WITH a Car of the Year title already under its belt the new Skoda Fabia is showing its mettle.

The third generation supermini is setting new standards for the Czech brand which last year notched up more than a million sales worldwide for the first time.

Bigger and better in every way compared to its predecessors the new Fabia is a keenly priced alternative to the likes of the top selling Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa.

It's priced from £10,500 - £750 more than the previous model - but comes with more equipment including a DAB audio system, Bluetooth and electric front windows while the engines have been made significantly more economical.

It also has the biggest boot you can get in this size of car offering 330 litres - and that's a whole suitcase more than you can pack into a Fiesta.

The Fabia line up comprises 18 models in three trims and powered either by 1.0 or 1.2-litre petrol engines or 1.4-litre diesels which Skoda claims are capable of more than 80 miles per gallon.

That's a fanciful figure but nevertheless 60 to the gallon is possible from the diesel models in everyday driving and emissions are very low at 88g/km.

The Fabia diesels are priced from £14,090 for a 90ps version in entry level S trim and top out at £16,840 for a more powerful 105ps high specification SE L model.

The lower powered diesel engine can also be has with a seven-speed semi automatic DSG gearbox and those cars are priced from £15,090 to £17,240 depending on trim.

Economical though they are the higher price of the diesels means they are only suitable for drivers covering more than 10,000 miles a year.

The core of the Fabia range is the petrol models using either 1.0-litre three cylinder blocks or 1.2-litre turbos.

It is the latter in mid range SE trim which has just landed the What Car? Car of the Year award for 2015 - an honour picked up by the original Fabia on its debut 15 years ago.

It costs from £13,390 for a 90ps version, £14,040 for one boosted to 110ps and £15,040 for a DSG box to replace the standard five speed manual transmission.

All Fabias are fitted with stop/start systems and it is a feature which helps the petrol cars to official fuel figures of around 60 to the gallon with emissions as low as 107g/km.

Even the 90ps Fabia showed itself to be a lively performer - 0 to 60 takes 10.9 seconds and it tops out at a claimed 113mph - and the fuel return came in at 50mpg.

Impressively, the 1.0-litre Fabia also managed to achieve similar economy despite its official figure being lower at 58.9mpg.

In general use the pull from the smaller engine is more than adequate and the road manners of all three versions we tried were top class.

The latest Fabia is also much more comfortable to ride in with redesigned seats which are nicely accommodating and a good amount of space, especially in the rear.

The interior can be spruced up with trim inserts in the dash - a £50 option - while all versions have a central display screen which on all but the base model can be linked to smartphone apps to provide navigation and other features.

On the outside Skoda is offering two tone paint jobs with different coloured roofs and door mirror caps. A panoramic sunroof is another option at £600.

Throughout the car there are practical touches such as an ice scraper housed in the fuel filler flap, pockets for hi-viz vests and a holder for hand held devices such as music players or your phone. There are even storage pockets on the sides of the front seats and restraints in the boot to secure delicate pieces of cargo.

Automatic emergency braking is fitted to SE and SE L models - a feature which has helped the Fabia gain a glowing five star safety rating from Euro NCAP. You also get parking sensors, a trip computer and air conditioning.

All in all this is a good looking and very capable car, more robust than previous Skoda superminis and pushing the boundaries for small cars that are genuinely family friendly.