Skoda Fabia vRS (Price, as tested, £15,700) (From Living Northeast)

Skoda Fabia vRS (Price, as tested, £15,700)

9:34pm Wednesday 8th September 2010 in

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THE Fabia vRS is vindaloo disguised as Shepherd's Pie.

Imagine Wayne Rooney in Gary Lineker's skin or Will Young with the demeanour of Liam Gallagher and you're getting somewhere close to what I mean.

Skoda's hot hatch may not look like it could handle itself in a rumble from the outside, looking understated despite its neat alloys and body kit, but get beneath its skin and you'll soon discover its streetfighting qualities.

Lulled into a false sense of security, I climbed into the cockpit, turned the key and ...... wahey!

Only the week previous I'd driven Nissan's 370Z, but though significantly quicker and more powerful than the Skoda, it was the little Czech car that delivered the harder kick in the pants.

From under its unassuming bonnet, the Fabia's 1.4 litre turbo-charged and super-charged engine generates 180bhp and 184lb/ft of torque. That's enough to propel the little supermini from nought to 60mph in 7.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 139mph, more than a match for many of its more illustrious rivals.

That power is delivered so instantaneously that on more than one occasion I inadvertently spun the wheels when pulling away from the lights.

Grip soon kicks in, though, and thanks in no small part to its natty DSG gearbox, progression is silky smooth, with long bands of power punctuated by little blips as it finds the optimum time to drop into each of its seven gears.

If you think you can do better, you can also take advantage of the steering wheel located paddle-shifters, but while they may make the driver feel more involved, they are really no improvement on the primary system.

Managing that power is no small feat, but Skoda has tuned the chassis to such an extent that it takes it all in its stride, handling corners with aplomb and ensuring that, once you are aware of its capabilities, you never feel in any danger.

While the vRS' main draw will be its scorching performance, it also has other attractions.

Around town it reverts to being a comfortable family car, with plenty of room for four and a decent-sized boot able to cope with the weekly shop or a few items of luggage.

Light steering makes it easy to manoeuvre and its size makes it a synch to park.

It's also relatively easy on the pocket, returning around 45mpg on the combined cycle.

For fear of blowing too much smoke up its twin tailpipes, the Skoda does possess a couple of foibles. There's a fair degree of wind noise, it is a sea of blackness on the inside and some of the fixtures and fittings aren't as well made or attractive as you might find on its Volkswagen cousins, for example.

But these are mere nitpickings and it would be wrong of me to say I gave them more than a cursory thought.

For in almost every other area it is absolutely Fab-ulous.