No sooner had the Polo TDi left the office car park before an all but identical Fabia TDi joined us for a week. Traditionally a budget brand and something of an automotive joke, Skoda has enjoyed a renaissance since being added to the VAG portfolio. The rise stops somewhere short of a rags to riches story, as Skoda has always been relatively successful in its price range, but it would be fair to call the brand a social climber. When it was released four years ago the Fabia offered the first glimpse of the new Polo platform and has won numerous awards since. We've never driven one and so expectations were high; following in the shadow of its more prestigious stable mate was probably the hardest test it could face.

Endowed with the same basic chassis and hard points as the Polo, the designers have done well to distinguish between the two. Whilst not having the same grace, class or cool-ness of the Polo, the Fabia is pretty and inoffensive and avoids the slip into the generic jelly mould. Our test car was a mid range variant which means no alloys or body addenda and the car has some basic charm as a result. It also enjoys the same excellent packaging and accommodation as found in the Polo.

The driving experience is the same as in the Polo, but different. Tuned for ride quality before outright grip, the chassis is impressive; it feels happier and more natural in this guise than in the Polo Sport. It soaks up all but the most abrupt of road undulation with aplomb and offers a ride worthy of cars costing several thousand more. Whilst the level of sheer mechanical grip is much reduced due to the skinnier, higher profile tyres and softer springing, the fun factor is almost enhanced. The lower grip levels let you play a lot more and the car is adjustable and chuckable. It shares the Polo's excellent quality of brakes, if lacking the same outright stopping power. Ultimately it probably isn't as quick from A to B as the Polo Sport but you'd probably have more fun getting there.

The engine's characteristics are all but identical to the Polo installation: characterful thrum, excellent economy and linear torque delivery (as long as you have more than 1900 rpm on the tacho). This particular unit seemed more refined than the Polo's, but this may have been due to the higher mileage on our test car or perhaps some details changes in the induction and exhaust layouts. The gearchange can't match the slick action of the Polo and the stick itself feels cheap.

Elsewhere in the interior the Fabia's price advantage becomes more obvious. It doesn't look cheap in isolation, but next to the Polo scrimping and saving is easy to spot. Quality of materials, detailing and general cabin ambience aren't in the same league. There are small differentiations in terms of equipment as well: the Polo has semi-auto air con and a better quality hi-fi. The Skoda offers items of lesser quality that still fulfil the task well. The basic driving position is good and the seats are comfortable, if lacking in support. A weak link is the steering wheel that feels a little nasty but in reality no worse than other rivals'.

On the whole the Skoda does exactly what it says on the tin. It is the epitome of what a small family hatch should be: cheap to run, functional, comfortable and dependable. The best thing you can say about it is that you almost take it for granted. It also seems conspicuously cheap against the Polo and if you can live without the better looks, badge and superior interior quality then it would be the sensible choice as opposed to the VW. All in all if you were blindfold and placed in either car there is very little to distinguish between the two. You can almost jump two models up the Fabia range for the price of the Polo, or just spend the £2,000 you saved on a family holiday. That's no joke...