Skoda Fabia Hatchback (07 on) - Review

Thanks to its tall profile the Fabia offers excellent interior space. There’s loads of room in the front while legroom in the back is impressive for a car of this size and there's good headroom - even for taller passengers. However the middle seat is tight, there's little shoulder room and footspace is limited making it suitable for children only. All the seats are comfortable and supportive though and wind and road noise is low - however the diesel models are particularly noisy – especially at speed.

The Fabia has a bigger boot than most small hatchbacks, plus it comes with folding seats for extra space. There’s a divider to stop smaller items rolling around – useful if you’ve got just one bag of shopping in the back. It’s an easy boot to load too and quite close to the ground while in the front there’s a double air conditioned glove box which is designed for keeping drinks cold. The downside is that it sounds more useful than it actually is - it’s small and not deep enough to be really useful but at least there are two cupholders and bulges in the side pockets large enough for drinks bottles.

The cabin is functional and robust but not particularly stylish. Skoda has attempted to boost the ambience by adding some metal look plastics while lighter trims are also available but while the materials used are good quality the cabin feels a little utilitarian. The switches and controls are well placed though and intuitive to use while the dials are particularly clear and easy to read. Thanks to plenty of adjustment in the driver's seat and steering wheel it's easy to find a comfortable driving position.