Skoda Fabia hatchback 2015-2019 review - Carbuyer

Skoda Fabia hatchback review: bit.ly/JY9jML
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"The new Skoda Fabia offers loads of kit and plenty of space, but isn’t quite as cheap to buy as the old model."
Watch our latest video: bit.ly/carbuyervideos
Skoda Fabia hatchback prices and specs: bit.ly/1DSvPLN
Volkswagen Polo review: bit.ly/1EXozAi
Ford Fiesta review: bit.ly/1KpvKEz

[@fingerhorn4]

I cannot see how the interior is "budget" compared to, say, the Fiesta, which is full of cheap plastics and the central dash controls look like they came out of the 1960s. The Fabia's trim is much more elegant and refined. Who cares less about a bit of body roll? I'd rather have that than crashing over potholes. The constant comparison to the Fiesta by the motoring press is becoming quite tedious. The Fiesta is good. But it has very cheap trim and the shape is to some extremely ugly. The Fabia is ditching its pensioner image and is turning into a very impressive car. The TSi and TDi engines give it some poke that it badly needed.

[@SimplyReg]

This is the first review I've seen that calls the gearbox "notchy" - most others refer to it being light, smooth and positive!

[@oddities-whatnot]

Sick of reviewers comparing everything to a Fiesta. Are they paid by Ford or something? Not everyone wants a gimmicky car filled with lots of silly buttons aimed at 18 year olds. Some of us prefer refinement and comfort and a mature driving experience. Thats not to say we are all dull and boring over the age of 40 but these reviews are always so biased towards younger drivers, as if they think us older folk are not interested in buying cars. Very one sided.

[@hiyaimamelia]

Ernie Flannel I’m a young driver and I can’t stand the sporty look of a Ford Fiesta, I prefer something much more comfort focused.

[@existinguser7788]

@@hiyaimamelia Same, I'm only 17 and looking to get a slightly older version of the Fabia. Had a look at fiestas but it just seems super mainstream and I'm 6'2 so I look and feel way too squished

[@Whiponized]

Simon George I’m 13

[@abarthpz]

Skoda is making cracking cars lately, very good styling and a lots of clever solutions, they got pretty high on my shopping list...thumps up

[@TSpike73]

I'm definitely a Skoda fan, but if I see another reviewer getting all excited over the ice scraper I'll... I'll post a youtube comment about it! :D

[@johnhodge1263]

Indeed I prefer to secure long handled snow/ice clearer in boot when winter arrives.

[@Suasexed]

That interior does not look like an interior from a budget brand! Seriously love, have you been in a Sandero?

[@MrMrMrCaf]

Tom Lee shes talking about hyundai,kia and the french brands..this fabia is expensive

[@Suasexed]

+MrMrMrCaf She's comparing like for like then, because neither Hyundai or Kia are considered budget these days.

[@domagoj5455]

Tom Lee Hyundai and Kias have better interior than this Skoda, that's for sure.

[@fifthgear93]

Tom Lee The interior looks perfectly fine to me.

[@MrMrMrCaf]

fifthgear93 looks and quality are two separate things...this is about the hard plastics in the interior

[@carbuyer]

Check out our video of the Skoda Fabia. It's more expensive, but that interior just can't quite match the quality of the Volkswagen - do you think Skoda will return to being an inexpensive, budget brand, or will become as premium as VW?

[@eyeballseesaws]

Why do you never say the starting prices in your videos? I know the full prices are on your website but it would be helpful just to hear roughly how much the cars cost.

[@eyeballseesaws]

***** oh yeah thanks

[@Loop44]

Carbuyer - biased reviews, always.

[@teeminger5111]

15 cant wait to start driving at 18 and looking at an older model of one of these at my first car

[@devvemula8682]

Yeah, Same 1 year now am using this car, It's a great one to have for beginners

[@Jaykae_t]

Why are we still having new cars without full electric windows yet? That's something that should be bog standard

[@derbigpr500]

Jordan Because it's irrelevant and for the same money you can get other much more usable options. I don't remember the last time I even opened the rear windows in my car.

[@Tomskii5]

derbigpr500 I'm sorry but the mechanism that they use at VAG is cheap as ****, they buy those in thousands so I mean.. they could put it in the back without any problem and still ask the same price.But yeah, their profit margin would be 1 EUR less. xD

[@verliebt3465]

Tomskii5 if anything, manual window cranes are lighter than electric ones, and never fail. can still be used with a flat battery, or the battery missing. I have a mazda 2, previous generation, it has electric windows in front and manual in the back, doesn't bother me even the slightest.

[@Tomskii5]

Verliebt Fair enough

[@q3b26]

derbigpr500 I open my rear windows all the time! I always open the front and rear window equally because it evens the airflow and doesn't push it into my face.

[@mountsnowdon78]

on your website you show a fabia hatchback in a bright yellow paint. what model is that ? I can`t seem to find that colour on the skoda site...

[@Teabohnsteak]

Could you do a review of the Fabia Estate? Would be great :)

[@LiamS94]

You kinda got it wrong with "Skoda is not a budget brand anymore"... If you want a Volkswagen on a budget then you go Skoda. Not that that's a bad thing. I know it might seem like they're trying to go more upmarket and target a younger audience with more brash styling but they still are the budget end of the VW group... the cheapest Fabia is £10,600, compared with the cheapest Polo which is £11,300, cheapest Ibiza which is £11,355 and the cheapest A1 which is £14,315. That is cheap for a VW group car

[@CENTURION.CARPATIC]

Forgot to put the links for the two videos in the clip.

[@sparkss4]

Hi Ginny, That was a good review - more balanced than I expected considering you all basically work for VAG now. How would you rate the Fabia for noise insulation - road/wind/motor noise at highway speeds?

[@jaywhitney789]

just ordered a new one the estate

[@00toby00grigg00]

Not sure if voice break at 0:02

[@g00dfeeling]

Because of Fabia or Polo we know that Clio and 208 are beautiful. Fiesta and C3 are in the middle and AR MiTo is pure art.

[@douthinkesawus]

having tried it, there is no legroom in the back if you have tall drivers. very disappointed with ride and price.

[@teenracer16657]

Gotta bring mat back for reviews.

[@Tambo74]

It's a pretty solid car by the looks of it, talking of looks.. well it's probably the type of car only a grandmother could love. The only thing i like about it is the steering wheel and the radio Ugly as Sin but reliable. 5/10

[@LRS905]

I´ll have to find the Fiesta review. Since they always say "it is not as sporty as the Fiesta", I wonder what will they compare the Fiesta to, lol

[@Britishfever456]

4:56 looks like an old school cassette player there!!

[@air9bloodhand]

please do a lexus ct200

[@pdmmdk]

So the Skoda isn't a budget brand anymore? Well...I disagree. This might not be the case in the UK, but in other countries Skoda is sold as the much cheaper alternative, compared to other brands in the VW group. In e.g. Denmark prices gradually increase as you go from Skoda, to Seat, to VW and finally (the most expensive) Audi. So things within the VW group and whether they should have upmarket feels at Skoda is a rather complex matter given the setup they currently have.

[@eyeballseesaws]

pdmmdk That's the same here, Škoda is just more expensive than it used to be compared to other brands.

[@pdmmdk]

JoeKyle You're right and maybe I was not being so precise. Of course Skoda is no Dacia (real budget brand), but it's the budget brand within the VW group. So naturally there have to be some minor differences to justify the price gap between brands

[@eyeballseesaws]

pdmmdk yeah

[@shroomyesc]

pdmmdk Not really a budget brand here anymore either. There are much cheaper alternatives to škoda, and škoda is similiar to bmw in the case that when you start adding options, the price racks up very quickly.

[@RickACG]

JoeKyle I think what she means is that it's now too expensive to be considered a budget brand, no matter if VW is still more expensive than Skoda.

[@remake1990]

Hi carbuyer i wonder when you guys will say "this is the perfect car" .... always there are negatives

[@TechReflex]

I miss Rebecca :(

[@WrexelsWorld]

A decent enough review done in a "matter of fact" manner however it does not follow the Carbuyer template/formula that Mat and Rebecca have followed faithfully in the past - it's less of a Carbuyer-type review because of that.

[@NathanSijpkes]

Wonder when the RS will come out

[@joshbacon8241]

I'm afraid there won't be a vRS version of the 2015-present Skoda Fabia, because while the previous generation Fabia vRS (2010-2014) may have been critically well received by motoring journalists, unfortunately it only accounted for 3% of total Fabia sales worldwide, and because of this, Skoda decided *not* to do a vRS version for the 2015-present Fabia, and even the 2018 facelift won't get the vRS treatment either, which is a shame... 😢 But there is the Monte Carlo version which basically combines the sporty looks of a vRS with the running costs of a normal Fabia.

[@wolves862]

im sick of hearing about fiesta yes indeed its great to drive but practicality it lacks hardley any boot space and if u carry passenengers u need to take small annarexic ppl in the back as its well cramped

[@yamahaevo]

No sound isolation

[@Lo0o0odak]

I was thinking about buying a new Fabia this year, but now I started to think about new i30... I really can't decide

[@shroomyesc]

Darko Marjanović Rather buy the new i30, most likely better quality, but i personally prefer a kia cee'd, but you make your choice. Rather i30 than this because the value for money is much better.

[@Lo0o0odak]

I love Kia because I think you get more than you pay for. I have considered cee'd, but I have to say i prefer i30 design over cee'd

[@shroomyesc]

Darko Marjanović I suppose, but remember, you spend more time on the inside than the outside

[@tomasmalin]

Darko Marjanović i30 is higher class, so it might have a bit better materials in the interior, more space and better chassis, but I don't like its asian design (interior and exterior). Fabia has great 1.2 TSI engine, optionally cool colors and wheels and nice interior.

[@MirosawJurdeczka]

upgrade your car to se version for climat control yet no electric powered rear door windows? this is a joke :)

[@zarys76]

ładne autko :)

[@Raprada]

Where the hell is Brian Cooley?

[@oddities-whatnot]

Riswan Ahmad P. Who?

[@pobehlicaCaptava]

👍Škoda Fabia👋🤓

[@Ioanides001]

the practical proposition for the practical people. but is it enough? not so cheap, definitely not cheerful and the badge just says you were looking hard at the cash difference that would've got you an audi or at least a polo...

[@TerribleTimes]

VW, please bring Skoda to Canada! or Seat...

[@TerribleTimes]

low quality, are you on crack? we need more competition in the NA car market. and besides, VW is super high quality, you ever heard of Buggati, Audi, Porsche, they are all VW group products. You don't know anything if you believe what you just said....

[@TommyT_]

Aircon isn't standard? Ridiculous

[@khaledb.611]

she forgot to say : manual AC is standard, automatic AC (like we can see in the video) is in option

[@Iamthealmighty]

I'm pretty sure she meant the boot is bigger than Fiesta's boot, not Focus. I have a Focus, and the boot is huge....hello?

[@MrVineEye]

Ford focus boot = 316L Skoda Fabia boot = 330L So it's bigger than fiesta and focus on boot space.

[@jagman999]

The current focus has 316 litres, so less than this Fabia and way less than the previous Focus.

[@ponygt6629]

Garbis Tapacian I am a Ford guy but I all admit it, Ford is SHIT when it comes to practicality and attention to detail Ford is in process of developing new C and B platforms that will rival new Golf,Polo etc for space,comfort,quality.... Till then though a little bit boring the VAG boys are light years better than Fords

[@Iamthealmighty]

Sorry i forgot to mention mine is an older model...Ghia 2007. Boot is huge...it dwarfs most hatchbacks of today.

[@ponygt6629]

Garbis True, old gen Fords were far far better than the current ones,It feels like Ford has done something that shrunk the interiors, The old Mondeo,Focus,Fiesta all had more space inside than current gen Mondeo,Focus,Fiesta, Pity on British engineers,very poor in managing space, And when some Brazilian engineers showed how to make space inside Fords B platform with the Ecosport the pompous foolish British population was too busy complaining about its plastics,dynamics etc Pity on Euroleans as a whole,specially British, too proud of themselves.

[@arsleneloualich7608]

Me too, I Miss Rebecca and Matt as well, don't see the point of hiring this one though. Can't watch Carbuyer anymore ...

[@MuhammadAli-hr1bj]

It's nearest rival is the VW Polo, all the rest still lag behind.

[@RandallSlick]

It's OK I suppose. I drove a 2004 VRs for 3 years. It was fantastic. Then Skoda, after the hopeless petrol replacement, dropped it. I don't think I can ever forgive them for that.

[@Nick22051]

I think this tire pressure thing is now a european law, because nobody checks his tire pressure. However best Fabia yet!

[@andrewshields5322]

tyre

[@kadeodonnell9068]

I would prefer a Corsa or a Clio.

[@eyeballseesaws]

Kade O'Donnell I would prefer a Perodua Kelisa.

[@eyeballseesaws]

Firemarioflower I know. Not even joking! It would just be a more interesting motor!

[@eyeballseesaws]

Just would be more interesting on the whole!

[@hectorheath9742]

Pleased that you mention the most important consideration first, the ice scraper. That's all I needed to know, no need to watch further (yawn).

[@alukardFE]

To loud inside

[@kakadots]

"Allay wheels"

[@livc44411]

Does everything well but soooo dull..There are much better alternatives out there for the money

[@mariolosberg4257]

Interior in Skoda is quality,but design?! It look's like it is made in year 2000.. !!

[@Mr11ESSE111]

Škoda is expensive now and not cheap anymore!! it costs more than any French car of that class and more or same like Fiesta,Ibiza,Corsa ,Hyundai ,micra.. infact only Polo and Ibiza costs more

[@Mr11ESSE111]

ThePc Gamer your stupid brain is bulkan ,mwahahhaha

[@Mr11ESSE111]

ThePc Gamer you are stupid fool without brain and your brain is bulkan ,mwahahaha

[@snvdsjulian8090]

I personally think that the Skoda Fabia is really better than a VW Golf (Means the high Featureline in the Fabia with another dashboard and seats...). But the Monte Carlo Line is a bit too red you know... At least I would say that you really try to draw an hierarchy for stupid people... In the Audi A3 is for example more plastic and really 6 HTP more than in the highest engine on the Fabia... Surprise 🎆🎇

[@theodorelk3674]

why all VW Group car are designed to be ugly as they can...skoda was much interesting in 1980, when the engine at the back :) it looks like a good refrigerator, who does its job very good, this is the all emotion that i can say about this car :) what is the aim of two tone painting on this car!!! is it mini cooper s, WTF!!!

[@Whiponized]

Ahaha ahaha

[@Gaudine]

So much plastic in that car.

[@TonyyHD]

princeworm as every cars for this price range, what are you expecting ?

[@gonnabeok]

princeworm do you expect a leather dashboard in a budget city car?

[@Gaudine]

TonyyHD Wrong not every car..

[@Gaudine]

supersonic "Budget city car" that's just an excuse. I expect fucking gold with diamonds yes.

[@TonyyHD]

princeworm Give examples then

[@yamahaevo]

Why is there always talk about sport feelings? Bs reviewers

[@Jaykae_t]

First 😘

[@demotius]

Jordan OOOO.. Mom wheres the camera!?!

[@gonnabeok]

Jordan idiot here.

[@stanthesteelguitarman8228]

Do you really need that damned annoying drum in your video?

[@Kiret123]

oap car

[@domagoj5455]

this Fabia is ridiculous. It has the same price of slightly bigger Hyundai i20, weaker standard equipment, lesser quality and uglier interior, weaker handling and slower 0-100kmh acceleration with same HP (75KS) (14.7s of Skoda versus 13.6s of i20). And i20 has one of the best designs in class, in my opinion the best. TSI engine is better though, but then more expensive and i20 will get turbo engine.

[@ktmad]

***** I was about to rant at you until you mentioned the TSI, I remember driving the 1.2 60bhp and it sounded like a tractor and definitely nowhere near as good as the previous i20 1.2. But hey, the 1.2 TSI 105bhp.. I have my eyes on that!