Latest Fabia will leave many with tough decision to make

Published on 11 April, 2022

Overview

I think a lot of people will look at this week’s review car, the Skoda Fabia, and realise they have to make one of two potential decisions.

They will plump for it, despite it incurring a fair bit of a price increase – it’s a brand new, bigger car, so there’s bound to be a premium.

God be with the days when Skoda was cheap and cheerful. What a distance the brand has come in a relatively short time.

Who could have envisaged that a scenario would arise for it, and virtually every other brand, where a potential buyer would run the risk of having to wait quite a while for another chance to buy if they don’t take what’s on offer now.

That’s the reality behind the level of incredible demand for new and used cars in a scarce market.

On the other side of the equation, for anyone considering buying a small car, is the decision to be made on whether they should get on the electric bandwagon now and look elsewhere to start that journey. 

I’m aware of one decision of that type being made recently and it felt to me like a weight had been lifted off the buyer’s shoulders. A corner had been turned.

Let’s not forget we’re talking about an investment of at least €20,000 for anything with decent spec in this segment, be it ICE (internal combustion engine), electric, plug-in or conventional hybrid – the Toyota Yaris is king of that jungle. It’s a lot of money for a small car.

Either way, I think the vast majority of people – and I’m doing so anecdotally from conversations and queries I’ve had – will regard this purchase as their last fossil-fuelled new car.

Their next one will surely have some sort of electrification.

So those are some of the concerns around buying new.

I’m not going to gaze into any crystal ball, but I do know there’s a lot of interest in the whole electrified side of the business.

And the sales figures are there to show the shift.

Yet people still turn to cars such as the Fabia – rivals include the Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio, Hyundai i20, Toyota Yaris  – for practical reasons.

They have always liked the extra space in the cabin and a good-sized boot in the Skoda.

It is, the carmaker says, the most spacious car in its class.

I’m delighted to tell you it got a couple of real-life tests on that front, and I think it’s fair to say that tall men and their international luggage were fairly well accommodated.

For sure, the memorable element is the decency of the rear-seat room. The front-seat passenger had to move up a little to make room for long legs behind, but I had loads of room at the wheel. And boot space is up 50 litres to 380.

The one-litre 95hp brought a swiftness to the drives, but the petrol gauge shifted a bit quicker than I expected.

I suppose I was being overly optimistic that cramming in passengers and luggage wouldn’t consume as much energy as is so often the case when there are just two or three on board without accoutrements. I could have paced it more moderately, I admit, but as I’ve said, the engine liked being pushed a bit and I got a bit of fun out of that.

It looks a good deal sharper too. I really liked the strong blue colour – there’s a black roof for contrast – while the front headlights and rear chiselled look give it a contrasting style that elevates it to smarter outlines than the previous.

This fourth-generation Fabia is based on the Volkswagen Group’s modular MQB-A0 platform, and that means, while it’s by no means award-winning, it’s a more vibrant force to be reckoned with.

I certainly think the car benefits a lot from it overall.

And it translates into an exceptionally quiet car, even over rougher and tougher surfaces. I have driven larger cars that had more tyre noise into their cabins.

The cabin in my Style version was typical latter-day Skoda – clean lines, hard-wearing materials, although one or two areas suffered a bit from hard plastic.

Seats were excellent and decent on the old back.

So would I buy it? There’s a tough question.

Skoda has done a lot to make it an impressive package.

There’s a real sense of greater sophistication throughout.

Price is a bit of a concern, and so is the lack of a hybrid of some sort. If there was one, I’d jump at it. I still think it makes a strong case. In the current climate, it’s a good proposition.

Time is not on petrol’s side, but there’s a jig or two left in the Fabia yet.