Well, I had the opportunity to test drive both the 1.4 MPI and 1.2 HTP. The first one I drove at TAFE and the second at Vinayak cars. Mind you, it's been more than a couple of months since I did these. Although this thread is about the 1.2, I'll add my bit on the 1.4 too. I was keen on this model because it was a 4 cylinder engine, better power and torque specs compared to 1.2.
The 1.4 and TAFE experience:
The sales person here was polite and knowledgeable. But, he didn't seem to know much about the petrol engine beyond the specs. They did not have a TD car, but the sales person allowed me to drive a new car.
The car:
It was a red Fabia Elegance. Impressive interiors - the sunroof, the well laid out interiors, quality of materials used. The build quality was great - the 'thud' with which the doors close gave me a secure feel. I liked the leg room. The arm rest was too close to the drivers arm. I'd use this on a long drive only when I don't need to change gears often. Decent amount of leg room at the back. Enough room for 2 adults. Seating a third person at the back would be an issue - with the cup holders intruding into the legroom. One thing I didn't like on the Elegance is the lack of manual door locks (even though they had child locks). I've discussed this in netchef's thread. I feel this is dangerous even with adults being seated in the car.
I found the driving position and seats pretty comfortable. I had concerns about the ground clearance before the TD - getting in and out of TAFE does test this aspect a bit. I now am pretty sure the GC on this car isn't as bad as it sounds on paper. I made sure I took the car on some bad roads. The patch in front of UB City was bad then. I was quite satisfied with the suspension. Not too soft or too hard.
But there is something that impressed me
a lot on paper, but let me down when I actually drove the car. The Engine.
I wanted the petrol Fabia for two reasons. The low noise and power. The 1.4 MPI is very quiet. The cabin is well insulated from the outside noises too. I also didn't hear the engine whine when pushed hard - not that I drove it very fast. But the power? Where is the power/torque? When I complained, the salesperson told me that the turbo had to kick in.
. He quickly realized that we were driving a petrol Fabia and he started off with the 85 bhp, etc. So what? From what I've learnt since then, this car does well on the highways. But my experience in the Bangalore traffic was bad. The traffic wasn't all that heavy actually. With the AC on, the vehicle just refused to pull at low speeds. The sales person said it was because the car was new.
The 1.2 and Vinayak experience:
I was disappointed with the 1.4 engine, but I decided to give it another try - this time at Vinayak which is closer to my place. My experience with the sales person here was enlightening. Realized that Skoda dealers had been selling cars to people who don't ask much questions. He had absolutely no knowledge about the features of the car. Tried to make something up whenever I asked him questions beyond the mileage. Worst part was when I asked him for a TD in the 1.4 he got me a 1.2. I knew this once I saw the car, but he didn't say a thing till we were actually seated in the car. Anyway I used this opportunity to TD the 1.2.
The car:
The interiors were not that appealing to me, but they weren't bad. They don't have an Elegance in the 1.2. The other aspects such as quality of interiors and the build were as good as in the 1.4. The annoying arm rest was missing in this model.
Now about the engine - with and without the AC, this car pulled much better than the 1.4. Probably to be expected because Skoda talks about the High Torque Perfomance. Please note that there was one more adult seated in the car compared to when I drove the 1.4. It seemed effortless to drive in the city. Yes it is a bit noisier than the 1.4. The insulation is still as good as any other Fabia model. BTW I had even tried the Fabia TDI when these folks visited our office. If you can live with the TDI's noise, you can live with the 1.2 petrol's noise.
Conclusion:
But, would I pay more than a Swift ZXI for a 1.2 Fabia? No. Not me. That's because I love my petrol engines. I don't think it makes sense to be paying so much for a 3 cylinder, petrol engine in today's scenario. Of course if owning a Skoda with quality interiors and build is most important go ahead with the 1.2.
Would I pay 8L for the 1.4? Not with the current state of the engine. Some people say it's because they didn't bother to tune it for our fuel conditions. Not sure about this, but I am hopeful they can do something about the low end torque.
I have been in touch with the dealers hoping that Skoda does some magic with the 1.4 or maybe launches a better TDI model. I also read in ACI (July 08, pg 31) that the 1.2 engine was being modded to address the lack of power. Of course, the dealers in Bangalore claim they have no knowledge of this. One thing that's changed is that the TAFE guy seems to have answers to most of my questions (been doing his homework). The Vinayak guys don't seem to care as long as they sell cars.
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