Skoda Fabia vRS: PH Carpool
From a supercharged E-Type to a diesel Skoda hot hatch in one move - Carpool proves PHers are a diverse bunch
Car: Skoda Fabia vRS 1.9 TDI
Previously owned: "Between myself and She Who Must Be Obeyed (and only the most notable ones....!) Fiesta Supersport, XR3 (not i), XR2, XR2 Turbo Technics, RS Turbo, Escort Mexico, RS2000, Sierra Cosworth (three-door), RS500 Cosworth, Audi ur Quattro, TVR Chimaera, Triumph Spitfire (restored by SWMBO), BMW 320d M Sport Touring, Honda Civic Type S GT CDTI, Skoda Octavia vRS, Skoda Fabia vRS, BMW 320d M Sport Individual (E46), current Fabia vRS...(and I've omitted quite a few...) Oh, and she used to have a Yamaha R6 so you probably gather she likes small, fast and nimble things ... everything I'm not."
Fast, frugal and just a little bit sinister - result!
"SWMBO had recently owned a Fabia vRS, and during her ownership coincidentally won a competition to have a Tunit box fitted, giving over 175hp, plus improved economy. She sold the car a while later to purchase a mint low miles BMW 320d, but missed the Fabia so much that she hunted down this one.
"It came with a full service history, JabbaSport 170hp remap, slightly lowered suspension, front strut brace, Milltek stainless exhaust, grooved and drilled discs, uprated pads, double-DIN stereo with updated speakers and power amp, plus heated seats and n'er a dent or scratch to be seen on its immaculate 'Black Magic' paintwork."
Things we love:
"Given the time of year this is being written, and as I have a degenerative lower spinal condition, the heated seats are a definite bonus, although SWMBO reckons that when they're on it feels like you have, well, wet yourself...
"Performance is amazing for such a small diesel, helped in no small part by the remap; the mid-range wallop is quite something, and you become accustomed to the ease with which overtaking may be undertaken. Larger gaps are dispatched without need to change down, just a gentle flex of the ankle, smaller gaps that would require fourth or even third in lesser cars are comfortably achieved in fifth, or fourth at a push. Top speed is, by and large, irrelevant on Peak District roads, so the ability to move on-a-pace, and overtake, is paramount.
"The lowered suspension copes admirably with the pot-holed jungle of rural Peak District roads, with just enough compliance for comfort, but noticeably more control than standard. The economy is genuinely hard to believe, middle 50s to the gallon in mixed driving, and middle/late 60s in motorway conditions. The kids affectionately call it The Black Bomber...
"What's not to like?"
Remap means this is a common view for others
"The brakes, whilst great when warm, have around the same stopping ability as clamping two blocks of wood against the disc by hand when cold, so taking it easy until warm is the way to go. Unless you want to be on first-name terms with 'accident lawyers for you' or similar, of course...
"'Hate' would be too strong a word for the headlights, but as this is her bolide, and as she uses it for work, invariably the car is out in the dark at this time of year. She did complain that the headlights were like 'two inebriated glow worms' compared to previous cars she has owned with xenons, so a quick call to HIDs4U got dipped and main beam kits dispatched. The difference, pardon the pun, is night and day...
"The other thing I 'hate' is it is so much quicker over B-roads than my Vauxhall Insignifica SRI 160 CDTI, due to greater outright hp, torque, and ability to change direction far quicker. I never see which way she went if I'm trying to keep up..."
Costs:
"Due to a change of work in one of the jobs she does, she has had to take out her own insurance and this was a reasonable £400 (having previously been on my insurance) with Chris Knott Insurance, with the mods listed above declared.
"Fuel economy is little short of amazing for such a quick car, as stated above, around 50-55 regularly, over 60mpg on quick dual carriageway/motorway driving. As the car is eight years and 40,000 miles old, it stands to reason that it has fallen away from the main dealer network. Previously serviced by Rainworth Skoda, then R&M motors in Pleasley, Nottinghamshire, she will be taking her vRS to Chesterfield VW Specialist in Chesterfield. Having used them before, they are a small concern but with around 25 years of main dealer VAG experience, pricing is very keen, and they are exceptionally thorough. I'd personally recommend them to anyone in the area. A recent main service only cost £135 too."
'The Black Bomber' as it's known in the Barber house
"Living on the edge of the Peak District certainly has its advantages; drop the children off at school, and then a 10-minute drive takes us into the semi-deserted roads towards Matlock, Buxton and Macclesfield via the A6, A623, A57 areas, and the sinewy blacktop between. Avoiding the Cat and Fiddle is accepted due to the near-blanket 50mph limit, but the corollary to this is that there are plenty of other B- and unclassified roads that offer even better driving experiences IF you know where to look.
"Short of Snowdonia, the North York Moors or the Scottish Highlands, these have to be some the best driving roads around. The A619/A6 to Buxton has some of the best roads providing you don't get baulked by one of the myriad of dumper lorries lumbering away from the local quarries, the A6 in towards Buxton itself having an engaging set of continuous left-right bends that look innocuous but stringing them together with real fluidity is a real challenge."
What next?
"She is looking at having a rear anti-roll bar fitted, a common modification that makes the car handle in a more positive and predictable manner - let's face it, it has a relatively heavy diesel lump up front. Also on the list are PD150 head bolts (circa £45) to prevent head-lift when greater boost is mapped in, that rear anti-roll bar (circa £157), EGR delete (circa £50), reverse parking sensors or camera (to link up with the Pioneer head unit, circa £75), poly bushes, a front-mounted intercooler and 312mm/256mm brakes.
"As you can see, some mods will be primarily for reliability or with a view to future upgrades, the reversing beepers/camera a 'want'. The FMIC and rear anti-roll bar will only be bought when we go for the next power upgrade. I know, I know, she will want a hybrid turbo, bigger injectors, better clutch etc...
"In terms of what may replace it, well, she hopes PH will be The Oracle for that one, as she will need something relatively compact, economical, yet quick. Answers on a postcode please..."
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
The anti roll bar is a great addition.
Imagine these are a great value little hatch and with a remap quite able to give substantially more expensive metal a fright. They have quite a cult following I believe?
Of the people I know who had the fabia vrs, every one has been impressed with its speed and economy.
Mine was completely standard though, and I always wonder 'what if?' with regards to a remap and some suspension work. I think I expected too much handling wise as I was coming from driving 205s and a mk2 golf. They are a good wee car as a sensible and sharp-ish daily driver in standard form all the same, just not the most thrilling of drives IMO.
I'm sure some of theses cars do fall into the price range of younger drivers who have no regard for others safety, although it must point out, before she removes my man-vegetables, that She Who Must Be Obeyed is a resolute mid-40 year old
A big thanks as well to all the members of Briskoda, who are a font of knowledge; I would recommend any Skoda owner enrol (basic membership of the forum is free).
With regards to the 150,000 mile question, although my wife's car has only done 43k, there are any on Briskoda that have done over 150k, and I think the usual things apply; maintenance (serviced regularly, PD oil used), cambelt and water pump changed at the specified age/mileage etc
To be fair, like the Octavia vRS she owned, these do come alive with a remap, probably, dare I say it, how Skoda would have actually sold the car if they had a free reign, but as VW did the Golf 1.9 with 130 and 150bhp, Seat did the the 130 and 160bhp in the Ibiza, they were probably on a hiding to nothing.
I must add, the brake issue was actually down to a small split in the vacuum hose near the servo, fixed by a £5 piece of pipe, and voila! Brakes that now stop fantastically.
Without entering I to an a argument about HIDs, there are vast deems on numerous forums about the legality; my mot tester says they are legal, my friend a traffic cop, says they are legal, so they will stay fitted. As I say, an discussion about HIDs is best left for a different thread if you don't mind please?
Oh and though its a nice car I have to say your a nobber for fitting HID bulbs to a reflector headlight. Theres a reason why it illegal! Obviously dont care as long as you can see where your going.
I'm sure some of theses cars do fall into the price range of younger drivers who have no regard for others safety, although it must point out, before she removes my man-vegetables, that She Who Must Be Obeyed is a resolute mid-40 year old
A big thanks as well to all the members of Briskoda, who are a font of knowledge; I would recommend any Skoda owner enrol (basic membership of the forum is free).
With regards to the 150,000 mile question, although my wife's car has only done 43k, there are any on Briskoda that have done over 150k, and I think the usual things apply; maintenance (serviced regularly, PD oil used), cambelt and water pump changed at the specified age/mileage etc
To be fair, like the Octavia vRS she owned, these do come alive with a remap, probably, dare I say it, how Skoda would have actually sold the car if they had a free reign, but as VW did the Golf 1.9 with 130 and 150bhp, Seat did the the 130 and 160bhp in the Ibiza, they were probably on a hiding to nothing.
I must add, the brake issue was actually down to a small split in the vacuum hose near the servo, fixed by a £5 piece of pipe, and voila! Brakes that now stop fantastically.
Without entering I to an a argument about HIDs, there are vast deems on numerous forums about the legality; my mot tester says they are legal, my friend a traffic cop, says they are legal, so they will stay fitted. As I say, an discussion about HIDs is best left for a different thread if you don't mind please?
Like I said its a nice looking fabia and the 1.9PD is a cracking engine for tuning with the likes of Derv Doctor and AMD. Jabba I have heard mixed reviews and like I said 170 is a bit light. Is this because you are saving the standard clutch or waiting for a FMIC?
What exhaust is that? Suits the back of the car.
Now the Green stuff pads i had on my Lupo on the other hand were cr@p so you'd be right there.
Its a real shame the latest fabià vrs is a petrol,and has lost the quirky appeal of this model. Much more expensive to run also. Ah well.
I sold it after 2 years but only as I needed to free up some cash. Really miss it now.
I drove the Ibiza sister model with the same engine as the Skoda a few years back, and I wasn't entirely sold. It was reasonably pokey but the engine just wasn't that much fun. I actually prefered the much less powerful engine in the 1.2 - Like a bottle of Cola it was small and fizzy and quite nice in the midrange with both much better noise and crispness.
One point about re-mapping: Effectively you're taking the engine to limits in terms of how the fuel copes (e.g. pre-ignition) and increasing stress on the engine. If you remap, only use the top quality fuel. This applies to both petrol and diesel.
I'm not so sold on re-mapping myself, since I think there is a greater risk to the durability of the engine under certain circumstances.. VAG programed the ECU the way it is for a reason - which is that it works under every day conditions and a range of fuel qualities.
Best regards,
Matt
I considered buying a Fabia vRS I bought my Leon instead. Drove a Polo GT TDI too and it was an ideal Q car looking much like a standard Polo but quick even with the standard 130hp.
PD150 felt slow as standard but a mild remap to 175hp really woke it up - only 25hp extra but 64lb ft of torque. The standard clutch seems to be an issue above around 300 lb ft and upgraded clutches aren't cheap...
Have used Greenstuff pads on a couple of previous cars and they have plenty of bite from cold, though people on here don't seem to rate them for some reason?
Still look back on it fondly though
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