Skoda fabia 130

Lots of small changes bring out the inner Essex of Skoda’s supermini

F ast versions of modern Minis are the sort of cars about which reviewers can’t seem to make up their minds. They’ve won group tests on about as many occasions as they’ve gone down in flames. Even thi

WHETHER IT BE a wild party, a holiday abroad or an existential crisis (perhaps all three), there are many ways to mark a birthday. The one Skoda has chosen, in honour of its 130th lap around the sun,

£254,200 OTR/£282,000 as tested/£5,077 pcm WHY IT’S HERE: What has a hybrid makeover – and Mulliner buffing – added to the world’s best grand tourer? DRIVER: Ollie Kew TOPGEAR’S BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT

I“t’s definitely a better track car,” says the man opposite me. “Around the Nordschleife, it’s much faster. On the climb up to the Little Carousel, for instance, the Stefan Bellof ess is totally flat

The weight of a Fabia vRS is potentially resting on this car’s shoulders. Should demand for the new Fabia 130 version be sufficient, Skoda might well decide to go the whole hog with its supermini. Doe