The 2023 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo has pushed much closer to its brother from another mother, the 2023 Volkswagen Polo GTI – but does it have the muscle to cane its Abel?
The 2023 Polo GTI is a known quantity. You know the Polo bit means it’s small, and the GTI nomenclature signifies a sporty driving experience. What isn’t so clear is what the 2023 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo sets out to achieve. What we do know is it competes in the same light hatch class as the Polo and is now priced closer to its hot hatch Polo GTI rival.
The ‘Monte Carlo’ name suggests a bit of a sports hatch, given the famous Monte Carlo rally, and dynamic touches inside the cabin including a set of sports seats, sports steering wheel, and alloy pedals have obvious dynamic undertones.
We’ve heard how the Fabia has pushed further upmarket with premium materials and it also features more power compared to light hatch alternatives like the Mazda 2 and Suzuki Swift. So is it time to start mentioning the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo in the same sentence as Volkswagen’s venerable Polo GTI hot hatch?
Let’s see whether the Fabia Monte Carlo has what it takes to keep pace with the Volkswagen Polo GTI.
How much does the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo cost in Australia?
There’s no nice way to dress it up, but with a $38,990 drive-away price, the new Fabia Monte Carlo is highly unlikely to lure buyers of the previous generation, who could get themselves into a Monte from $28,490 drive-away in 2020 when the model was last offered.
To be fair, though, the new model is more powerful (by 29kW), safer, and more comprehensively equipped. Consider it less of a successor and more of an evolution.
That $38,990 drive-away price also makes the Fabia Monte Carlo more expensive than the larger Skoda Scala (from $32,990 drive-away), puts it near the Kamiq small SUV (from $37,990 drive-away), and lobs it a stone’s throw, relatively, from the much larger Octavia (from $40,990 drive-away). It’s worth noting, too, that all three range-mates deploy the same 110kW and 250Nm outputs, either from the same 1.5-litre engine and seven-speed dual clutch automatic, or a 1.4-litre/eight-speed auto combo in the Octavia.
If you think of the Fabia not as a cheap and cheerful run-around and more as a premium player with a sporting bent, it stacks up as decent value alongside the Volkswagen Polo GTI.
How much does the Volkswagen Polo GTI cost in Australia?
The Volkswagen Polo GTI has been a mainstay in Volkswagen’s local line-up for several years, and the brand breathed new life into the model as part of the Polo range refresh in 2022.
That’s impressive given some rivals like the Ford Fiesta ST have exited the market altogether. However, the affordability factor has taken a blow – this car is nearly $6000 dearer than its predecessor.
At $39,250 before on-road costs, the Polo GTI now nips at the heels of bigger, more powerful alternatives such as the Hyundai i30 N. But it is more expensive than the mentioned Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo. You’d want it to be well equipped…
The facelift brought about changes including a restyled front bumper with integrated full-width light strip, wider tail-lights, and a new wheel design – the GTI gets 18-inch alloys as standard with Continental ContiSportContact tyres.
Inside the cabin, the Polo GTI now scores a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, which joins items such as tartan cloth sports seats, sports steering wheel, alloy pedals, wireless smartphone mirroring, and a drive-mode selector.
Carried over is the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine as its predecessor, and it outputs an identical 147kW/320Nm to the front wheels. This car’s predecessor didn’t offer the choice of a manual gearbox, and this car is no different. It’s a six-speed dual-clutch transmission only.
You can option the GTI with a $1500 Sound and Tech Package that brings a larger 9.2-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, plus a six-speaker Beats sound system. Our car options that pack.
| Key details | 2023 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo | 2023 Volkswagen Polo GTI |
| Price (MSRP) | $36,990 plus on-road costs | $39,250 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Velvet Red | Kings Red metallic |
| Options | Metallic paint – $500 | Sound and Tech Package – $1500 – 9.2-inch infotainment screen – Satellite navigation – Six-speaker Beats sound system Metallic paint – $300 |
| Price as tested | $37,490 | $40,050 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $39,490 drive-away (Nationally) | $46,831 drive-away (Melbourne) |
How much space does the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo have inside?
The interior of the new Skoda Fabia is certainly a premium-looking environment, at first glance, but poke and prod around a little and some of that shine may be short-lived.Skoda’s design team has done an excellent job. It used to be that compact cars had flimsy or downmarket finishes, but with a clean, horizontally orientated design, and neat features like the red sweepspear that spans across the dash into the outboard air vents, the Fabia looks bigger than it really is.
If you’re a touchy-feely person, you’ll soon find that the dash topper and upper door cards are hard plastic, and if you’re an elbow-rester you’ll find the grain on the door plastics is coarse enough to exfoliate your elbows. You might expect that soft-touch plastics would be included, but Skoda has used textures, brightwork, and design details (like the Fabia lettering on the instrument cluster) to dress things up.
The sculpted front seats are sporty but not too overbearing. Shorter drivers may find shoulder room a little enclosed, but taller drivers will sit above the shoulder bolstering. I will call the seats out for being a little on the narrow side. I’m hardly the broadest person, but my muffin tops were quite firmly cradled.
I’m also a fan of the Fabia’s cloth trim: nicer than artificial leather, and sporty-looking with tone-on-tone accents. Maybe a little surprisingly, the front seats are heated but only manually adjustable.
Other features you might not expect to find in a car of this class are things like the lidded console armrest, wireless charging, and Skoda’s trademark inclusions like ticket holders on the windscreen and an umbrella stowed in the driver’s door. Nifty stuff.
It’s a little baffling, then, that the Fabia has no cupholders up front. There’s a huge bin below the centre stack, a small felted tray alongside the (mechanical) handbrake, but no place to stow your latte. You could potentially open the console lid and slide a cup in there, but do so at your own risk. There is a cup-strap thing for the rear seats, but it’s of no use for front travellers.
On that, the rear console that sits between the two rear footwells is removable, so while it may look like a four-seater, it’s actually an adaptable five-seater.
Rear-seat space is decent for the light car class. No, you won’t find limo-sized space, and the taller the front occupants, the more pinched rear knee room becomes, but the balance of space in the rear is decent enough for adults to travel without complaint.
The sporty one-piece backrests do block out forward vision from the rear, but in an unexpected and rarely seen move for the compact car class, there’s both air-conditioning outlets and a pair of USB-C chargers in the rear.
Boot space is big. Larger cars like the Corolla and Mazda 3 don’t even match up to the Fabia’s 380L with the seats up.
In typical Skoda fashion there are bag hooks, a dual-sided boot mat, and a variety of nets in the boot – all standard – plus other aforementioned bits like a windscreen ticket holder, umbrella in the driver’s door, and a rubbish bin for the front seats.
Just as well the seats are very comfortable and supportive, with good bolstering and a lofty driving position. The seats aren’t as tight as something like the Fiesta ST’s Recaro units, but they tend to do enough to hold you in through a string of swift cornering.
Storage space isn’t a highlight, but you do get a wireless phone charger, a pair of cupholders and a tiny centre console bin.
Materials use throughout the cabin is decent, especially on all the touchpoints. Where the experience starts to sour is on areas such as the door cards, which are plastic. The centre console portion, again, is a hard moulded plastic.
In the second row, there’s not too much to get excited about in terms of amenity, but it’s a functional space and is comfortable enough (provided you’re not too tall). It has grown closer in size to its Golf bigger sibling, between generations, but bigger passengers will want to be calling shotgun on the front seat.
It does have two USB-C ports in the centre, but there are no air vents unlike the Fabia. It also has two map pockets, and door pockets big enough for a water bottle. You press the big, new VW logo to gain access to the 305L boot. There’s a space-saver spare wheel under the boot floor, ready in case you cop a flat tyre.
| 2023 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo | 2023 Volkswagen Polo GTI | |
| Seats | Five | Five |
| Boot volume | 380L seats up 1190L seats folded |
305L seats up 1079L seats folded |
| Length | 4108mm | 4080mm |
| Width | 1780mm | 1751mm |
| Height | 1459mm | 1442mm |
| Wheelbase | 2564mm | 2560mm |
Does the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo have Apple CarPlay?
The interior of the Fabia is packed with screen real estate featuring a 9.2-inch infotainment display and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster.Credit to Skoda, too, rather than just a fixed display as some other brands use, the instrument panel in the Fabia has a range of display options, from minimalist to traditional and sporty. Plus it’s capable of showing maps from the inbuilt navigation.
The centre screen offers clear graphics, plus the aforementioned navigation, digital radio, wireless smartphone mirroring for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and voice control.
Up front there’s a pair of USB-C sockets, plus there are another two for rear seat passengers. The huge front storage space also hosts a wireless charge pad, with enough room in reserve to toss your wallet and keys in without interference.
The six-speaker stereo is decent enough, but it’s not a ‘premium’ audio system, so it carries no branding. It’s good for a road trip sing-along, but can’t quite punch clearly at the upper reaches of the volume range.
Inside the instrument cluster, you can configure the screen to show things like a full-screen map display, or you can alter the way the car shows information such as engine speed or fuel consumption data.
Straddling the right side of the gear selector are a series of buttons for automatic parking, disabling the parking sensors, disabling start/stop, and a drive-mode selector.
Is the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo a safe car?
The 2023 Skoda Fabia carries a five-star ANCAP rating with scores of 85 per cent for adult occupant protection, 81 per cent for child occupant protection, 70 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 71 per cent for safety assist systems.The Fabia comes with six airbags (front, front-side, and curtain), and includes two ISOFIX and three top-tether child seat anchorages in the rear seats.
Is the Volkswagen Polo GTI a safe car? Volkswagen first achieved a five-star ANCAP safety rating with the current-generation Polo in 2018, and it repeated the feat with the facelifted car earlier in 2022.Dual frontal, side chest, and curtain airbags are standard, as is a centre airbag that helps front seat occupants in side impact crashes. This allowed the Polo to score 94 per cent in adult occupant protection, 80 per cent in child protection, and a 70 per cent score in pedestrian protection.
| At a glance | 2023 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo | 2023 Volkswagen Polo GTI |
| ANCAP rating & year tested | Five stars (tested 2021) | Five stars (tested 2022) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP | Link to ANCAP |
What safety technology does the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo have?
The Fabia’s comprehensive safety suite includes autonomous emergency braking (called Front Assist) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, driver fatigue detection, lane assist, blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert.
Adaptive cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, front and rear low-speed collision avoidance braking, front and rear park sensors, and a rear-view camera with static guidelines are also included.
The safety suite is a little frustrating – for instance, the park sensors can show the car’s predicted path with guidelines, but the reverse camera can’t. The adaptive cruise control is set up to prevent passing on the left, but will also stab the brakes momentarily as cars overtake on the right. Lane assist is just that, an assist rather than lane-centring, and allows the car to move beyond lane markings a fair way before intervening.
What safety technology does the Volkswagen Polo GTI have?
The Polo GTI benefits from Volkswagen’s IQ.Drive safety suite, which includes autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control (with Travel Assist), driver fatigue detection, lane-departure warning, parking assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and a reverse camera – along with exterior mirrors that tilt to prevent wheel-kerb kisses.
Using this technology over a week’s test, the Polo’s safety systems worked with me, as a driver, rather than annoyed me.
How much does the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo cost to run?
Skoda has recently switched to a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty across its entire range. This applies to cars registered after 1 September 2022, so new deliveries will get the new warranty automatically, but some older demonstrator stock may still come with five-year coverage – check with your dealer.
Skoda offers two servicing packages for the Fabia: five years for $1500 and seven years for $2100.
As well as a pre-paid service plan, you can also ‘subscribe’ to a care plan via one of three available pricing tiers priced around $34.50, $39 and $49.50 per month respectively if you do 15,000km per year (pricing may vary depending on your useage).
After three years, the prices of all plans double.
The cheapest subscription tier (Value) covers scheduled servicing, a courtesy loan vehicle and roadside assist. It does not cover replacement of perishables. For that, you’ll need to step up to the Essential plan. The top cover Complete plan includes new tyres when required.
As a guideline, the Essential program will add up to $1404 over the first three years, rising to $3276 for five years and $5148 over seven years.
As far as comprehensive insurance premiums go, the Skoda Fabia quote comes in at $1227, which is closely aligned to competitors like the Swift Sport ($1150) and Hyundai i20 N ($1108) but a little more expensive, even without the ‘high risk’ outright performance focus. Insurance estimates are based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
Skoda lists an official fuel consumption claim of 4.9 litres per 100km, which is solidly frugal.
In a week of testing skewed around two-thirds towards open-road driving out of town, we returned 6.3L/100km, which is still a decent figure, but around 29 per cent over the claim. Around town, the Fabia wasn’t able to match its urban claim (6.3L/100km) and instead showed a running fuel figure around the mid-8L/100km mark.
Fuel-saving tech includes engine start-stop and cylinder deactivation, which allows the car to save fuel by running on two cylinders for low-load cruising.
How much does the Volkswagen Polo GTI cost to run?
As with all VWs, the Polo GTI will leave the dealership with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. It also comes with a free year of roadside assist.
In terms of servicing, the Polo GTI costs $2750 over five years (which includes a free first service). Over three years, the car will cost $1400. These quoted prices are part of Volkswagen’s Care Plan, which saves Polo buyers $765 and $158, respectively, over the pay as you go Assured Service Pricing.
The VW Polo GTI will cost $1014.62 to insure per year based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
Volkswagen says the Polo GTI will return 6.5L/100km on a combined fuel cycle and 8.3L/100km on an urban-focused loop. Our testing found the car returned a combined consumption of 8.0L/100km, which is not too far off VW’s claim, but is more money you’ll have to spend on 95-octane fuel.
The fuel tank contains 40L.
| At a glance | 2023 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo | 2023 Volkswagen Polo GTI |
| Warranty | Seven years, unlimited km | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1500 (5 years) $2100 (7 years) |
$1400 (3 years) $2750 (5 years) |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 4.9L/100km | 6.5L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 6.3L/100km | 8.0L/100km |
| Fuel type | 95-octane regular unleaded | 95-octane regular unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 40L | 40L |
What is the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo like to drive?
Though it may not be a full-blown hot hatch like a Volkswagen Polo GTI, the Fabia Monte Carlo sits close behind. Think of it as a warm hatch in the vein of something like a Suzuki Swift Sport – albeit heavier and with a plusher interior.Of course, the other way to frame the Fabia is as a cut-price Audi A1, with the Fabia sharing the same platform, engine and transmission as the A1 35 TFSI, with a unique body and interior design.
With 110kW and 250Nm at its disposal, the 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder Fabia Monte Carlo outguns the Swift Sport (103kW/220Nm), the Mini Cooper (100kW/220Nm) and Volkswagen Polo Style (85kW/200Nm). Instead, the Fabia matches the outputs of its larger siblings, the Skoda Scala and Volkswagen Golf.
Put into an active city environment, the 2023 Skoda Fabia has plenty of pep in its step. You’ll notice this most off the lights, where the compact Skoda can get away quickly and cleanly without needing to wring it all the way out.
The engine itself is smooth and muted, but the engine start-stop system did tend to shut down and wake up gruffly, vibrating through the cabin as it does.
The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic behaves well at parking speeds, though it can be a little grumpy in slow-moving traffic moving back and forth from first to second gear with some gruffness. Once the road clears, though, the smooth and snappy gear changes suit the engine’s torquey nature well and make for a competent cruiser.
While it may not be an outright performance hatchback, the Monte Carlo package sees firm sports suspension and low-profile tyres on 18-inch wheels fitted as standard. The ride is definitely more sport-skewed than all-rounder comfy, but that said, while it’s rough-riding over pock-marked surfaces, it’s refined enough to never feel harsh, just hard.
Out of town and onto the open road, the Fabia Monte Carlo takes to corners like a duck to water, with a nicely balanced handling package, well-weighted and accurate steering, and solid handling. On the flipside, the Continental tyres aren’t always freeway-friendly, and betrayed plenty of tyre noise on a run up the Hume Highway.
What is the Volkswagen Polo GTI like to drive?
With relatively meek-sounding 147kW/320Nm outputs on paper, this Polo GTI definitely feels more than the sum of its parts from the seat of the pants.
Bolstered by a gruff and meaty-sounding exhaust, the Polo GTI’s engine gathers torque quickly at low revs and pulls strongly right up to redline. The shift experience at the top is extremely quick, as we’ve come to expect from Volkswagen’s DSG.
However, it’s not the smoothest gearbox in traffic or around town. There’s a noticeable shunt when coming on and off throttle in the lower gears, which can annoy passengers inside the vehicle.
On the plus side, it doesn’t exhibit those tell-tale DSG signs of hesitation and rollback, which is great.
There are a series of drive modes to choose from, but VW hasn’t gone crazy – there are only four including one Individual mode. Sport sharpens up the steering, throttle response, and suspension, while the auto gearbox also holds onto ratios longer.
The ride quality errs on firm, even without being in Sport mode, where you do feel all road impacts translated through to the cabin. But, it’s not to the extent that it’s uncomfortable, and it doesn’t have that same hard-edged feel you get in other hot hatches.
The steering is also firm and weighty in Sport mode, which makes rounding bends accurate and feelsome. For such a ‘pogo-ey’ tall and narrow body that the Polo has, it stays remarkably flat when changing direction suddenly.
It feels genuinely fun to wrangle around a set of corners. Its light weight and feelsome steering make it very entertaining on a quiet back road, and I’d be surprised if it didn’t put a grin on your face. Even just the unassuming exhaust note gives me a laugh!
Brake feel is grabby, which is annoying in day-to-day driving. You really have to be gentle with your pedal inputs to ensure a smooth driving experience. I wish the brake pedal were a bit more progressive in how hard it clamps down on calipers. They do pull up the car with impressive ability, though.
The change-up between sporty driving and everyday liveability is impressive for such an entry-level car.
| Key details | 2023 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo | 2023 Volkswagen Polo GTI |
| Engine | 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
| Power | 110kW @ 6000rpm | 147kW @ 6000rpm |
| Torque | 250Nm @ 1500–3500rpm | 320Nm @ 1450–4390rpm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic | Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 87kW/t | 113kW/t |
| Weight | 1270kg | 1305kg |
| Spare tyre type | Temporary | Space-saver |
| Turning circle | 10.7m | 10.6m |
Should I buy a Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo or a Volkswagen Polo GTI?
While there aren’t many models in Skoda’s range that could outright compare with a GTI, there’s no doubt the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo is close to the Volkswagen Polo GTI in many measures. Not only does it up the stakes in the premium equipment and materials, its power bump over the predecessor is nothing to scoff at.
This is the reason for putting it up against the Polo GTI stretch target. Let’s break down how it compares.
At the first hurdle, the Fabia Monte Carlo scores a clear win on pricing. It scoots in well under the Polo GTI’s list price and comes well equipped to boot. You’re also getting neat features such as a 9.2-inch infotainment screen and satellite navigation included in the base price, whereas you’ll have to shell out $1500 in the Polo for that kind of equipment.
These two cars share the MQB A0 platform so there are undeniable similarities inside their cabins, but it’s the Fabia’s that is the better interior to live with every day. There’s that little bit more room to play with in the second row, and there are considered improvements in materials and finishes that make an ownership experience enjoyable. The Polo GTI’s cabin is also nice but doesn’t quite have the same polish.
Both infotainment systems are relatively alike in how they operate, but the displays of the VW appear nicer to the eye with better-resolved graphics.
Again, both cars are more affordable in the long run if you pay for servicing packages up front, but the running costs of the Polo GTI are significantly more expensive. Things swing back into the Polo GTI’s favour when comparing insurance premiums, but there is no beating the all-round affordable running costs of the Skoda – especially considering that new seven-year warranty.
But, the bones of this comparison lie with the driving experiences. The Polo GTI is an absolute hoot to drive every day and will almost certainly put a smile on your dial every time you take on twisty roads. The Fabia’s experience doesn’t quite produce the same feelings within, and while it’s a comfortable and nippy everyday operator, buyers after sporty drive character are better off spending more money on the actual hot hatch, the Volkswagen Polo GTI.
But, if your budget doesn’t stretch that far, then a trip to Monte Carlo is not without its charms.
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