Skoda isn’t ruling out a full-blown vRS comeback for the Fabia - despite the hot hatch having been axed in 2014 due to sluggish sales.
Sources have told Autocar that strong demand for the recently unveiled warmed-up Fabia 130 (pictured below) could help justify the business case for a fully fledged vRS.
Behind the scenes, engineers are understood to be enthusiastic about the idea. A new vRS would give Skoda the chance to demonstrate the potential of the Fabia’s platform while tapping into the firm’s impressive motorsport heritage - which includes WRC2 Drivers’ Championship wins from 2015 to 2023.
Autocar understands that a revival remains possible if market conditions swing back in favour of small performance models.
However, Skoda is well aware that Europe’s appetite for hot hatches has largely condensed to two core markets: the UK and Germany.
The Fabia 130 uses the VW Group’s 1.5-litre Evo2 petrol engine and a future Fabia vRS could push the 1.5 further with hardware borrowed from elsewhere in the VWG catalogue.
While the 1.5 can be paired with a manual transmission in standard Fabias, Skoda has indicated that any vRS-spec version almost certainly wouldn’t offer three pedals. The brand says demand for manual-equipped 1.5-litre Fabias is already minimal.
Indeed, Skoda could even opt for the 2.0-litre turbo used in the Volkswagen Polo GTI, a unit that delivers 204bhp and 236lb ft via a DSG gearbox.
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Perhaps not a try out for a return of the Fabia vRS but to find out if Skoda UK can get away with asking £30k for a Fabia 130, which is quite a lot considering all you get is lowered suspension 18" wheels a spoiler and 27bhp extra and costs £3k more than the equivalent Fabia Monte Carlo,
It strikes me that there is not a lot wrong with the standard 130 model, with iits lively 174 horsepower and the option at least of manual transmission. Why pay more both to purchase and insure a vRS model with its extra power that you will never need and likely fuel consumption and ride penalty? Or am I just getting old!
You're getting old.