Skoda Fabia Tested January 2008

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Environment Rating A middling performance, but this should improve thanks to a new range of diesel engines, some of which bring emissions below 110 g/km of CO2. Overall Rating Recommended. In a crowded segment, the Fabia stands out as one of the most sensible choices.

Summary

If you are still laughing at Skoda, the joke is on you - and the Fabia exemplifies why. It will easily seat four adults, while even those over six-foot will cope in the rear, thanks to the excellent headroom. Boot space is also more than ample for a supermini; some 300 litres - which is more than enough for the weekly shop.

It shares a lot of its new looks with the Roomster; the nose in particular, which doesn't make it the most attractive of cars. However, the black A and B pillars make the front look rather sleeker, and creates a 'floating roof' illusion. Inside it does look like Skoda have taken a step back in time with retro fabrics and an expanse of hard plastic for the dash. However, although it isn't the most modern of interiors, it has a solid build quality and is ergonomically very sound.

We were surprised to find that it doesn't come very well equipped, however.. The base trim doesn't even get a lid on the glove box, although the Aux port for MP3 players was a bonus. It took some time getting used to the basic central locking too, as remote locking is only available as a £150 option - it is too easy to forget to put the key in the lock.

There are a large range of engines to choose from though, which increases the Fabias appeal; even the base 1.2-litre 60bhp petrol engine is surprising and certainly nippy enough. Despite being one of the slowest accelerating cars on paper - 0-62mph in 16.5 seconds, no less - it seems to get there a lot quicker in practice. They are brilliantly cheap to run too, and the diesel options offer decent fuel economy and CO2 emissions. The latest 1.6 TDI has CO2 emissions of less than 110g/km which is an excellent performance.

In fact, that 1.6 TDI engine sums up the car- it uses the latest VW technology to provide excellent performance in a cost-ef+D211fective package. For people that buy cars with their head rather than their heart, the Fabia is very hard to beat.