After Volkswagen acquired Skoda in 1991, Skoda Felicia was one of the first cars to benefit from this deal. It was the first Skoda model to come with key safety and convenience features. The Skoda Felicia became even more popular in 1998 after its high satisfaction score gave Skoda the “Best Manufacturer” title in that year’s J.D. Power car survey. But is Skoda Felicia a good car?
Yes, the Skoda Felicia is an exceptional car. This is because it is well-built and comes with lots of amazing features. It is also reliable, efficient, comfortable, and practical. But if you’re looking for a more luxurious, faster, and more advanced car, the Skoda Felicia is not the right car for you.
History of Skoda Felicia
Skoda Felicia is a subcompact car made by Skoda Auto. This car has been in production from 1994 to date. Furthermore, it was the last model on Skoda’s own platform. Regardless, it was also the first Skoda model to benefit from the Volkswagen takeover.
Besides, it is also vital to note that Skoda Felicia was a reworked version of the Skoda Favorit. Unlike the Skoda Favorit, the Skoda Felicia had a modern design with an improved front end and a wider range of engines. Some of the engines included a 1.3-liter I4 petrol engine, a 1.6-liter I4 petrol engine, and a 1.9-liter I4 diesel engine.
Furthermore, the Skoda Felicia came in various body styles, including a five-door hatchback, a five-door estate, a two-door coupe utility (pickup), and a two-door panel van. The base model was the five-door hatchback, which was followed by the five-door estate model.
Features of Skoda Felicia
Appearance
Skoda Felicia is a compact and sleek hatchback. But since it comes in different body styles, some users may find some models to be more appealing than others. Like most old cars, the Skoda Felicia does not come with a lot of technological features.
The Skoda Felicia hatchback has a wheelbase of 96.5 inches, a length of 151.8 inches, a width of 64.4 inches, and a height of 55.7 inches. Note that the estate body style has a bigger length of 165.6 inches and a bigger height of 55.9 inches.
Performance
In terms of performance, the Skoda Felicia is not a high-performance car. However, it performs pretty well compared to most of its rivals. It also has several engine options. The base engine features a 1.3-liter petrol capacity and it delivers up to 68 bhp and 78 lb-ft of torque. This engine performs well and it is very efficient.
If you want a more powerful engine, the 1.6-liter petrol engine delivers up to 75 bhp and 101 lb-ft of torque, while the 1.9-liter diesel engine delivers up to 63 bhp and 91 lb-ft of torque.
Comfort and cargo space
Skoda Felicia may be a compact hatchback, but it is a reasonably spacious and comfortable ride. This car comes with a spacious front and rear that will accommodate adults comfortably. On top of that, it has ample cargo space that makes it to be very practical. This means that users can utilize this car to carry luggage to their picnic or journey.
Fuel-efficiency
The Skoda Felicia may be an old car model, but it is pretty efficient. This car comes with an EPA rating of 26.7 mpg in the city and 32.1 mpg on the highway. Note that the efficiency varies from one Felicia model to another.
Safety
Skoda Felicia not only feels solid but also safe as most Volkswagen models. Some of the top-notch safety features that this model comes with are electronic stability control, driver attention detection, reversing camera, airbags, and auto-emergency braking. It also has an optional blind spot warning.
Price
Since the Skoda Felicia was discontinued in 2001, it is very difficult to get a new Skoda Felicia model on the market. Nevertheless, there are several used Skoda Felicia models on the market. Most of them range between $$18,000 and $22,000. This is quite fair compared to similar used cars on the market.
FAQ
Is the Skoda Felicia worth buying?
It depends on what you’re looking for. The Skoda Felicia is a nice car for those looking for a compact, reliable, low-maintenance, and fuel-efficient Skoda model. On the contrary, it is not suitable for people looking for a luxurious, high-performance, fast, and spacious car.
Note that the Skoda Felicia is an old model and it is not as luxurious as the latest Skoda models.
What are the common problems with the Skoda Felicia?
If you want to acquire a used Skoda Felicia model, it is important to identify some of the common issues that this car faces. Some of the common problems with the Skoda Felicia include gearbox problems, starting issues, sunroof leakage, faulty ignition module, electrical problems, loss of acceleration, carbon build-up on the throttle, and front damper failure.
Does the Skoda Felicia hold its value?
This is a pretty challenging question as the Skoda Felicia was last produced in 2001. Nonetheless, this car is slowly becoming a classic as its value is increasing slowly by slowly. Nonetheless, the Skoda Felicia is a reasonably reliable car and it’s very practical. So, if you buy the Skoda Felicia right now, you may sell it at a better price in the years to come.
What cars are similar to the Skoda Felicia?
Even though the Skoda Felicia is a nice, reliable, and efficient car, it faces stiff competition from similar cars. Some of its close competitors are Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Caddy, and Ford Fiesta. Most of these cars perform better than the Skoda Felicia but are not more efficient or reliable.
Is Skoda Felicia a good daily driver?
Yes, Skoda Felicia is a good daily driver. This is because it is compact, reliable, low-maintenance, and fuel-efficient. With such attributes, this is a good daily driver as it won’t cost much to drive or maintain. However, proper care and maintenance are needed if you want a used Skoda Felicia to be your daily car.
Summary
The Skoda Felicia is a wonderful subcompact car with lots of fascinating features. While this car is compact, it is also spacious and with ample storage space. It is also efficient, reliable, easy to maintain, comfortable, and durable. Nonetheless, it also comes with a few issues that can be avoided by taking good care of the car.