Skoda Fabia 130 is a confusing special edition with 175bhp
A vRS in all but name, this is the fastest series-produced Fabia ever made
It’s easy to be cynical about many low level special editions, as they turn out to be nothing more than trim lines with an extra badge or two and no mechanical changes. We admit to assuming the Skoda Fabia 130 was very much in that camp, at least until reading the rest of the headline, which described it as the ‘fastest production Fabia ever’. We checked, there’s no vRS badge in sight but this is legitimately a properly upgraded version of Skoda’s enduring small hatch.
That 130 name refers to Skoda’s 130th birthday but in this context, could be slightly confusing. For if you assume, as many might, that it refers to the car’s power output, you’ll be around 45bhp short. Yes, the little 1.5-litre turbocharged TSI EVO2 engine develops a sturdy 175bhp here (between 5750 and 6000rpm) and 184lb-ft from 1500rpm. Performance is reasonable, with its 0-62mph time of 7.4sec and 142mph top speed making it, as Skoda says, the fastest series produced Fabia model yet.
That’s a modest but notable jump in power of 26bhp, achieved by Skoda’s engineers through optimisation of the intake plenum, vibration damper and rocker arms with a tweak to the car’s engine management software to tie it all together. The DSG gearbox has also been tweaked to deliver higher shift points and a more responsive feel. While Normal and Sport driving modes yield different settings for the steering weight and throttle response.
Chassis wise, the Fabia 130 has been lowered by 15mm, while the steering has been recalibrated for more feedback in the Sport mode. There’s also a two-stage anti-slip regulation system and an ESC system with a middling sport setting to allow controlled slip and reduced intervention without being fully off.
The appearance of the Fabia 130 is straight out of the vRS playbook, minus the storied badges. Bigger 18-inch wheels, a splitter and wing that are subtly aggressive, black detailing and red callipers. At the rear, a small diffuser and twin pipes mark out the 130 as a bit pokier than the average pensioner-spec Skoda. Inside it’s subtle but spiced up, with red detailing plus stripes on the seats on the 130 scheme – two white, two grey and a central red stripe.
It should come as no surprise that this will be the most expensive Fabia when order books open on October 30. Priced from £29,995, it’s perilously close to the £31,415 VW Polo GTI (yes, it’s still around), which can get to 62mph in 6.5sec thanks to its 204bhp output. It’s dressed up more like a proper hot hatch too. Oh well, mustn’t complain. Another small, cheap(ish) sporty car is nothing to be sniffed at.
