Skoda Fabia Scout Variant Launched

The Skoda Fabia can easily be regarded as being among the more stylish hatchback offerings in the country today. But that being said, the Fabia’s basic Mk4 (Volkswagen Group) platform has been stretched, raised and decked up over the decade of the supermini’s existence (globally) to create an array of distinct models like the Fabia vRS, the Monte Carlo Special Edition and the Urban.

But a rookie ‘off-road’ version of the Fabia has been on the cards for a while now, and after giving the country its first real look at the Scout at the 2012 Auto Expo, the Czech car maker has now launched this semi off-road version of its well recognized hatchback at a starting price of Rs 6.79 lakh (ex showroom Delhi).

The Skoda Fabia Scout differentiates itself from the standard hatchback mainly through its substantial scratch resistant protection at the front (bumper with spoiler), rear (bumper with diffuser) and protective cladding on the sides making the vehicle’s exterior body rugged enough to withstand any damage from loose gravel or rocks  when pacing down poorly paved roads.

Despite a raised suspension offering better ground clearance, the Scout will only sell as a front-wheel drive model, and hence may still be quite under equipped to be considered a genuine off-roader. However it is built to comfortably take on broken roads and gravel paths that are unfortunately still in abundance in a lot of parts of our country.

Visually, Projector headlamps and a stainless steel pedal further reinforce the distinct elements that set the new Skoda Fabia Scout apart, while the small leather package will keep you conscious about the fact that this is indeed a pure-bred Skoda. Both the 1.2 litre petrol and diesel Fabia Scout models produce 75PS of power and are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. 

Critical safety equipment  on this ‘ready for adventure’ Fabia model now available in India include dual airbags, an integrated audio player, power windows, remote locking and tinted glass all over. With the Fiat Palio Adventure’s debut to this particular segment now a thing of the past, the question that would be on everybody’s mind is can Skoda’s thick skinned supermini re-attract solid buyers to this otherwise unexplored segment.