The new Skoda Fabia...

The new Skoda Fabia has failed to earn a full five-star safety rating for adult protection in Euro NCAP crash tests. While key rivals such as the Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 207 and Renault Clio have achieved this feat, the Fabia scored four.

Testers said this was because the Skoda had only ‘adequate’ or ‘marginal’ defence from dashboard structures for the knees and legs. There were also rear door latching issues. In the latest round of testing, the Honda Civic Hybrid also scored four stars – lower than the maximum rating of its main competitor, the Toyota Prius.

COULD FUEL economy and emissions be improved by making roads stiffer? That’s the question currently being asked by the Transport Research Laboratory.

The organisation, based in Crowthorne, Berkshire, is conducting a series of tests with specially constructed equipment to establish how tyre contact is affected by both road stiffness and texture. It hopes to show that even minor increases in efficiency resulting from reduced rolling resistance could lead to significant fuel savings and lower CO2 emissions. Early indications

suggest that making the road surface harder does this.