What is it?

The Fabia is firm favourite here at Muddy Towers as around fifteen years ago, after getting fed up of buying cheap cars for under a grand, Muddy Madam decided she wanted something newer and more reliable, so we bought a 2001 Fabia estate with the rather nifty (and torquey) 1.9 litre diesel.  Since then it’s been an utterly reliable workhorse.

Fast forward 23 years and now in its fourth generation the Fabia has sharper styling, modern onboard tech and more safety kit, but does it remain as practical, comfortable and as good value for money as before?  Let’s find out.

On the road

For general driving duties, that include shopping, short commutes and even long motorway journeys, the Fabia shines. Around town it soaks up bumps well, has a decent turning circle with light steering, great visibility and a perky 3-cylinder engine. Take the Fabia on longer trips and on the open road it feels stable and refined.

With just 95bhp, the 1.0ltr TSI petrol engine is far more sprightly than it sounds on paper, as when you get it up to speed it’s bloomin’ good fun.  The 5-speed manual gearbox is slick, and if there’s any torque steer, well, I couldn’t feel it, unlike the outgoing Dacia Duster I had a few weeks prior.

During an hours drive to Settle via some twisty country B roads, the Fabia surprised me by having a completely different character.  Granted, in corners the Skoda’s steering is a tad light, but it’s a small family hatch when all said done.  That said, it goes where you point it with very little lean and decent grip.  Floor the accelerator and it can get quite raucous under hard acceleration, much like all 3-cylinders engines really, but once at cruising speed all is quiet.

Steering, suspension, noise intrusion are all better than I expected from the lower spec Fabia.  Add to that an average of 60mpg throughout the week and I was really quite happy, especially considering I wasn’t being the most frugal of drivers.

Being the Comfort model it did lack some creature comforts, but it has all the safety features you’ll need as well as a speed limiter, which I sometimes prefer over cruise control anyway.

Interior

Despite being twenty odd years apart, there are still some similarities between Muddy Madam’s Fabia and this - the window switches and heater controls for example are near enough the same.

Get behind the steering wheel and the first thing to enter my mind was functional.  Visibility is good, as I mentioned, controls are to hand and the 6.5” infotainment screen with DAB radio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring is a perfect size.

Overall, for a smidge under £20k the entry-level SE Comfort trim is ideal if you want to keep costs down, and if I’m being honest, more than adequate.  You get 15” alloy wheels, front fog lights, rear parking sensors, a height-adjustable driver’s seat (with adjustable lumbar support), 2 x USBs and multitude of airbags.  There’s also LED headlights, air conditioning, Driver Alert system and Front Assist amongst the many other features.

If you want to add further equipment, there are various optional packs available that allow you to specify goodies such as heated seats, heated steering wheel and so on,

The seats did well to keep my back from aching during a 4-hour round motorway excursion and having proper dials for all the heater controls was pleasant change.  I believe with higher spec models if you want to adjust the fan or the direction of airflow, you need to do this via the touchscreen.  This is surely backwards-thinking and needlessly complicated.

Despite having an extra 100mm over the previous model, rear seat passenger who are over 6ft will struggle, especially if shoehorned behind other six-footers, but the rear seats are perfect for keeping shopping bags upright!

If boot size is your thing then look no further as the Fabia has the largest in its segment with 380 litres of nothingness which is extended to 1,190 litres when the rear seats down.

There is a large step into the boot and the rear seats don’t exactly fold flat.  However, if you want a flat floor space then I believe there’s an optional variable boot floor that will also give hidden storage underneath it.

Oh, and if you cart toddlers around there are the usual two Isofix mounts for the outer rear seats, and another set on the front passenger seat, too.

Engine ‘n’ transmission

The Fabia is available with a choice of four petrol engines – a 1.0 litre with 80, 95 or 110hp and a 1.5 litre with 150hp. The 80 and 95hp models get a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, while the 110hp model has a six-speed manual, with an optional seven-speed DSG. The 150hp Fabia is automatic as standard.

Conclusion

As I asked at the start, does the 2024 Fabia remain as practical, comfy and value for money as it did over twenty years ago?  I’d say so, yes.

Some people will argue that the only thing missing from the Fabia range is an electric or hybrid option, but when I was achieving 60mpg out of it, is it needed?  In addition, CO2 emissions across the range are fairly reasonable with 116g/km from the 1.0-litre MPI SE Comfort (five-speed manual), rising to 137g/km for the 110hp SE L car with DSG auto transmission.

In my opinion at least, with a full five-star Euro NCAP rating the Fabia remains one of the best small cars on sale today.  So if you’re after a new small car, I would definitely include the Fabia on your shortlist.

more at » https://www.skoda.co.uk/new-cars/fabia/hatch-se-comfort

Price: from £19,170