Photo: SB-Medien
This heavily camouflaged prototype for the next generation of Skoda Fabia Combi was recently photographed testing at the Nurburgring track in Germany. Expected to make its debut in 2015, this family estate is built on the same B-segment platform as its predecessor, but promises to be lighter, more efficient and technologically advanced.
To be honest, we really don't think any future customers are interested in seeing these spy photos. The estate will look nearly identical to the regular 5-door hatchback model that's been unveiled last month. The only differences are a longer rear overhang and large boot.
That's not to say the Fabia Combi isn't an interesting car. But in the cut-throat subcompact market, it faces stiff competition from the Renault Clio Estate, which admittedly look a lot better than it, even though it's already a year old. However, Skoda is going to make up for this with superior engine technology.
With the exception of the base 1-liter L3 making 60 hp, all the engines from the VW Polo facelift and the new Fabia will be carried over. Since this is a slightly more expensive family car, we expect the new 1.4-liter TDI to make up the bulk of sales. It will be presented in three states of tune ranging from 75 to 105 hp. VW Group has also updated its 1.2 TSI engine, changing the turbocharger's placement for better thermal management and adding brake energy recovery as a standard feature. We recently tested one such engine in the Polo 5-door and found it had a much more meaty feel than Renault's smaller but similarly powered 0.9 TCe.
That's not to say the Fabia Combi isn't an interesting car. But in the cut-throat subcompact market, it faces stiff competition from the Renault Clio Estate, which admittedly look a lot better than it, even though it's already a year old. However, Skoda is going to make up for this with superior engine technology.
With the exception of the base 1-liter L3 making 60 hp, all the engines from the VW Polo facelift and the new Fabia will be carried over. Since this is a slightly more expensive family car, we expect the new 1.4-liter TDI to make up the bulk of sales. It will be presented in three states of tune ranging from 75 to 105 hp. VW Group has also updated its 1.2 TSI engine, changing the turbocharger's placement for better thermal management and adding brake energy recovery as a standard feature. We recently tested one such engine in the Polo 5-door and found it had a much more meaty feel than Renault's smaller but similarly powered 0.9 TCe.
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