SWEET STEERER
Quality European hatchback is expensive but well equipped and fun to drive
Drive-away prices for small automatic hatchbacks have climbed in recent years. You’ll need $25,490 to take home a new Suzuki Swift, $27,000 for a bargain-basic Mazda2 or Toyota Yaris and $33,000 for a Volkswagen Polo. Hyundai, Ford and Honda no longer offer the i20, Jazz or Fiesta locally, finding that a sustainable business case could not be made for their compact machines.
That’s not the case for Skoda. Volkswagen’s value-focused cousin launched an updated Fabia this week, pitching the car as a single automatic hatchback priced from $37,990 drive-away.
No, that’s not a typo. And no, this is not a high-performance hot hatch but it does have a decent engine and plenty of standard features.
This feels like a bold strategy for a model that previously opened the batting order with a manual Fabia priced from $15,990 drive-away, complete with auto emergency braking and a touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
Skoda defends its eye-watering price by saying the majority of customers “overlooked standard cars for higher-spec ones”, and that the average price paid for one of its cars has climbed by $13,000 since 2007.
Skoda estimates there is an extra $15,200 in equipment within the new Fabia Monte Carlo that replaces an older model sold from $29,490
drive-away. But it also replaces cheaper models sold for far less than that, as there is no entrylevel model in the Fabia range.
In any case, the Skoda makes a strong first impression. Handsome 18-inch wheels and crisp exterior details meet a cabin that borrows from Volkswagen’s GTI handbook. It looks and feels premium in a way few city cars can match.
A black headliner sets the mood for a sporty theme offset by bright red highlights across the dashboard and well-bolstered sports seats.
People want more from their cars in 2022, which is why the Fabia is loaded with a 10.25inch digital dash, 9.2-inch central touchscreen and modern luxuries such as wireless phone charging, wireless smartphone mirroring and dual-zone climate control.
There are air vents in the front and rear, along with USB-C charging points.
Safety is accounted for by an impressive array of tech including auto emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerts.
There’s more under the bonnet than you’ll find in most city car alternatives. Powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo engine, the Fabia serves up impressive 110kw and 250Nm outputs. Drive goes to the front wheels through a quick-shifting dual-clutch automatic transmission (there is no manual option) that contributes to impressive 4.9L/100km official fuel economy.
It reaches 100km/h in a decent 8.0 seconds, but you have to fill it with premium unleaded.
British buyers can pay half the money asked for a Monte Carlo and get one that takes twice as long to reach 100km/h. But you forget about the basic models when taking hold of a flatbottomed, leather-wrapped steering wheel that would feel at home in a high-end Audi.
Crisp steering delivers more accurate changes in direction than you’ll find in most baby cars, while there’s a reassuring response from the brake pedal.
The Monte Carlo’s sport suspension is tauter than most rivals and the big alloys with lowprofile tyres prioritise precision over plushness.
An occasionally busy ride is a worthy tradeoff for quick reflexes and a more engaging drive.
But the bigger question is whether it’s worth spending almost $40,000 on a tiny hatchback.
VERDICT
Sweet to steer and loaded with gear, the Fabia does a lot to justify its substantial asking price.