With the experience of Tata Aria visit still fresh in my mind, I was in a dilemma when I was asked to visit the showroom to have a first hand experience of the new Fabia. The reason was simple-with the kind of regard I had for the old Fabia, I didn’t want to see a stripped down version and change the image I had in my mind of the first true luxury hatch in India. But, I was left with no choice and had to go to check her out.
One first look at the car and I slightly felt comfortable. The car, though cheap by around 70k compared to the previous avatar, did not look as bad as I had expected. Instead, the fresh new face, with the wider peeled headlamps and bold new grille and the monstrous looking fog lamps, gave it a character, like some of its higher priced siblings. The flow lines from the sides of the bonnet gel with the upper grille so well, and looked inviting. The lower grille had also received fair amount of makeup, and with the low air dam at front, the car gave an impression of a toned up version of the old Fabia.
The car length has also been increased by 8 mm and comes quite close to the line of control between a compact and an entry mid car. The height has also, gone up by 8mm, and the ground clearance by 12mm, which is…huge. Skoda seems to have learnt from the previous experiences with the old Fabia, which never spared a decent speed breaker on its path. The new alloys give it a much bolder stance. But, what came as a shock to me was the fact that Skoda has done away with the elegant sunroof atop the old car. Also the rear wiper as also nowhere to be seen, thanks to the cost lowering exercises. But overall, the car appeared sleek and better poised than the old Fabia. Truly Fab, is it?
Read the full review at
https://automate4u.wordpress.com/2010/10/13/15/