What are you driving?

The Skoda Fabia Combi, an example of a breed that has largely died out in the face of the crossover onslaught - that breed being the B-segment supermini estate. You used to be able to get all sorts of compact load-luggers based on humble hatchbacks, but the Skoda is about one of the last to persevere with such a thing... and we kind of like it all the more for that. As with its hatchback sibling, the Combi gains the revised light clusters, bumpers, radiator grille and interior styling of the 2019MY Fabia updates, plus the tech additions too, but you can't get the 18-inch alloys on the estate - 17-inch rims are its limit.

Name its best bits

Its boot is vast at 530 litres with all the seats up; you're simply not going to get anything that can rival it at anything like this sort of price point; not even the very B-segment crossovers that are killing off this type of car. Furthermore, we think the Combi rides with a tiny bit more fluency and grace than its similarly updated five-door sibling, which is weird because its wheelbase is not stretched in the slightest (both cars have 2,470mm between the axles), despite the Combi being 265mm longer overall, and it's not massively weightier either, the estate carrying an additional 20 kilos over and above its equivalent hatchback model. We also really like the 110hp iteration of the 1.0 TSI engine, which gives the Fabia notable extra punch - thank not the additional 15hp over the 95hp iteration of the same mill for this boosted performance, by the way, but rather the 110's extra 40Nm of torque, for a meaty 200Nm peak.

Anything that bugs you?

The Fabia remains just a little bit buttoned-down in terms of personality in all departments, so while it's massively practical and perfectly capable, it's not hugely exciting or show-stopping in the looks department; you don't yearn to own one of these things, like you might some of Skoda's larger machines. A Monte Carlo hatch in a bright colour and on big wheels could very well be bordering on the attractive, but a Combi in one body colour and fitted with smaller alloys isn't going to set anyone's pulse racing, is it?

And why have you given it this rating?

We remain to be convinced as to why everyone is going mad for crossovers these days, because many of them are not as capacious and practical as they purport to be. The Fabia Combi, however, is basically a large boot on wheels and it's therefore ideal for families on a budget. Sadly, we reckon no one will buy it in this country, but if you want a fuss-free wagon with a gem of a drivetrain and a cleverly configured cabin, you could do a lot, lot worse than this Skoda.

I want to know more

If there is anything specific you'd like to know about the Skoda Fabia Combi that we've not covered, feel free to send us a question via the Ask Us Anything page.