No two ways about it: the Skoda Fabia vRS is one of the most popular cars on the Auto Express long-term fleet. Everyone who drives it loves the neat handling, compact size - and the effortless punch of the 130bhp turbodiesel engine. And it seems you agree, as we've received lots of correspondence from similarly ecstatic owners. That's not to say the feisty Czech couldn't be improved, though. It appeared in this year's Greatest Drives test (issue 863), albeit with a minor modification - a Superchip. The promise of additional performance with little, if any, effect on the fuel economy was too hard to resist. However, we decided to wait a few months before publishing this report so we could cover a few thousand miles with the conversion in place, keeping a close eye on engine and gearbox wear, plus diesel and oil consumption. Superchips plugs a laptop computer into the Engine Control Unit and adjusts the settings. Its boffins can do this because manufacturers factor in wide engine tolerances to cope with different driving conditions and changeable diesel grades world-wide. But since we have good fuel and decent conditions in the UK, the company can make the most of the engine's performance. The work cost us

I don't think they should adjust it to be recognised in the crowd. I like this discretion, everybody thinks you're driving a 75hp -or something- fabia. Untill you hit the pedal

In case anyone missed it from my previous post -

http://www.fabia-vrs.com/press.htm