Bassa

This week's Auto Express pitched the Fabia 3 1.9TDI Estate against the Renault Clio Sp Tourer 1.5dCi, Nissan Note Acenta 1.5dCi and the Peugeot 207 SW 1.6 HDi Sport - the Fabia came in 3rd.
Although they basically liked it, the high load lip, cornering body roll and the 1.9 engine's lack of refinement when compared to the others down marked it. It did have the best residual value though.

helix

I saw this article too. Interestingly the 207SW came last, yet in a WhatCar test comparison beat the Fabia. Shows how subjective magazine reviews can be!
What struck me was that in what are probably the most important areas for small estate buyers, ie interior space and comfort, luggage capacity and build, the Fabia was probably best. The other thing was that despite the common accusation of lack of refinement in the 1.9TDI, Auto Express's noise tests show that while the Fabia is noisy from outside and at idle (ie mostly engine noise), it was actually quietest at 30 and 70mph suggesting the Fabia is more refined in other respects such as road and wind noise. Refinement on the move is what matters when you're actually in the car!

Finally I wondered if the optional lowered suspension now available would make any noticeable difference to body control

Captain Sisko

The 1.9 seems to get reviews from most magazines aas being unrefined.


I'l have to read this shootout though as it sounds interesting.

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skisbp

I read this review & the 1st thing that came to mind was " PAID Advert"!!!

Allams Skoda

Some magazines don't review cars as a prospective owner/buyer would. I'm pretty sure that if one of you drove all the above cars with a view to buy you'd be put off by the quality of the Renault and the Peugeot, and you'd find the Notes 1.5DCi engine near silent but performance is pretty poor and you have to rev it hard to get it to move which goes against the whole point of a torquey diesel.

I think in the real world the Fabia would reign supreme!

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Fab Estate

I think a better comparison would have been with the 1.4 80 pd engine rather than the 1.9 as the othe engines were 1.5-1.6.

ap0gee

Not read the review, but all the same...

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helix

It seems you often get inconsistencies like this in reviews, which can lead to further unfair comparison. AE chose to look at the expensive 110bhp version of the 207 (there is a 90bhp one I think), but the 86bhp version of the Clio (not the 104bhp one).
This allowed AE to praise the eco credentials of the Clio, while commenting the Fabia Greenline wasn't available as an estate yet (isn't it?) as if it was the only Fabia eco option: yet the standard Fabia 1.4 80bhp would have compared well enough on emissions, and been well ahead of the two French cars on price!

skisbp

3 French cars the Nissan is a Renault in disguise... Thus Clio 1st Note 2nd as it was a Renault sponsored test, The FabiaII came out in 3rd "ahead of the Peugeot" where it belongs yet the 1st 2 needed to be the last 2! For those that waste their time reading it like me will see that's really what they wrote anyways!!!

Bassa

Look at any survey both past and present, J D Power and Driver Power spring to mind.
The French pair always languish near the bottom and Nissan have slipped to a mediocre position since Renault's influence. It's not only the cars but also the dealerships
The Fabia is the only smart buy from this tested group.

helix

Sounds like fair comment! Apart from the outcome of the test though, why do you suspect it's Renault sponsored?

skisbp

Two Renaults take the 1st 2 places!

JSJ

It absolutely is, If even seen one in the flesh, well, metal.

redbaron

but auto express is a joke of a magazine.... why are any of you surprised.

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Hearny

I had a quick look at "Which Car" mag in Sainsburys last week and it had the Fabia as the best buy supermini. Just shows you as to what people see!!!!!!!!

nickcoll

Some interesting facts - the Fabia has the best performance AND by far the best economy. Also by far the lowest actual CO2 reading and the lowest kerbweight despite having the best headroom and largest boot capacity. Another plus is the smallest turning circle (always a Skoda strength), something which is rarely mentioned but is often very handy.

Those are some significant pluses, but the aspects that downrate the car are some that I agree with and have mentioned before. I definitely agree that the Fabia in standard trim is under-damped and rolls too much, although the Greenline models are somewhat better in this respect. Maybe there should be a "Sport" option for the suspension with better damping, although for my taste it should be better damped as standard.

Another thing I have mentioned before is that I think there should be an (optional?) false boot floor that has the effect of creating a flat load space. If properly engineered this could be flat including the seat backs, an area that definitely seems under-designed at present. A false floor would also have the additional benefit of providing hidden storage.

Of the four the Fabia seems to be the logical choice to me, but car magazines always rate tautness of handling very high in these sorts of tests. Because this is also important to me I can't entirely criticise them for it, but I do so wish that Skoda would take this shortcoming on board and sort it out. Then the car would both be better to drive AND win more tests in magazines!

helix

I agree Nickcoll. General enthusiasm for the Fabia should not disguise its weaknesses.
i think it's a bit odd that in handling terms the mk2 is worse than the mk1 which was always praised for its excellent compromise between ride and handling, achieving good outcomes for both. There seems to be more criticism of the estate than the hatch in respect of handling. I suspect it may be worse with the nose heavier diesels too.
I believe the Greenline type lowered suspension is now available across the range as a £90 option, though how much of an improvement this is I don't know.
To be fair most owners won't be driving like motor journalists though, so the handling is probably less of a real life issue!
The other common criticism is of noisy diesels, though as the Fabia is refined in other areas eg insulation from wind and road noise, the Fabia's refinement is good on the whole. The VW group seems to have a new range of small diesels planned for next generation Golfs and Polos but I don't know when they'll be available in VWs let alone Skodas.

Little Jo

I don't consider the handling on the Fabia to be that below par, having driven one now for more than three months on my daily commute (mainly B and C class roads). It's no Gti, but I'd really prefer that softer suspension to soak up the bumps and undulations than a spine-jarring sporty set-up. The secret is to keep the car balanced in corners and when you do, a lot of drivers in sportier models cannot keep up through the twisty sections.

Motoring journalists like French cars, they like BMW, Audi and such like. They criticised competant cars like the Vauxhall Astra that are perfectly good cars to drive, but aren't styled to meet some iconic design statement. I take most reviews with a big pinch of salt.

The only slightly negative point about the Fabia are the very thick A pillars that can be a real blind spot. However, most other modern cars have the same issue.

Buy the Fabia if it's right for you, a no-nonsense practical vehicle that is pleasant to live with and reliable too. If you want regular trips to the dealer, expensive repair bills and to pose from a tow truck, buy a French offering. If you drive them how the journalists say they can be driven, that is likely to be the reality.

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jaxx007

I couldn't have said it any better myself. My wife and I have just ordered a 1.4 tdi 80 estate and she read the review in ae. Of the criticisms, she, like myself, had no problems with the lack of rallying ability, or being able to concentrate on a "lovely" dash when you should be looking at the road. She was slightly concerned about difficulty lifting heavy items over the load lip. As I said to her, We will be putting a pram and a few kids bikes and camping stuff in mainly. Not fridges or cookers! So we have no issue with the load lip.

Also look at the load space in the clio. Looking from the boot opening, from the back of the car up to the wheelarches is only a very very small gap. There's little chance of fitting the pram there behind the wheelarches like everybody does. We would probably have to fit it diagonally towards the back seats robbing nearly all the boot space.

So to conclude, you can keep your overpriced, unreliable car made by surrender monkeys. I'm very happy with our purchase and sure we've bought the right car!!!

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helix

Entirely agree with your last paragraph Jo. The Fabia is the best long-term prospect for real world ownership: practical, well-equipped, comfortable, fun and reliable.
By the way, your car looks great in storm blue!

woodenspatulas

ive been happy with my level 3 1.9tdi until i sold it. i was just about to move back into another fabia estate demo, but ive sold that too!

the ride is smooth and yes there is a bit of lean, but as jo says get used to it and then its fine. i certainly had no problem getting away from the boy racer paxos before they could get in my way

i still dont get the unrefined comments though

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skisbp

So what ya drivin now? Possibly holden out for a New SuperbII...

oilburninnut

unfortunatly i do get the unrefined comments,all the vag group 1.9tdi's and the none cr 2.0 tdi's(i can't comment on the cr versions as i have no expierience of them) are a bit rough at idle,and sound rough as you accelerate,the volvo 2.0d i was in today(which is a ford derv)was silky smooth and almost silent on the move,it made the pd lump in my fabia look stone age in comparrison,but the pd engines tend to deliver more torque and be more flexible,and the sure are more fun,but they arn't really that refined in modern terms,but saying that i wouldn't swap my pd lump for any other diesel engine.

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Bassa

Having had a Toyota 2.2 D-4D, it appeared just as noisy externally but where it really gained and by some margin, certainly over the 1.4 TDI was in the cabin - no doubt down to superior insulation. No experience of the 1.9TDI so unable to comment.
Has anyone driven both the estate and hatch using the same engines and compared the ride/handling?

nickcoll

I have, and I would say that the estate is somewhat better to drive than the hatch. It feels like it is a bit firmer and better damped. Still not a sports car, but heading in the right direction. I have also driven a greenline hatch and that was better still. I suspect that an estate with the greenline suspension and better dampers would be fine. That is what I would go for. Now I just need to be able to get the Sports seats and I would be placing an order!

My ideal spec is a 1.9 (or maybe 1.4/80) 3 estate with greenline suspension (which apparently you can get), firmer dampers (after market fitment possible) and Sports seats (which you can't get in the UK for some stupid reason...