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Skoda’s hot Fabia vRS will get 178bhp and more aggressive styling than its predecessor when it arrives in the UK next year.

Borrowed from the Seat Ibiza Cupra, the 1.4-litre ‘Twincharger’ unit should propel the car to 60mph in around 7sec and on to 140mph.

Shunning the conservative styling of the last vRS, the new car will have a tough sporting look and will be easily identifiable against the standard car, a Skoda source told Autocar.

The previous Fabia vRS was diesel-powere...Read the full article

So it comes with exactly the same engine and DSG box as the Ibiza. Yawn!

Skoda have missed a trick by not even making a diesel option available.

Autocar:

Shunning the conservative styling of the last vRS,

 

I don't remember the original vRS being 'conservatively styled'... The Fabia mk1 always struck me as being perfectly proportioned - I suppose you guys would say 'Squat and Purposeful'

Either way, I hope the styling improves on the ungainly stance of the current model (narrow hipped and top heavy)... And while I'm at it, shame they've dropped the diesel... Bloody good fun!

Just PLEASE don't mess up when it comes to the next Octavia vRS...

esreveRnIefiL:

Autocar:

Shunning the conservative styling of the last vRS,

 

I don't remember the original vRS being 'conservatively styled'... The Fabia mk1 always struck me as being perfectly proportioned - I suppose you guys would say 'Squat and Purposeful'

Either way, I hope the styling improves on the ungainly stance of the current model (narrow hipped and top heavy)... And while I'm at it, shame they've dropped the diesel... Bloody good fun!

Just PLEASE don't mess up when it comes to the next Octavia vRS...

I agree, I liked the styling of the original vRS and for a sporty diesel engined supermini, it went like stink and was decently economical too.

As an owner of a Mk1 Fabia vRS I think they are missing a trick in only having a petrol version. Economical, loads of Torque - almost a wolf in sheeps clothing. Am I right in thinking the Octavia is available in both? So why not this. Mistake. I just hope it looks like the Fabia S2000 Rally car.

 Great news, good car, good price, good performance. Even better news, no diesel.

What a disappointment after such a long wait. Skoda give up the unique abilities of the Mark 1 Fabia vRS for a me-too product. My wife has had a mark 1 vRS since 2004. It has great build quality, strong residuals, great reliability, 48mpg average and group 9 insurance. But best of all it is discreetly styled and has bags of torque. Real performance for a real road rather than the Autocar data sheet or race track. Only faults are limited choice of colours and shocking seat material. The new one will be new territory for Skoda. It will be an extrovertly styled flappy paddled device. However who will choose this instead of the Renaultsport Clio 200? If one looks at existing vRS a heavy proportion are driven by women rather than the boy racers who rightly love the Clio. My wife wouldn't entertain a flappy paddle gearbox. Or a tough sporting look. I suspect many others will not either. It sounds like to me the marketing guys have got carried away. The better option for me would have been a 140 or 170 bhp diesel, discreetly styled, with the spec of the limited edition vRs. It would have had its unique niche and had the existing owners queueing at the dealers door. I would love to know the Skoda dealers view!

the old one is driven by women and not boy racers because it's a diesel and is not good at performance, it achieves mpg and the placebo performance of spasmodic diesel power bands. Not somwething a boy racer is interested in. but a 180bhp petrol certainly is, and would be quicker than a clio 200 i should imagine. need to see a kerb weight.

The clio has the advantage of having a cup version, but the disadvantage of being french. skoda needs a super VRS version, just like Seat has cupra R, and VW R. then it could have 200bhp.

 

 

 

beachland2:

the old one is driven by women and not boy racers because it's a diesel and is not good at performance

 

I seem to remember one laping the Top Gear track as quick as a Mini Cooper. The diesel offers better real world performance. The diesel Fabia will overtake much quicker on an A road than say the Mini would.

By offering a diesel 'hot hatch' the old Fabia had a USP. The new one will be just another small hot hatch and an ugly one at that.

 The ibiza 1.4 180bhp cupra is 1172kgs the VRS should be the same, so it even has a low weight advantage over the clio 200.

 

Lee23404:

I seem to remember one laping the Top Gear track as quick as a Mini Cooper. The diesel offers better real world performance. The diesel Fabia will overtake much quicker on an A road than say the Mini would.

 

Well of course the Mini Cooper is a slow piece metal, heavy and feeble normally aspirated 1.6 engine. less bhp than the diesel fabia even. how is it relevent?

 

Looking forward to seeing this.

I reckon the Fabia will respond well to the vRS treatment... The whole Skoda range had quite big styling features (large grilles, headlights e.t.c.) and are quite tall and this doesn't tend to suit small wheels and high ride height.

For example, I'm not too keen on the Octavia facelift, but it RS form it looks great.

Same goes for the Fabia, base models look a weedy and geeky but the Sport spec ones with slightly lower suspension and 16in wheels are a massive improvement despite being virtually the same car.