We haven't brought you a benchmark for a long time, so we decided to organize one. If only to find out if the neighbor from Boleslav is really that tiny next to the i20 , or if the car from Nošovice will shrink in the end.
Appearance
At first glance, it is clear that Hyundai is at a disadvantage , because the Fabie arrived in the editorial test with the attractiveness of a model that has just been made up. The beautiful blue metallic with a black roof and accessories grabs all the attention at first. In a more "normal" color, the Fabia looks dignified and mature. Unlike the previous generation, the current design direction has given it an unabashed appeal , which thanks to the edges makes it look modern. The car looks much more mature than is needed in the given segment. A little cuteness and youthfulness doesn't hurt. Fortunately, the appearance can be helped a little with a well-chosen color and contrasting accessories. The car can thus appeal to the older as well as the younger generation.
In contrast, the Hyundai i20 tries to be more pleasant. Instead of sharp edges and breaks, he bets on curves . Also in his case, it looks much better than the strange previous generation. Although the color of the tested car deducts points in our comparison, the car itself looks good. The Korean won't have a problem reaching more age groups either, but it's good that he's going his own way. What caught my eye (in a positive sense) is the black overlay on the C-pillar . In the end, each of you will have to make the final decision as to which car is prettier, but as a youngtimer lover, the sharp edges of the Fabia appeal more to me.
Interior
Let's move to the interiors of both matadors, where we can evaluate them a little more objectively. At first glance, the dashboards of both cars make a good impression. In Hyundai , we find partially softened plastics , which guard the visual impression of a pattern reminiscent of the 80s. Fabie counters with hard materials , which, however, enliven the smooth, glossy decor. Thanks to it, the dashboard looks more modern. The design of the control elements of both cars will not offend, but the Korean car has a more solid impression. If we continue with the door panels, here, on the other hand, Hyundai clearly leads in terms of appearance, again it is prettier and has excellent switches. But he loses points for a hard elbow rest . Skoda offers only a black plastic cover with an unattractive appearance, but the armrest is soft. As for the controls, I prefer the Hyundai for the steering wheel, it has a round steering wheel that is comfortable to hold. The Skoda one probably looks better, but for my taste it has a crown that is too thick and is unnecessarily flattened underneath. However, the Fabia's advantage is the ability to adjust the steering wheel longitudinally , which the i20 does not have. The Hyundai gear lever also fits better in the hand, which also looks better and is located higher, which is more pleasant. On the contrary, Skoda offers a handbrake lever that is more pleasant to the touch. Both cars are also equipped with handy parking ticket holders , the Fabia traditionally on the A-pillar, the i20 on the driver's sun visor. The graphics of the instruments are very easy to read for both brands, Skoda opts for modern white backlighting, on the other hand, Hyundai's blue already looks rather embarrassing. However, the blue LEDs on the hazard light switch and climate control controls in particular shine so brightly that they burn a hole in your head at night. Every time I drove in the dark, I wanted to re-stick them.
The seats of both cars are good-looking, the Korean ones brighten up the interior, the dark ones from Skoda look more luxurious, which is especially the case with the diamond pattern and higher sidewalls. I clearly prefer Fabia seats for sitting, they are comfortable and provide excellent lateral support. By the way, you will find small practical pockets on the sides. In the Korean ones, I feel somewhat pinched at the waist , as if they were not interested in full-bodied drivers at Hyundai. I adjust the driver's seat to the optimal position and sit behind me. Hyundai offers more space in the knee area , but I touch the driver's seat, and I also feel a kind of iron support in my knees from the seat structure. The head touches the ceiling , which is not pleasant. And I also suddenly started to dislike the sloping upper line of the rear windows, which makes me look into the ceiling instead of out. In the Fabia , these problems do not threaten, there is enough space above the head and the windows are also better shaped, so that even taller passengers can see outside without having to move their head. I just can't get used to the fancy curve of the bottom line of the windows, because from the inside the line is straight. The ceiling is also more selected, only at the end it slopes down, but there is no danger of its contact with the head . Unfortunately , the legroom is a problem , because my knees are literally crammed into the driver's back, although my legs are slightly slanted, they don't fit straight. The Škodovka's back seat is also steeper than the i20's. But if I could, or rather should, criticize Škodovce, it would probably be the shape of the roof and the water drainage from it. When we got into the car, which was wet from the rain, quite a lot of water, apparently caught by the door seals, ran down on everyone.
It's also a very even fight for storage space. The door pockets of both cars can hold a 1.5 liter bottle and both have cup holders in the middle. The Fabia offers a larger and more accessible box in front of the passenger, while the i20 has a larger box under the armrest in the middle . But it could be higher for a Korean car. At first glance, the trunk in the Fabia seems larger, although the Skoda wins by only four liters. In basic dimensions, the luggage compartment of the Fabia is higher and longer , while the Hyundai offers more space between the wheel arches in width . Skoda has a lot of storage compartments, a smart semi-circular enclosure or hooks for shopping bags. Hyundai loses its breath with a higher load edge (by a full 8 centimeters!) and a smaller height under the open doors. But it gets plus points again with a double floor , which eliminates the step between the floor of the trunk and the folded backrests. These are divided in a ratio of 2:3 for both cars. Perhaps it is because of the double floor that the i20 trunk feels smaller, but you will also find hooks for shopping bags here.
Drive
The first striking difference comes during the cold start of both cars. While the Hyundai jumps in quite refined , although of course you can detect the diesel unit acoustically, the three-cylinder in the Fabia roars like an old van. Although the Fabie has improved rapidly in terms of acoustic noise reduction, it has not completely succeeded in preventing the transmission of the clatter from under the hood. To Skoda's credit, at least you don't feel any vibrations , which old diesels suffered a lot from. The worse the sound, the hungrier the SKODA engine's desire for you to step on the gas pedal. Both cars have long transmissions , the i20 also trumps the six-speed gearbox compared to the five-speed box in the Fabia, but the latter is more responsive with increasing revs. Don't expect any live sports performances, but the domestic matador seems a lot more agile , even if you will be billed for it in the form of more decibels of diesel clatter. However, the highest two levels in the i20 serve mainly to reduce consumption, you don't have a chance to feel the power of the engine with them.
It must be said that at a steady pace, for example on the highway , the domestic engine becomes silent and you suddenly forget that a three-cylinder diesel is beating under the hood of the Skoda. Even so, the Hyundai gets points for low noise, which only turns 2400 revolutions thanks to the higher gear ratio. The Korean also claims less noise in the city , starting at traffic lights is quieter, while the Skoda seems more nimble again. In addition, the Fabia has an inappropriate transmission in the city, where the three turns too much, while the four not enough. However, the main argument for the result of the comparison is driving outside the city , which is the most optimal for the chosen engines. And here unequivocally, regardless of the sound, I choose the Fabia. Hyundai is more flexible , gentler and more comfortable . When driving briskly through broken corners, you can see how it would like to stick to your chosen track tooth and nail, but it doesn't quite succeed. And the feedback from the steering is by no means exemplary either, you simply don't get much from the wheels, even if the Czech prebornice doesn't stand out too much in terms of communication. It floats over bumps and feels very unsettled overall, and there are big bangs when going over broken sections. Even in the Fabia (on the same section of the road) our ears were not spared from the bumps, but the new Fabia is much safer and more stable . It's definitely a bit stiffer than the Korean competitor, but thanks to that it was able to stick to the chosen track much better. It also pulled her engine out of corners with much more willingness. In addition, if you blow a little air from the tires (the tested car was originally inflated for ecological value), suddenly the comfort of the car is much better and Hyundai's lead is erased. This was one of the main arguments for the final decision in the final. But even on harder tires, the Fabia seemed somehow more confident while driving, as if a good drive with it was simply a matter of course, which was definitely not the case with the previous generation. However, I would like to return to that inflation, because in a number of Czech tests it is often written that the new Fabia is too hard on Czech roads, but after setting the correct pressure, one cannot completely agree with this opinion.
On the highway , we managed to get the Hyundai to an average consumption of 5.0 l/100 km, while the Fabia passed the speedometer 130 with an average of 4.8 l/100 km. With an average of 4.5 l/100 km, the Skoda did better even in the city , where the i20 needed 4.8 l/100 km. In the combined car, we expected Hyundai to win, because the Fabia kept tempting us to dial in, but it still had an average of 5.2 l/100 km, while the i20 claimed 5.6 l/100 km.
Conclusion
Quite possibly the most exciting comparison of this year is behind us and the main impression? Tremendous composure . Although Hyundai tries to claim in the advertisement that it is much better, the truth is that both boxers lasted in the ring until the last bell and did not give each other a single blow. Where one shows off a nicer deck, the other counters with better buttons, where the first places more headroom, the second provides better legroom, and where the first bets on comfort, the second reciprocates with better steering. A hard and very balanced fight must ultimately be decided by your priorities. If you enjoy driving, it's important to you, and you also want it in a modest but solid-looking car and you can tolerate more acoustic noise from the engine, you would probably, like me, reach for the Fabia. But if you prefer your comfort, your car, which is quiet, comfortable and also looks more interesting, and the steering doesn't bother you as much, because you prefer to drive more slowly anyway, Hyundai will be a better choice for you. Even though the Korean car lost in my eyes, I cannot say that it is a bad car. On the contrary, it clearly meets the standards of the class , but the fact that I would not want to buy a car from a TV commercial that makes such an extremely bad impression would play a role for me. The aforementioned spot deducts points for a good car quite unnecessarily, although the car itself is not responsible for the advertisement. The car company simply has to remember that (just like any other company) it needs the customer to identify with its values and want to buy the given product. And it doesn't seem to me that a large number of customers will appeal to the hatred of the competition…
Basic price (i20 1.2 Family) 239,990 CZK and (Fabia 1.0 MPI Active) 234,900 CZK
Basic price of the tested engine (i20 1.4 CRDi Comfort) CZK 379,900 and (Fabia 1.4 TDI Style) CZK 356,900
Price of tested model i20: 424,900 CZK and Fabia: 440,700 CZK
Photo: rajdlstudio.com
