Skoda introduced the fourth generation of its small-segment contender, Fabia, in 2021, and its features outrun many compact and mid-size vehicles.
When Volkswagen bought the Czech carmaker, Skoda, its intention was to make it a budget company, which relied on its sales figures rather than in profit per unit. It helped it with technology and many other improvements, but in the end, it was about the Czech workers’ stubbornness to build the car properly and make them one of the most reliable in the Volkswagen Group. The Fabia came on the market in 1999, and it was more or less a Volkswagen Polo with different bodywork. In 2021, the Fabia received the MQB-A0 platform used by Audi A1, Volkswagen Polo, and SEAT Ibiza, to name just a few.

The exterior was still dominated by sharp angles and straight lines, resembling the Czech Cubism design concept. Its wide grille with vertical slats and chromed surrounding matched the look of its bigger brothers Scala, Octavia, and Superb. Its front bumper sported a wide grille at the bottom that hosted the side-mounted fog lights. From its sides, the design team made some sculptured areas on the lower side of the doors to channel the air and prevent turbulence near the bodywork. Its 0.28 aerodynamic coefficient confirmed that the engineers’ efforts were not in vain.

Inside, Skoda offered one of the roomiest interiors in the segment to that date. The carmaker provided an option for a 10.25” digital instrument cluster and a 9.2” infotainment system, depending on the trim level. Its wheelbase allowed enough room for up to five passengers and a 380 liter (13.4 cu-ft) of trunk space. An intelligent option was the umbrella incorporated into the front driver’s door.

Under the hood, Skoda installed a five-engine choice ranged between 65 hp and 150 hp.

The small-class vehicle from the Czech car-maker was the Fabia.
In 2015 it already reached its third generation and, in 2018, it received a facelift.

The European small-class segment was important and the Volkswagen group struggled to get the biggest part of it. In order to do that, it developed a platform on which most of the brand inside the group built a vehicle. The Audi A1, the SEAT Ibiza, the Skoda Fabia, or the Volkswagen Polo were built on the same PQ26 platform. But each brand had its design language.

Skoda chose the cubist trend of design, which was the avant-garde art movement in Western Europe, at the beginning of the 20th Century, and there were some Czech artists in that as well. That’s why Skoda chose its design language. The angular headlights and the sharp edges along the bodywork were a clear sign of that. A full-LED headlights feature was added to the options list.

Inside, the cubist exterior was replaced by a minimalist trend, especially on the base trim levels. But the options list was long and depending on the trim level the car could have been fitted with an infotainment unit and a 6.5” display on the center stack.

Under the hood, there was only one engine available but offered with or without a turbocharger. The standard transmission was a 5-speed manual for the versions under 100 hp and a 6-speed manual for the 110 hp version. A 7-speed DSG (dual-clutch) automatic transmission was offered for the latter.

The first generation of the Fabia went on sale in 2000 and was awarded the car of the year.
Reaching the 3rd generation released in 2014, the two generations had one thing in common and that was the car of the year award for the 2015 model as well.

The little spacious car was among the tallest in its class, thus offering great headroom for both front and rear passengers. The passengers in the rear seats had a good amount of legroom, however, the 3rd seat was a better fit for a child, due to the central tunnel.

The roomy cabin was equipped with comfortable seats that were adjustable, as well as a telescopic steering wheel contributing to ideal driving position desired by the users.

The Fabia offered great visibility, with its big windows and the thin pillars. The material used throughout the cabin were of a decent quality and the interior was a basic one. The only thing that draw attention was the flashy color touchscreen with a 5-inch display for the lower trim levels and a 6.5-inch one for the upper trims.

The Fabia also offered a good size and shape for the trunk and its practicality was increased with the available storage nets, the hooks and the little shelves. The load area could be extended by folding the rear seats, however, the rear seats did not completely fold down.

The starting price of the Fabia was highly competitive among the others in its class.

The second generation of Skoda Fabia saw daylight in March, 2007 at the Geneva Auto Show while the production was started one month later.
Equipped with engines ranging from 1.2 liter gasoline to 1.9 diesel, the new Fabia comes in two body styles, a 5-door hatchback and a 5-door estate. As you can see, there’s no sedan version in the second generation of Fabia but such a model is expected sometime in the near future. Powerful rival for Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 206, Renault Clio and Volkswagen Polo, the second generation of Fabia was named the Car of the Year 2007 in Serbia.

The 1999 model of Skoda Fabia represents the first generation of the car which was available in multiple body styles, including a 4-door sedan, nicknamed Fabia Sedan, a 5-door hatchback and a 5-door estate which was also called Fabia Combi.
The first generation was officially unveiled in September 1999 at the Frankfurt Motor Show while the production was started one month later. Fabia came in multiple engine configurations, ranging between 1.2 petrol and 2.0 diesel, producing between 55 and 115 horsepower. Skoda Fabia had multiple rivals in the small class including Ford Fiesta, Fiat Punto, Citroen C3, Peugeot 206 and Renault Clio.