Škoda Fabia 1.0 DSG - What does the Fabia stand for these days?
This or a Volkswagen Polo? 10 years ago, the popular choice was the Polo. But is the Fabia becoming more the go-to car? Let’s find out.
What is the Fabia?
It sure looks a lot more “premium” compared to what a Škoda used to look like, back in the day. But does it also feel more premium? Only one way to find out…
Since I’m not very familiar with the brand, I had to ask myself the following question, in order to properly evaluate the car; what does the target audience expect from this Škoda Fabia?
I quickly found out that it’s the following; a comfortable, affordable (!), and practical daily driver. And most of all, it has to be economical.
Let’s divide these into different subjects, down here.
But first, take a quick look at some wonderful details this Fabia is equipped with!
Comfy or bumpy?
Some small cars might suffer from bouncing quite a lot on the harsh Belgian roads but to my surprise, the Fabia was giving me a very good feeling, as if it absorbed every bump in the road. What it did extremely well, was highway cruising. Cruise control was set at 120 km/h (of course), and I could enjoy a worry-less drive. The DSG did a flawless job of getting me to the speed, as it is known for. I found the sound isolation to be great, when comparing it to its rivals, such as the VW Polo.
What did I surprisingly like? Well, that it had curb-friendly wheels… This was next-level handy for tight curbs!
And not to forget, is the digital dash of course. I liked how minimalistic it is, and how easy everything is to read. No BS, just straight to the point. I like that.
Then there’s the steering itself. The “riding on a cloud” feeling is only in a straight line unfortunately, because as soon as you turn into a corner… The car has a lot of body-roll. That’s what you get when you compensate for all those big bumps. So much so that it almost made me nauseous at one point.
But the seats, I like the seats! These were very “squishy” and nice to sit on. They even had the looks of a bucket seat… Well done!
So is it comfy? It exceeded my expectations for this segment for sure, but it’s not up there, yet.
Affordable or expensive?
The very base version comes in at 18.240€, which will get you a 1.0 engine, with a manual transmission. I had the 1.0 with a DSG, and a few options. So it comes in at around 20k. It is worth it? I would say yes, since these cars still go for around 13-15k after a few years, especially with how the second hand market is going at the moment. If you are choosing this as a lease/company car, it would for sure be a budget-friendly option for most.
Can it fit in my unnecessary things?
Yes!! To my surprise, I took this thing to IKEA, and was able to fit in a whole closet (divided into different boxes of course). One box was sticking out towards the front, but I used that as an extra arm rest, haha. The bootspace provides a good 1,150 litres, with the rear seats folded down.
Other than that, I often had rear passengers along, and they had no complaints. One of them even literally told me “it’s spacious in here, and I can even charge my phone!” (This guy had a pre-war state of mind, excuse me for that). But isn’t that exactly what Skoda wants their customers to experience? “Just enough”?
Summary
Last but not least, let’s touch up on the economical part of the car. I was able to average 6.2 l/100km. That’s great, right? The good thing is, that the engine likes to keep itself in low rpm’s. So you will rarely find yourself in high rpm’s. Other cars in the segment I know, consume way more than this Fabia. So thumbs up for that one Škoda!
Other than that, this car felt like the ideal daily driver, or even ideal first car for someone (young). It’s not sporty at all, but it is safe and civilized. What else do you need?
