The new FABIA: what’s hiding beneath the camouflage

In the Austrian resort town of Zell am See, selected journalists were given the chance to test-drive the fourth-generation ŠKODA FABIA. The special camouflage for this occasion was created by designer Daniel Petr. The abstract body covering follows up similar solutions used on previous new models, such as the ENYAQ iV, OCTAVIA and SCALA.

“There is inspiration all around. I just have to notice an interesting structure. I then try to superimpose that structure on photographs of the new car and try to work out a suitable texture density so that it really does disguise details we don’t want exposed yet,” says Daniel Petr, explaining how he came up with the camouflage. 

This time, it was the world of reptiles that was the inspiration. “The basis of the idea was that we imagined the car being revealed gradually, like a snake shedding its skin,” Petr explains. Beneath the camouflage layer there are also plastic parts that conceal some new elements of the body. “It’s going to be a very good-looking compact car with a clean and modern design that will raise the FABIA to the next level,” says Petr, hinting at what lies beneath the camouflage.

Daniel Petr
designer

A new generation of engines

That has two benefits: the new FABIA has retained excellent dynamics and, thanks to the new generation of EVO engines, the low weight also cuts fuel consumption. Fuel consumption is also reduced by outstanding aerodynamics. Factors that enabled this excellent result include the new wheel design and optimisation of the airstream around the wheels, as well as the active slats in the lower cooling air input in the front bumper, a feature already used on OCTAVIA models.

A choice of five powertrains will be available. The basic setup is two three-cylinder 1.0 MPI engines, i.e. naturally aspirated engines. These deliver either 48 or 59 kW of power and are hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox. The next step up comprises two supercharged three-cylinder TSI engines, one delivering 70 kW (again with a five-speed manual gearbox) and the other 81 kW with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG automatic transmission. The top-of-the-range powertrain will be a 1.5 TSI engine delivering 110 kW of power that will come with the seven-position DSG transmission as standard.

A thirteen Simply Clever features

It goes without saying that the FABIA comes with a wide range of safety and assistance systems. The new FABIA can have as many as nine airbags (most of them are fitted as standard; the knee airbags and back-seat side airbags are optional). And, for the first time, all passenger seats come with ISOFIX fittings and tether anchors for child seats. With maraging steel forming part of the body, the fourth-generation FABIA is one of the safest cars in its segment. 

One new option is the Travel Assist package, which brings automated driving functions. As the FABIA is right at home in urban traffic, the automated parking assist and parking obstacle detector will come in very handy.

The FABIA is also a Simply Clever powerhouse. In total there are 43 Simply Clever features, and thirteen of them are brand new. These include a USB-C connector in the central rear-view mirror and a kind of large multifunctional pouch beneath the luggage compartment shelf. The pouch can carry a total weight of 3.5 kilograms and is an ideal place to put your coat, for example. And old favourites like the ice-scraper in the fuel tank cap and the parking card holder by the A-pillar on the driver’s side have been kept.