[roms]

Originally Posted by GTO

Old news, reports of some issues with petrol Fabia's have been doing the rounds on Team-BHP since a while. I think this is going to be a simple firmware upgrade. What I don't get is, how can anyone expect the petrol Fabia to be high on fuel-efficiency? That 1.2 liter engine is working hard to move the Euro-built body. A hatch like the Fabia will never be as fuel efficient as say, a Swift or a Santro. My guess is, they are going to detune the 1.2 and it's going to become even more sluggish than it already was.

Yes, thats possible, something on the lines of the Palio 1.2 NV. And that would make a really sluggish motor.Or, maybe they could fiddle with the ECU for better driveability and low down torque. That would probably be the best possible way for increasing the driveability and fuel efficiency.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by roms

Or, maybe they could fiddle with the ECU for better driveability and low down torque. That would probably be the best possible way for increasing the driveability and fuel efficiency.

I think that Fabia 1.2 motor has good low end grunt, but if lacks the same from mid range.

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by iraghava

And I didn't know that after being in India for the better part of a decade Skoda still does not know how to setup their cars for the fuel available here.

Originally Posted by CBlazer

“inconsistent fuel quality” is something Skoda should have known about after selling cars in India for so many years. I can't take this as an excuse from a manufacturer who charges 8L for a 1.4l petrol hatchback. They should have taken their time to set this right, rather than launch an expensive import in haste.

What about Honda ?? They know the Indian road conditions better than Skoda (being here a lot before than Skoda) still they can't set up the bottoming out suspension of the Civic ?

[amit]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

What about Honda ?? They know the Indian road conditions better than Skoda (being here a lot before than Skoda) still they can't set up the bottoming out suspension of the Civic ?

At least Skoda acknowledges the issue and is pro-actively trying to set things right. Honda, on the other hand, refuses to even acknowledge the problem!

[ph03n!x]

Wel, i have a strong feeling we are not getting the correct picture - i am sure that the Fabia should have been road-tested for a while before being launched, and fuel-related issues would, in all probability, be corrected then - Skoda is experienced enough to know there may be a quality-related issue!!

Maybe there is something - like a big, fat, ghost, that they unknowingly packed along with the car - that they want to do / fix / (remove the ghost?!!)

[Thad E Ginathom]

If there is something really basic wrong with the engine, then this recall will be worldwide. I do not think it is anything to worry too much about.

Even the Swift Diesel, perhaps one of the best-loved cars of this forum, was recalled for a wiring component to be replaced.

[sudev]

Why no one is questioning (okay but one) brakes going hard linked with FE and ECU upgrade?? Skoda has acted in responsible manner but then this in their statement shows how responsible they are or what they think of Indian junta.

[Mysticeyes]

Glad to note that SKoda has officially acknowledged the issue. I'm waiting for the delivery of my 1.2 Ambiente. Now i'm sure that people may jump on me here. i've taken a ride of a 1.2 delivered last week and found it very much smooth and refined than the 1.2 that i had taken test drive in june (it was a new TD Car which landed with the dealer the day i took TD). guess the 1 i drove last week was an upgraded one

[naikpranav]

I don't see why there is such a lot of hatred for the fabia, its not that the car has been made-for-india, that skoda doesn't care about the "Indian Junta" does the "Indian Junta" care about itself anyway ? no one wants Air Bags or decent tyres in thier cars, just that they should be cheap.. about the recall, there might be some issue in the petrol fabia, and they are willing to fix it, unlike Maruti which had an issue with the first few swift p's and fixed it later on but didnt repair it on the ones they had sold, or the fact that the service managers who say the car not getting into reverse is normal, quality is a major problem with most cars that we have here, if you want quality you get it in the fabia for a decent price, and there are people who place safety, quality, comfort above mere thrill, nonetheless, everyone who says the fabia 1.4's are underpowered, you should spend some more time with that car.

[Mysticeyes]

Originally Posted by naikpranav

I don't see why there is such a lot of hatred for the fabia, its not that the car has been made-for-india, that skoda doesn't care about the "Indian Junta" does the "Indian Junta" care about itself anyway ? no one wants Air Bags or decent tyres in thier cars, just that they should be cheap.. about the recall, there might be some issue in the petrol fabia, and they are willing to fix it, unlike Maruti which had an issue with the first few swift p's and fixed it later on but didnt repair it on the ones they had sold, or the fact that the service managers who say the car not getting into reverse is normal, quality is a major problem with most cars that we have here, if you want quality you get it in the fabia for a decent price, and there are people who place safety, quality, comfort above mere thrill, nonetheless, everyone who says the fabia 1.4's are underpowered, you should spend some more time with that car.

well said pranav, that sums up everything. fabia is a pretty good car with petrol version quite handy for city drive and diesel for long runs. ofcourse, the price is a bit high, but people who want quality would be willing to pay that price. So i don't think there's any point in some people saying that fabia is useless because it's priced high or it doesn't give that much thrill.

where in India can you get a road where one can touch atleast 120 km/hr for 5 minutes unchanged?if people say fabia buyers are crazy for buying fabia, then fabia buyers can say that others are also crazy for buying new cars which gets rattles as compliment from car manufacturer

[naikpranav]

Originally Posted by Mysticeyes

well said pranav, that sums up everything. fabia is a pretty good car with petrol version quite handy for city drive and diesel for long runs. ofcourse, the price is a bit high, but people who want quality would be willing to pay that price. So i don't think there's any point in some people saying that fabia is useless because it's priced high or it doesn't give that much thrill.

where in India can you get a road where one can touch atleast 120 km/hr for 5 minutes unchanged?if people say fabia buyers are crazy for buying fabia, then fabia buyers can say that others are also crazy for buying new cars which gets rattles as compliment from car manufacturer

Exactly ! most of those cars which people claim can go really fast and can push out more power than the fabia, are mostly not even capable of maintaining those high speeds or even controlling them in the event of a loss of control. try driving the verna, swift, city or most other "value for money" cars, they will not have the kind of control that the fabia gives you. this car is meant for a different kind of person, the Connoisseur.

[Mysticeyes]

"its all aout money,honey"..if skoda had priced the entire fabia range 50-75k less, then there wouldn't have been such complaints. we are still money pinchers when it comes to parting our hard earned money. but it is each guys discretion, how to spend money. it's a guys wish to own a brand which gives him the feeling of poshness eventhough the car may be bit low on the performance side (read speed in our potholed roads).

both are same when a guy spends less on performance (VFM) vehicle that crawl at 25km/hr in cities or cruise at 80km/hr in highways and when a guy spends more on a nonperforming (posh) car which doesn't need its clutch overworked in city drives..

[nitrous]

How about a 1200cc Supercharged/Turbocharged engine in the Fabia?
It would give it power as well as get the "small car" excise discount.
Would be a hit with enthusiasts. A turbocharged hatch from the factory.

[Vid6639]

So you do a mistake in your car. You don't admit there's a mistake you have committed.

You blame someone else for the mistake, volunteer to fix it and come out with appreciation from everyone else for being the bigger person and fixing something which is someone else's fault.

Skoda is good, very good I must say. Hats off to the PR guy at Skoda.

[CBlazer]

Originally Posted by vid6639

So you do a mistake in your car. You don't admit there's a mistake you have committed.

You blame someone else for the mistake, volunteer to fix it and come out with appreciation from everyone else for being the bigger person and fixing something which is someone else's fault.

Skoda is good, very good I must say. Hats off to the PR guy at Skoda.

I read on the ACI forum that Skoda has sent a letter to a potential customer stating that the views expressed in the TOI were incorrect. And that they were not recalling the cars, but merely doing a software upgrade to improve FE and performance. I don't want to post the letter here since it's from another forum.

Fabia petrol owners on T-Bhp might have more information?