My first visit to Prague was twenty years ago when, with a lot of fanfare from a Czech television, the UK hack pack flew into town for the launch of the of the original Škoda Fabia. The city is a magical place to behold and steeped in tragedy and history. It’s seen off many an unwelcome visitor and and wears its scars with dignity and pride. The last major skirmish was, as you will all know, with those pesky murderous Russians, no surprise there, who didn’t like anti-communstical trends that Prague’s brave citizens were displaying in 1968. Unpleasant times, but the right result.

As to whether or not the city will endure the relentless invasions every weekend by pissed-up Brits on stag dos is a question for historians of the future. Fortunately these unwelcome projectile vomiters hadn’t discovered the joys of Wenceslas Square when I made my first visit in 1999.

Lest I forget, this is a motoring page. I was in Prague as a guest of Škoda who had, a few years earlier, been taken over by VW. They were keen to show us their revamped factory at Mladá Boleslav, an hour down the road and where the original VW Polo based Fabia was nailed together.

It’s been a success story and the freshly facelifted Fabia is now in its third generation - complete with engines that won’t barbecue Polar bears through their emissions.

Well, I say engines...there’s basically only one in a vast array of tuning setups. The basic entry level job (£12,255) produces a mere 60 PS, barely enough to pull a mongrel off your labrador. The 75 PS version may be OK around town but useless up hill and down dale. Then there are the two turbocharged versions with 95 and 110 PS - in four levels of trim. I shall concentrate on the one I’ve spent a week in, the daddy of the pack - the Monte Carlo 1.0 TSI with 110 PS.

Monte Carlo (think rally, not Philip Green) comes with 16 inch black wheels and a black roof and mirrors to set it apart. Keyless entry, touch screen navigation system, heated seats and squirt nozzles and a special colour add just over £1,500 to the car driven here, so add that to the basic cost of £18,435.

It really looks quite pleasing, but it ain’t a hot hatch. For that, get the new VW Polo GTI, which I shall review soon, if spared.

No, we must see this Fabia for what it is, not what it looks like. It’s comfortable, respectably fast enough whilst returning frugality, safety and a decent amount of space within. That’s what you want from a supermini and that’s what you get here, even if the "Monte Carlo" touches are a case of all sizzle and no sausage.

It’s agreeable enough to drive and the seven speed DSG seems like a luxury when married to this very small three cylinder engine. Ten seconds to 60mph and a top whack of 120. And I got over 40mpg. It’ll never set the contents of your underwear on fire but I stress - again - that would be to miss the point.

There is no diesel. It’s been discontinued. Ironic that, given the fact that VW started the whole "dieselgate" nonsense in the first place. I just thought I’d lob that in because you’ll get very little when trading your three-year-old Fabia 1.4 Diesel in against this new one.

Sensible hat on, I’d shoot for the the 110 PS SE L, same power and a little less boy racer, and a couple of grand saved.