Skoda’s favourite hatch has received a facelift…somewhere. So we went to get behind the wheel and see why so many people love this budget VAG hatchback.

£12,255 will bag you an entry-level S model with a naturally aspirated 1.0-litre engine, while the TSI with 94 BHP will set you back £13,865.
A range-topping Monte Carlo with the more powerful 108 BHP engine is a heady £17,830, add a DSG gearbox and the price increases a further £1,000.

Exterior

Ideally, it would help if you had the old and new Skoda Fabia 2018 side by side with a ‘spot the difference’ card to try and work out where this facelift occurred. We’ll give you the answers. The headlights are now LED, the grille is slightly larger, and the upper half of the front bumper around the lights has been tweaked.

As with many marques, these days it seems to stray too far from a winning formula is a no-no when it comes to design.

Drive

Fitted with the 1.0-litre TSI engine, our Fabia made 94 BHP and 160 Nm of torque. That makes for a 0-62 time of 10.8 seconds, and a claimed combined MPG of 61.4.

Thanks to the turbo the 1.0-litre engine feels punchy enough around town, once up to motorway speed acceleration can be a little slow. But work the gears, and you’ll find the power you need.

Handling wise the Fabia is a little on the wallowy, comfy side of the fence. Corners are met with a bit of lean, and anything towards spirited driving is coupled with laughable amounts of angle. Steering feel is absent; there’s a total disconnect between your inputs and what the wheels do.

You can still place it where you want; it’s just devoid of any emotion.

That pretty much sums up the whole car, to be honest. While it’s entirely competent and a great ‘car’ that’s all it is. If you want a ‘car’ and know nothing about cars or particularly care, the Fabia is for you.

It’s not exactly cheap though. This 1.0 litre SE L starts at £15,775. Add on the metallic paint, keyless entry (more on that later) and heated seats the price is just over £17k.

Interior

Once inside the Skoda everything becomes familiar VW, from the infotainment to the dials, you’d be mistaken for sitting in a VW Polo or even a SEAT Ibiza.

You can, however, find the cost savings, manual windows in the rear, harder plastics that look cheap across the door cards, and a dash top that feels more budget compared to its VW group brethren.

Keyless entry is a little on the poverty spec side. Skoda has removed the key barrel and replaced it with the ‘Stop/Start’ button which is a bit of a cop out, to be honest. It’s by far the cheapest way we’ve ever seen this done.

There are a few thoughtful additions to be found on the Fabia, an ice scraper sits in the petrol flap, and there’s an umbrella just below the passenger seat, as well as a handy small netted pocket on the drivers’ seat.

Little things like this stand out, but to be honest with the price of cars these days surely it should be something we come to expect, not a thoughtful addition?

Conclusion

Skoda’s ‘new’ Fabia isn’t all that new after all; there are far more interesting cars on the market for the same money or less…ahem, Suzuki Swift. Build quality is decent, but you can tell it’s the budget brand of the VW group.

Ultimately the Fabia is a white good, if you want a car and don’t care about anything else but getting from A to B, then it’s the car of your dreams.

Skoda Fabia 2018 OTR Prices

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By Adam Tudor-Lane  -    
Owner / Editor of Carwitter - French car fiend, hot hatch lover. Freelance writer and car journalist I've turned my passion for cars into my livelihood.

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