Skoda

10 February 2012

Consumer reviews by category

Useful information

Search

Skoda Fabia vRS road test report

vRS

The hot hatch segment is hugely competitive – which is good news for British drivers, as we tend to be one of the biggest markets in the world for them. And the choice is now even greater with the addition of the hotted-up version of Skoda’s Fabia, the vRS. It might not exactly be the prettiest car around – in fact, the Fabia seems to have had intimate contact with an ugly stick – but it has the same engine as its VW Group cousins, the upcoming Volkswagen Polo GTI and the Seat Ibiza Bocanegra. So is there enough substance to overcome the lack of style?

A front-facing image of the Skoda Fabia vRS

Performance

The new Fabia vRS comes with just the one engine option, a 1.4-litre TSI unit that produces 178bhp and 184lb-ft of torque. It’s fitted with a turbocharger and supercharger, so there’s lots of boost all the way through the rev range. Indeed, it’s a very flexible little number and is great fun to wring out on a quiet country road – at least it’s quiet until the Fabia vRs turns up, with its rorty, fruity rasp. And to go with that soundtrack is quite a bit of performance: 0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds and the Fabia vRS can push on to a top speed of 139mph if required (and when it’s legal). It feels quick enough and the thrust that just keeps on coming should bring a smile to the faces of anyone who drives it. In common with the Seat Ibiza Bocanegra, with which its shares an engine (and much of its underpinnings), the Fabia vRS is only available with VW’s seven-speed DSG gearbox, which swaps cogs quickly and smoothly, and also gives the driver the option of doing so manually with the steering column-mounted paddleshifts. It would, however, be nice to have the choice of a manual to increase the driver involvement hot hatch owners tend to like.

Ride & Handling

The one thing a hot hatch has to be is involving and the Fabia vRS manages to pass this test – although not perhaps as easily as some of its competitors. The steering is certainly accurate enough, but there’s not a huge amount of feedback to let the driver know exactly what the wheels are doing at any particular time. However, there’s lots of grip available to instill confidence, thanks in part to the XDS electronic differential and the ESP traction control that’s fitted as standard. It also feels stable and well balanced, and resists body roll very well when cornering at speed. With a car that has the kind of sporty character you’ll find in the Fabia vRS, you’d expect a firm suspension set-up, which it has. However, it’s not crashy or overly intrusive and while it is firm, it’s what a hot hatch driver will expect.

Build Quality & Reliability

Skoda has established itself as a carmaker with a strong reputation for reliability, banishing the jokes of 20 years ago to the dustbin of comedic history. Today, Skoda is the sixth-best manufacturer in the JD Power customer satisfaction survey (the Fabia is a creditable 37th in the league table of cars) and Warranty Direct’s Reliability Index gives the previous generation Fabia an above-average score. With these accolades in mind, buyers should have no reliability concerns about investing in the vRS version: it should be mechanically sound thanks to tried and tested components used across the Volkswagen Group. The build quality is also sound enough, feeling well screwed together and pretty robust. However the interior is a little disappointing, filled as it is with rather cheap, hard plastics. The Fabia is built to a budget compared to some of its competitors, but Skoda should have tried harder to make the cabin a bit more pleasant.

Safety & Security

The latest iteration of the Fabia performs well in crash testing by Euro NCAP, coming away with four stars for adult occupant protection, three stars for child occupant and two stars for pedestrian impact. It’s not a sparkling result, but it does the mean that the vRS should be safe enough if you get a little carried away with its performance. There’s plenty of active and passive safety equipment to protect the occupants should things start to get a little hairy. Accident prevention is aided by a bespoke brake system to complement the additional power of the vRS, ABS anti-lock barkes, ESP traction control (including a hill hold function), the previously mentioned XDS electronic differential, tyre pressure monitor and LED daytime running lights. If the worst happens, there’s a full complement of six airbags (front, side and curtain ‘bags) and Isofix child seat anchors. For security there’s an alarm with tilt sensor and remote central locking.

Space & Practicality

Skoda prides itself on providing more interior space than class rivals right through the model range – and the Fabia is no different. For a supermini (which it is), it offers sufficient space in the back for adults and has a boot with a 300-litre capacity (or an impressive 1,163 litres if the rear seats are folded) that can swallow up a fair amount of luggage/shopping or whatever else you need to haul. The driving position is comfortable, with a fully adjustable (reach and rake) steering wheel and sports seats. However, the seats don’t lower as far as they could, which could be a problem for taller drivers, and for sports seats they don’t have as much support on the sides as perhaps they should. As befits a range-topping variant, there’s a fair bit of kit fitted as standard, including a leather-covered steering wheel with controls for the CD/radio (which is also MP3-compatible), a multi-device interface (MDI) for MP3 players, electric windows and wing mirrors, air conditioning, tinted glass at the rear and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Ownership & Value

A £15,700 initial purchase price is very competitive for the supermini hot hatch class, undercutting rivals such as the Renault Clio Gordini 200 (£19,650), Seat Ibiza Bocanegra (£17,720) and Vauxhall Corsa VXR (£18,145). Running costs for the Fabia vRS are also lower than its competitors, so it will continue saving you money throughout its life. So, for example, official fuel consumption on the combined cycle is an impressive 45.6mpg (the Seat, with the same engine and gearbox is, interestingly, just 44.1mpg) while most of its rivals are in the mid-30s. CO2 is also a lot lower than the norm for the class, at just 148g/km, which means annual vehicle excise duty of £125 a year. However, it’s worth noting that this current version of the Fabia vRS doesn’t have the diesel option that has been available in previous iterations, and which could have lowered running costs considerably (in line with Seat’s Ibiza FR TDI). The cheaper running costs, Skoda’s reputation for reliability and the love British drivers have for hot hatches should mean high demand for second-hand examples, so residuals should be around 42% after three years and 60,000 miles.

Submitted: 08/09/2010 08:46:43

Performance Cars & Hot Hatches comparison road tests

Skoda road tests

Read real opinions: Thousands of consumer reviews on all major car and van models.
Make your voice heard: Submit your own consumer review about the car or van you drive.
Learn more

Other people need your help

Your review will help others decide which vehicle to buy. By spending just a little bit of time filling out a review you can share your experiences with other drivers, giving information only owners will talk about, no marketing spiel, just the real thing. We publish all reviews, whether you rate the vehicle high or low. We are impartial. We are independent. We are committed to 100% real reviews. Please give others the benefit of your advice: give them your review.

Your review will be checked for offensive language within the next few days and then put on RoadTestReports.co.uk and all of our partners websites.

Have your say!

Submit your own review

* First Name :

Surname :

* County / Country :

* Make :

* Model :

* Year Of Make :

Variant :

Did you lease or buy? Lease Buy

* Star Rating :

* Required

^ Back to Top

Search Reports by Make