[AvonA7]

Congratulations 2cents.
Excellent pictorial presentation of your car. I like Fabia, IMO it has great road presence. Wish you a very happy ownership experience, Enjoy your ride !!!

[Mpower]

Nice car. Does it really have ESP? Because even the Polo highline doesn't!

Originally Posted by 2cents

Should'nt there be a cover over the engine? The SC denied, but from what they have done to the rest of the car, very unlikely for Skoda to leave it that way. You can even see four lock holes where a lid or something must fit in. Remember, the car was in the yard for a month. !!

It should definetly. Check on other Fabias and with other Fabia owners.

Originally Posted by 2cents

Cheap gratification:

Would you feel the same if it said 'Germany'?

Originally Posted by 2cents

Is that the ABS unit?!

Looks like the ECU

[petroguzzler]

Congrats on the buy. Hope you don't get any nasty surprises from Skoda. I have driven the Fabia diesel and i have to say that other than the pedestrian engine and the horrible A.S.S, the car is awesome. It has to be experienced. Fantastic road insulation, high quality interiors, ride comfort, THE GENUINE THUD and a premium feel unmatched by any car the south of 15lakhs. If the A.S.S. was better and priced a bit more competitively this would have been a huge hit.

[2cents]

Thank you folks for all the wishes.
Perhaps my comment is a bit of amateur zeal, I think the Fabia has one of the best steering and feel around. As part of driving practice, I was used to M800, Amby and some jeep. Not much of an experience that, but I find the steering on the Fabia very precise, and feel totally in control when negotiating narrow lanes, of which my city has many.

Originally Posted by ampere

....
If the next gen Fabia gets launched with TSI petrol and a CRDI diesel, it would go to the next level!

CRDI hopeful, but TSI questionable, at that may push the price north of 10L.

I do plan to hold on to this for the next 10 years (I am the type who buys a new set of underwear once in 3 years). The only issue I see is the engine, which is likely to look ancient a few years down the line. Technology gets cheaper with years, perhaps TSi will soon be within my reach. If I upgrade, my first choice will be a Skoda, provided the A.S.S doesn't give me too many surprises. But first, let me add a few digits to that odo.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Congrats 2cents for the Fabia. You certainly got a good deal with so many freebies thrown in. Get rid of these air bubbles asap.
BTW, Any news about the new Fabia?

The grace period for BS3 engines ends with September. My only source of information is here. Is it possible to get rid of those air bubbles?! (Or atleast, how do I get rid of thread titles appearing in the reply when I hyper link). There are quite a lot of them on the rear glass. Shall enquire.

Originally Posted by blackasta

You are one confident Skoda owner - thats for sure.
I guess the rumble against skoda in Tbhp has more to do against their A.S.S rather than the cars themselves.
Sweet equipments to make your ride comfortable - I really like them!
Enjoy your drive - and please keep the left ORVM open (it may cost you 250-300 bucks to repaint it, but might save you a side scrape on the door which costs 2000-3000 to repaint. And did I mention that it is after all - a looking glass to cover most of your left side blind spots?)
Happy motoring!

True! Also, haven't seen a single complaint on the Fabia. Shall try the orvm part. Thanx

PS: Love your Guy Fawkes avatar.

Originally Posted by vibhu_f430

Hay !

This is definitely one of the most comprehensive ownership reviews ive read in my 5 yrs over here ! Covered everything about the car ! Great stuff man !

From the day Fabia came into my shortlist, I have scanned TBhp hours together. But a review of the GTO type, or Wildon's i20 thread, is sadly missing. Although Netchef's thread runs into a 100 pages, it's more of a social thread than a review (no offense there. I PM'd some of them for info), and difficult to search in there. Just my bit to fill in that gap!

Originally Posted by Mpower

Nice car. Does it really have ESP? Because even the Polo highline doesn't!It should definetly. Check on other Fabias and with other Fabia owners.

Would you feel the same if it said 'Germany'?
Looks like the ECU

Oopsie!! It's not ESP, but EBC(Engine braking control)! I don't know how different these are. I think EBC reduces power to the wheels appropriately based on maneuver.

On the engine cover, I am pretty sure it should be there. The Sales guy was stammering when he denied. Perhaps I could've persisted, but dont we know the way they are going to get me one!

To see the veedub, and especially the 'four rings', is indeed gratifying.

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by 2cents

Color: Cappuccino beige (where do they cook these names! Its neither Coffee, nor beige, kind of metallic grey. But lovely color)

That's the most regal colour i've seen in any car below 10L.
Whenever i see a Fabia in this colour i get tempted to buy one.

Congrats on the new car. IMO Fabia is the only hatchback which almost feels and looks like a sedan.

Originally Posted by 2cents

From the day Fabia came into my shortlist, I have scanned TBhp hours together. But a review of the GTO type, or Wildon's i20 thread, is sadly missing.

Your review has filled that gap. Fanstastic and detailed pictorial review.
If you can add up missing bits like performance of engine, handling, etc
it would be a complete one.
Since you say you're a newbie driver..maybe after a few months you can add up those bits also.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

great 1st review. congrats on your acquisition. wishing you many great miles with your baby.

[androdev]

Were your teachers very impressed with your work during your school days? Awesome review. It is a lovely car and will definitely serve you well.

I am a big fan of Skoda cars, they would have shut shop long time ago because of their atrocious a.s.s, but they survived thanks to their good-value cars. Their a.s.s is also certainly improving. The service intervals are getting longer, dealers are being more responsible, extended warranties are being offered so definitely things are moving in the right direction. They will have to work on the cost of ownership, but to be realistic, they will continue to cost more to maintain because of lack of localization and higher dealer margins due to low volumes.

I have driven few cars and I can tell you Fabia is a lovely car to drive. The 1.2 engine has fantastic low end power for city driving, the gear-shift experience is unbelievably superior (better than Corolla, Laura that I drive), steering feel is fantastic for city driving. I have not used the Fabia on long drives and I doubt the engine won't be great on highways, but it rocks when it comes to city driving.

Wish you a safe and pleasant ownership experience. And awesome review once again!!!

[MuraliR]

Congrats on your new car - you have taken a brave step, good luck.

Maybe you would also want to check if any VW dealer in your city will service your car - so, maybe (again), you can avoid nightmares.

[download2live]

Originally Posted by 2cents

Is it possible to get rid of those air bubbles?

Are you talking of air bubbles in sun films?

If yes then make them remove the whole thing and get it done again. The car itself wont come with sun film. It is done by the dealer or 3rd party (if you went that way). Air bubbles mean that the work was not done properly. And that onus is on the agency to put a new one for you.

I got films done in Concorde motors itself and as a part of guarantee was told that if there are air bubbles in film they will put up a new one for me.

And do get it done early.

[raj.barcode]

Originally Posted by 2cents

FE figures so far: The multi function display, that shows instantaneous FE figures, are available only in the Elegance variant. 360km on the odo. After I filled up recently, my calculation shows me 7.7km/l. Still running-in, and remember I am newbie. Hope this improves to a decent 12 or 13 in time. Skoda claims 15. Yeah right!!

IN skodas (used to own an octy) the mileage is calculated per 100km which is
7.7 litres for every 100 km. so you are actually getting 12.98 kmpl.

Originally Posted by 2cents

FE figures so far: The multi function display, that shows instantaneous FE figures, are available only in the Elegance variant. 360km on the odo. After I filled up recently, my calculation shows me 7.7km/l. Still running-in, and remember I am newbie. Hope this improves to a decent 12 or 13 in time. Skoda claims 15. Yeah right!!

IN skodas (used to own an octy) the mileage is calculated per 100km which is
7.7 litres for every 100 km. Hopefully you have used the same method.

and Congrats; have a lot of happy miles;

P.S If you are in Bangalore; Vinayak motors is the way to go. If you need help with service advisers pm me.

Mods: please delete the repeat thread; sorry

[rajeshsundaram]

Congrats 2cents! Very good choice.

I had an opportunity to drive my friend's Fabia Ambiente for two weekends and fell in love absolutely. With the diesel like torque, it was easy to drive in the traffic. At a signal, unknowingly, I moved the car in third gear... and the engine did not choke! It moved with a little grunt. Try that in many other hatchbacks, and you know the difference.

And for the highway drive, I find Fabia is excellent. Even pushed it beyond 140kmph, and it does not waggle or float or vibrate like many other hatchbacks. When I was returning from the Marg Swarnabhoomi site (near mahabalipuram), I was able to negotiate the curves with very less effort. Sticks to the road with great grip, Sweet!

Happy driving... and enjoy the Fabia.

[adimicra]

Great choice buddy! I did consider the Fabia as well in my car hunt which ended up in the Jazz.
Fabia is a great car - there are only 2 points which stopped me from buying the car - the engine though having great low-end grunt is not a powerful one at the end of it for such a heavy car plus the refinement is miles behind the competition. The 2nd being the infamous Skoda ***.
Otherwise, it is a very nice car with good space,features and handling!

[2cents]

Thanx again ya'll, for the appreciation. I didn't know Skoda had so many admirers in TBhp. That's a revelation.

Originally Posted by Daewood

If you can add up missing bits like performance of engine, handling, etc
it would be a complete one.
Since you say you're a newbie driver..maybe after a few months you can add up those bits also.

Would definitely love to, few months from now. Have a few trips planned.

Originally Posted by androdev

Were your teachers very impressed with your work during your school days?

Never got well with any of my teachers, especially at school. Although my present profession involves teaching and research.

Their a.s.s is also certainly improving. The service intervals are getting longer, dealers are being more responsible, extended warranties are being offered so definitely things are moving in the right direction.

I have driven few cars and I can tell you Fabia is a lovely car to drive. The 1.2 engine has fantastic low end power for city driving, the gear-shift experience is unbelievably superior (better than Corolla, Laura that I drive), steering feel is fantastic for city driving. I have not used the Fabia on long drives and I doubt the engine won't be great on highways, but it rocks when it comes to city driving.

Me too hearing the same from many people. Lets hope so. Come to think of it, its sad that one of the finest car makers has to suffer because of such poor service. I thought you owned a Fabia! Did I get that wrong? If not, have you been offered the option of extended warranty? My dealer says it is offered only on Laura and Superb, not on Fabia, as of now.

Originally Posted by MuraliR

Congrats on your new car - you have taken a brave step, good luck.

Maybe you would also want to check if any VW dealer in your city will service your car - so, maybe (again), you can avoid nightmares.

Done that already. But, sadly, the answer is negative

Originally Posted by download2live

Are you talking of air bubbles in sun films?

If yes then make them remove the whole thing and get it done again. The car itself wont come with sun film. It is done by the dealer or 3rd party (if you went that way). Air bubbles mean that the work was not done properly. And that onus is on the agency to put a new one for you.

I got films done in Concorde motors itself and as a part of guarantee was told that if there are air bubbles in film they will put up a new one for me.

And do get it done early.

Perhaps that's what happens if you get things free. Should've bargained for more discounts instead of freebies.

Originally Posted by raj.barcode

IN skodas (used to own an octy) the mileage is calculated per 100km which is
7.7 litres for every 100 km. Hopefully you have used the same method.

and Congrats; have a lot of happy miles;

P.S If you are in Bangalore; Vinayak motors is the way to go. If you need help with service advisers pm me.

The Ambiente version doesn't come with multi function display that shows liters per 100km, Elegance does. The number was my own rough calculation.

Luckily I don't live in B'lore. Saves me 10 grand on road tax I figure

Originally Posted by rajeshsundaram

At a signal, unknowingly, I moved the car in third gear... and the engine did not choke! It moved with a little grunt. Try that in many other hatchbacks, and you know the difference.

Being new to driving, I have done a few even worse things. But yes, the steering is fantastic.

Planning to add a couple of coaxials at the rear. JBL GT5-S265 is the suggested option. The accessories guy also says wiring is done in most vehicles, so should be in Fabia. Even feeling like going for a DIY.
Advice welcome.

[androdev]

I thought you owned a Fabia! Did I get that wrong? If not, have you been offered the option of extended warranty? My dealer says it is offered only on Laura and Superb, not on Fabia, as of now.

You are right, I own Fabia 1.2 which I bought very recently (that's how we bumped into each other elsewhere on this forum). I also own a Laura which I bought 3+yrs ago. I was just comparing how Fabia drives compared to other cars I have experience with.

I was not offered any extended warranty on Fabia, but they recommended me to take some costlier insurance (5K more than the regular insurance cost) which is supposed to provide claims without depreciation.

Don't do any DIY unless you found clear instructions on the web because you will most certainly break the panel-holding plastic clips, etc. (How do I know?)

[WhiteKnight]

Your perspective was interestingly different. Very nice report!!

Originally Posted by 2cents

Perhaps that's what happens if you get things free. Should've bargained for more discounts instead of freebies.

Have you got mud flaps on your car? If not, please get those for the sake of other people on the road. On a rainy day, Fabia's rear tires could throw up their own 10 ft fountain.