Although Skoda's latest Fabia rides on the same chassis and uses much the same engines as the outgoing car, don't let that put you off. In this market, size counts and the Fabia 1.4 16v offers a big car for city car money. It's also one of the best looking superminis too, the restyle breathing fresh life into the range.

Think what you like of Skoda, but the Fabia is the car that dragged the Czech brand up to parity with many of the mainstream marques in the supermini market. The company had built some half decent cars before the Fabia debuted in 2000, but they were judged to looser standards with a condescending pat on the head from the motoring press. An Eastern European car could never cut it up against the best of the best could it? Turns out it could and the latest Fabia turns very good into hands down excellent whether you choose five-door hatch or Estate variants..

It's based on a tried and tested formula, riding on the same chassis as the old car. That was one of the longest models in its class and had the interior space efficiency to capitalise on those extra inches. At the time, anything much larger would have strayed into the next class up - Golf, Astra and Focus family hatchback territory - so it had the supermini market pretty much taped, if space was a priority and you didn't have deep pockets. Since then, Renault's Clio has muscled in on this formula and Skoda has responded - and how. Skoda has demonstrated that budget motoring needn't mean second rate quality.

The 1.4-litre 16v Fabia has something of a problem. It's not that the performance of this engine is objectively poor, merely that the 1.2-litre engine in the Fabia range is such fun that it makes paying more for the bigger powerplant seem an act of wilful extravagance. Where the 70bhp version of the 1.2-litre will get to 60mph in 14.4 seconds and hit a top speed of 102mph, the 84bhp 1.4-litre unit is only slightly quicker and by no means as characterful as the fun-loving three-cylinder 1.2-litre. The sprint to 60mph vanishes in 12.2 seconds and a top speed of 106mph is fair return but how often are you really going to be caning the Fabia until the valves bounce?

"Solid, no-nonsense engineering coupled with fresher more distinctive styling."

The basic underpinnings - a MacPherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear - haven't changed a great deal from the old Fabia but tuning to the damping means this car rides a good deal more smoothly. The steering wheel requires a bit of arm twirling lock-to-lock but it's a decently accurate helm and the gearchange is one of the best in its class. Visibility out of the car is a bit of an issue with the thick pillars but otherwise the Fabia is one of the easiest cars to drive on the market today.

The driving experience may be good but the design touches are, if anything, even better. It's easy to see where Skoda is going with their design language. If you've been paying attention to any of their show cars and concepts in the past few years, the shape of the Fabia will come as no great surprise. The front end mimics that of the Roomster mini-MPV while the rear end is a lot cleaner, offering a more conservative tack than the Roomster's weird kinked window line. In fact, the splayed shoulder line of this car and neatly sawn-off rear pillars aren't dissimilar to the Suzuki Swift. It's a very tidy styling job and serves to make the old Fabia look positively archaic.

It's a notably bigger car too, the subsequent growth of the family hatch in size giving this Fabia a bit more room to let its belt out and remain a fully fledged supermini. Skoda claim more rear knee and headroom than any rival, helped by the fact that the Fabia is 22mm longer and 47mm taller than the model it replaces. Boot capacity stands at an impressive 300 litres with the seats in place or a massive 1,163 litres when they're folded. For the Estate, the figures are 480 litres and 1460 litres.

Despite the success of the Fabia, Skoda still recognise the limits of their badge equity - the upmarket Superb saloon taught them a key, and rather expensive, lesson here - and the Fabia is priced realistically while recognising the need to nudge the brand incrementally upmarket. For some, the £575 premium over the 1.2-litre model will be worth it.

Equipment levels were never the Fabia's strong point, Skoda relying instead on solid no-nonsense build quality. This time round, there are items like electronically-controlled Climatronic air-conditioning and an MP3/iPod-compatible stereo but if you go to your Skoda dealer expecting to be granted a view of the state-of-the-art in small car electronics, you're likely to be disappointed. The confusing trim levels have given way to basic 1,2 and 3 model designations with this 1.4-litre car offered in 2 and 3 forms at £10,395 and £11,555 respectively. There's also an Estate bodystyle at a premium of around £500. Either way, unimpeachable build quality can be taken for granted.

The Fabia has always stood up well when it comes to cost of ownership and this 1.4-litre 16v model is no exception. Fabias have always held very firm when it comes to residual values, used buyers valuing the Volkswagen Group input and resolute build quality. This model features even sturdier perceived build quality than the old model with classier soft finishes inside although it remains to be seen whether the more radical styling will date quicker.

The economy of the 1.4-litre model is rated at 43.5mpg on the combined cycle which is an almost diesel-like return but the petrol engine's fuel figures take a comparatively bigger dive than the diesel's if you either load the car up, drive it uphill or rev it mercilessly. The Fabia can easily carry four full sized adults and you might well find yourself being called into taxi duty as a result. Big might be beautiful but sometimes small can be convenient!

Back in 2000 when the original Fabia was launched, the supermini market consisted largely of stiffs ripe for knocking over. The old versions of the Suzuki Swift and the Renault Clio couldn't hack it, the Fiesta drove well but looked like something trawled off the ocean floor, the Vauxhall Corsa was in its full flush of mediocrity and the Toyota Yaris was really the only serious contender. These days, things are a whole lot more competitive and the Fabia needs to be on top of its game to face down some real talent.

The 1.4-litre 16v version doesn't offer too much over the excellent 1.2-litre petrol car but the modest price step up will see many customers going for the bigger engine. It's doubtful they'll regret their purchase. Solid, no-nonsense engineering coupled with fresher more distinctive styling makes a promising start. Ally that to keen pricing and you have a winner. No wonder Skoda seems so confident.

TOP 5 FABIA DEALS

The results below show the top FABIA deals on buyacar

	Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80 3 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £204	Saving £1,219	Price £11,876
	Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80 Sport 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £183	Saving £1,085	Price £11,030
	Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80 1 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £167	Saving £909	Price £9,916
	Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80 2 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £185	Saving £1,061	Price £10,874
	Skoda Fabia 1.4 16V 2 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £157	Saving £835	Price £9,565

typical 11.22% APR

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