Fastest Skoda Fabia yet brings 174bhp for £29,995

The new Skoda Fabia 130 has been revealed as the quickest version of the supermini yet, with 174bhp and a top speed of 142mph.

Its turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine receives a new intake plenum, vibration dampers and rocker arms to help cope with its extra brawn – 26bhp more than in the regular Fabia. 

Skoda said the unit has also been tuned to produce more power throughout the rev range, with its full 174bhp being delivered between 5750rpm and 6000rpm.

Torque outputs are unchanged, so 184lb ft is sent through the front wheels between 1500rpm and 4000rpm.

In addition to extra grunt, the Fabia 130 gets a bespoke software map for its dual-clutch automatic gearbox, allowing it to hold gears for longer. This means the engine can rev higher in the range before changing up.

It also enables quicker dual-clutch downchanges when the car is set in its Sport drive mode.

The changes net a 0-62mph sprint time of 7.4sec, an improvement of 0.6sec compared with a Fabia fitted with the standard version of the 1.5 TSI. That almost matches the Mk2 Fabia vRS, which was capable of completing the dash in 7.3sec.

The Fabia 130 will eventually catch up, however, as its top speed of 142mph improves on that of the old Fabia vRS by 3mph.

As well as extra power, the Fabia 130 gets the sportier suspension set-up from the Fabia Monte Carlo, riding 15mm lower than the cooking models.

Its electric power steering has also been fettled to provide more feedback.

Inside, it's distinguished from the regular Fabia with electrically adjustable bucket seats and stainless-steel pedals.