| SKODA'S latest Fabia is proof, if it were needed, that | | | | rest assured that though the pedal travel may be long |
| you really can have your cake and eat it! And their | | | | there's plenty bite at the end to stop you safely. |
| recipe for success is in building a car that's one of the | | | | There's plenty engine choice in the range - seven in |
| best value for money machines in the supermini class. | | | | fact - the least swift being the 1.2 litre three cylinder |
| Although some might question whether the Fabia is | | | | 60bhp unit in our test car, an engine used in other VW |
| really a supermini, because there's not a lot miniscule | | | | Group products. There's a thrummy quality to the |
| about its dimensions. It offers you a healthy sized slice | | | | engine note, and it has to be said that in town it's |
| of metal which will carry a family of four in adequate | | | | perfectly adequate. It's just left lacking a bit when the |
| comfort and with room to spare. Probably why the | | | | road opens out a bit and the traffic thins out, which is |
| original car, launched seven years ago, has been such | | | | where its breathing thins out and it gets a bit like the |
| a hit in the UK. Buyers here have snapped up over | | | | wheezy fat boy trying to keep up with the rest on the |
| 130,000 of them and more than 1.5 million have been | | | | school cross country run. Using the cake analogy it |
| built in that time. And it's won a shelf full of awards. | | | | doesn't exactly put the zip in the marzipan but then |
| The latest model, launched earlier this year, majors on | | | | there are plenty others to choose from if you feel the |
| the benefits of the previous Fabia as it takes on the | | | | need for a bit more speed. People opt for a Skoda for |
| likes of the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Renault | | | | a variety of reasons - value for money, reliability and |
| Clio in the battle for sales, and starts at a competitive | | | | overall user friendliness. The latest Fabia ticks all those |
| £7,990 for the entry level 1.2 HTP 1. It has a | | | | boxes and this one in particular, while only the entry |
| decent amount of standard equipment in a CD player, | | | | level model, proved a comfortable enough method of |
| ABS, power steering, immobiliser and dual front airbags, | | | | transport, and an economical one too. Its extra urban |
| but obviously sacrifices have to be made to keep the | | | | figure is a shade under 59mpg which means that as |
| price down, so you won't find remote centre locking | | | | well as not costing a lot to buy it won't cost a fortune |
| and electric door mirrors on the Fabia 1, the lowest trim | | | | to run either. Oh, and it's insurance group 1 into the |
| level. And I was briefly left wondering if they'd | | | | bargain. So, a neatly styled five door hatch that's a |
| forgotten the brakes as well on first acquaintance, as | | | | definite improvement over its predecessor. Piece of |
| they proved to be a bit softer than I'm used to. But | | | | cake really. |