I'm currently tooling around in a Skoda Fabia auto, on loan whilst the bodyshop fixes up the Golf; the recent victim of a bit of a falling out with the concrete post it was parked next to (the concrete post won .... convincingly). Since I have some experience of the Fabia's sister model, the Polo and there are quite often people on here in the market for a runaround, I thought I might post a bit of a review....
My initial impression, I have to admit, was one of amusement: It's a Skoda. This raises a smile for me, not because of all the tired old jokes about hand-warming rear windscreens and skips but because I'm reminded of my local Skoda garage. You see, dealers of pretty much any make you'd care to mention have come and gone over the years, each arriving in the same branded whirlwind of glass, steel, cheesy local radio ads and shiny-suited salesmen; only to disappear just as quickly in a greying heap of branded bunting, lying in a puddle.
Not so the chaps from Skoda. For what must be getting on thirty years, these guys have been pushing the Czech Republic's finest from a small row of 1930's semis, with wooden window frames and doors all painted in lively, Skoda Green. The place is wonderfully anachronistic. Nestling uncomfortably between a super-hyper-mega-mart Tesco and a shopping mall, it pays a quaint, stubborn testimony to a friendlier and less corporate time .... You
would buy a second hand car from these people.
So I've declared my interest. On the subject of Skoda's, I'm not entirely neutral but this aside, the car does possess a charm devoid of the Germanic cousin with which its shares its underpinnings. Granted, the design's getting a bit long in the tooth but the combination of angles and curves combine well and still compares favourably with many competitors, it's a look that was clearly ahead of its time. I like it.
Climbing behind the wheel, all is typically Volkswagen. Skodas attempts at differentiating their models from the rest of the VAG parts bin are unconvincing, but they do seem to have picked out some of the nicer details. The gearstick and vents for instance are from a Bora and are significantly nicer than those you'll find in a Polo, or to be honest any other small car; I suppose the upside of getting your dials and switches from the VeeDub surplus store is that provided you're choosy, you get some of the best available anywhere.
The controls are nicely weighted and compare favourably with the featherweight feel of the Polo. It's clear that it's the Skoda that has been engineered with the cumbersome, six-footer in mind and for this I am particularly grateful. Pleasingly, this continues with the driving experience. The engine displaces only 1400cc's and is not what you would call gutsy but it revs freely and is enjoyable to use. From the other VAG products I have driven, it seems to escape both the harshness of the 1600 and the nasty, buzzy nature of the 1.2.
So the engine's pretty competent, but it's the handling that proves the Fabia's strong point. The steering, in common with the rest of the car is nicely weighted and provides a surprising amount of feedback from the road. Grip is acceptable, providing a predictable understeer when the rather skinny tyres decide they've had enough. In short, it's pretty good fun to drive and it won't come back and bite you if you hussle it....which I did. However, I would strongly recommend going for the manual. The auto is the laziest thing this side of France, to the point where its hesitancy could find you in the sticky stuff if you decide to chance your arm at a junction. I'm not kidding, putting your foot down in this thing is a good chance to catch up on your reading.
For those not in the drivers seat, the Fabia provides a pretty roomy, if somewhat gloomy environment. For its size, its a pretty spacious car that manages to do without the elephant-like proportions of the Clio or 207, both of whom seem to have been overindulging on the Croque Madame of late. It's well packaged, and will prove practical for those needing to carry passengers .... just don't go overboard on luggage. It'll happily swallow the weekly shop but is unlikley to meet the needs of a Druish princess....As the line goes: "Take only what you need to survive".
In all, thumbs up. The Fabia is a thoroughly charming, friendly little car and if I were in the market, one that I would be more than happy to buy for myself .... from our throughly charming, friendly little dealer. 8/10.
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"Forward", he cried, from the rear, and the front rank died.
And the General sat, and the lines on the map moved from side to side.
