Skoda has been doing extremely well since coming under the Volkswagen umbrella. Now the Czech company has to really push on and try and make an ever bigger name for themselves in this competitive motor trade. This week I am driving the second generation Skoda Fabia. This is my third Skoda test drive this year, having already driven the extremely fast Octavia RS and the quirky-looking Roomster, which apparently is selling very well.

In the Roomster there was no vanity mirror on the driver’s side and the same has happened with the Fabia. Is this sexist? Do Skoda expect that only men will drive a Fabia and that their passengers will always be women? But as my daughter rightly pointed out many men like to admire themselves in vanity mirrors also. So we will leave it at that for now and just say that there is only one vanity mirror in the Fabia.

Initially I found the seating very low and the interior very black, but then aren’t the interiors of all new cars nowadays almost all black. And of course the seating can be adjusted to whatever height suits you.

The Fabia is probably geared at the young market with prices starting at €17,290 for the 1.2 Elegance model I drove. As usual the test models are top of the range, with other models even cheaper.

The 1.2 Classic starts at €14,250, the 1.2 Ambience is available from €14,950 and the 1.2 Sport model starts at €16,070. So very good value there for young people who want to get their first-ever new four-door car.

The Elegance model had everything: ABS brakes, cruise control, front fog lights, air conditioning, Ipod player, front seat armrest, which I found a bit hard and many more extras. Metallic paint will cost you an extra €376.

The 1.2 engine is the same as the one used in the VW Polo and it didn’t disappoint. It was really lively and well able to handle many different roads and surfaces. The Fabia is also available in 1.4, 1.6 and 1.9 engines, but I don’t think you will need anything stronger than the 1.2, which is very economical for tax and insurance purposes. Since the first model of the Fabia was introduced seven years ago Skoda has sold over 1.5 million units worldwide.

As I said earlier the interior is predominantly black. But the dash is well laid out and radio/CD controls are simply designed and easy to use. The back seat can hold three adults and there is a neat gadget in the boot to place items which you don’t want rolling about while you are driving.

Obviously some people will make the Fabia their number one car, but I can see some two-car families opt for a Fabia as their number two. The Fabia is ideal for nipping around a busy town or city or for bringing children to sports events, music lessons or for all the other chores parents do for their children every weekend.