:

Petrol engines:

• 1.2 HTP/44 kW: 5.9 l/100 km; 140 g/km

• 1.2 12V HTP/51 kW: 5.9 l/100 km; 140 g/km

• 1.4 16V/63 kW: 6.5 l/100 km; 155 g/km

• 1.6 16V/77 kW: 6.9 l/100 km; 165 g/km

• 1.6 16V/77 kW (A): 7.5 l/100 km; 180 g/km

Diesel engines:

• 1.4 TDI PD/51 kW: 4.8 l/100 km; 127 g/km

• 1.4 TDI PD/59 kW: 4.6 l/100 km; 120 g/km

• 1.4 TDI PD DPF/59 kW: 4.8 l/100 km; 127 g/km

• 1.9 TDI PD/77 kW: 4.9 l/100 km; 129 g/km

• 1.9 TDI PD DPF/77 kW: 5.1 l/100 km; 135 g/km

ALWAYS WITH A SAFE HOLD: THE CHASSIS

The front suspension of the new Fabia is fitted with MacPherson struts. The front axle is mounted on
a three-part sub frame which decouples the bodywork from the chassis, thus drastically reducing vibration and noise. At the rear, a semi-independent suspension reduces weight and makes the payload of an amount of 515 kilograms possible. The new Fabia understeers so that it reaches a high degree of stability and safety in curves.

The new Fabia is equipped with electro-hydraulic power steering. This enables hydraulic support to be provided exactly when needed. By means of this system, driving straight ahead requires less fuel consumption than in the case of conventional power steering and simultaneously provides the necessary power support based upon the driving situation. The new Fabia is offered with ESP as on option for the versions in the 51 kW range and higher.