Hi everyone.

We are car hunting at the moment to replace my faithful friend bluebell. She is a Fabia hatch 1.4tdi from 2009.

My wife also.has a Fabia hatch. Hers is a 2017 1.2tsi Fabia hatch.

Ideally I'm looking for a car which has a pretty flat load bay.

On mine I can pull up the seat bases and roll them forward and when I fold down the seats they lie pretty flat.

On Kay's car you can't do this

You can put the seats down but they rest against the bases.

Did this facility stop with the mk2?

We went to see a Fabia 2017 1.0tsi estate and the seat bases didn't come up.

We looked at a Yeti but it was too big

Also you can roll the seats forward but then it blocks off acess to the back doors. I know you can remove the seats but that's not what im after. Otherwise I'd just get a van

The Roomster looks ok but it looks like 2 cars welded together.

So my question... (get on with it)

What is the newest car in the Skoda range which has the ability to move the seat bases forward?

I need an estate but I like the size of the Fabia as we have lots of narrow country lanes here. Most modern cars are really wide but with my little Fabia I can squeeze into narrow gaps.

I'm thinking maybe a 2013/2014 mk2 estate. I like the Monte Carlo one. Petrol not diesel

Cheers!

Edited 1 August, 20251 Aug by PhilPalmer
Added something!

I think you'd be surprised by the versatility of the Roomster tbh despite it's mongrel looks. It's a Fabia up front but the rear end is more akin to an Octavia.
Might be worth having a look before discounting them completely.

Thanks There is a black edition one for sale near me. I will go and have a look. They look a bit like the popemobile!

I've just watched a review on one and it has the same problem that the Yeti has. You can roll the seats forward but then they block access to the back doors unless you remove them.

I do food festivals which is why im looking for something flat in the back that's where I put my trays of stock and why I need access to the back doors.

Edited 1 August, 20251 Aug by PhilPalmer
Added something!

There is nothing nowadays in ŠKODA range with a truly flat floor with seats folded.

From memory certain versions of Honda Jazz has it (think they call them magic seats)

A wild card might be Hyundai Inster 02, it is narrow for your country lanes, and in addition to back seats you can also fold front passenger seat flat to have extended load bay. Only has 4 seats, not a 5th but maybe that is not a requirement.

.

Edited 1 August, 20251 Aug by SurreyJohn

MINI Countryman. Barn doors but low which might be an issue.

Citroen Berlingo or the sister cars.

Hatch rear for shelter, low hatch entrance / for sitting. flat load area.

Thanks. Jazz too small , civic estate rare as anything and hrv out of our price range... plus we like Skoda.

Looked at a Kamiq today. Out of our price range hut hey ho

Massive car on outside but tiny inside! Smaller boot than my fabia hatch.

I just need to check if the 2014 monte carlo fabia estate has the type of seat we are looking for and we are in business

IIRC (which is doubtful) the Mk2 Fabia's the rear seat bases fold/remove but the Mk3 don't as you've found. The Mk3s aren't as well build as the Mk2s from what I've seen and 2017 on get more and more complicated - or full of "features".

For things like how the rear seats fold you can usually find that information in the car's Owner's Manual, most, including for VWŠkoda are freely available to view or download as a free pdf. For VWŠkoda Owner Manuals. - https://www.skoda-auto.com/apps/manuals/Models

On 01/08/2025 at 16:36, PhilPalmer said:

Massive car on outside but tiny inside!

Lots of more modern cars are like that, big wide and heavy (particularly VW products) with oversized wheels and tyres, boot access also restricted but tailgate styling and size.

Good luck in your search.

Thanks everyone

Have you looked at the MK2 Octavia?

They're not much wider than the Fabia but have a much bigger boot already, and they do allow you to flip up the rear seat bases when folding. If you have the false boot floor which was standard on the elegance trim then it's then totally flat all the way and absolutely cavernous.