Skoda Fabia: a supermini refreshed - Verdict

Consider our favourite new superminis of the last 12 months - the Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 207 and Renault Clio. All these cars had to make vast improvements over their forerunners, and make them in several areas, to get to the top of the pile.

The Fabia is different. The original package is still pretty strong, so Skoda needed only to consolidate what it already had, and make improvements where possible. As a result, the improvements made to the new car are much less dramatic.

However, the new Fabia is far from disappointing. Even if you forget the increased interior space, the enhanced safety levels and the excellent ride and refinement, the new car is undoubtedly a significant improvement on the old. Just modernising the car's look is enough to ensure that.

On the basis of our drive, the signs are tremendously encouraging. It's too early to say whether the Fabia will be challenging for top honours in the supermini class - we'll need more time with the car before we can tell you that, and much will depend on pricing and specification.

We can say with confidence, though, that if you're in the market for a supermini in late May, you'll kick yourself if you don't give the Fabia a look.