Anamit Sen drove a diesel Fabia over a few days to see whether the little 1.2litre engined version can cut it against the competition.
The last time I checked out the Fabia, I was quite impressed with it. With a 100bhp+ 1.6litre petrol engine developing 153Nm at 3800RPM and wide 185/60 R14 tyres to take advantage of the torque it was quite the hot hatch which really made people (me definitely) sit up, take note of the performance and enjoy it to the hilt. However, the way fuel prices are inching up on a regular basis and with the differential pricing of fuel, the diesel version makes a strong case for itself, on paper at least. So to find out if it really does deliver, I borrowed one from Fahrenheit Skoda in West Delhi to find out for myself over not one day but five days during which I covered over 450km just driving in and around Delhi and the National Capital Region (Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Delhi, Dwarka).
Externally speaking, the diesel variant is almost the same as the petrol version except for the badging and 175/70 R14 tyres instead of the wider tyres with lower aspect ratio that the 'hot' version comes with. The dimensions are the same at 4000mm long, 1642mm broad and 1522mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2465mm and ground clearance of 158mm. The difference is in the weight, the diesel being the heaviest with a kerb weight of 1152kg, compared to 1070kg for the 1.2 petrol and 1100kg for the 1.6 petrol version. Obviously, with the dimensions remaining unchanged boot capacity is the same at 315 litres, which increases to 1180 litres when the rear seat folded down.
Inside the car, it is very obviously Skoda-like, meaning the Skoda DNA is very evident starting with the steering wheel, the standard Skoda instrumentation, the minimalist centre console with the AC (not climate) controls as well as the 2 DIN Skoda Beat music system all being there. However, to keep costs down there are no steering-mounted audio controls unlike in the 1.6 version. But you do get some of the other features fog lights, the 2-DIN Skoda Beat audio player as well as remote locking of the doors and the hatch.
Read Full Test Drive Report : Competent Fabia Diesel
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