My family were intrigued by the newest arrival to our long term test fleet. Not necessarily because it was a Skoda Fabia. More because it wasn't as you'd expect a Skoda Fabia to be. Perhaps that was the point.

Our test car, after all, has a white roof - yes, like a MINI Cooper. It also has a Porsche-developed Tiptronic semi-automatic gearbox. Yes, you read that right. And it's equipped with all the kinds of things that, to be frank, you simply wouldn't expect to find in an affordable little Czech-produced car. Electronic stability control, headlamps that corner with you, cosseting Climatronic air conditioning and a fiendishly clever trip computer. Superminis have certainly come of age - and so has Skoda.

Of course, we already knew that. We've tried the latest Octavia and Superb models after all. But somehow, it's not really too much of a shock to find modernday sophistication on larger cars like these. On one costing around £12,000, it's more unusual, particularly if you remember the kinds of Skodas that 40-somethings like me grew up with.

Of course, you don't need to pay £12,000 for your Skoda Fabia: prices actually start at around the £8,000 mark, though if you want the fastest 1.6-litre petrol powerplant we opted for, then you're looking at closer to £11,000. With 105bhp, this engine falls between the realms of the sporty and the economical which is likely to limit its appeal. What the 1.6-litre engine can uniquely offer within the context of the Fabia range however, is the aforementioned automatic transmission. And that makes it well worth considering. Certainly, with a self-shifting gearbox installed, the smooth and punchy 1.6-litre engine starts to make more sense.

As a family, we've had to use our Fabia for quite a few long distance journeys - not an obvious choice for this kind of work but the car has in fact shaped up well on the motorway. The gearbox is unobtrusive and the engine has plenty of guts for maintaining a steady speed up inclines. The Fabia doesn't blot out the sound of its engines as well as some other superminis but it rides smoothly and a long periods spent at the wheel are far from uncomfortable. If motorway munching accounts for the major part of your driving, a larger car than the Fabia would be a good idea but the advantage of the Fabia's compact size is that it can also turn its hand to low speed work quite effectively.

"I can tell you from experience that the upholstery fabric wipes clean very easily."

Around town, the automatic gearbox is even more of a boon. I'd forgotten what a chore it is continuously clutching and de-clutching in stop-start traffic before I got this car. Eliminating that at a stroke is very welcome and the Fabia's pointy steering makes it adept a darting through gaps. When you do need to get smartly off the line, the gearbox may be a little slow to respond but as long as you drive smoothly, it acts in a predictable manner. Our Fabia is capable of a 115mph top speed and can tackle the 0-60mph spring in 11.5s which is no more than respectable for a supermini these days. Of course, with the largest petrol engine and an automatic gearbox, you can't expect the best in terms of fuel economy and emissions. Sure enough, this particular Fabia returns 37.7mpg on the combined cycle and 180g/km CO2 emissions.

This car may be small in the grand scheme of things, the Fabia is quite a size by supermini standards. Skoda claim more rear knee and headroom than any rival, helped by the fact that the latest Fabia is 22mm longer and 47mm taller than the model it replaced. Boot capacity stands at an impressive 300 litres with the seats in place or a massive 1,163 litres when they're folded.

My wife wasn't totally convinced by the plastics quality in our car but she did think it very well designed inside - and likely to be hard-wearing. We've put that to the test of course, our Fabia having has to put up with a continual stream, of sticky fingers, McDonalds wrappers and split drink bottles. I can tell you from experience that the upholstery fabric wipes clean very easily, always nice to know.

Overall, as we said in our initial report, the strong basic appeal of Skoda's Fabia shines through the unorthodox specification of our car. This remains a spacious, practical and well-built supermini that acquits itself well across a range of driving conditions. If you must have an automatic gearbox, the Fabia's unit is a good one and the 1.6-litre engine suits it well but together, the two installations don't deliver the performance or the economy that we'd like to see in this type of vehicle.

Still, you have to pay a bit for your pleasure and with this little Czech supermini, the costs of doing so aren't too onerous.

TOP 5 FABIA DEALS

The results below show the top FABIA deals on buyacar

	Skoda Fabia 1.2 12V 1 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £145	Saving £865	Price £8,595
	Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80 GreenLine 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £188	Saving £1,281	Price £11,074
	Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80 2 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £185	Saving £1,243	Price £10,757
	Skoda Fabia 1.6 16V 2 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £187	Saving £1,198	Price £10,497
	Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80 1 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £166	Saving £1,019	Price £9,901

typical 13.23% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000