10 Things I Love And Hate About The 2014 Skoda Fabia

A new Skoda Fabia is here, and it’s had much more than just a thorough exterior makeover. It’s now lighter, has a longer wheelbase and is wider, while the underpinnings are a mix of a heavily-revised version of the old car’s platform while incorporating bits of VW Group’s clever new MQB architecture. But does all this add up to a decent car? Time to find out…

1. It’s better to drive than you might expect

When hurling the little Fabia down a seriously twisty stretch of Portuguese road at the car’s launch in Lisbon - full of challenging bends and camber changes - the 74bhp, 1.0-litre three-pot version of the car was seriously entertaining. Sure, low-powered, small hatchbacks are often fun to thrash the living daylights out of, but it’s not a given; just look at cars like the wallowy Toyota Yaris. The steering doesn’t give you much of an idea as to what the front tyres are doing, but it’s quick enough and has a nice amount of weight to it, while the chassis offers decent grip and tidy body control.

2. There’ll be no hot vRS version

The fact that the new Fabia has commendable handling charactaristics is - in a way - a bit of a shame, as there’ll be no hot vRS version this time to make the most of the chassis. Boo. According to Skoda, the higher running costs meant the old vRS just didn’t sell well enough to justify a new one, but we reckon giving the new VW Polo GTI a little breathing room also has something to do with this decision.

3. It looks handsome

The Fabia’s design is maybe a little too conservative, but it’s well proportioned with lots of nicely sharp lines. Spec the right colour - Race Blue looks rather dapper, for instance - and you’ll have an attractive car that’s a big step up from the weirdly tall, slightly goofy-looking outgoing model. You can see the family resemblence to the bigger Octavia, and that’s no bad thing.

4. The tiny front armrest is absolutely pointless

In a car as small as the Fabia, why is there an armrest between the front two seats? It’s so tiny that it’s pretty much useless; the first thing I did when getting in the car was to fold it up and out of the way.

5. It’s brilliantly comfortable

Like Britain, Portugal doesn’t exactly have the smoothest roads, so it’s a good place to find out whether a car’s suspension will sooth your senses or shatter your spine. In the Fabia, it’s the former. It rides incredibly smoothly and competently for a small car, the seats are exceptionally comfortable and supportive of one’s derrière, and there’s a plenty of room inside.

6. The engine start button needs to be repositioned

If you buy a Fabia with keyless start, the ignition button isn’t on the dash where you’d expect. Instead, it’s been stuffed where the ignition key would normally go, on the steering column. It looks weird, and if you’ve splashed out on a fancy starter button, surely you want your passengers to see it, right…?

7. The engines are impressive

We tried two engines at the Fabia’s launch, a 1.0-litre, naturally-aspirated three-pot with 74bhp, and an 89bhp turbocharged 1.2-litre TSI four-pot. The 1.0-litre is more than up to the task of pootling around town, but begs to be ragged. It makes a pleasantly fizzy sound, too. On the motorway and anything remotely resembling a hill though it starts to struggle, so you’re best off avoiding the third, cheaper 59bhp engine.

We didn’t get a chance to try the 108bhp version of the 1.2-litre TSI, but the 89bhp lump provides enough poke for most situations, doesn’t need to be worked too hard, and is pleasantly smooth. It’ll do 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds, and has a combined economy figure of 60.1mpg, with emissions of 107g/km. There is a more frugal 1.4-litre TDI oil-burner in two different levels of tune, but it ain’t cheap - the most affordable is £14,090 in the base ‘S’ trim.

8. Some of the interior plastics are horrible

Oh dear. Skoda has designed a well laid-out, uncluttered dash, and garnished it with a load of horrid plastics. The upper and lower parts are made from this nasty stuff which has an awfully scratchy feel. It’s all well screwed-together, at least.

9. The fuel filler flap has an ice scraper on it

A jolly handy idea, don’t you think? It’s one of Skoda’s ‘Simply Clever’ additions, and while most of them aren’t so interesting, this - along with the little storage nets on the inside edges of the front seats (perfect for phones) and the boot tidy ring that stops items being lobbed around when you’re driving like a hooligan - are useful little features.

10. The mobile phone connectivity is fiddly and temperamental

Just one per cent of buyers optioned a proper navigation system in the previous generation Fabia, so this time around you can’t have one at all. Instead you can use a system called MirrorLink - a phone/car integration system developed by a cluster of tech companies and car makers - to display your smart phone’s navigation system and other apps on the Fabia’s screen. Unfortunately, an app needs to be certified before it can work, which meant we were forced to use a rather rubbish certified nav app called ‘Sygic,’ which seems to give instructions at the very last second (usually when it’s too late). And it uses an infuriatingly chirpy American voice which calls roundabouts ‘traffic circles.’ Yes, really.

The whole MirrorLink system is particularly fiddly, and several times the app display disappeared from the infotainment screen and appeared back on the phone screen. It’s a little unfair to harshly judge it just yet - Skoda did admit there are bugs to be ironed out - however, it’s worrying that not all phones will work with it. Only Symbian and Android phones are compatible, and while MirrorLink representatives we spoke to seemed confident that it’ll be iOS compatible eventually, nothing’s definite.

So, what’s my conclusion?

As you’ve probably gathered, I’m really having to nitpick when it comes to finding things to dislike about the Fabia, MirrorLink worries aside. It’s a very well-sorted package that’ll tick most people’s boxes, and as a bonus, it’s more fun to drive than you might expect. Skoda is more up-market these days so it’s not hugely cheap: our model of choice - the 89bhp 1.2 TSI SE - will set you back £13,390. A Ford Fiesta will be cheaper and sharper to drive, and the surprise contender that is the new Vauxhall Corsa is a tempting alternative.

But, if you want practicality and comfort in a well thought-out, handsome package, you can’t go wrong with the new Fabia.