The Fiesta has been the No1 best selling car in Britain for the last seven years. The UK buys more of these superminis than any other market, but while Ford says this is down to the handling, we suspect it's also due to the lack of a suitable rival.
Who better to take a stab at finding fault with the supermini king than Telegraph Cars, a channel that was only recently introduced on Youtube. The lovely Rebecca Jackson now works for them, but this next review is from Chris Knapman. For the last six months, he has been driving a long-term Fiesta with a 1-liter EcoBoost engine, and he says the 2015 Fabia is better.
The first thing he noticed is that the baby stroller fits better in the boxy Skoda. The size of the boot is important, but so is its shape, something we recently learned when testing the 2015 Mazda2, which had a slightly curved trunk.
The Fiesta is famous for its sloped roof, which doesn't give rear passengers enough headroom. So when Chris says the Fabia is better, we're not shocked. You don't carry people in the back of a supermini very often, but rear visibility might also be problematic due to that roof design.
We're not going to repeat what Telegraph's editor has to say about the interior build quality. Instead, we will tell you that the screen on the Fabia is bigger and isn't as far away as the Fiesta's. The Czech car is not flawless though, as it lacks keyless start, which the Clio 4 has.
Engine-wise, Chris tells Youtubers exactly what we've been saying for the past few years. The smaller the turbo engine is, the harder it is to get the claimed fuel consumption. The Fiesta has been using a 1-liter EcoBoost with 100 hp for the last two years, while the Skoda gets a 1.2-liter TSI that on paper is down by 10 hp. However, the bigger engine feels less strained and can be more economical.
When you also take the price difference, which favors Skoda, into consideration, it's obvious which is the overall winner. Still, Ford makes an undeniably fun car, so keen drivers will overlook its flaws.
The first thing he noticed is that the baby stroller fits better in the boxy Skoda. The size of the boot is important, but so is its shape, something we recently learned when testing the 2015 Mazda2, which had a slightly curved trunk.
The Fiesta is famous for its sloped roof, which doesn't give rear passengers enough headroom. So when Chris says the Fabia is better, we're not shocked. You don't carry people in the back of a supermini very often, but rear visibility might also be problematic due to that roof design.
We're not going to repeat what Telegraph's editor has to say about the interior build quality. Instead, we will tell you that the screen on the Fabia is bigger and isn't as far away as the Fiesta's. The Czech car is not flawless though, as it lacks keyless start, which the Clio 4 has.
Engine-wise, Chris tells Youtubers exactly what we've been saying for the past few years. The smaller the turbo engine is, the harder it is to get the claimed fuel consumption. The Fiesta has been using a 1-liter EcoBoost with 100 hp for the last two years, while the Skoda gets a 1.2-liter TSI that on paper is down by 10 hp. However, the bigger engine feels less strained and can be more economical.
When you also take the price difference, which favors Skoda, into consideration, it's obvious which is the overall winner. Still, Ford makes an undeniably fun car, so keen drivers will overlook its flaws.