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-   -   Skoda Fabia 1.6 - Wolf in Sheep's clothing (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/106065-skoda-fabia-1-6-wolf-sheeps-clothing-5.html)

@ispoke: The info available in brochure downloaded from Skoda India web site says it is 15". Better check with dealers directly.

Wish they would offer the 15inch wheels in exchange for the existing 14". The car's handling would improve even more!

I only wish that they come out with an AT variant of the vehicle. I think the 1.6 may be part of an exercise for the eventual launch of an AT.

Any specific reason for an automatic? Cause it will take away the entire rush of driving a 1.6 manual version.

Congratulations, Raj for the Fab1.6.

The review has been very detailed and thorough. Lovely.

Due to the loss of power manufacturers are reluctant to put an AT on the smaller engines. See the i20 AT has a 1.4 motor. With the Jazz Honda were at one point toying with the 1.5 (as in City) with an AT as an option as well. They later dropped the idea.

Hence the introduction of a larger motor is often a preamble to an AT option.

yep, looks like they haven't updated their web properly. Under Equipment Lists it shows 15" only but under Technical Specification it shows 14"!



Not need to check now, as I already got a 1.6 this july.

I think its already there, as rajcs posts the brochure also shows 15" wheels for 1.6, I belive it should be 15" only.

Congrats!! an extremely detailed writeup and makes the reader fall in love with the car. So much so, that I am actually thinking of cancelling my current booking and going in for the Fabia instead. The only issue was the Skoda ***, but touch wood, there is no mention of that by you. Will be PMing you to pick your brains if that is OK with you?

Confirmed by Skoda - the new Fabia Elegance (1.6) trim comes with 15" alloys, rear washer/wiper and defogger as standard. As per Skoda, this variant won't be in showrooms until early next year.

Here's an interesting hypothetical question: if one got an offer for a (very) limited edition pre-production new Elegance version at the same price as the existing model, would you prefer that or the Polo 1.6?

Rajcs,

Fantastic write up !!! Thoroughly enjoyed reading every minute detail that you have mentioned. Good that the pile up did not lead anything serious other than some material damages to the car.

The details about the key FOBs or the info on the reading lights both at the front and the back was real delight to read. Similarly, I enjoyed reading about the manual that is meant for car sold elsewhere !!:uncontrol

It appears you like, nay love, playing with words and attention to details. Thanks for the excellent ownership thread. Wishing you, albeit a bit late, many kms of smiles in your Fabia.

I am close to finalising on the car and the SE tells me he has a silver Fabia 1.6, with 15" Alloys. In fact the brochure he has given me, shows 15" alloys in the specs. The car also has rear wiper /washer and defogger.clap:

Thanks sraye. You are right... should've been more emphatic about the Skoda A.S.S in my write up, being such an important issue with all of us. With your permission, I'm posting excerpts of our pm here:

A.S.S
I've only been to Fahrenheit Auto in West Delhi for my service requirements - Once for an accident repair and once for a warranty claim (occasional noise from front right suspension). I also went to them for oil top up after 7500 km and wheel alignment / balancing after 10000 km. Oil top up was actually not necessary since level was within limit and wheel alignment could have been done from a third party outlet, but I went to Skoda dealer just to check on their service.

On all occasions the work was done professionally. The labour and parts were not as expensive as perceived.

As an example, here are the costs of some parts (VAT xtra) replaced during accident repair:-

Head light assembly Rs 5819 each.
Bonnet - Rs 10746
Front Bumper - Rs 1879
Labour for repairs including denting of side panels, painting bonnet and bumper (since these come unpainted) - Rs 9000

1 ltr of Shell Helix synthetic oil added was Rs 940 incl VAT, which was the market price. Labour was free

Wheel alignment and balancing cost me Rs 1600, which may be higher than other some of the other company service outlets. Probably it would have cost around 600-800 if I did it in a tire shop.

Incidentally alignment was checked on all four wheels and all values were within limits. So probably there is no need to check alignment every 10000 km as specified in the manual- may be it could be clubbed with service at 15000 km. Tire wear was also minimal, but I did the four wheel rotation anyway.

What I didn't like about A.S.S was the fact that the mechanics do not communicate directly with the customer but through the service rep. So you don't get involved in the activity. But most customers I saw at Skoda Service were drivers, not owners, who had no interest in whats going on with the car. May be thats why this aloof attitude from mechanics. The work also takes longer than expected. Wheel alignment and tire rotation took four hrs!

After every service I get a call to check how the vehicle is performing.

What we need to know is if other service outlets across the country can provide this level of competent service.One needs to find a trusted service station and develop a rapport. The Fabia, though looks as if it wouldn't need too many visits to the service station - touch wood.

A word about FE. I get 12 kmpl consistently in Delhi with AC on. But other metros do not have flowing traffic like Delhi and FE in city may be lower. Incidentally on my highway journeys, the best I have got is 15. Its probably because I go over 150+ kmph on the arrow straight highways of North India. On the positive side you are never short of power and engine feels relaxed even at 160.

I also feel my speedo is over reading. MapmyIndia shows 150 when speedo shows 160. At 60 difference is about 4 kmph. I don't know which is correct. If the speedo is actually over reading, my FE may also be lower, since distance indicated would be lesser than actual.

Thank you aaren for the encouraging words, which are Vitamin E for a first time review poster.

That would be very tempting indeed. Pse post the price details.

This is the case with almost all cars that use an analog speedometer. A 10% speedo error is what is normally noticed compared to a GPS unit.

Haha, then it's the same one I was told about. I think dealer had been given two of them, one white and one silver. The white was sold a few days back. It's a very good deal, since it's at the same price as the current model. Only thing is, I wasn't that happy with the performance of the Fabia 1.6. With the same engine, the Polo 1.6 feels much peppier. Otherwise, the Fabia is better VFM and more comfortable on the inside.

Have not driven the Polo 1.6 but do agree on your assessment on the space in the Fabia. If its still available am thinking of going for it. Will know by monday.