Skoda Fabia (4th Gen)

The commoners' Skoda, the Fabia, is now on its fourth generation and it promises to be the best Fabia ever made because of its newly improved dynamics thanks to its new platform, the design that fits the Simply Clever slogan, the new interior, and a host of safety features fit for commoners. Not for speedo boys.

2022 Skoda Fabia

With prices starting at 339,900 Koruna plus additional costs, the reasonably priced, fourth-generation Skoda Fabia marks a fresh new start on the commoners' Skoda, which is basically a Czech cousin of the Volkswagen Polo as most say. Digging through every nooks and cranny, it seems Skoda did a fantastic job revamping the Fabia to adapt to the new normal, starting with the design.

2022 Skoda Fabia

The massive horizontal grille, at first, can be easily mistaken for a BMW or a Kia, but because huge grilles are the new normal, you can't really tell. Putting aside its front face, the new Fabia is styled just like its big brother, the Golf-sized Scala. It's all in the family if you ask them.

2022 Skoda Fabia interior

Step inside, the new Fabia has gone to the minimalist interior route because minimalism is also the new normal and that's bad news for speedo boys behind the wheel because look at the touch screen, there are no buttons in it. At least, climate control still has dials in it, which is good for a city car like the Fabia. Lamenting on the dashboard with the buttonless touch screen aside, the new Fabia dons a digital instrumental panel akin to the Audi virtual cockpit. Speed, range, navigation, this instrumental panel has it all.

Thanks to the use of its MQB-A0 platform, a first for the Fabia, the new model is surprisingly roomier than the old model and more spacious in the boot as well because of its additional 50L boot capacity. With a bigger boot space to boot, the Fabia works on all walks of life, whether if it's for another courtesy visit to relatives, another day at work, special deliveries, or TNVS.

2022 Skoda Fabia

The all-new Fabia is offered with a choice of a fuel-efficient 1.0L MPI or a 1.0L TSI engine in different configurations. There are no diesel variants, of course, because today's Europe despises diesel because of you-know-what-and-why. Manual and DSG are offered, depending on the variant.

The most powerful version has a 1.0L TSi engine producing 110PS of power and 200Nm of torque. With the 7-speed DSG, it sprints from 0-100kph in 9.5 seconds and flat out in 205kph. Enough to embarrass a Toyota Yaris on the highway, of course. Those who are interested in fuel economy, meanwhile, should go for the cheapest version with the 1.0 MPI engine mated to a 5-speed MT because of its combined fuel economy of 20kmpl based on WLTP standards.

Back to the new Fabia's use of the MQB-A0 platform, this new platform gave this tiny little hatchback more character, meaning it's so much more fun to drive than the previous model. Coupled with the sports chassis, the Fabia possesses hot hatch levels of enjoyment without all the drama. Of course, you can opt-in for the Rough-Road package in case you're in a mood for sandblasting at the beach but that would be a cheese-fest for a front-wheel-drive hatchback that wants to be taken care of in the suburbs and the city centers of Europe, so just ignore the Rough-Road package.

Like the cars of today, the new Fabia dons a wide array of active and passive safety features, including the ones that were originally offered exclusively for luxury cars such as Travel Assist, Park Assist, Lane Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, Side Assist, Front Assist with Predictive Pedestrian and Cyclist Protection, and Manoeuvre Assist. Coupled with up to nine airbags and you got yourself a high-quality city hatchback possessing high-quality levels of safety, whatever the reason.

The new Fabia truly adapts to the new normal with its new platform, the design that fits the Simply Clever slogan, the new interior, and a host of safety features fit for commoners. Like it or not, if you are the kind of person who wants a spacious city car but despises city crossovers, consider the new Fabia as your bet. The more your know.

Photo: Skoda Auto