Natalie Middleton reports back with the latest on our long-term Škoda Fabia hatch.

The Fabia is quietly confident, refined, polished and professional at what it does

Model: Škoda Fabia Colour Edition 1.0 TSI 95PS 

P11d as tested: £20,810 (28% BiK) MPG/CO2: 54.8mpg/117g/km Test mpg: 40.6mpg

Report 4:

While the Škoda and me are past the honeymoon period, we’re still getting on famously.

That is apart from the odd bicker with the lane assist; we don’t always see eye to eye. There’s been the odd occasion where it’s admonished me for not being centre of the lane, when I can see something less-than-forgiving or even a wide load coming the other way and remain rooted to the left-hand side. It’s also happened on slip roads and country roads with faint markings, where the Fabia has firmly moved me over to the centre of the road and I’ve set it right (well, left, actually). But on the whole, it’s been helpful, particularly on motorways and I can definitely see the benefits for distracted drivers, especially on fleets.

I’ve also been plugging away at the eco-driving and have managed to get economy for round-town short trips into the early 30s while some motorway routes have yielded results around 60mpg – including on a recent drive back from Bicester Heritage after Fleet World was awarded the best Automotive Business Publication title at the 2022 Newspress awards. However, the continued need for aircon and predominant urban usage means average fuel economy is still hovering around the 40.6mpg mark.

I have to say that this is one of the politest and helpful cars I’ve ever come across. Not only does it have a good range of driver assistance tech and the ‘Simply Clever’ assortment of features but it also delivers an array of driving tips. One dusky early summer evening not long after I started testing the Skoda, it had me and a passenger in hysterics with its “Please switch on light” request. It’s also very good at getting me to take notice of the need for a eco-minded gear change, if I’ve not noticed the flash on the driver display, with a “ECO TIP: Please check gear change indicator”. Other eco tips also flash up from time to time.

It kind of sums up the Fabia; quietly confident, refined, polished and professional at what it does.

Our Škoda wears the optional (£610) race blue metallic paint

Report 3:

The annual Middleton family pilgrimage to Somerset is always a hard test on any car. A week of accommodating three generations to see family and friends, plus attendant wheelchair/crutches, overpacked luggage and groceries to account for all eventualities and the obligatory pack of Uno.

It’s seen various large SUVs loaded to the gunwales over the years with little room left for a souvenir beach ball on the return.

But the Škoda performed with aplomb. While the 380 litres in the boot were mainly taken up by said wheelchair and soft bags, the capacious rear space meant there was room for a suitcase between the kids – handily stopping them from being able to punch each other mid-journey too. And we made use of the many storage spots, from the sizeable door cubbies and glovebox, to the well-sized centre console and pockets on the back of the seats. All these were shoved full of essentials from food shopping to frisbees.

A particular high point was when a passer-by came up to me while I was parking, purely to admire the car, as he’d been thinking of getting one when his current PCH runs out. As with me, he thought it looked better in the flesh and particularly liked the interior so the Škoda is now top of his list.

The Fabia’s extremely comfortable ride, excellent driving position and physical controls for the dual zone air con – which make it easy to change quick – also made it a winner all-round, particularly on some tight Somerset lanes. The one downside was the lane assist, which is quite brusque when it thinks you’re moving out of lane.

The icing on the cake was getting back with a fuel economy figure for that journey of 49.9mpg – including crawling along in some heavy city traffic for over 40 minutes.

So, practical, frugal and with a touch of flair.

Škoda’s hidden and handy ice scraper is a firm favourite with many drivers

Test 2

Škoda’s hidden and handy ice scraper is a firm favourite with many drivers

I don’t think many people normally look happy when refuelling their car – and certainly not at today’s prices. But anyone who saw me fill up the Škoda for the first time would have clocked a broad smile appear – purely when I saw the ice scraper behind the filler flap. Having a soft spot for the brand and not having driven one for a while, I’d already found some of the ‘Simply Clever’ features, including the iconic tucked-away umbrella and the ticket holder on the A-pillar but I do have a particular fondness for the classic ice scraper. Even if it’s unlikely to come in handy during our test period.

In total, there’s some 42 Simply Clever solutions in the latest Fabia, including debuts such as the wireless charging on our £600 Convenience Package and the USB-C socket on the rear-view mirror, part of our £655 Comfort Package Plus. It’s able to power, say, a dashcam, without the need for cables to hang down.

I’m particularly liking the ‘easy open’ cup holder, which sits between the front seats and accommodates different size cups. The fact that it’s removable was appreciated when my takeaway paper coffee cup for a Jubilee afternoon tea leaked everywhere.

I’m not so impressed by the use of USB-C ports in the front, rather than the usual USB-A, which has thrown me a bit and prompted the need for new cables to charge devices. I know many carmakers are gradually moving to USB-C as it enables higher data and power to flow through and there’s no chance of getting the socket the wrong side up and breaking anything. Wasn’t so great when we first realised that the kids’ tablets were low on charge during a long car journey.

Meanwhile, a quick perusal of the press pack has yielded the fact that the body lines on the front doors replicate the triangle of the Czech flag – I’d spotted the lines but not made any such connection. Always handy to know for impressing friends or a pub quiz.

There are also two different Simply Clever Packages as optional extras, adding in various boot storage features.

Talking of which, despite its class-leading space, the first thing I did was take the variable boot floor on our Comfort Package out as the need to frequently transport a disabled member of the family means I need all available boot space, despite the model’s impressive 380 litres.

I’m also putting the fuel consumption to the test. Going from an EV back to a petrol in the current climate could seem like a recipe for disaster but with the car’s 51.4-55.4 WLTP combined, it could be a lot worse. I’m getting around 33mpg on urban routes and currently averaging 40.7mpg but that’s dropped significantly due to a lot of air con usage in the last week and a predominant shift back to urban driving.

However, I’m easily getting fuel consumption into the 50s on mixed routes with not much effort to be honest and it’s made me wonder how some concerted hypermiling could drive this further…

The Škoda Fabia has joined our long-term test fleet

The Škoda Fabia comes with plenty of horse power

Test 1

The Škoda Fabia has joined our long-term test fleet and taps into key trends among UK car buyers for petrol powertrains and superminis.

Launched at the end of 2021, it’s the fourth generation of Škoda’s supermini and the first to be built on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB-A0 platform – adopted by the Polo some three years ago and also used for the SEAT Ibiza and Audi A1.

It’s built up a reputation over the years as the “practical” and “sensible” one among its class. So even after having seen the reveal pics, I was pleased to spot some nice design touches in the flesh that jazz it up and make it stand out more – particularly for our Colour Edition model that’s targeted at buyers looking for customisation and gadgets. Highlights include the 16-inch black metallic-painted alloys and black roof, B-pillar and door mirrors. Sadly, there is no vRS variant but a sporty Monte Carlo version is available and includes a 150hp 1.5-litre TSI option.

Ours also comes with an optional (£610) race blue metallic paint and a number of extra features (more details later) that push the OTR price to £21,055.

We’ve also opted for the 95hp 1.0-litre TSI petrol with five-speed manual only – it’s one of three petrol-powered engines that make up the full line-up at the moment and one down from the range-topping 110hp 1.0 TSI. The latter is the only one to come with a six-speed manual or DSG.

The new-gen Fabia certainly reinforces its focus on practicality. Thanks to the new platform, it’s quite a lot bigger – 111mm longer and almost 48mm wider – increasing onboard space. Boot capacity, which was already the largest in the segment, is up 50 litres to 380, rising to 1,190 litres with the rear seats folded. The Fabia also comes with 60/40 split folding rear seats.

It also debuts enhanced Simply Clever features – much loved among Škoda drivers – along with new infotainment and safety and assistance systems. Tested by Euro NCAP in late 2021, it earned a five-star rating, including an 85% rating for adult occupants and 81% for children.

Interestingly, Škoda has just announced today that it’s taken action on industry-wide supply chain issues by partially relocating cable harness production from Ukraine to the Czech Republic in close coordination with the affected suppliers. This enables production capacity to be doubled as well as greater flexibility in responding to potential supply bottlenecks – helping circumvent current issues and getting bums on seats faster.

All in all, it’s a model that we’re looking forwards to reporting back on imminently.