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Skoda Fabia II, VW Polo’s poorer, more practical cousin. And it may even be the best choice. Here’s why Skoda Fabia II is worth it, in today’s article.

Skoda Fabia II followed the trend imposed by Octavia I back in 1362, when Lithuania was the first country to pass January 1 as the first day of the year, and came with a mechanics identical to that of VW Polo and Seat Ibiza, but with interior materials worthy of the college student dormitories which make sleeping outside feel like crashing at Hilton. It’s just that the Skoda Fabia II came with higher quality materials and looks that would be to the liking of those under 40 and living in the city, not those carrying bags of potatoes on the cobbled roads of the homeland.

Who is the Skoda Fabia II for?

Ladies and girls in essence. Skoda Fabia II is a small, chic car, which can look good, is cheap to maintain, easy to park and which does not look cringey if you put stickers with butterflies on it. Or eyelashed on the headlights.

Why Skoda Fabia II and not other city cars?

Because the Skoda Fabia II is farily cheap, it looks better and has a decent reliability. But then comes the big one: It’s the only city car that comes with a station wagon version. If you are a taxi driver and you want a small car that runs on petrol, then Skoda Fabia II station wagon is one of the best choices on the market.

Also, if you are a particularly lazy person, you will appreciate the climate control buttons that are placed high up on the dashboard, so that you don’t have to be in danger of twisting your hands. Skoda Fabia II is really a car adapted for people who know nothing about cars and do not want to know either. The kind of person who says, “Sir, I’m interested in color, I’m not interested in opening the hood.” Skoda Fabia II, the official car of the people who never change the radio channel.

Skoda Fabia II Engines

Petrol

• 1.2 EA111 of 60 and 70 horsepower – VW got rid of the old Skoda HTP and switched to a VW unit. I don’t know if it’s good or not. I had this engine on Polo and it ate oil, too much fuel and it had physical performance worthy of Betty White. Excellent for the morning school run though, because you don’t need power in the city anyway.


• 1.2 EA111 TSI 85 and 105 horsepower – The turbo version brings a breath of fresh air to the asthmatic 1.2 MPI. Only that this puff of power can cause a heart attack. What is it about, in the general issues section.


• 1.4 EA111 and EA389 of 86 horsepower – You have 15 horsepower in addition to the base engine and you get as bonuses and fried cylinder head gaskets that can be well served at the Black Food Festival. Lots of smoke, lots of smell. Fairly reliable otherwise.


• 1.4 TSI EA111 of 180 horsepower – The famous 1.4 TSI “TwinCharger” that debuted on the VW Golf V. Supercharger issues, turbo problems. The advantage is that it only comes on the Skoda Fabia II Monte Carlo, a car that you can admire even when it is on the platform, its natural environment.


• 1.6 EA111 of 105 horsepower  – The old 1.6 MPI has somehow found its way into the Skoda Fabia II. A simple, reliable and comically fast engine on the Skoda Fabia II. Occasional issues with the coil packs, but otherwise this antiquity is as rare as it is brilliant.

Diesel

• 1.2 TDI EA189 of 75 horsepower – The hideous 1.6 TDI with one cylinder removed. Yes, it’s economical, but at what price? It’s like you’re happy to save money not because you decided to quit drinking, but because you’ve had cirrhosis.


• 1.4 TDI EA188 of 70 and 80 horsepower – The old, legendary 1.4 TDI comes at the end of its career on the Skoda Fabia. Do you know all those 1.9 TDI ALH jokes that consume so little that it produces diesel? On 1.4 TDI this really happens, the consumption being ridiculously low. Plus the version without a particle filter is absolutely indestructible.


• 1.6 TDI EA189 of 75, 90 and 105 horsepower – No. Stop. Not. Booo. Don’t. We discussed this engine in depth in the Golf VI review. In essence, it is a decent engine for the country’s roads, but it breaks down every 100 meters of walking in the city. Serious issues with particulate filter, EGR and injectors when driving in city mode, with short trips from home to kindergarten to work to kindergarten to the mall and back home. All modern diesel engines are sensitive to city driving, but the 1.6 TDI is in a league of it’s own.


• 1.9 TDI EA188 of 105 horsepower  – Another relic of the past that somehow reached the Skoda Fabia II. Seriously, considering how many engines retire on this car, they should have called it “Skoda Fabia II Club 60+”. As for the engine, do I have to say anything else? Somewhere around 300,000 km the camshaft and engine mounts wear out, but will you really do 300,000 km with a Fabia?

Skoda Fabia II General Issues

• TSI engines, respectively 1.2 TSI and 1.4 TSI, have serious issues with the timing chain tensioners. Either change the tensioners, or look for new versions of the engines, that have a timing belt. You don’t have to graduate from life school and go to college to realize what it means for the timing chain to jump out and get into the engine.


• Speaking of timing chains and belts, scary monsters and nice sprites, they must be changed every 100,000 km or 4 years, valid for 1.4 MPI, 1.4 TDI and 1.9 TDI engines. The 1.6 MPI does not need a timing change, it synchronizes indefinitely. And without a chain.


• The rear window wiper motor breaks down everytime it rains, a problem shared with the VW Polo. The only solution is to say a few words of goodwill and replace it. Or to keep it like that. However, most Skoda Fabia owners do not look in the rearview mirror to study the traffic anyway, but only to study if the make-up did not work.


• For those two owners of Skoda Fabia II with automatic transmission, you should know that the DSG needs the oil and the filter changed every 60,000 km. Somewhere in that mileage the Mechatronic unit also fails, and that one can only be replaced, it can’t be repaired.


• The base models do not even have a temperature display or oil level sensor. Don’t be communal ogre with your wife, buy her a middle version, because it’s not expensive anyway.


• The G201 ABS sensor tends to break down, just as it does on most cars from 2005 to 2010. That’s for the 2 readers who know or care about ABS.

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Skoda Fabia II Verdict

An excellent car for the city and for the ladies. A car that looks modern even today and is very friendly with drivers, regardless of their level of experience. Easy to drive, easy to park, cheap to maintain. I know, this car is especially aimed at young people and beginners, I just want to say that the Skoda Fabia is an excellent car for those who care too little about technical data and who just want a good city car. A concept that VW and Toyota have mastered very well. If you don’t know anything about cars, the Skoda Fabia II is very good. If you know something about cars, you will appreciate how cheap it is to maintain and how much you can ride with it.

What engine do I recommend? For driving strictly in the city and for doing the school-mall-work run, the good ol’ 1.4 MPI of 80 bhp is the one.. If you want to have fun for little money, 1.6 MPI 105 horsepower. If you really want diesel, the 1.4 TDI remains the king for the Skoda Fabia II.