If you’re in the market for a family-focused supermini, opting for a wagon body style can be a wise decision.
The thing is, your options are pretty limited. Aside from the Skoda Fabia Estate, or the similarly styled Clio from Renault, there isn’t much else you can look at. Seat discontinued the Ibiza ST a couple of years back, while the Dacia Logan MCV isn’t exactly a supermini, despite the low price tag.
Based on these findings by What Car, the 2018 Fabia Estate is sufficiently roomy up front and in the rear, very practical, has good quality materials (although not as good as the VW Polo) and, if you opt for the SE spec, that means getting a 6.5-inch touchscreen display instead of the smaller 5-inch one available on the entry-level S spec.
Boot space is impressive too, where you get 530 liters (18.7 cu.ft) with the rear seats up, and 1,395 liters (49.2 cu.ft) with everything folded away.
For driving satisfaction, this reviewer recommends the 1.0 TSI version, which has 95 PS and 118 lb-ft (160 Nm) of torque and offers enough pulling power even when the car has a full boot. What’s not so great though is how the Fabia will let engine noise creep into the cabin, especially on petrol models.
Overall though, the 2018 Skoda Fabia Estate seems like really good value. Just be sure that you actually need the extra boot space, otherwise, the regular Fabia hatchback is probably a better choice.