Compared with the Mini, you’re sat a little high and upright, although that’s simply closer to the norm of a smallish hatchback.
But, yes, the environment in the Fabia is rather drab and largely made of hard plastic. On the lower-rung Monte Carlo trim level of the regular Fabia, you at least get a flash of orange here and there, but in the 130 it’s all grey.
For all that, you could give this car to anyone who has a driving licence without any explanations and they would get along fine with it. The heated seats, the temperature, the start/stop system all get clearly labelled buttons.
Meanwhile, the infotainment touchscreen is relatively small and neatly integrated, and intelligible even if your technological literacy halted at Ceefax.
Practicality? The Skoda wins that easily as well. Adults can genuinely sit in the back seats without holding a grudge against whoever put them there and there’s 380 litres of space in the boot.
Having said that, the Mini is not as cramped as some people think, and much better than the early-2000s ones. Rear leg room is passable for a small car and 210 litres is enough for some groceries.
For an extra £1000, you can get it as a five-door, but that isn’t actually any roomier – the back seats are just a bit easier to access. And those two extra doors simply don’t look right, do they?
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