Skoda Fabia engines, driving and performance

Much like the Volkswagen Polo it shares parts with, the Skoda Fabia has always managed to feel like a bigger, more expensive car than it is from behind the wheel. By that, we mean it’s assured and stable, not that it feels like a second-world-war tank down a country road. In fact, it’s very easy to drive down a narrow lane, and it’s easy to park in town thanks to standard-fit parking sensors.

We had no complaints whatsoever about the Fabia’s driving experience. The response from the gearbox and steering are positive and both are well weighted. For normal everyday driving, you wouldn’t be left wanting from the Fabia.

The only reason you might not enjoy the Fabia’s driving experience is if you want something more fun. The Ford Fiesta and SEAT Ibiza are both a little bit sharper, a little more driver-focused, but the Fabia is more comfortable than both of those cars.

The Fabia’s ride comfort puts many costlier cars to shame. It’s really comfortable for a small and affordable car, with an excellent ability to smooth out big impacts and poor road surfaces. You’d have no issues taking this on a long journey – and you’d probably feel fairly relaxed at the end of it.

What’s more, the engine is noticeably quiet, and even at speed you don’t get an awful lot of wind or tyre noise.

There isn’t a dud in the Fabia’s engine lineup. The entry-level 1.0-litre ‘MPI’ engine is slow but it sits in the lowest possible insurance group, so it should be one of the cheapest cars to insure. Cars with this engine are cheaper to buy, too, and the simplicity of the engine design means it should be the most reliable in the coming years.

It officially manages 53mpg, so it’ll be cheap to refuel as well. However, it feels underpowered and you’ll need to rev it hard to get up to A-road or motorway speeds, which’ll impact your real-world fuel economy.

We’d recommend the 1.0-litre TSI engine to most buyers. This has a turbocharger strapped on for much easier performance, which makes the Fabia keener to get up to speed. You won’t feel like you’re struggling to keep up with traffic. The throttle response is near-instant, making the Fabia feel willing to accelerate. This TSI engine also promises to be more economical than the non-turbo MPI engine, returning up to 56mpg.

Our test car had the 1.0-litre TSI engine, and its vibration and noise were really well suppressed. It all adds to the Fabia’s sophisticated feel.

At the top of the range is a 1.5-litre TSI engine with 150hp. This is the best engine for lots of motorway driving, as it gives a broader spread of power than the 1.0, which can feel a little out of its depth if you ask for full beans at motorway speeds. However, the 1.5 engine is likely to be unnecessarily powerful and expensive to buy for the majority of buyers – even if it still manages up to 54mpg.

An automatic gearbox is standard on the 1.5 and optional on the higher-powered 1.0 engine.

The mid-range 1.0-litre TSI engine is available with 95hp or either 110hp/116hp (depending on the age of the car). We tested the 95hp version and found it more than powerful enough for the Fabia. It feels like it has more power than 95hp, although we’d still be tempted to step up to the more powerful version because it has a six-speed manual gearbox versus the five-speed manual in the 95hp version.

The 95hp version takes a respectable 10.7 seconds to cover the 0-62mph sprint, while the higher-output version knocks that down to about 9.5 seconds. This is noticeably quicker than the entry-level non-turbo engine, which takes a glacial 16 seconds to reach the same speed.

Step up to the 1.5 engine and you’ll crack the 0-62mph sprint in a brisk eight seconds flat, giving the Fabia a warm hatch quality. Spec the Monte Carlo trim for the sportiest Fabia flavour.