Skoda Fabia Sport

Basically an off-road version of its Fabia hatch, the Scout is not a hardcore 4x4 but a car that’s been mildly altered for limited off-road driving.

Mechanical changes on the Fabia Scout are very few. The Fabia Scout remains a front-wheel-drive car though. So anything more challenging than a dirt road could prove tough for the Skoda.

The Scout looks quite different from the standard Fabia. Skoda has used scratch and gravel-resistant cladding for the underside of the doors, the wheel arches are clad in the same material and there is cladding used around the rear of the car as well. There’s a scruff plate at the rear, easily visible on the Indian car and a Scout badge identifies this special model too. Powering the Fabia Scout will be Skoda’s current crop of engines.

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Skoda Vision D Preview

Skoda has previewed its future design direction with this new concept, dubbed Vision D, on the eve of the Geneva motor show.
The long wheelbase design with short overhangs also allows for greater interior space. The new model previews the design language Skoda will start to introduce to its models from 2012.

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Car Skoda Octavia Review

The Skoda Octavia, a car slated to suffer much at the hands of its Japanese competitors, as it lacked backseat space, a crucial factor in this segment. There were also problems such as a limited dealership network and the high maintenance costs associated with cars from European car manufacturers. The Immediate threat though rested with the brand presence, as far as Skoda was concerned. The Skoda brand was known among a few rally enthusiasts, but that was as far as it got.

Today, well into its third year in the Indian market, The Skoda Octavia brand enjoys much fan following and the car is known to be as much fun to drive, as it is to own. I had heard much about the diesel engined octy, but heard even more about its sibling. The Skoda Octavia 1.8 RS turbo petrol!!! "Don't worry about looking in the rear view mirror with an engine spec like that", Ya thats what i thought when i first saw the RS, away in the distance with mere mortals on their puny Indica Xetas and boxy little Wagon Rs and so on... It is my pleasure to write about that very lucky day when an unassuming Skoda executive handed over the keys of the Skoda to me, I was overwhelmed with joy. It was the first time I was able to lay my hands on a car that enjoys rally pedigree. It holds under its reinforced hood, an awesome 1.8 liter petrol engine that is able to pump out 150 thoroughbred rally horses. Though the 1.9 liter diesel continues to enjoy the lions share as far as sales are concerned, the RS holds a sweet spot in the petroheads heart.

Now with all its big advertisement line Rally is now a family sport , the octy better live up to the hype. Let me take you through my experience, step by step. I did not introduce myself as a journalist and perhaps because it was a rather extended day for the salesman at the Skoda stall, I wasnt exactly received with king like treatment which is usually the case when someone sets out to sell a 15 lakh petrol car.

The lines of the Octy are very subtle, but the car looks very big and the build is tank like. The car cant be termed beautiful, but handsome would be a very suitable adjective for its styling. The RS is distinguishable from the other Octavia variants, but not to the untrained eye. The RS comes with a rear spoiler on the boot, a front bumper that has an integrated front spoiler, a beautiful hexagonal chrome exhaust and those oh so desirable 16 inch spider alloys.

Once you step inside, the same European feel continues to surround you. The interior may look plain and simple, but the plastics used are of very high quality. Space is very adequate and the slightly small steering wheel on the RS gives the interior a very sporty feel. Shrouded in black leather covering sporty seats, the RS interiors seem very focused, driver focused. Not much takes your eye of the job at hand, but some very expensive bits of chrome and leather that can really boost the drivers ego. The rear however isnt as pretty a picture. Space at the rear has been compromised, legroom is not as much as one would expect, but because of this seating arrangement, once the seat is folded, you could probably fit a broken down small car in it. The white dials are very well placed, the illumination allowing them to be very readable.

The Octavia RS comes with climate control, 8 speakers surround MP3 player, parking sensors, electric sunroof and a host of other digital and not so digital equipment to enhance the driving experience, but the multi functional display is the most interesting of them all. It allows you to monitor among many other parameters instantaneous fuel consumption, range and ambient temperature.

The engine is the USP of this car so to speak, distinguishing it from its more frugal twins. Just for the record, the same engine also features on the Audi TT, the only difference being the fact that it churns out about 100 horses or so more. What it means that with some modifications, you might just be able to take your date for a drive on a Skoda Octavia TT Jokes apart, the engine is very powerful, even in its stock form. The power seems relentless throughout the rev range and though there isnt much turbo lag, low end torque better not be a big priority lest you get disappointed. The engine seems happy to keep screaming away constantly hitting its 7000 Rpm redline and heading back to around 5500 Rpm, only to get back there within no time. The transmission is a five speed manual transmission is always spot on and sticks into position with a reassuring clunk.

The Octavia is great fun when dragging from signal to signal or when party hopping with friends, or on long drives just for the fun of overtaking those minions on two wheels or those infamous road kings. The Octavia will easily hit 100 kph from standstill in a mere 8.4 secs, achievable in second gear and will keep your head pinned backwards all the way to an eventual top speed of 219 Kph. The most pleasing feature of this car is the fact that unlike most naturally aspirated petrols in which one can hear the cams and cranks and their mechanical accomplices symphony, this 1.8 makes the sound of music, the sound of the wind, WHOOSH..

The chassis of the Octavia is very well sorted out, designed to be safe at high speeds and pleasing around corners. The Octavia, thanks to its long travel suspension and wide tires is able to track straight, irrespective of the surface. The body weight and stiff suspension allows for very confident rides at elevated speeds. This though has an ill effect on its low speed handling. The ride is a tad bumpy at low speeds and thanks to it weight, a tad bit of understeer is noticed at high speeds. Also, the steering is well weighted and feedback is adequate. The best trick of the Octavia suspension is the way it can dispose of the biggest bumps at high speeds, with a muted THUD.


The Octavia RS comes loaded with much for its price and Skoda build quality is never suspect. If one desires thrills beyond what most petrols its price can offer, look no further. If there is one car that can change a sane 50 kph driver into a maniac on the road, here it is.

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Car Skoda Laura Review

The Laura is actually Skoda’s new Octavia based on the VW Group’s A5 platform. A new, grounds-up design that was put on sale in mid-2004 in European and other markets, this is one of the most important cars in the carmaker’s 100-year history. While the current Octavia will continue to be sold, the new Laura, as Skoda has named the car in India, will take on heavyweight competition like the Accord, Sonata and the Camry.

There’s no mistaking the Laura for anything other than a Skoda. It is sharper looking and has a more prestige-like exterior style than the Octavia, but the design cues from its smaller sibling are all there. The prominent grille, the elevated ridge at the centre of the bonnet, the kink in the rear or C-pillar and the squared-off tail give it the look of a grown-up Octavia. But at the same time, if you look closely at the Laura’s nose, you also see hints of its larger stable-mate, the Superb, especially around the area of the headlights. Longer, wider and taller than the current Octavia, the Laura is a half size bigger with the new A5 platform, adding much-needed additional rear legroom and better stability.

Bristling with technology, the Laura has features like Electronic Stability Control, Park-tronic parking sensors front and rear, rain sensors that start the wipers automatically, six airbags, a system that monitors the tyre pressure, puddle lights at the base of the outside mirrors and should you ever need it, enough space in the 560-litre boot for a kitchen sink. Like all Skoda’s sold here, the Laura has also been kitted out with what is known as a bad road suspension, essentially raised springs for greater ground clearance and marginally stiffer dampers for better body control.

Inside the Laura you will be bowled over by the solid tree trunk-like build quality. Everything functions with a slick quality feel, the plastics used are much superior to those on the Octavia and the design of the dash is modern if slightly sedate. However the interiors look rather dull as if someone’s emptied a pail of paint on them, their shades of black being monotonous and boring in the extreme. Splashes of silver span the cockpit in an attempt to liven up the gloomy cabin, but it’s a gesture that feels like an afterthought. Driver and passenger comfort, however, is top notch. The large seats are extremely supportive, the power adjusters are nicely calibrated and don’t need much fiddling around with, and there are even features like electric lumbar support adjustment and seat memory to pamper you. The additional wheelbase or the distance between the front and rear wheels also mean much greater legroom, something the Octavia desperately needed.

On the whole, the Laura’s engine is similar to the Octavia’s. It uses the same 1896cc iron block with a single camshaft and two valves per cylinder. However, the injection technology is different and the Laura comes with unit injectors known as pumpe düse (PD), which is unique to cars from the VW Group’s stable. PD technology combines the fuel pump and injector into a single entity, known as the unit injector, and each cylinder gets one. Developed by VW and Bosch, and tested extensively on Indian fuel, it allows for far greater injection pressures (up to 2068 bar in this case). The benefits are better throttle responses and greater control over the combustion process. Power and torque, as a result, are much higher and the motor makes 104bhp and 25.49kgm of torque over the Octavia 1.9Tdi’s 90bhp and 21.4kgm. The Laura also uses turbochargers with variable vane geometry for quick throttle response at low speeds as well as higher levels of resistance and thus, higher power. If you thought the Octavia was good, wait till you drive the Laura. The well-sorted suspension and longer wheelbase chassis deliver a flat and composed ride which is truly exceptional.

The manual transmission Skoda Laura which we tested first returned an amazing 12.9kpl in our city cycle and 18.65kpl on the highways. The automatic Laura with the DSG gearbox gave 11.4-kmpl in the city and 16.8-kmpl on the highway, a shade below the manual version. Skoda has however launched the DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) version of Laura first since luxury car buyers have a distinct preference for automatic transmissions. DSG uses two clutches simultaneously to ensure smooth and quick shifts without interrupting power delivery from the engine to the wheels. It can be operated in a fully automatic mode or Tip-tronic manual mode.


With the Laura, Skoda has used the same formula that made the Octavia the best diesel car in its class. Solid engineering, state-of-the-art technology, phenomenal fuel efficiency and superb quality being the big strengths of the Laura. At around Rs. 17-lakh, it is the only diesel car in this price bracket and that is sure to give it a huge advantage. The Laura is considerably more spacious; especially at the rear with internal dimensions that clearly puts it in a higher segment. The design may disappoint and the engine could have been a touch more refined. But the pay-off is a car that is now quite simply in a league of its own.

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Car Skoda Fabia Review

The Czech car manufacturer, Skoda Auto of the Volkswagen Group, develops and manufactures premium automobiles for the world market. The year 2001 witnessed the advent of Skoda Auto's Indian operations, beginning with a plant at Shendra on the Auranagabad border in Maharashtra (the company's single manufacturing unit outside of Europe).

Skoda has introduced its second generation Skoda Fabia in India as a 2008 model. The Skoda Fabia is a 5-door large hatchback which was introduced to the world at the March 2007 Geneva Auto Show. The first generation of Skoda Fabia has sold since 1999 and has been a very successful model with over 15 Lakh of them being sold in Europe and other countries.

Based on the PQ25, which is a large new platform, the Fabia has a chassis with a sophisticated front MacPherson strut suspension along with a strong lower A-arm and non-independent rear suspension. The Czech manufacturer has kept Indian concerns in mind before release of the new model by introducing a raised suspension and returned springs and dampers – all together called the 'rough road' package.

The Fabia's anti-lock braking system (ABS) ensures maximum control of the vehicle in emergency braking situations. Its Motor Speed Regulator (MSR) and dual brake assist system ensure utmost safety while driving. The model also features dual front air bags that provide cushioning and reduce the impact in case of collisions. Fabia resembles the Maruti Swift in looks, but it is longer than the Ford Fusion.

The Fabia in India comes in diesel and petrol variants that are borrowed from the Skoda Roomster, which is another successful model from Skoda. The 1.4 PD TDI diesel variant comes with an Inline-3 engine that generates 68 bhp. The 1.4 MPI and the 1.2 MPT petrol variants have an Inline-4 engine. Both engines are coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission.

The diesel Fabia gives amazing fuel efficiency, which is close to 14.1 km/litre in the city and 18.5 km/litre on the highway. The Petrol variant is expected to deliver approximately 14.7 km/litre on the highway.

The Skoda Fabia has an instant appeal with its cheeky cuteness. This large hatchback has a sharp design that makes it stand out in its class. The Fabia successfully gives a compact appearance with a tight-fitting roof, projector headlamps that are a blend of aesthetics and functionality, and a big chrome bar with a classy look. The exterior appeal is further complemented by alloy wheels with wide tyres for better road grip.

Stepping into the hatch will give an altogether new experience of comfort, innovative technology, and safety features. The interiors have an impressive dual tone design for a lavish feel. Fabia's multi-textured seat fabrics give a touch of class to the interiors. The interior of the hatch is packed with technology that includes a multi-function information display of the current time, outdoor temperature, instantaneous fuel consumption, average fuel consumption, distance traveled, time driven, and average speed range. Convenience features include a remote keyless entry for one-touch lock and unlock, electronically adjustable and heated outside rear view mirrors, and front and rear power windows.

To keep occupants entertained, Fabia adds a CD/MP3 player with large graphic display and auxiliary audio input to use portable audio players.

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