The new Fabia is one of the largest cars in its class.

The design changes show a deeper, restyled grille, contoured bonnet and projector halogen headlights. It has a longer, sleeker body line while the interior has new upholstery and an improved dash.

The Fabia is now bigger on all fronts and this will help sales in the important supermini segment. One in five cars sold here are in this segment and the majority are 4/5 door with petrol power accounting for 98% of sales.

The extra roominess will appeal to the young family segment where Fabia already has a strong foothold. The legroom front and rear is best in class and the rear seat headroom is now greater.

Boot capacity of 300 litres increases to a huge 1,163 litres when split-rear seats are folded.

There are seven different versions to choose from -. . . each one available in four trim levels . . . Classic, Ambiente, Sport and Elegance. The four petrol versions start with two three-cylinder 1.2-litre units developing 60 bhp and 70 bhp. These are high-economy engines and are priced at 14,250 and 14,750. The engines have been tweaked to give increased performance and low C02 emissions.

Next in the petrol line-up is a 1.4-litre, 16-valve 85 bhp unit priced at 15,150 followed by a top-of-therange 1.6-litre, 16 valve 105 bhp unit in 5-speed manual and an option of a 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic function.

There are three TDI PD diesel versions starting with a 1.4-litre 70 bhp unit at 17,160. This is followed by a 1.4-litre, 80 bhp unit at 17,955 and a 1.9-litre 105 bhp Ambiente version at 20,550.

The new Fabia replaces a model which sold 1.5 million units worldwide and with Skoda's tide rising . . . up 6% to 15.7% of the market this year, on top of a best ever 2006, forecasts for the year ahead look good. There will be no saloon in the line-up but an estate version is expected by January.

Standard and optional features available across the range include electronically controlled climatic air conditioning, tyre pressure monitor, cruise control, on-board trip computer, front fog lights, radio with CD/MP3 and iPOD socket, white top roof and a sports package.

Safety features include ABS, front and side airbags with roof airbags on Sport and Elegance models and pedestrian impact protection.