Car reviews

Introduction

The Fabia is a timely replacement for the old Felicia, which still reminded people about the times when Skoda wasn’t among the favourite car manufacturers of Europe. The Fabia was built on the platform of the Volkswagen Polo and it was designed as the lowest-spec and cheapest car in the Volkswagen Group’s mini segment offering. As a basic modification, the Fabia was even cheaper than the tiny Volkswagen Lupo. Regardless of the low price, the Fabia is a well-developed car and it even received the Supermini of the Year prize soon after its debut.

Exterior & Interior

The Fabia is an interesting car. It may lack the exterior design fluency compared to bigger and more expensive cars, but it is certainly professionally designed and looks accomplished. It seems that the car was conceived as a combi because it’s the estate version that makes it look harmonious and finished. Although it’s not the case and the combi appeared a year later, the estate body is more elegant than the sedan. You sometimes find it with Volkswagen Group’s creations, some of their sedans look like a hatchback with a chest added at the back (Think Volkswagen Jetta).

As an estate car, the Fabia is unique, very few estates of this size were available at the time of its debut. Apart from the more expensive Volkswagen Polo Variant and lower-quality Korean models, there wasn’t a lot to choose from.

It’s a small car but the ergonomics gurus at the Skoda factory has done a brilliant job of packing a good-size car inside a tiny exterior. Making your way into a Fabia seems almost like entering another dimension. You expect to feel cramped and uncomfortable, as you prepare yourself by sliding the driver’s seat as far back as possible and then you realise that if you do so, you cannot reach the pedals. The little car has got an unbelievably spacious cabin. Even the rear seat is comfortable with plenty of legroom for adults.

The quality of the materials is another test that the Fabia passes with flying colours. The majority of the affordable cars (you can even call it cheap) comes with questionable craftsmanship and hard, rattling plastic and minimal equipment. Of course, there’s nothing to be excited about and the interior comes with no fancy features, but for the utilitarian function that it has to provide, it fares very well.

Drive

Although the choice of the engines is not great, the comfort and ease of driving somehow counteracts it. The Fabia is a small, practical car adapted for city driving. It feels confident in traffic, is easy to park and doesn’t bother the owner with serious technical faults. So, we say, although there’s not much joy in driving a Fabia, it’s certainly joy to own.

Faults & Repairs

Skodas often top various reliability surveys and the Fabia is no different. There have been very few engine or gearbox failures reported. The Fabia is a simple car that is cheap to run and repair. It may suffer from leaks though, so the interior should be explored thoroughly.