{"id":221035,"date":"2026-01-01T03:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T03:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/221035\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T03:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T03:42:15","slug":"i-drove-skodas-fastest-ever-fabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/221035\/","title":{"rendered":"I drove Skoda’s fastest ever Fabia"},"content":{"rendered":"

The weight of a new Fabia vRS<\/a> is potentially resting on this car\u2019s shoulders. Should demand for the Fabia 130 be sufficient, the powers that be in Mlad\u00e1 Boleslav might decide to go whole hog.<\/p>\n

Does it do a good enough job to warrant a full-fat version? Yes. Would a future Fabia vRS make it almost irrelevant? Also yes.<\/p>\n

This 130 gets its name from two sources:\u00a0it makes 130kW\u00a0(174bhp) and Skoda<\/a>\u00a0turned 130 earlier this year.<\/p>\n

To get to that figure (a 26bhp upgrade), some\u00a0subtle upgrades have been made to the Volkswagen Group’s ubiquitous\u00a0four-cylinder 1.5 TSI Evo2 engine.<\/p>\n

Its ECU has been modified and bits of the engine have been upgraded to cope with the additional power in a curiously global parts bin special kind of way:\u00a0larger intake manifolds and charge air pipes from Mexico and thicker cylinder head gaskets from China.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s just the one set of 18in wheels to choose from, which the engineers are thrilled about, because it means they can make steering and camber adjustments specifically for this car without worrying about variables in wheel size.<\/p>\n

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There are a few 130 badges dotted around the outside and beneath the rear window is a solid black stripe (curiously going across, rather than down like a racing stripe) to denote that you\u2019re in a special edition.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s available only with a dual-clutch automatic (DSG) gearbox. The 1.5-litre turbo engine can be specced with a manual in a few different Volkswagen Group cars,\u00a0but not here. Skoda says there won\u2019t be enough demand. But the software of the seven-speed DSG has been upgraded and it now holds on to gears a bit longer to make better use of the additional power.<\/p>\n

I wish that it didn\u2019t. The engine sounds very strained in the upper limits of its rev band, especially past 5000rpm. And that\u2019s even with a new exhaust system (which makes\u00a0this the only\u00a0Fabia<\/a>\u00a0on sale with visible pipes).<\/p>\n

The 0-62mph sprint is dealt with in 7.4sec\u00a0and in-gear acceleration is pretty brisk. The DSG gives off the standard bolt in the back of your seat when changing up in Sport mode to make it really feel like you\u2019re hammering home those shifts. But even with it set to manual mode, it will change up should it feel like you\u2019re stretching the RPM too highly.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a bit of fun to be had with a new ESC Sport mode, which allows for a bit of slip. In something relatively low-powered, it feels great on the road \u2013 like something you could actually use and not get into trouble with.<\/p>\n

The ride is really good. It\u2019s 15mm lower than a standard Fabia, but there\u2019s not much in it in terms of comfort. Bounce is kept to a minimum, there\u2019s a lot of sophisticated control going on and on the motorway it does a good impression of a Superb, with little pitter-patter coming through the seat or steering wheel.<\/p>\n

A bit of heft is added to the feel of the steering in Sport mode, but no matter which mode you\u2019re in there are\u00a0strong levels of feedback when you want to tip it into a corner. It weights up nicely, slowly and warns you about upcoming understeer. It seems to suggest that you should back off about now rather than deliver through-the-hedge torque steer.<\/p>\n

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Inside, the 130 is much the same as other Fabia: good quality, a few cheaper bits of plastic if you go searching, plenty of buttons, an intuitive user experience\u00a0but ultimately feeling its age. The infotainment,\u00a0in terms of size, fonts and features,\u00a0is really looking old compared with younger competition.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s a hot hatch you\u2019re after, this is not it. It\u2019s pretty sharp but ultimately not that quick. If this car is framed as a warm hatch, something that’s a bit of fun but whose primary objective is not to have fun, then it\u2019s a much simpler sell, as Skoda\u2019s entry into this market comes at a time when nearly every other manufacturer is leaving it.<\/p>\n

This generation of Suzuki Swift<\/a> doesn\u2019t have a Sport<\/a>,\u00a0the Hyundai i20 N<\/a> finished in 2024, the Vauxhall Corsa<\/a> hasn\u2019t had a fast version for more than five years and the Ford Fiesta<\/a> isn\u2019t even a thing any more. So Skoda\u00a0pretty much has this niche within a niche wrapped up.<\/p>\n

The 130 is a bit of a curious contradiction. It\u2019s largely good \u2013\u00a0keen steering, sensible, well-put together, economical \u2013\u00a0but it just isn’t hugely entertaining to drive. In other words, it\u2019s crying out for a vRS.\u00a0Yet if you want one of those, the best thing you can do is buy one of these.<\/p>\n

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