Skoda Fabia - Pictures

With its five-door-only bodystyle, the Fabia is tall and chunky. It lacks the visual sharpness of its rivals, but retains the original’s solidity. Fabia 2 and 3 models get colour-coded wing mirrors and door handles, plus 15-inch

The Skoda’s dash layout is straightforward and well thought out, with a double glovebox and twin cup-holders. The large dials are easy to read, but the air-con switches look and feel old-fashioned. The steering wheel also seems c

Despite the Clio having a longer wheelbase, the well packaged Fabia offers the best rear leg space and decent headroom. Only the range-topping Fabia 3 gets electric rear windows, though, while a centre headrest is a £45 option on

With a 300-litre load space, the Fabia has the biggest luggage capacity and comes as standard with a boot tidier. The rear seat base tumbles forward, and once the headrests are removed, the backs fold to give a flat load area.

There are a few areas where the Fabia feels a little old-fashioned. For example, the fuel cap isn’t part of the central locking – you have to use the key. The radio also suffered from poor reception, but a CD player and MP3