Skoda Fabia 1.2 [New]
It wouldnt be an overstatement to say that the Fabia is the rock upon which Skoda builds its church. Without this model, there would be no budget for vehicles like the wacky Roomster, the dashing Octavia and the faintly puzzling Superb. Launched in 2000, it was certainly a world apart from any compact car the Czech company had ever produced before. Designed by the stylist responsible for the Bentley Continental GT, this spacious supermini offered a simple recipe.
As well as being very well screwed together, it was also one of the longest cars in its class and had the interior space efficiency to capitalise on those extra inches. At the time, anything much larger would have strayed into the next class up - Golf, Astra and Focus family hatchback territory so it had the supermini market pretty much taped, if space was a priority and you didnt have deep pockets. Since then, Renaults Clio has muscled in on this formula and Skoda has responded and how. The latest Fabia moves the game to another level at prices starting from £7,990 in 1.
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2-litre petrol engines. Theres a 60bhp 6-valve unit (yes, this is a three cylinder engine) that should be avoided unless youre really cash-strapped or theres a 70bhp 12-valve engine thats significantly more satisfying. Where the 60bhp unit struggles when the car is loaded, the 70bhp has enough about it to carry the day. Itll get to 60mph in 14.
4 seconds and hit a top speed of 102mph and while those arent standout figures, theres an enthusiasm and honesty to this powerplant that is extremely rewarding.
"If you can stretch to the punchier engine youve got the best budget supermini by quite a considerable margin"
The basic underpinnings, a MacPherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear, havent changed a great deal from the old Fabia but tuning to the damping means this car rides a good deal more smoothly. The steering wheel requires a bit of arm twirling lock-to-lock but its a decently accurate helm and the gearchange is one of the best in its class. The driving experience may be good but the design touches are, if anything, even better. Its easy to see where Skoda is going with their design language.
If youve been paying attention to any of their show cars and concepts in the past few years, the shape of the Fabia will come as no great surprise. The front end mimics that of the Roomster mini-MPV while the rear end is a lot cleaner, offering a more conservative tack than the Roomsters weird kinked window line. In fact, the splayed shoulder line of this car and neatly sawn-off rear pillars arent dissimilar to the Suzuki Swift. Its a very tidy styling job and serves to make the old Fabia look positively archaic.
Its a notably bigger car too, the subsequent growth of the family hatch in size giving this Fabia a bit more room to let its belt out and remain a fully fledged supermini. Skoda claim more rear knee and headroom than any rival, helped by the fact that the Fabia is 22mm longer and 47mm taller than the model it replaces. Boot capacity stands at an impressive 300 litres with the seats in place or a massive 1,163 litres when theyre folded. Despite the success of the Fabia, Skoda still recognise the limits of their badge equity the upmarket Superb saloon taught them a key, and rather expensive, lesson here and the Fabia is priced realistically while recognising the need to nudge the brand incrementally upmarket.
Equipment levels were never the Fabias strong point, Skoda relying instead on solid no-nonsense build quality. This time round there are items like electronically-controlled Climatronic air-conditioning and an MP3/iPod-compatible stereo but if you go to your Skoda dealer expecting to be granted a view of the state-of-the-art in small car electronics, youre likely to be disappointed. Unimpeachable build quality, on the other hand, you can take for granted. You dont buy a 1.
2-litre Skoda Fabia and then expect to be clouted by high running costs and initial impressions suggest that this will be one of the cheapest superminis to run on a long term basis. For a start Fabias have always held very firm when it comes to residual values, used buyers valuing the Volkswagen Group input and resolute build quality. Secondly, as this is the entry-level petrol engine family, insurance is very cheap. Finally, theres economy.
The 1.2-litre 16v model manages to return a figure in the region of 48mpg on the combined cycle which is something many small diesels would be proud of. Naturally this figure will take a dive if you load the vehicle up and are a little enthusiastic with the throttle but its a very good base point given how big the Fabia body is. Rather surprisingly, the less powerful 60bhp 1.
2-litre unit isnt markedly more economical. The supermini market has changed beyond all recognition from when Skoda unleashed its original Fabia back in 2000. Twentieth-century designed superminis knew their place. They were small and savagely built down to a price as manufacturers didnt want them to cannibalise sales from the bigger family hatches which they viewed as their cash cows, to be protected at all costs.
The Fabia changed the way we looked at superminis. The latest model takes the old Fabias strengths of space, solid build quality and minuscule running costs and improves on them. The 1.2-litre models are a mixed bag, with the 12v powerplant being a lot more appealing than the rather frenetic 6v engine, but if you can stretch to the punchier engine youve got the best budget supermini by quite a considerable margin.
Expect certain manufacturers to be going back to their drawing boards when they analyse this.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Skoda Fabia 1.2 range
PRICES: £7,990-£9,720 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 1-2
CO2 EMISSIONS: 140g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.2 16v] Max Speed 102mph / 0-60mph 14.4s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.2 16v] (combined) 48mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags / ABS [est]
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3982/1646/14971mm
