Used Skoda Felicia Hatchback 1995 - 2001 review

What's the used Skoda Felicia like?

Most people will concede that today's Skodas are nothing to be laughed at - they're among the most reliable and best-built European cars you can buy. However, Skodas of a certain age still fill buyers with trepidation. In the case of the Felicia, it really shouldn't. It was built after the company got its act together, so what you get for your money - and not a lot of it - is a very solid and dependable little hatchback.

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Overview

It's a solid and spacious supermini made with Volkswagen involvement

Pros

• For very little cash, the Felicia has excellent build quality and a spacious cabin

Cons

• There's no power steering and, on base models
• very little safety equipment

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There's plenty of room front and back, and the big boot makes this one of the most practical cars in the class. The build quality was right up there with the Volkswagens of the day, a big improvement over earlier Skodas.

The drive isn't exactly thrill-a-minute, but it is by no means appalling, and the ride is pretty good. The engines are sufficiently punchy and impressively economical.

Our recommendations

Which used Skoda Felicia should I buy?

The entry-level engine is a 1.3-litre petrol. In base LX trim, this gets 54bhp, which is a bit too sluggish. However, with the loftier LXi and GLi trims, it gets a more palatable 68bhp, which feels meatier, although it's not that much faster in reality. The entry-level model also misses out on basic kit such as power steering and a driver's airbag.

The next engine up is a 1.6-litre petrol with 75bhp. This extra power is useful, and it doesn't cost much more to buy than the 1.3, but fuel economy suffers a little. It's available with GLXi and SLXi trims, and both get power steering, metallic paint and anti-lock brakes, while the SLXi also gets air-conditioning, a passenger airbag and alloy wheels.

There's also a 1.9-litre diesel, but fuel economy isn't much better than the petrols, and performance is similar to the entry-level 1.3.