[ghodlur]

Wow, what a passionate and detailed writeup as if you were so sold on the Fabia that you knew each feature so very well. Thanks for the writeup and congratulation on the wolf Aooooooooooo. Although the ownership thread is a biot late but you will excused for such a detailed description.

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

[C300]

Excellent review Rajcs. One of the best Fabia reviews on the forum. Rated 5 stars.
Fabia is built like a tank and offers real VFM. Skoda's a.s.s. reputation is the only negative aspect.

[rajeev k]

Nice car and very nice experience log covering even the minutest of detail.

Let me ask a question regarding the engine oil consumption of 1Ltr for 7500 KMs. I feel it is high compared to other present day engines seen today.

So the consumption is about 1 litre for 7500 km

.

[rajcs]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Let me ask a question regarding the engine oil consumption of 1Ltr for 7500 KMs. I feel it is high compared to other present day engines seen today.

.

Very true. I was also surprised by the spec that said engine could consume upto 0.5 ltr every 1000 km. That's why I made it a point to check. But there's no blue smoke or anything indicative of high consumption.

Two things - One, the dip stick wasn't at the low level when I topped up. It was about 75%. Two, in many cars you'd change the oil at 10000 km or even earlier.

[CRtorquefan]

Congrats alot rajcs for buying the New Fabia 1.6 16V Petrol.
especially liked your special highlights on its Smart bits like Smart Interior Ambience lighting, etc.
Fuel cap illustration is the best bit.

Do update with its On-Highway performance & FE too.

[Santoshbhat]

Congratulations on your wolf!

Excellent unbiased review . Concise and to the point, yet detailed. Loved the way you have mentioned about all the minute little details and features on your car. Attention to detail is a Skoda special. Reading that Skoda manual and exploring every little feature on my Laura TSI (which works very similarly like your fabia in many aspects) has indeed been a very satisfying experience for me.

Glad to know that Skoda A.S.S has been a satisfying experience.

There is an option to turn off DRLs on the Lauras. You sure there is no option avaialable on your Fabia? You need to switch the turn indicators to left (or right not sure) within three seconds of ignition and hold it there for five seconds till you hear a chime. The reverse needs to be done for switching it on.

I have two questions.
- How would you rate the engine refinement? Does it get very audible at 3500+ rpm?
- How would you rate the ride quality on bad roads? Is it something you would call stiff or is it pliant?

[rajcs]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

There is an option to turn off DRLs on the Lauras. You sure there is no option avaialable on your Fabia? You need to switch the turn indicators to left (or right not sure) within three seconds of ignition and hold it there for five seconds till you hear a chime. The reverse needs to be done for switching it on.
I have two questions.
- How would you rate the engine refinement? Does it get very audible at 3500+ rpm?
- How would you rate the ride quality on bad roads? Is it something you would call stiff or is it pliant?

Thanks Santoshbhat.

I tried the DRL trick; but didn't work. In fact a supplement to the manual dated Aug 2010 states that the DRLs cannot be turned off unlike earlier models that had a switch in the fuse bay.

To answer your questions-
- Engine is smooth all the way to 5000 rpm. It gets very audible above 3500 rpm - but I would call it a sweet racing sound rather than that of a straining engine.
- Suspension is somewhat pliant and absorbs all the pot holes and speed breakers with ease. Even though the GC is only 158mm not once has the bottom scraped in spite of some bad roads around Manali and many speed breakers in urban areas. But there is noticeable body roll above 100 kmph in turns.

[ritzy]

Originally Posted by rajcs

On the Road

Tires
Apollo Acelere 185/60R14 provides good performance and looks chunky. No punctures in 9000+ kms.
But the large wheel arches cry out for 15" wheels. While sibling Polo is provided with 15" Fabia has been strangely relegated to 14" unlike its European versions. I wish there was an option to upgrade without voiding warranty.


Wipers

(....)

Negative: Lack of rear wiper is the single most negative feature of this car. It should have been offered as an option at least.

Congratulations on the Fab.. Thats my personal favorite between Polo and Fabia due to its practicality. Great Write-up.

FYI, following features are now offered on Fabia Elegance Trim.

1. Rear defogger
2. Rear wiper
2. 15" alloys with new design.

You should be able to see them shortly in the showrooms.

[rajcs]

@ritzy: Thats great news for prospective buyers. Would be great if a retroft of rear wiper / defogger is offered.

[2cents]

@rajcs: Congrats! Fantastic review, although delayed. I didn't know that the new Fabia had so many new features that weren't there earlier.
I too own a Fabia (1.2, BS3), and I have a question on engine oil: Can you just top up the required engine oil? Do the service guys actually do that by default, or did you ask for it specifically? When I sent mine for its first service it was just 5000km, yet they filled up the whole tank after flushing out the old oil. This is also what the manual recommends. The cost was nearly 4000(castrol synthetic), which was the major component.

[rajcs]

Originally Posted by 2cents

I too own a Fabia (1.2, BS3), and I have a question on engine oil: Can you just top up the required engine oil? Do the service guys actually do that by default, or did you ask for it specifically? When I sent mine for its first service it was just 5000km, yet they filled up the whole tank after flushing out the old oil. This is also what the manual recommends. The cost was nearly 4000(castrol synthetic), which was the major component.

Thanks 2cents.

Engine oil can be topped up if the dip stick indicates that oil level is in "can be topped up" region. Oil can be topped up in steps of 0.5 litres ensuring that engine is not overfilled. Any oil meeting VW specs can be used irrespective of the original fill.
Oil is changed every 15000 km or 1 year, whichever is earlier.

Why first service at 5000 km? Did it complete one year? If so oil did require change.

[Utopian]

Congrats for the Fabia. The review is quite crisp and unbiased.
Nice snaps. The design still looks fresh after all those years.

[M00M]

Great write up and review rajcs. Its as good as the ones posted by the official moderators of team bhp. Great job. I personally love the fabia and almost went and bought one, had finalized the deal and only booking amount was pending but alas at the last moment chose a sedan and bought the price discounted Honda City. Great car and specially love the 1.6. Wish you lots of miles and happy skoda service experience.

I agree with your views about single reverse light (it is hazardous in the night people mistaking the car's size and about the rear wiper missing - skoda removed it though dont understand how much money they can save with these features). In my case I wasnt happy with the fact that one of the 3 dealer's that i approached, one of the dealer's offered me a test drive of a brand new 1.6 and gave the explanation that its the test drive car even though the odo cable was removed. Also the fact that freebies / pricing of accessories and even the car in general varied with 2 dealer's in the same city and same address regn - weird.

Rating your thread 5 stars. Thanks.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by rajcs

Daytime Running Lights are mandatory in EU since Feb this year and can't be turned off

OT
when I visited Norway in 2005,I was surprised to see all cars with their lights on even in daylight ; a senior professional there told me that they believed that this reduced accidents ; hence was made mandatory.

Here,you'll find most scooter riders driving with their headlights on in the mornings,not because accidents can be prevented but because they forgot to turn the lights off the previous night.

[2cents]

Originally Posted by rajcs

Why first service at 5000 km? Did it complete one year? If so oil did require change.

My running has been low. Initial idea was to use it for office commute, but sticking to office vehicle. Engine oil top up at 5000 means I nearly pay 10Rs more on petrol/l

Originally Posted by M00M

I agree with your views about single reverse light (it is hazardous in the night people mistaking the car's size and about the rear wiper missing - skoda removed it though don't understand how much money they can save with these features).

Silly though, as u can see from rajcs's review, they haven't changed any feature for the Indian version, if at all several things have been removed (ESP is standard in Europe). Indicator/wiper stack to your left/right, DRL, key operated fuel lid, the list is endless. If I'm not mistaken, even the Jetta comes with single rear fog lights, so does Punto, Polo... Good thing is the sturdy monocoque is retained for the Indian version (unlike the i20, if some of the Bhpians with inside info are to be believed!).