2021 Skoda Fabia - Specs, features and details

The fourth-generation Skoda Fabia has been unveiled in the international market. Based on a new platform, gets a range of engines, and a bucket full of features. To know it all, read the following

After teasing the prototype of the hatchback and releasing design sketches, Skoda has finally taken the wraps off its 4th generation, Fabia. And this new-gen hatchback is based on a new platform, gets a new drivetrain and mechanicals, and packs tech and features very uncommon for a car of this segment.

Platform and Dimension

The MQB-A0 platform underpins the new Fabia and that has made the hatchback grow substantially longer and wider offering a roomier cabin. The overall length of the 2021 Fabia is 4,108mm and it is the first time the Fabia hatchback has breached the four-metre mark. The wheelbase has grown by 94mm and is marked at 2,564mm. The width of the Fabia has increased by 48mm and measures at 1,780 mm. The grown dimensions have resulted in more legroom and larger boot space. The boot space has seen a 50-litre bump in capacity and can gulp up to 380-litre of storage space. The rear bench can be folded down and the cargo space at hand goes up to 1,190-litre.

Styling and design

The (international-spec) newest Rapid was the first Skoda product to sport the family design and following was the fourth-gen Octavia that exhibited this family design. Recently, the Skoda Kodiaq Facelift has shown these design cues and elements as well. Vertically slatted grill, and chrome surround, flanked by all-LED headlamp assembly, sharp and proportionately moulded bumpers are some styling features of the new Fabia that follow the subtle family design. The head and the tail lamps exhibit sharp creases in their design too!

The new Fabia boasts a drag-co-efficient of 0.28 which is the best in the segment internationally. The new bumper design that aids the airflow and channels it around and underneath the car. The 2021 Fabia gets 12 new underbody panels to keep the airflow smooth. The wing mirrors have been designed to channel the air towards the rear spoiler which is larger and improves the aerodynamics too. Skoda has even gone to an extent to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the alloy wheels, as the company says that 20 per cent of the wind drag is caused by the wheels alone. With a low co-efficiency of drag coupled with an optional 50-litre fuel tank, the new Fabia gets a range of 900 km, tested in the WLTP cycle. 

The cabin

As we have mentioned earlier, the 2021 Fabia gets a roomier cabin than its predecessor. Skoda has also changed the dashboard layout and added bits and pieces to enhance the in-cabin experience. The 9.2-inch centre screen gets Skoda connect feature – which hosts car connected features and is expected to make its way in the upcoming Skoda cars in India. The instrument cluster is an analogue unit with a 3.5-inch multi-information display. The higher variants will be offered an option of an all-digital 10.5-inch instrument cluster that offers different layouts of instrumentation and information.

Speaking of the variants, the new Fabia will be offered in Active, Ambition and Style variants and the top-spec Monte-Carlo variant will follow later. The windscreen and the steering wheel get the heating function. The cabin features ambient lighting that has been extended to the dashboard and LED-equipped door handles The door card also houses an umbrella and the door pockets get a waste bin as well. As an additional accessory, Skoda provides a centre console extension for the passenger in the back that provides additional storage space.

The dashboard gets body-coloured highlights and the seats exhibit similarly coloured stitching. The seats offered in the Fabia are more comfort-oriented, however, the Monte-Carlo variant that will soon follow could be equipped with sporty seats. Addition features include sun blinders, a panoramic sunroof, charging ports for people at the back, and USB-C socket on the rear-view mirror. Skoda also offers the option to upgrade the wheel size up to 18-inch wheels that the company has dubbed, Libra.

The electronic package includes adaptive cruise control that can function up to 210km/hr. A blind-spot detection system has been added too. And the Park assist that the 2021 Fabia gets can lead the car into tight-parking-spaces up to 40km/hr

Engine and drivetrain

The 2021 Skoda Fabia gets a choice of three petrol engines in different states of tune and no diesel. The 1.0-litre MPI and 1.0-litre turbo petrol engines are offered in 64bhp, 78bhp and 93bhp, 108bhp state of tune respectively. The gearbox options are five and six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The top of the line variants will be offered with a 148bhp 1.5-litre EVO TSI engine coupled with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The same engine that we have experience in the Volkswagen T-Roc and the Skoda Karoq in India.

India launch?

Highly unlikely. Skoda sold the second-generation Fabia in India and the hatchback based on the same platform (PQ24) is the Volkswagen Polo. There is a possibility that the Volkswagen Group to launch a new hatchback based on the MQB-A0-IN platform post the – Rapid replacement – upcoming sedan. However, the upcoming hatchback will be under four metres in length and will be heavily Indianised for better market penetration. For now, the sixth-gen Polo and the fourth-gen Fabia will not be considered for the Indian market.