Fabia VRS Estate - Thoughts?
Discussion
My girlfriend and I are looking at maybe changing the Civic for something newer, but just as cheap to run.
The Civic does 40mpg around town, and that's all we do. We live 6 miles from work and travel in together, so a diesel is a definite no, and I don't want a big petrol engine. We're trying to cut down on motoring costs, but I still want a nice, quick little car. I also want something with roof bars ideally, must carry 2 heavy kayaks (the Civic roof load is only 40kg), a fairly good sized boot as we go camping a lot and my girlfriend is keen to try a DSG gearbox.
I'm thinking the Skoda Fabia VRS Estate could be ideal. This actually looks pretty cool:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
What do you think? It's got to be a fair bit quicker than the 1.6 Civic with 110hp, DSG gearbox should satisfy my other half and still be fun enough for me, decent sized boot without the running costs of a proper estate car with a 2.0 engine, cheap tax, cheap insurance, excellent MPG figures. I've really had enough of spending so much money on fuel and VED, I just want something cheap to run now. I'm going to enjoy the summer and do loads of cycling, kayaking and camping and want a vehicle that can fit in with that lifestyle.
Can't think of anything else that's comparable. Can you?
Cheers,
Dan
The Civic does 40mpg around town, and that's all we do. We live 6 miles from work and travel in together, so a diesel is a definite no, and I don't want a big petrol engine. We're trying to cut down on motoring costs, but I still want a nice, quick little car. I also want something with roof bars ideally, must carry 2 heavy kayaks (the Civic roof load is only 40kg), a fairly good sized boot as we go camping a lot and my girlfriend is keen to try a DSG gearbox.
I'm thinking the Skoda Fabia VRS Estate could be ideal. This actually looks pretty cool:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
What do you think? It's got to be a fair bit quicker than the 1.6 Civic with 110hp, DSG gearbox should satisfy my other half and still be fun enough for me, decent sized boot without the running costs of a proper estate car with a 2.0 engine, cheap tax, cheap insurance, excellent MPG figures. I've really had enough of spending so much money on fuel and VED, I just want something cheap to run now. I'm going to enjoy the summer and do loads of cycling, kayaking and camping and want a vehicle that can fit in with that lifestyle.
Can't think of anything else that's comparable. Can you?
Cheers,
Dan
Nice cars, but I would echo the concerns about all the tech in them and the oil consumption some of them suffer.
I was thinking of changing to one from the mk1 VRS when they were doing a huge VAT free saving on them. I was impressed with the DSG, and it handled considerably better than my Mk1. The power was deceptive, being used to the crude diesel shove but definitley a quick little car. In all honesty I just could never fall for the look of the thing, and didn't win me over. The interior as even blander than the old one, at least that has terribly impractical grey seats!
The Yeti is a great call, there is a 140bhp 4x4 diesel I believe. Or how about jumping up a class to a slightly older Octavia VRS estate. They are HUGE inside, perfect for lugging about outdoor gear I would think.
Also, yes tax is good and they are in a competitive insurance group for their class. But as per usual take the MPG figures with a pinch of salt. Mid to high 30s is realistic in everyday driving, from all the Briskoda folks posts I have read. Higher is possible, but then why buy a highly strung twin charged warm hatch to pootle in?
I was thinking of changing to one from the mk1 VRS when they were doing a huge VAT free saving on them. I was impressed with the DSG, and it handled considerably better than my Mk1. The power was deceptive, being used to the crude diesel shove but definitley a quick little car. In all honesty I just could never fall for the look of the thing, and didn't win me over. The interior as even blander than the old one, at least that has terribly impractical grey seats!
The Yeti is a great call, there is a 140bhp 4x4 diesel I believe. Or how about jumping up a class to a slightly older Octavia VRS estate. They are HUGE inside, perfect for lugging about outdoor gear I would think.
Also, yes tax is good and they are in a competitive insurance group for their class. But as per usual take the MPG figures with a pinch of salt. Mid to high 30s is realistic in everyday driving, from all the Briskoda folks posts I have read. Higher is possible, but then why buy a highly strung twin charged warm hatch to pootle in?
Edited by vrsmxtb on Sunday 11th March 16:41
I agree with the comments above, I was looking at a VRS hatch recently, but test drove an estate. Very practical, deceptively quick and handled well, but I did find a few horror stories on line about oil consumption and DSG faults. As mentioned above, the interior is also just a sea of grey!
As for alternatives, the suggestion of a Yeti makes sense. My parents have a 1.2 TSi DSG (no laughing please), and the performance is astonishing for such a small engine! Even handles well too. If you can find one for the money I would recomend it highly.
As for alternatives, the suggestion of a Yeti makes sense. My parents have a 1.2 TSi DSG (no laughing please), and the performance is astonishing for such a small engine! Even handles well too. If you can find one for the money I would recomend it highly.
My friend has one of these and seems to love it, he has mentioned it using a fair bit of oil (about 1l per 1000 miles) but this is less than the manual states it could use. Having ridden in it it does seem pretty quick but at low speed the dsg seems fairly easy to confuse, and I personally couldn't buy one based on its looks. Even the hatch isn't a looker imo.
Oh really, well that’s a shame.
I can’t understand all these issues with these sorts of engines. As I understand it the Mini and DS3R has had similar problems with their little turbo charged engines. Are they all that unreliable? What exactly is the issue behind them?
I really like the Yeti. I think it suits my lifestyle perfectly. Especially the 4x4, it’s exactly what I want, but my girlfriend really doesn’t like it. She says it looks like a disabled person’s car! However, I’m not keen on a diesel. I had a diesel Octavia VRS, and whilst it was a fabulous car and I really liked the engine, the cloud of worry that hung over me that at any moment I could have DPF issues, really dampened the experience. I very rarely get on the motorway, it’s all A or B roads around the New Forest, and always short 5 or 6 mile journeys. I diesel just isn’t suitable. And for these short runs, I found the diesel not even that economical. Factoring in the fact that diesel is more expensive than petrol, the 1.6 petrol Civic we have is considerably cheaper to fuel when compared to the 2.0 litre diesel Octavia.
I can’t understand all these issues with these sorts of engines. As I understand it the Mini and DS3R has had similar problems with their little turbo charged engines. Are they all that unreliable? What exactly is the issue behind them?
I really like the Yeti. I think it suits my lifestyle perfectly. Especially the 4x4, it’s exactly what I want, but my girlfriend really doesn’t like it. She says it looks like a disabled person’s car! However, I’m not keen on a diesel. I had a diesel Octavia VRS, and whilst it was a fabulous car and I really liked the engine, the cloud of worry that hung over me that at any moment I could have DPF issues, really dampened the experience. I very rarely get on the motorway, it’s all A or B roads around the New Forest, and always short 5 or 6 mile journeys. I diesel just isn’t suitable. And for these short runs, I found the diesel not even that economical. Factoring in the fact that diesel is more expensive than petrol, the 1.6 petrol Civic we have is considerably cheaper to fuel when compared to the 2.0 litre diesel Octavia.
danyeates said:
I really like the Yeti. I think it suits my lifestyle perfectly. Especially the 4x4, it’s exactly what I want, but my girlfriend really doesn’t like it. She says it looks like a disabled person’s car!
Swap her for someone who choses cars for what they do rather than what other people think of them, simples. Failing that the Octavia scout in 1.8tsi form would be a good shout, 4x4, high ground clearance, 160hp petrol engine and sensible fuel consumption. Otherwise I'd suggest something Volvoish but they all would be diesels or the thirsty T5.
Lol, thanks for your replies. There’s no swapping my girlfriend, she’s great (and paying half!)
Would love an RS6, but if I was going for another high power sports car it would be another little roadster for me and a cheap estate! But for the time being, I’ve had enough of spending loads on fuel and tax, I just fancy something cheap to run, but that offers a better roof rack than the Civic. Plus I find the Civic a bit difficult to drive. I’ve got used to a lovely smooth fly by wire throttle in my BMW and VAG cars, and the steering wheel doesn’t adjust in and out, just up and down. With my long legs I can’t reach the steering wheel very well!
Would love an RS6, but if I was going for another high power sports car it would be another little roadster for me and a cheap estate! But for the time being, I’ve had enough of spending loads on fuel and tax, I just fancy something cheap to run, but that offers a better roof rack than the Civic. Plus I find the Civic a bit difficult to drive. I’ve got used to a lovely smooth fly by wire throttle in my BMW and VAG cars, and the steering wheel doesn’t adjust in and out, just up and down. With my long legs I can’t reach the steering wheel very well!
danyeates said:
I do ride quite a lot in the summer. But it is a twisty, narrow, unlit country lane with high sided hedges, so I only like to ride when it's light!
That's fair enough, my comment was largely being tongue-in-cheek. I'm not being hypocritical as I do cycle to work myself. Unless it's raining hard.I've driven one (Evo's long termer actually). It is very quick - the gearchanges are v rapid and it can be chucked about. The engine is reasonably rorty. The interior is a low point though. Coal black interior, horrible shiny plastic and rattly. In fact, Evo's car sounds like an old citroen inside (though it has led a harder life than most).
I wouldn't recommend a used one, they can drink oil which is a known problem, and I personally hate the 7spd DSG as fitted to this car (which is a bit different to other DSG's in the VAG range, and it's use as a manual is limited IMO). My car drinks oil and the gearbox sounds like a bag of spanners at times. I wouldn't touch one outside of the manufacturers warranty. A new one might still be a proposition, as one would assume these issues have since been rectified.
Balmoral said:
I wouldn't recommend a used one, they can drink oil which is a known problem, and I personally hate the 7spd DSG as fitted to this car (which is a bit different to other DSG's in the VAG range, and it's use as a manual is limited IMO). My car drinks oil and the gearbox sounds like a bag of spanners at times. I wouldn't touch one outside of the manufacturers warranty. A new one might still be a proposition, as one would assume these issues have since been rectified.
I see Skoda have their "No VAT" offer and 0% interest over 2 years! Pretty good deals. If you can get over the looks (As someone said above the proportions are wrong: It looks too narrow and too tall for me), then it sounds like the perfect car for your requirements as it is happy to pootle around town as a full auto and with reasonably good economy, and has a lot of poke when you want it.
I test drove the hatch to replace my Mk1 diesel Fabia VRS and it is quick, but the looks put me off as well as the engine reliability stories. They are great value new though...
I test drove the hatch to replace my Mk1 diesel Fabia VRS and it is quick, but the looks put me off as well as the engine reliability stories. They are great value new though...
danyeates said:
I see Skoda have their "No VAT" offer and 0% interest over 2 years! Pretty good deals.
Both offers exclude the vRS though, AFAIK..I've had 2 mk1 vRS Fabias, but couldn't really warm to the mk2 - felt a bit cheap inside and looks worse than the previous model (IMO!). Some of the reliability problems people have had are a bit of a worry too.
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