I know this may be a bit redundant on here but thought I'd share thoughts of a recent loan car.

Skoda Fabia 2 1.2 Htp 12v - First off looks wise, I'm not sold on the new shape, it doesn't quite all gel together in my opinion despite some nice lines on the bonnet, I think it's the front headlights that don't sit right for me. It's also quite a lot higher than the old Fabia which doesn't help its stance. Basic skoda alloys are quite good and I quite like the two tone roof / body coloring.

Inside the car feels very well put together, perhaps a slight hint of cheaper plastics than in the original such as the steering wheel and some of the control dials. The dash layout is functional but very plain, and I do wish Skoda would scrap the handbrake located cig socket as so many satnavs run from these and the cables rout past the gearstick are a hassle. The maxidot screen is quite large and clear, but I'm not a big fan of digital fuel guages and also I don't like the every other 10mph speedo figures. It sounds petty but that split second checking of the speedo reading is a distraction. The seats feel a bit hard to me but have a decent shape and adjustability, and seem comfortable and supportive enough for normal driving. I think the Fabia 2 gains a little with more durable feel to the rear of the car, the boot lip area, rear seats etc feel more robust whereas the Fabia 1 gets noticeably cheaper from front to back interior. The dance stereo is excellent, very clear and easy to use and sounds excellent and I'm a bit of an audiophile. Still had a little bit of overnight condensation issues, so no improvements in that department unfortunately.

On the road the little 3 cylinder 1.2 buzzes along quite nicely. I was sceptical at first but it actually copes with the size and weight of the car adequately. It needs hard revving to progress more spiritedly and there is no real overtaking grunt, but with some careful gear changes some day to day hard acceleration is perfectly doable, although motorway speed manouvres are a pretty big weakness. Pootle along changing up early there's a useable amount of lower torque not to over-labour the engine. Due to the fairly short gearing and high motorway rpm (about 3500 rpm for 70mph) and the fact that the engine is happier being revved the mpg I found disappointing - a trip back through London and then a 50mph dual carriageway stretch on to NSL motorway returned about indicated 43 mpg, but my short commute barely scraped 39mpg. Older 1 / 1.1 litre cars I've owned have seen high 40s no problem in similar conditions. Engine noise does intrude, but sounds kinda cool to be honest and feels like you're making more rapid progress than in reality. I can imagine the motorway buzzing would become tiresome on a long journey though. Tyre and wind noise both seem about normal for the type of car, acceptable if not impressive.

Driving-wise the car feels solid and planted on the road. The controls are all very light making it if not an enthusiastic drivers car, but a very easy and manouverable town runabout. Visibility isn't too great with a long bonnet and limited rear view, but it's no harder to park than anything else these days, perhaps easier because of the light controls. Steering is light at all speeds, but feels more direct than the Fabia 1 which I liked and the gearstick is perfectly placed, and is light but shifts slickly. Brakes are fine, maybe not quite as progressive as I'm used to in a VRS. The car has a nice combination of comfortably supple and firmly planted, body roll isn't really that much worse as in my VRS to be honest - more extreme handling I can't comment on as neither has been pushed too hard.

Overall I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the newer Fabia to someone in need of a modern, cheap, reliable hatchback if the styling agrees with them, although I would advise the smaller 1.2 to be left to the town runabout department and I do wonder if larger engines, maybe the TDI's would offer both extra midrange torque along with better economy. It won't win over the badge snobs, but then thats why we all buy and support Skoda isn't it - a more fool them attitude!

Edited 9 March, 201016 yr by TeebsVRS

Hi was going to write a reveiw on the same car as i got one when my fabia vrs went in for a service but you sumed it up really well !!