Fabia II forum + my thoughts

[Tailhappy]

Just driven a Fab 2 1.4 TD estate for a week whilst my vRS was in for warranty work and have been seriously impressed. Ride, feel and the whole ambience of the car was excellent - and getting back into my vRS was hard as the Fab 2 had a good high driving position, but the vRS has a low seating position which makes me feel too low to the road. The 1.4 TD engine was the biggest shock though - so sporty and smooth. Passengers were happy with the progress made, and the car set the pace on all roads - indeed it was difficult to hold it back on some occasions. Either the speedo is very optimistic, or the car makes 30 feel like 20. Anyway I had to be very careful.

Only small niggles (and I mean small) were the feeling of the gear lever knob, the slightly mushy throttle and the door handles were a bit flexible. Otherwise it was a hit with all who rode in it - and I would not miss my vRS one jot if I swapped today.

Now, concerning the Fabia 2 forums which I follow, it seems to me like there are not many owners of these cars posting here compared to the Fabia 1 gang. Is it because the target audience of the Fabia 2 is different, or because it is less of an 'enthusiasts' car for tinkering and the like? It's a bit of a shame, as these cars are so good, one can never read enough about them.

TH

[Hearny]

Would it not be that the MK2 has been out for just over a year so not as many on the roads. I have the the 1.4td (80) and it's spot on.

[Fab Estate]

I would agree with Hearny that the Fabia 2 is fairly new so not as many people have them yet. Mine is also the 1.4 TD 80.

[andy2407]

Partly because its newer - but also I estimate around 80 - 90% of the Fabia I owners on here have the vRS model and of course there is no Mk II vRS so far.

[Estate Man]

Tailhappy, glad you were impressed with the Fab 2 1.4 TDI Estate. I bought a new one just 9 weeks ago and agree with your views. It is suprisingly sporty and...no, the speedo is not optimistic! You are actually going as fast as it tells you!! It certainly doesn't feel like it though. Only today I squirted my Fab through the gears taking it to 4,000rpm in 3rd before slipping it into 4th and powering on again to join the dual carriage way (I've finished the initail running in process). I got a bit of a shock to see I was hitting 85mph but it felt like 65mph.

But I have to say I haven't noticed the door handles being 'flimsy'. One thing I have noticed...the estate handles better than the hatch. This appears to be due to the heavier duty suspension. It seems to prevent the small amount of body roll some mention is present when pushing the hatch. I did notice some body roll when I drove the hatch but it was in no way detrimental to the ride in my opinion.

I believe the Fab 2 will be really popular and even overtake the numbers sold of the excellent Fab 1 so I'm sure many people will be posting about the '2' on this site. Great site eh!

[Tailhappy]

Concerning the handles - in my VRS the handles are metal, but in the Fabia 2 the handles are silver painted plastic. Nothing wrong with them at all - but I do rather like the feel of the metal ones in the Mk 1 Fab. Just a tiny thought - it is hard to find anything wrong you see.

TH

[snownrock]

I looked at splashing out for a new MkII (1.9 sport) before i got the GPS and i was very impressed too, the cabin and quality was great, some neat little touches too. Just couldnt justify the expense of a new car and im still not a fan of the look of the car, its too tall and narrow for me.

[markmi]

I have a Vrs and a 19tdi 3 est, i do agree with you about the looks its to high and not very wide, so looks a bit odd on some views, i have only had the fabia 2 for a few days so still trying to find out which one i like best, will follow up when i have had car for a bit longer.

if anyone want to know anything about how the new and old compare just ask.

[Octygone]

Originally Posted by snownrock

I Just couldnt justify the expense of a new car and im still not a fan of the look of the car, its too tall and narrow for me.

Strange as it may seem there is very little difference in height/width between the Mk 1 and Mk2......try putting them together in a car park and you'll see what I mean

[snownrock]

Yeah i was aware of that when i parked my MkI next to a MkII, it just appears to tall and narrow from the front view.

[Johnwg]

I could well be seriously intrested in one (an estate that is) in 6-12 months time if they bring out one in 'Sport' trim, which I believe is rumoured?

[Harry Brooks]

I had a fabia 2 for a few days while my Mk1 was getting the door seals fixed. I thought it looked quite nice on the outside actually (orange with a white roof). But the interior is a disaster I think. Looked like it came from a different car. Horrible seat fabric, absolutely no style in the design of the dashboard and door trim, cheap grey plastic, fake alloy trim. My Mk1 elegance looks, well, elegant by comparison. The ride seemed a bit softer, which i quite liked. But the 1.4TDI engine didn't impress - rather noisy, poor low down power compared with my 1.9 and, judging from the computer, significantly less economical.

[nickcoll]

Originally Posted by Johnwg

I could well be seriously intrested in one (an estate that is) in 6-12 months time if they bring out one in 'Sport' trim, which I believe is rumoured?

A Sport version of the estate is available in other territories (such as France - see my other post on this subject at http://briskoda.net/fabia-ii/new-fab...-least/124604/), but Skoda UK for some hard-to-understand reason don't want to bring it to the UK. Makes no sense at all to me - it's the main thing holding me back from buying one.

[Johnwg]

Originally Posted by nickcoll

A Sport version of the estate is available in other territories (such as France - see my other post on this subject), but Skoda UK for some hard-to-understand reason don't want to bring it to the UK. Makes no sense at all to me - it's the main thing holding me back from buying one.

It's a shame, I'm sure there is a market, just as there is for the Octy VRS Estate