For The Fabia rides decently enough, its cabin is spacious and all of the controls are a doddle to use. Skoda has a fine reliability record, too.
Against The base models get noisy and underpowered and lots of rivals are better to drive. The cabin plastics are hard and unappealing.
The Fabia is roomy and well made, but its interior is desperately dull. While it’s a good car, the best in its class are truly excellent.
The Fabia is starting to feel its age next to the best superminis, but it’s still comfortable, easy to drive and nimble in town.
Some of the cabin plastics are not as appealing as we’d expect, but Skoda has a hard-won reputation for reliability and build quality, so it’s better to focus on the space, which is generous for a car in this sector.
There’s also masses of seat and steering wheel adjustment, so finding a comfortable driving position is no problem. Skoda keeps the trims relatively simple, with a choice of S, SE, SE Plus and Elegance versions, and all are reasonably kitted out for the prices.
There are several petrol and diesel engines to choose from, but we’d avoid the three-cylinder 1.2s because they’re underpowered and noisy. The turbocharged four-cylinder petrol 1.2s are a much better bet.
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