Skoda Fabia RS 1.4 Review: Fast clearing Czech

What we like:

Same powertrain as the Polo GTI but at a slightly more affordable price

more spacious interior than the Polo

What we dislike:

Not as pretty as a Polo GTI

interior plastics and trim a tad hard and plasticky in some areas

image not as strong as a VW badged model

Step inside the Fabia RS and you’ll understand why Skoda charges less for the Fabia RS compared to an equivalent VW Polo GTI. The materials and switchgear are of reasonable quality but they don’t have the tactile feel or high quality look of its German cousins’. The overall cabin architecture and ambience is still very Volkswagen though. Utility wise, the Fabia offers more legroom in the rear than the slightly cramped Polo. The boot is also slightly more generously sized than the VW’s.

Go faster bits n the RS’ interior include sports seats with the RS logo embroided on them, a three-spoke multi-function steering whel with gearshift paddles and RS logo, alloy foot pedals, racy looking upholstery, bespoke instrument dials, RS scuff plates on the sills and so on.

The Skoda’s cabin might have lower levels of perceived quality when compared to a Volkswagen model’s but at least everything feels well screwed together to last the entire lifetime of the car.

We love Q cars or cars with the Q factor for their ability to surprise the unknowing when booting it at a traffic light junction. Skoda’s RS models like the Fabia RS, certainly fit the abovementioned description. The Fabia RS certainly doesn’t look as hot or as pretty as the Volkwagen Polo GTI and it doesn’t have the ultra desirable GTI badge for that matter but the Fabia is more deceptive so to speak and certainly has the power to surprise, especially at the lights where it has the ability to outrun many hotter looking performance models out there.

Credits: Story and Photos by Mark Yeo