Living with a Skoda Fabia 130: everything I love about this sporty hatchback, plus a few things I don’t

Three months ago, when my old Skoda Octavia vRS Estate was driving off into the distance, I turned to look at my new Skoda Fabia 130 and started to wonder if it was going to feel like a step backwards. It’s not a proper vRS after all.

But after a trouble-free 3,500 miles with the car, I don’t feel like I’ve been relegated to the cheap seats. I reckon the Fabia 130 could be ideal for those looking to downsize, but don’t want to downgrade.

Here are three things I love about this car, plus three features which annoy me.

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Three good things about the Skoda Fabia 130

Let’s start with the positives, because there’s a lot to like about this car. It looks great, is averaging around 51mpg and is usefully practical for such a small car, but here are my three favourite features.

1. The simple interior

The current Fabia has been around for a while now, and as a result the interior doesn’t look quite as high-tech as some Chinese alternatives, such as the Chery Tiggo 4. However, I see this as a good thing.

It has a sensible-sized screen with wireless phone mirroring, a useful digital driver’s display with enough information on it and plenty of proper knobs and buttons for all the important features. No massive tablets, no distracting menus. It’s just easy to get along with.

2. It’s a comfortable cruiser

When I was growing up in the early 2000s, small cars like this were best-suited to town. Now though, the Skoda Fabia is perfectly capable of covering mega motorway miles with ease. It’s not quite as quiet or comfy as my old Octavia, but it’s not so far off that it bothers me.

Admittedly, the basic 1.0-litre engine you get in lower-spec Fabias is a bit weedy for motorway work. If you’re planning to use your car for regular long-distance jaunts, I’d go for either the 150hp 1.5-litre petrol engine or the 177hp version in my 130 model.

3. Everything just works properly

This may sound like a weird observation, but hear me out. About a year ago, I was living with a Volvo EX30. That car was lovely a lot of the time, but it was equally infuriating. The complicated buttonless key fob often refused to let me into the car, an issue managing editor Darren Cassey is also having with his Volvo ES90, and the screen would often glitch out, refusing to pair with my phone or sometimes boot up at all. A lot of new cars are getting too complicated for their own good.

Even my old Octavia would sometimes refuse to load Android Auto, but the Fabia has been trouble-free. The keyless entry always works flawlessly, the screen does as it’s supposed to and the safety systems aren’t overly intrusive. You can also turn them off easily using a button on the steering wheel.

It’s a car which is hard to write about, because there are no funny foibles or sensational headlines to be had – it just gets on with the job. If you’re looking for a new car which is easy to live with, the Fabia is hard to beat.

Three annoying things about the Skoda Fabia 130

As much as I like this car, it’s not perfect. Here are three things which grind my gears.

1. The automatic gearbox

There are times where I’d prefer to have a manual gearbox in this car, because the seven-speed auto isn’t the best. In normal mode, it’s hesitant at junctions and slow to kick down. Putting it in sport mode fixes those issues to a degree, but then it holds onto gears for too long and you end up screaming down the local high street at 3,000 rpm.

I have a gripe with the gear selector situation as well. I don’t mind that it has an old-school lever, but there’s a row of buttons flanking it which you can’t see when you’re in drive. These control the auto stop-start and drive modes, two things I press a lot. Skoda could’ve swapped them to the other side for right-hand drive markets, but it didn’t.

2. The interior materials

I’m not going to moan about a small hatchback having scratchy plastics on the doors and dashboard – that’s to be expected. What’s annoying is the weird carbon-effect material. I quite like it on the dashboard, but it’s also on the seats. Not only does it look tacky here, it’s a vinyl-like substance which gets really hot in the sun. Getting in on a summer’s day feels like my sides are being gripped by fire-warmed barbeque tongs.

I’m not a fan of the shiny black plastic on the centre console either, because it’s already scuffed-up something chronic. It lets the otherwise solid cabin down.

3. It’s just a bit dull

As I said above, this is a fantastic car if you’re after something sensible and easy to live with. However, this 130 version is meant to be a sporty hot hatch, and in this respect it doesn’t quite hit the mark.

It handles fine, but it’s not agile enough to induce a grin. It’s also quick, but the groan you get from the engine as you rev it out doesn’t encourage holliganism. I don’t reckon it’s worth the near-£6,000 premium over the Monte Carlo model. That car looks pretty much the same, and does all the normal, boring car stuff just as well.

That said, you can currently save almost £4,900 on a new Skoda Fabia 130 through Carwow when you buy one on PCP finance, bringing the price down to just over £25,000. At that price, if you’re after a sporty-looking small hatchback which is comfortable, economical and and easy to live with, the Fabia 130 is worth a punt.

Living with a Skoda Fabia 130 report 2: first impressions after one month

I’ve covered around 2,000 miles in the first month with my Fabia 130, taking in a mixture of town driving, twisty roads and a lot of motorways.

Just like the standard Fabia, the 130 is impressively refined for a small car, with wind and road noise kept to a minimum. The larger 18-inch alloy wheels do make it feel a bit more fidgety over broken surfaces, but I reckon it’s worth it for the looks.

I do really like the styling upgrades on this car. The black strip across the tailgate has been controversial in the Carwow office, but I happen to think it looks good. The additional fins on the spoiler are also unique to the 130, as are the twin tailpipes.

I’ve also been averaging an impressive 51mpg over the past month, bang on what Skoda claims it’ll do. That’s great for my wallet, but every now and then I’ll remember that this is supposed to be a hot hatch. This is where the car falls down, because I think it’s a bit too sensible for its own good.

Other than the engine, which is the same 1.5-litre unit you get in the standard Fabia tuned from 150hp to 180hp, there aren’t many changes. The suspension is basically the same as you get on the Monte Carlo model. This means it’s slightly lower, but it’s still not all that engaging through the bends.

Speaking of the engine, it may have plenty of power, but it doesn’t deliver it in an especially exciting way. There’s no sense of urgency when you put your foot down, it just gradually builds speed and makes a pretty unpleasant groaning noise as it does.

Combine these two things together, and I never feel obliged to drive this car in a particularly spirited way. It feels much more at-home pootling around in comfort.

I am enjoying my time with the Fabia 130, mostly because it does all the sensible small car stuff really well, while also looking cool. But at almost £31,000 as tested, about the same as the faster Volkswagen Polo GTI, I’m yet to be convinced that you wouldn’t be better off saving a few grand and getting the similar-looking Monte Carlo version instead.

*Savings are made up of the maximum dealer discount off RRP – subject to dealership, location and trim. Prices correct at the time of writing.

Report 1: Introduction to my new Skoda Fabia 130

Let’s get to know my new Skoda Fabia 130. It’s a special edition which was built to celebrate Skoda’s 130th birthday, and under the bonnet is a tuned version of the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine you can get in the standard car.

It usually makes 150hp, but Skoda has added bits from the North American version of this engine to up the power to 177hp. This is fed to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, and 0-60mph takes 7.4 seconds. That’s exactly the same as a Ford Puma ST.

You also get a handful of styling upgrades which help the 130 look more sporty. Those 18-inch alloy wheels are an optional extra on the Fabia Monte Carlo, but they come as standard here. You also get a different roof spoiler with some additional fins, twin tailpipes and deeper front and rear bumpers.

This colour is called Race Blue, a no-cost option, and it’s paired with a contrasting black roof. I reckon it looks great; suitably aggressive without being over the top.

My car is fitted with a few nice optional extras. I have adaptive cruise control, a must-have in my book because it makes long drives much more relaxing, as well as the Winter Premium pack. This gives you heated seats, a heated steering wheel and a heated windscreen. I didn’t think I’d make much use of this in late April, but to my surprise I’ve encountered a couple of frosty mornings in this car.

The Simply Clever Plus package adds some handy nets and dividers in the boot, and I also have an optional spare wheel.

These options add just over £1,500 to the price, so as tested this car costs £31,545. That makes it around £2,500 cheaper than a Ford Puma ST, and it’s also very close to the Volkswagen Polo GTI.

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