The Skoda Manager toll me that Skoda is releasing a new 1200cc, 46KW, 3 cylinder engine for the Fabia.

He also toll me that this engine was designed and produced by SKODA alone and not by VW.

Do you think VW is going to still this engine from Skoda as they did with the Tudor??................

Isaac

Isaac

This model has been released in the UK about a month ago IIRC - got a good review in Fleet News.

Here's the link

Num

Clicky

Isaac

VW already use this engine in the Polo IIRC (and the Lupo?) so they already have stolen it!

Originally posted by Dmac1969vRS in this post

Isaac

VW already use this engine in the Polo IIRC (and the Lupo?) so they already have stolen it!

But, do is true that this engine was designed by Skoda?

Yes!

Can't help but think the engine would be painfully slow. Maybe the more powerful 1.2 would be better than the

will be a 3cyl 1.4 tdi comming out soon as well.

...from that review....

Sounding like a cross between a V6 and a motorbike

I'm gonna book a test drive ASAP! This sounds like lots of fun

Also,

0-62mph (secs): 8.5

that should read 18.5

Originally posted by Turbo_Boss in this post

Do you think VW is going to still this engine from Skoda as they did with the Tudor??................

Isaac

How can you say they are going to steal it? Thats how VAG operates. I mean lets face it if it didnt opearate in this way Skoda wouldnt be wot it is now. Infact i doubt if it would even be a company now.

VAG operate around the different companys sharing components. I mean audi ar eplanning on using a lambo engine in there GT

Danny

If it wasnt for communism , Skoda would be wiping the floor with its cars in the upper exectutive class , you only have to look at the cars it produced in the 20s and 30s to see this. It would certainly be superior to VW and Audi , if not Bentley and Lambo (I'm discounting SEAT as the producer of horrid fake FIATS) You could also argue that Vauxhall (wash my mouth out with soap and water) would be a luxury car marque alongside Bentley if it hadnt been taken over by GM , intead it makes the Corsa..enuf said.

I had a hired Polo in Spain recently with the 3-cylinder engine. It was Ok, but lacked a bit of ooomph for climbing Andalucian mountains! Very economical, though.

Phil

I had one as a courtesy car recently and didnt know at first.

I thought the engine was gonna blow up cos it didnt sound like the normal 1.4, quite a whiny engine, kinda like the old Austin Metro but not in a bad way.

It's a little slower than the 1.4 mpi, but you don't notice it cos it's got a lot more low down pull, so it's actually nippier in town than the quite sluggish 1.4 mpi.

Personally, I prefer the 1.2 3 cyl to the 1.4 8v, it's more refined, doesnt shake as much and gives around 12 more MPG!!

Nice on Skoda, now they are also introducting a further edition of the Silverline and a Blueline, with this engine in, I have the silverline 1.4 (albeit dressed to thril in full body kit, alloys and chrome and aluminium interior and exterior trim no less!) but I would prefer the 1.2 so when i'm due to change will seriously consider this. Ok so it's not a Briskoda, but's it's ok.

:drive1:

Is it just me that thinks the 1.2 MPI would be way too slow. Perhaps I'm being spoilt by my TDIs ability to just cruise along at 90, happily ticking away at 2800RPM, when this 1.2 MPI won't barely be able to even make it to that speed. After all it is nearly half of my cars BHP (and I don't know TDI Vs. 1.2 mpg figures either)

As a town car it can't be faulted I suppose, but for my 50 miles a day dual carriageway commute, I'm not sure how long my sanity would last if I had to have a brick on the throttle. Thats my personal feelings anyway and I'm sure someone else in a town environment will be able to reap its benefits.

Cheers

Originally posted by devonutopia in this post

As a town car it can't be faulted I suppose, but for my 50 miles a day dual carriageway commute, I'm not sure how long my sanity would last if I had to have a brick on the throttle. Thats my personal feelings anyway and I'm sure someone else in a town environment will be able to reap its benefits.

I think that's the point - the Fabia is a car aimed at old people

who want a cheap car to drive to the shops in, so a 1.2 will be

perfectly adequate and cheap too... :p

Hopefully it'll be better than the Vauxhall 3-cyl effort in the Corsa,

what with being 1.2 instead of 1.0 - which, incidentally, returns

an appalling fuel economy if driven at proper speeds on a

motorway!

Rob.

Shouldn't be all that slow as its probably around 150kgs less than the TDi. So as long most of the driving was in town i suppose it would be fine.

Know what you mean about the motorway gearing though - went to a family gathering in my dads Passat yesterday & on the mway I thought at first he must have left it in third!

Originally posted by FabiaTDi in this post

Know what you mean about the motorway gearing though - went to a family gathering in my dads Passat yesterday & on the mway I thought at first he must have left it in third!

Dad's Accord is the same. I took it to the tip at the weekend (not to dump it, but crap in the boot) and I was going along an A road at 60mph, doing 3000RPM, thinking "Bloody hell! My car would be doing over 90 at this RPM!"

Also, there is no power until 4000RPM due to that Honda VTEC thingy where all power comes in top revs. At 4000RPM my car is losing power, not bloomin' well gaining it!

Ahhh! The wonders of the TDI engine....

Originally posted by devonutopia in this post

not to dump it, but crap in the boot

Rob.

Originally posted by Dmac1969vRS in this post

Danny

If it wasnt for communism , Skoda would be wiping the floor with its cars in the upper exectutive class , you only have to look at the cars it produced in the 20s and 30s to see this. It would certainly be superior to VW and Audi , if not Bentley and Lambo (I'm discounting SEAT as the producer of horrid fake FIATS) You could also argue that Vauxhall (wash my mouth out with soap and water) would be a luxury car marque alongside Bentley if it hadnt been taken over by GM , intead it makes the Corsa..enuf said.

yes but most car manufacturers produced better cars back then.

its all ifs and buts.

communism did happen. And skoda were in a mess when VW took over. And VW have brought them back to being a good decent car.

But the fact is if VW haddnt used the same engines, running gear and floor pans they do in all there other brands they woudnt have bothered. It would have been to much investmant. The same goes for seat. when they were fiat owned they were ****.

Fact is VW cant steal an engine that skoda designed. seen as that the way the whole company worked.

Originally posted by danny842003 in this post

yes but most car manufacturers produced better cars back then.

its all ifs and buts.

communism did happen. And skoda were in a mess when VW took over. And VW have brought them back to being a good decent car.

But the fact is if VW haddnt used the same engines, running gear and floor pans they do in all there other brands they woudnt have bothered. It would have been to much investmant. The same goes for seat. when they were fiat owned they were ****.

Fact is VW cant steal an engine that skoda designed. seen as that the way the whole company worked.

I understand what you're saying, and agree that, if VAG (or some other big company) hadn't invested in Skoda they would have sunk without trace.

My beef is that VAG:-

a) Have more marques than they know what to do with.

Haven't a clue about where to position those marques.

Positioning Skoda as a "classic" marque (what the hell does that mean, anyway?) is a big mistake.

Czechoslovakia has had a long and proud reputation as a centre of innovation and technical excellence:-

- How much of the original VW was copied from the Tatras of the 1030's?

- Is it any co-incidence that Skoda's Vrchlabi plant produces all the VAG prototypes?

IMO, Skoda should be one of the VAG flagship marques.

Phew, that was in danger of turning into a rant, for a while...

Originally posted by danny842003 in this post

...VW have brought them back to being a good decent car.

No, VW have made them VW2. They were already knocking out

good decent cars, and if it were not for the mass market's

inability to see it's strengths beyond the crude designs, there

would be no such thing as a Skoda joke.

A cared for Rapide would be one of the most reliable and

rewarding cars to drive. Now we all have Golf clones thanks to

VW...

Rob.

Vrchlabi produced the original Bentley GT prototypes , the ones you may have seen at various car shows in the past few months......I hope they can build them that well at Crewe!

I agree with all of you, cause you each have a different point, and all are true. However my view is that Skoda, even behind the "curtain", had something that few people under such circumstances have: passion!

When you take a 55bhp 105/120 and run it in the world rally series, turning it to a 140bhp "beast", you need passion to do it!

I cannot comment on reliability of cars in the UK (all cars rust) but here in the med, cars can live for 40 years and still look like new, and skoda have been one of these marques around here (and when you take cars that old, even a pretty old skoda looks hugely better than a 1960's beetle -at least it steers and brakes better).

However without taking anything out of context, economy of scales (where one part is used on many cars) has given us the joy of owning a cheap, yet fast, reliable and quality car. Be it a clone or not, without it (economy of scales) we'd be still driving very expensive (yet "unique") cars.

Oh, test drive booked for next Tuesday

theres no way on gods earth VW could have put skoda as an upmarket brand. hell VW are struggling to put themseves forward as an upmarket brand. And they have no where near as bad a reputation as skoda had.

Im not going to argue with you about the fact wether skoda deserves the reputation it had. But the fact is it got it. And even now there are some people who woudnt own a skoda.

And as for saying that they have pushed cutting edge design so many car companys could claim this. But you cant push all brands with this 1 claim as it just woudnt work.

skoda do make good cars. but dont kid yourself by saying they could be one of VAG's flagship brands. Its never going to happen.

i think VAG are probably one of the best manufacturers at placing there brands.

I mean they have Lamborghini. aimed at the sort of person who would buy a ferrari or such like.

Bently aimed at people who would buy a roller. or aston.

Bughatti do there own thing now. Not sure who they are compeating with.

Audi are to compeate with BMW and merc.

VW are there to provide an upmarket mass produced family car. they have there sights set on merc. but i dont think it will happen.

Seat are aimed to be a sporty youth full brand. hey have there sights set on alfa romeo. not there yet in name. But who would really want an alfa?

And skoda are there to provide cheap high quality cars to compeate with korean imports. Although skoda produce far better cars than the koreans.

Just accept it skoda are at the bottom of VAG's pack and VAG are comfterble with that.

Skoda arnt ever going to be an upper market car as VAG currently have audi and they are hoping for VW to make a rise to near the same level.