Skoda Fabia Estate vRS 1.4 TSI DSG 5dr Car Review - March 2012

A four cylinder engine delivers a great power output of 178 bhp at 6200 rpm with torque figures of 184 lb-ft at 2000-4500 rpm. This gives the car an impressive top speed of 140 mph and acceleration is rapid with the car taking just 7.3 seconds to travel from 0-62 mph.

The steering of the car is firm and controlled, but unfortunately the car’s height puts it at a disadvantage and there is a fair amount of body roll experienced during corners and bends.

Unfortunately, the additional power of the vRS comes at the expense of the engine’s efficiency and the credentials for the car are poor in this area. The estate achieves just 45.6 mpg, which is not terribly low, but still fails to reach the high efficiency of other models within the range. On top of this, carbon emissions are fairly high at 148 g/km, putting the car in road tax band F.

The external appearances of the Fabia is a little clumsy due to the large front end, so it is not the most attractive car on the market. The interior the car comes with a decent selection of equipment as standard, although some luxuries are either unavailable on this model or incur additional costs.

Standard equipment includes power steering, central locking, stability control, alloy wheels, air conditioning, electric door mirrors, electric front windows and an advanced stereo system with both CD and MP3 connectivity.

For an extra £235 Bluetooth connectivity can be added, whilst rear parking sensors and a metallic paint finish are priced at £280 and £440 respectively. A built-in sat nav can be added for £525 with a part leather interior available for an additional £600. The air conditioning can be upgraded to climate control for an extra £275, with cruise control costing an additional £175.

The build-quality is great within this model and reliability should be good. The fit and finish of internal instruments is high quality and the materials feel solid to touch without looking cheap.

In terms of safety, the car comes with driver, passenger and front side air bags all fitted as standard features. To protect the car from theft there is an immobiliser fitted as standard alongside an alarm.

As a family car, practicality should be a priority with this car and the Fabia offers plenty of cabin space for passengers thanks to the long shape of the car. There is also plenty of adjustment within the steering wheel and seats to allow driver and passengers find the most comfortable seating position.

On top of this, the boot capacity of the car is fairly reasonable for a family car and there is 505 litres of space on offer when all of the seats are in place. Collapsing the rear seats expands this capacity to an impressive 1,485 litres, which makes it an ideal family car.

Priced at £17,265 this Fabia is more expensive than others in the range. The fuel consumption of 45.6 mpg means that refuelling will occur more often in this car than with others in the range and combine with high road tax costs (under band F) to make the model fairly expensive to run. Even insurance premiums are likely to be higher, falling under insurance group 27.

For those who are looking for an economical vehicle with good levels of practicality, other Skoda Fabia Estate models are a better option. However, for those who prioritise performance over economy, the Skoda Fabia Estate vRS 1.4 TSI DSG is a great car.