![]() In the press test model, the 81 kW (110 PS) 1.0-litre turbo was linked to a seven-speed DSG. CO2 is 126-137 g/km and official Combined consumption is 46.8-50.8 mpg. But also worse too, of course, yet like enjoying the challenge of keeping the remaining miles number in an EV as high as possible, this can be similarly fun in the Fabia.Īround town, and when the car is cold, economy remains firmly in the forties, but it will soon climb to 50 or more, helped by high gearing and the stop-start system. These can be 80, 90, 100 or even a theoretical 300 mpg. Seeing the tachometer’s needle gently descend to a sub-1,000 rpm reading at 50mpg is just as satisfying as the instant consumption meter’s read-out of some extraordinary numbers. That’s the word you see appear within the gauge cluster as the engine drops to an idle at cruising speeds. All it does is switch – as often as it can – to ‘Coasting’. Whereas some EVs almost bombard you with chimes and/or illuminated messages suggesting all manner of things to save energy, the Fabia is free of prompts and nagging. Observing the way that the car’s powertrain acts is fascinating too. The best displayed average was slightly better than 73 mpg and one 300 miles+ day of M4 and M25 journeys delivered 70.8 mpg. These places really can be a proper pain, unlike plugging in at home – drive at a modest speed and the battery’s rate of depletion can be mild.Įqually, spending not much at all on energy replenishment is the result of driving a petrol-powered Fabia fairly gently. Queues at motorway services or the fear of slow/inoperative chargers has replaced range anxiety for many EV-owners. The left lane slipstreaming HGVs is a place I often choose to linger so as to avoid charging anxiety, the new concern of Britain’s electric car drivers. By that I mean sticking in the slow lane at between 50 and 60 mph on two long mostly-motorway drives. ![]() I decided to see what the consumption would be by pretending it was an EV. ![]() How else to explain why this non-hybrid somehow manages to average more than 70 mpg if you drive it only a little bit carefully. Preventing unnecessary mass was without doubt a conscious effort on Škoda’s part. And this less is more approach has a lot of appeal. You won’t find much in the way of chrome-look accents, the same applying to the car’s exterior. Seat fabrics and plastics are soft but not really luxurious, the whole cabin feeling all very durable and stylish. It has an appearance all of its own and that extends to the inside too. The usual high-quality but no-nonsense aura features in every part of this car. And that statement comes from someone who really likes the similarly sized VW. Yet it’s the little Škoda which has more appeal. The idea might have been to keep higher cost features to a minimum so that the Polo isn’t undermined. The Fabia has the feel about it of a state-of-the-art B segment hatchback (it’s 4,107 mm long) which was born lean. Still, others are happy to have all the whizzy electronic alerts, large dashboard screens and attention-seeking instrumentation so it’s horses for courses. range of models.Īs fine as native-electric VWs are, each comes with much technology which a lot of people never use or perhaps do not even want. Volkswagen surely did not intend to make the new Fabia more appealing to many buyers than its own higher-priced cars and SUVs. Not that they look cheap, the effect being quite smart in fact. It might be for cost reasons but Škoda has also partly covered what are alloy wheels with plastic trim pieces. At least there’s a real switch to deactivate Lane Assist with two presses all that’s needed. A pity then that the audio system lacks no volume knob. Seeing the Fabia’s hand brake is as welcome a return to simpler cars as the display of low-distraction needles and dials. The Fabia press tester had no electric parking brake, nor did it come with fully digital HVAC controls and gauges. I’ve just handed back a bright orange (yes another one) example in high-spec SE L form and even this lacked things you’d usually find in a Volkswagen. That’s not a criticism, more admiration for how VAG operates. Yet there are no stand-out features in the car itself compared to the older and same-sized Polo. An example which immediately comes to mind is the Fabia being allowed to premiere the MQB A0 Evo architecture. ![]() The Volkswagen Group’s strategy of protecting VW itself from too many internal challenges continues as mid-2023 approaches. This is changing but the brand is not yet going all-in. Škoda is clearly doing very well indeed from a range that’s way less electrified than that of many competitors. ![]()
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