Skoda’s supermini gets some ‘clever’ tech and spec upgrades

Skoda has announced pricing and specifications for the latest update to its Fabia supermini.

The range kicks off from £12,840 for a model in S trim, fitted with the 74bhp 1.0-litre petrol engine.

That starting price undercuts its sister car, the Volkswagen Polo, by £1,395 – and that’s for a VW fitted with the lowerpowered 59bhp engine.

The latest Fabia comes with a suite of new safety kit plus improved connectivity, as well as Skoda’s latest “Simply Clever” touches.

The range kicks off with the naturally aspirated, 1.0-litre engine with 74bhp. It is capable of 0-60mph in a rather lengthy 14.7 seconds, but Skoda claims a fuel consumption of nearly 59mpg and CO2 emissions of 110g/km.

Moving up the range there are two turbocharged petrols with 94bhp or 108bhp. The latter is the only car available with an automatic gearbox, which is an option above the standard six-speed manual. The two lowerpowered cars get five-speed manual gearboxes.

Fuel consumption tops out at 61mpg, with the 94bhp model boasting the lowest CO2 emissions of just 104g/km.

Trim levels start with basic S, which has autonomous emergency braking, LED daytime running lights and a trip computer.

SE trim, from £14,115 gains front foglights plus 15in alloy wheels, while the style focused Colour Edition adds 16-inch wheels and unique paint finishes for its £14,665 starting price.

Top-spec SE L is priced from £15,205 and brings big-car equipment such as sat-nav and connected services.

The top of the range Monte Carlo is the luxurious option in the range though, with climate control, LED lights, rear electric windows and black trim. It costs from £16,785. All but Colour Edition models are available as an estate. This adds £1,020 on to the base price of the S model. The updated Skoda Fabia is available to order now.