Skoda Fabia Long Term Test : TIP FOR THE TOP?

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Skodas 1.6-litre Tiptronic Fabia had to convince the doubters on its long term test. Steve Walker reports.

Cars have never been available in a wider range of shapes, sizes and specifications or driven by a wider variety of engines and gearboxes. It all adds up to a baffling array of choice across the market. Even within individual model lines, there can be a wealth of options to select from and while some combinations of engine, transmission and trim will fly out of the showroom, others will inevitably prove less popular. When our Skoda Fabia long term test car arrived with a 1.

6-litre engine, a Tiptronic automatic gearbox and a white roof atop its blue bodywork, lets just say that we werent expecting to see many other identical Fabias out on the road.

1.6-litres is a relatively big engine for a supermini. It wouldnt be unusual in a hot hatchback or even a moderately warmed over one but the Fabia 2 is neither. With 105bhp, the engine falls between the realms of the sporty and the economical which is likely to limit its appeal.

What the 1.6-litre engine can offer within the context of the Fabia range is an automatic transmission. With a self-shifting gearbox installed, the smooth and punchy 1.6-litre engine starts to make more sense.

The Skoda Fabia probably isnt a natural choice for long distance journeys but over the course of our test it shaped up well on the motorway. The gearbox is unobtrusive and the engine has plenty of guts for maintaining a steady speed up inclines. The Fabia doesnt blot out the sound of its engines as well as some other superminis but it rides smoothly and a long periods spent at the wheel are far from uncomfortable. If motorway munching accounts for the major part of your driving, a larger car than the Fabia would be a good idea but the advantage of the Fabias compact size is that it can also turn its hand to low speed work quite effectively.

"On the whole, the strong basic appeal of Skodas Fabia shines through the unorthodox specification of our car."

Around town, the automatic gearbox is even more of a boon. The chore of continuously clutching and de-clutching in stop-start traffic is eliminated at a stroke and the Fabias pointy steering makes it adept a darting through gaps. When you do need to get smartly off the line, the gearbox may be a little slow to respond but as long as you drive smoothly, it acts in a predictable manner. Our Fabia is capable of a 115mph top speed and can tackle the 0-60mph spring in 11.

5s which is no more than respectable for a supermini these days. Wed been borderline convinced by the Fabias unusual engine and gearbox combination but when it came to the looks of the car, the jury had gone AWOL. What it boils down to is that, as a general rule, a MINI Cooper can get away with a white roof but a Skoda Fabia cant. The Fabia is a nice enough car to look at and its blacked out pillars even serve to differentiate it from other superminis but it doesnt really have the youthful exuberance to carry off a roof in a contrasting colour thats in our opinion anyway.

Besides, that while roof is a £350 option - wed sooner just have the whole car in blue. Although its small in the grand scheme of things, the Fabia is quite a size by supermini standards. Skoda claim more rear knee and headroom than any rival, helped by the fact that the latest Fabia is 22mm longer and 47mm taller than the model it replaced. Boot capacity stands at an impressive 300 litres with the seats in place or a massive 1,163 litres when theyre folded.

The Fabia definitely has space on its side but the interior itself is less impressive. Were not talking from a build quality standpoint here as the fascia and the whole of the interior generally seems impeccably screwed together. The problem is the materials themselves with the Fabia employing a plethora of uninviting hard plastics that do little for the ambience. Theyre certain to wear extremely well but a little more quality in the materials could have brought the best out of what is an attractive and functional design.

In Fabia 2 trim with the 1.6-litre engine and automatic gearbox, our Fabia costs some £11,660. Add the white roof, 16" alloy wheels, cornering headlights, Climatronic air conditioning and trip computer and our model comes in at £12,930. Thats not cheap for a supermini but the equipment list is generous and that auto box will be deemed worth the extra outlay by many buyers. Economy and emissions are mediocre as you might expect with 37.7mpg and 180g/km emissions being roughly what you can expect.

On the whole, the strong basic appeal of Skodas Fabia shines through the unorthodox specification of our car. This is a spacious, practical and well-built supermini that acquits itself well across a range of driving conditions. If you must have an automatic gearbox, the Fabias unit is a good one and the 1.6-litre engine suits it well but together, the two installations dont deliver the performance or the economy that wed like to see in this type of vehicle.

The joy of the huge range of choice contained within new car model ranges these days is that everyone can specify their vehicle to their own personal taste and there will doubtless be some buyers out there for whom a 1.6-litre Tiptronic Fabia 2 is absolutely ideal. Good luck to them, its a capable car, but the white roof might still be a tick too far on the options list.

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