Motorline Skoda Blog

Skoda cleans up in 2011 Driver Power survey results

2011-05-03T03:30:00.000-07:00

Skoda cleans up yet again in Auto Express' 2011 Driver Power survey results.

Not only did the brand claim the overall manufacturer award, but the Superb, Yeti and Octavia won places #1, #2 and #4 respectively in the overall model rankings. The Yeti was knocked off last year's #1 position by the Superb - but coming from the same stable we're sure it'll be forgiven.

The Auto Express Driver Power survey covers the responses of 23,000 readers who were asked to rate the car they drive in ten key categories. Categories include Reliability, Performance, Comfort, Handling, Running Costs, Build Quality and Ride Quality.

The results are then assessed by model and by overall manufacturer. It's a chance for drivers to highlight what they love - and hate - about their cars.

The Driver Power survey results prove that Skoda is achieving its aim of manufacturing happy drivers!

Skoda Fabia vRS breaks SEVEN national speed records

2010-10-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

The new Fabia vRS faced its biggest challenge to date when Five's Fifth Gear team succeeded in using one to break SEVEN nation speed records.

Presenter Jonny Smith took the Fabia vRS to the high-speed bowl track at Millbrook and broke the speed records for 5km, 5 miles, 10km, 10 miles, 50km, 50 miles and 100km - all of which have stood for over 20 years!

In their recent review, the Fifth Gear team say of the new Fabia vRS 'If you are looking for a zippy little supermini that doesn’t come with some of the compromises that the hot-hatch title often brings, then the Fabia is well up to the task.'

The Fabia vRS is available from Motorline Skoda in Canterbury and Dartford.

Skoda duo win Rally of Scotland in Fabia S2000 Facelift

2010-10-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

The Skoda Motorsport team earned their third Intercontinental Rally Challenge title this year by winning the the Rally of Scotland, thanks to a stunning performance by Juho Hänninen and Mikko Markkula in their Fabia S2000 Facelift.

The win meant Hanninen was crowned IRC Drivers' Champion, and in a double-whammy for the team, Skoda Motorsport took the IRC Manufacturers' Champions trophy.

Hanninen's consistent performance saw him bagging a place on the podium in every IRC race.

Hanninen and Markkula finished the Rally of Scotland in 2 hours 1 minute and 7.4 seconds - 25.5 seconds ahead of Meeke and Nagel of Team Ford.

The Fabia vRS - one of FHM's Cars to Buy Now

2010-10-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Skoda Fabia vRS is proudly nestled within the pages of FHM this month, in a feature on 'new motors that are well worth your savings'.

The magazine applauds the Fabia vRS' cornering abilities and hails the way the car copes with the terrible state of Britain's road surfaces.

The build quality is described as 'seemingly indestructable' and its looks are 'subtle'.

FHM goes on to say 'For £15,700 you'll be hard pushed to find another new car that offers so much entertainment behind the wheel'.

The Fabia vRS is available from Motorline Skoda.

A sizzling review of the Fabia vRS from the Times

2010-09-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

The new Fabia vRS continues to bask in praise - this time from the usually-hard-to-impress Times motoring correspondent, Giles Smith.

Mr Smith rather eloquently described how the Fabia vRS 'flies away from a standing start like a pea off a flicked fork handle'.

Having appreciated the car's supercharger and turbocharger, the journalist went on to do the same for the fuel consumption and emissions - figues that 'people in entirely well-mannered cars would barely have the gall to dream about'.

The new Fabia vRS is now available from Motorline Skoda.

Praise rains down for Skoda at the Auto Express New Car Awards

2010-08-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

The unseasonably rainy August has brought with it a new heap of awards for Skoda at the 2010 Auto Express New Car Awards.

Collecting an impressive FIVE awards on the night, the Superb picked up the Best Family Car and Best Estate awards; the Yeti won Best Crossover Car as well as the overall award for Car of the Year 2010.

In addition to this, the Skoda brand won the Driver Power Award for reliability and outstanding customer service.

The judges said of the Yeti: 'In a year that has seen the arrival of some truly special cars, the Skoda is a worthy winner of our overall crown'. They went on to say, '...the Yeti provides the styling of a tough off-roader with the running costs of a conventional family model. Picking a favourite isn't easy, as the line up is really strong, but the 1.2 litre TSI is a brilliant choice'.

Skoda Fabia vRS now available

2010-08-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

The highly anticpated Fabia vRS is now available in the UK.

Available in both hatch and estate versions, the Fabia vRS starts from £15,700 OTR.

The 1.4 TSI 180bhp engine is equipped with a vRS supercharger and turbo. It can reach 0 to 62mph in just 7.3 seconds and according to the Daily Mirror Motoring review is 'a hot hatch that will keep any man with the boy inside still happy'!

The Fabia vRS' double-supercharged four cylinder petrol engine delivers 132kW of power - pretty impressive considering its 1.4 litre size. Also remarkable given these credentials is the fuel consumption of 6.4 l per 100km.

The interior features vRS sports seats and a leather steering wheel with paddles. The sports styling is carried through on the outside, with LED lights, rear diffuser and a chrome exhaust.

Colour options include Rallye Green and Race Blue metallic, and Sprint Yellow, alongside more conventional hues. 17" 'Gigaro' alloys come as standard, with chrome, black and white alloys as an option. Available as a Hatch or an Estate.

Motorline Skoda is currently offering the Fabia vRS on Skoda Finance for just £199 a month and 7.2% APR Typical*.

Motorline Skoda kitted out for Football World Cup

2010-06-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Motorline Skoda is giving full weight behind the England team during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Brand Manager Mike Harris has kitted out an Octavia vRS with the England livery to show support for the team in South Africa.

What's more, anyone test driving an approved used Skoda between now and the final on Sunday 11th July will get a free football. Go on to purchase an approved used Skoda and you'll get a free satellite navigation system.

For more details visit Motorline Skoda.

Fabia Estate Greenline II and Roomster Greenline II details revealed

2010-06-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Technological advances by Skoda have meant even cleaner and greener Greenline versions for both the Fabia Estate and Roomster.

Both models have been facelifted but on the inside, new technology has resulted in lower fuel consumption and fewer CO2 emissions.

This includes a new engine with common rail (high-pressure direct injection), stop-start technology, energy recuperation and gear recommendation (on a Maxi DOT display).

In addition, the GreenLine models feature a new three-cylinder turbocharged engine (1.2 TDI CR DPF/55 kW) resulting in staggeringly low fuel consumption figures. The Fabia Estate Greenline II comes in at just 83.1mpg and CO2 emissions of 89g/km, and the Roomster Greenline II at 67.3mpg and 109g/km.

Other contributing factors towards the fuel efficiency improvements are a lowered and aerodynamically-covered chassis and low-rolling-resistance tyres.

More details to follow.

Skoda Yeti 1.8 TSI review by Autotrader

2010-05-28T03:19:00.000-07:00

The performance model Skoda Yeti has earned some well-deserved praise from the Autotrader website.

The Yeti 1.8 TSI was taken through its paces and emerged with a glowing review.

The power delivery and handling made the Yeti a 'joy to drive'.

Comparing the Yeti's finesse favourably alongside the Suzuki Grand Vitara and Kia Sportage, Autotrader were also impressed by the increased bootspace provided by the practical vario-flex rear seats.

For off-roading, the four-wheel drive system was described as 'amazingly good' with the reviewer predicting that the Yeti's traction 'would be really good in the snow'.

Click here to read the full review.

The Skoda Yeti is available from Motorline Skoda from £19,515.

Skoda Fabia vRS Review

2010-05-27T03:36:00.000-07:00

The Skoda Fabia vRS is already enjoying fantastic reviews from the press, ahead of its July UK launch.

MSN Cars journalist Christopher Hubbard took the Fabia vRS for a spin and had nothing but praise for Skoda's hottest hatch.

Of the Hatch and Estate, Hubbard said, 'We like the way both versions look - 17-inch alloys and a subtle bodykit tweaking the toughness just so - but even better, Skoda has done an excellent job of enhancing the way they drive.'

The ride and handling balance was deemed to be 'extremely finely judged' and the steering body control 'never lurches, never crashes over bumps, never deviates from the chosen line...'

In summary, Hubbard says the Fabia vRS is 'an awesomely appealing little car. It looks good, goes well, drives brilliantly and shouldn't cost you a fortune to run.'

The Skoda Fabia vRS Hatch and Estate will be available from Motorline Skoda from 29th July 2010.

Skoda announces plans for 2011

2010-05-17T04:09:00.000-07:00

Skoda has announced their plans for model year 2011.

The plans include a new 1.4 TSI (90 kW) engine on the Yeti, as well as a new 2.0 TSI (147 kW) on the Superb.

Both will use the modern common rail technology that will take the place of the existing PD system (pump-jet). Skoda will eventually provide a wider range of TSI engines (petrol).

The trims of both the 2011 Yeti and Superb will be updated, with improvements to selected radios and interior controls.

The Octavia will feature a new common rail engine (2.0 TDI CR DPF/103 kW) that will supplant the equally robust 2.0 TDI PD. It will be available in both manual and automatic transmissions with front-wheel drive, as well as for manual transmissions with four-wheel drive. This will be joined later by an automatic DSG transmission and four-wheel drive.

The Octavia Multifuel has been certified as meeting Euro 5 emission standards. The Octavia range will also see the addition of new alloy wheel options.

The Skoda Superb and Superb Estate will be equipped with a 2.0 TSI 147 kW (petrol) with a six-speed automatic DSG transmission.

Skoda set to unveil Fabia RS+ and Octavia RS+ concepts

2010-05-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

Skoda has revealed plans to showcase their Fabia RS+ and Octavia RS+ concept models later this week at the Volkswagen Tuning event in Austria.

The Fabia RS+ is based on the S2000 IRC rally car, most notably in the black front and rear spoilers and grille, and in the smoked headlights.

Both models are derived from vRS production cars and feature grey and lime green interior and exterior finishes.

More details to follow later this week.

Skoda unveil plans for Greenline Fabia and Roomster

2010-05-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

Skoda have just announced that they are extending their environmentally-friendly and fuel-efficient Greenline range to the Fabia and Roomster models.

Both models will be equipped with a new 1.2 litre three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and will incorporate stop/start technology and a gear recommendation system. The latter helps prompt the driver to choose the most fuel-efficient gear.

A lowered chassis and low rolling resistance tyres further enhance both models' efficient performance.

Both the Greenline Fabia and Greenline Roomster will be available at Motorline Skoda from this summer.

Skoda Superb Estate - another glowing review

2010-05-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

The new Skoda Superb has added another glowing review to its collection, this time from Sunday Telegraph Life magazine (18/04/10).

Motoring journalist Neil Lyndon praised the Superb's capacious load space having effortlessly transported 10ft shelving battens and heavy sheets from DIY store to home, as if they were 'krill in the mouth of a Blue whale'. The car was further tested with a week's worth of luggage for a family holiday. This too was no problem, leading Lyndon to state that the Superb was '...the largest load lugger in its class of family estate', beating the capacity of rivals Volvo V70 and Chrysler 300C Touring estate.

Other positives included the impressive fuel consumption, acceleration, top speed and serene ride.

The model tested was the Superb Estate Elegance.