[mb_jg]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

This is the best part about this forum. Walk into a showroom and chances are very high that you know the pros and cons about the machine more than the sales guy himself. Thanks to the great reviews posted on the forum.

Is it only me or have you all experienced the pleasure and satisfaction derived from correcting the sales person at any of the car showrooms you visited, using info from this forum??? psst pssst psst.

LOL, I know what you mean, I experienced it myself at Planet Ford (Pune), I was explaining the features to my wife & the sales guy stood there dumbfounded. My wife turned to me & says "why do we need him standing around when he doesn't know half as much as you do about the car".
The SA's boss apologized later though. I had a confused look on my face on why he was apologizing. I jokingly said to him that once everyone is converted into a Team-BHPian you will not need sales guys around , we just come, negotiate the price & book the car.

[mempheS.D]

Fellow FABians! I'm in a state of shock.

Well, here's the story. I booked my candy white fabia 1.6 about a week ago at one of the dealerships here in Bangalore. That was after 2 weeks of research which would even throw an PhD's research into the trash. TeamBHP was a very crucial forum that helped me decide this. The mileages that were quoted by the various owners of the same model narrated their experiences that city mileage was about 11-13 kmpl and highways returned 17kmpl (both with the AC on).Another website, I think it was Autocar India's review of this vehicle which quoted the same numbers but, they did mention that some hard driving aka pedal-to-metal driving led to 9.8kmpl. Now, that's fair being a 1.6 which falls in the category of a fiesta or a baleno which quote lesser kms per litre of petrol.

TODAY, during one of my casual strolls bird watching along St. Marks road, I happened to bump into yet another branch of the same dealer from where I had booked my car. (Pls note, its another branch of the same dealer, and not another dealer itself!) After some casual questioning like an interested buyer, I was trying to check whether the prices I've got are "really" a steal as my dealer claims it to be (Almost as though he sold me the car by forfeiting his commission!). Never mind! And I can tell that I was not disappointed.
......BUT, here goes the major one. He told me that he does not want to quote wrong figures as a SALES PERSON and hence claims that the fabia 1.6 DOES NOT give mileages of above 9kmpl in CITY, and 12kmpl iN highways.

...Of course, immediately after that he started marketing the fabia 1.2 to me saying it gives mileages of 13/18 on city/highways. I just couldn't understand why he would try to shoo a customer of one of his own cars to yet another saying the 1.6 does not sell well and is limited stock in number at this point, cos ppl hesitate to buy that, and yada yada yada yada... But, my ears almost fell deaf that very moment.

CAN someone please help me justify and convince my conscience ? rajcs or shivir ? HELP !

Memphes. (troubled)

[rajcs]

In 4600km so far on my Fab 1.6 the least TF to TF mileage I got was 11,6 kmpl, which was in mountain roads around Manali, including a 1000m climb up to Gulaba. In Delhi with AC on all the time, (its 40+ temp now) I have been getting over 12.5 kmpl on TF to TF method. The FE indicated in multi function display in city trips is 8.1 to 7.1 ltrs / 100km which translates to 12.5 to 14 kmpl. My average trip distance in delhi is about 10 km covered at an average speed of 30-40 kmph (as per MFD).
Two things can bring the FE down to less than 10 - Driving short distances (less than 3 km) and crawling traffic / long idle at jams resulting in average trip speed of less than 20 kmph.
I don't think you should worry about FE so much. My Estilo driven at Mumbai has been consistently giving me 10 kmpl !. So I am much happier with the Fab 1.6.
If you can find a trusted petrol pump that wouldn't short change you on quantity you would be better off. I got ripped off at Chandigarh recently, and Delhi to Chandigarh trip gave me a mileage of 12.5 kmpl, while the MFD showed 16 kmpl. He even managed overcharge me on my debit card since I was careless in not noting figures correctly while topping up.

[rajcs]

Just to add to my post above with some actual figures, I tanked up today. Here are the values:
Distance since last tankful : 115.9 km (entirely city driving with ac on all the time. Average trip speed : 30-35 kmph)
Fuel filled to tankful :9.69 ltrs
Mileage : 11.96 kmpl

Today's trip details from the MFD :
Outside Temp : 40.5 deg C
Trip Distance : 15km
Driving time : 27 min (engine not switched off at signals for fear of getting roasted)
Average trip speed : 34 kmph (thin Sunday traffic in South Delhi)
FE : 7.6 ltr / 100 km. (13.15 kmpl)

Pse note that FE reading on MFD are usually 1-1.5 kmpl more optimistic than TF to TF method. This is probably because trip FE is average of instantaneous fuel consumption, which goes down to 0.0 ltr / 100 km when you take your leg off the accelerator, with car still in motion. This cannot be true since the engine is running and must burn some fuel.

Sorry for the long post crammed with figures. Thought it could be useful to make a final decision.

[mempheS.D]

@rajcs: Sorry?? No way! In fact, I should be for the botheration I've been causing.

This makes me a feel a lot lot lot better esp albeit you are in New Delhi and I've heard the traffic there is at par or 'better' in comparison with Bangalore's.

Thank you buddy, as always since the past few weeks. This week's going to be moving like a snail cos the dealer told me that he'd try and deliver the vehicle some time this week. So, any time my phone buzzes, my heart's almost in my mouth.

Waiting. Waiting.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by rajcs

Sorry for the long post crammed with figures. Thought it could be useful to make a final decision.

[iSpoke]

Thanks rajcs for all the details, its really useful to make a decision. I myself looking for a hatch, but not in much hurry to get one. I have almost zeroed-in to Fabia 1.2 Petrol for quite some time now (couple of months) but on hearing good FE numbers from 1.6 users makes me think again and again.
I personally did not found 1.2 too much noisy (inside) that could break the deal, and am quite convinced that 1.6 will deliver lesser mileage compared to 1.2. Moreover t-bhp has no single ownership thread for Fabia 1.2 Petrol, did anybody notice that!

Truly t-bhp seems full of "obsessed with BHP" people!

[indivic]

Originally Posted by iSpoke

Moreover t-bhp has no single ownership thread for Fabia 1.2 Petrol, did anybody notice that!

However we do have Poloman's excellent thread on the Polo 1.2, considering that the Fabia 1.2 has the same engine the mileage should as well be in the same range

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...km-update.html

[iSpoke]

Agreed, that they share the same engine but also heard that they are differently tuned!

[mempheS.D]

And just what I thought would happen. Rang up the dealer simply to confirm that I will reach the dealership when they open tomorrow so that formalities can be completed before noon, and delivery will be taken as promised abut a week ago. Despite frequent reminders, the dealer had to give me a sorry excuse saying that registration is still not complete. Arrrgh! Why could he not inform me this earlier and had to wait for my call to tell me this.

I simply told him to give me a call a day in advance whenever he plans to give me the vehicle, and would certainly appreciate it if it happened before year-end.<sarcasm intended!> Anyway, I just had to get this frustration out of my system and thought this experience is better shared with fellow bhpians who will surely have an extra burst of excitement and absent-mindedness on the eve of your new car's delivery. Be prepared for this while you wait. Just so you know.

Memphes.d
<still waiting for my candy white fab 1.6> :-(

[mb_jg]

The dealers just love stealing the joy of owing a new car from you don't they!!!
I cancelled my booking with Planet Ford for the Fiesta Classic since they were just too uptight about everything. The deal breaker for me was when I asked the SA not to remove the backseat plastic cover since my 3yr old kid sits there, walking with his shoes on, eating, splling drinks, the SA complete refused saying it's part of their PDI & they will have to remove the plastic covers. I cancelled the booking & booked the Fabia 1.6 the same day.
The Skoda guys were really flexible in their dealings, they will get me an NOC from Skoda so I can change the tires to the 195 patch which will not void mechanical warranty. I realized what a colossal mistake I was making with the Fiesta Classic!!! I am paying 40k extra over the Fiesta for the Fabia for the following:
1) Fog Lamps, with DRL's
2) Alloy's with 185 tyre patch
3) In-built 2 din system with speakers
4) ABS
5) Airbags
6) Rake & reach steering
7) Driver seat height adjust
8) Remote locking with the super cool key fob
9) Anti pinch windows
10) All windows up-down with the key fob
11) Boot opener on the key fob itself
12) Dual cabin lights
13) Anti rust underbody coating from the factory
Phew!!!! I was paying 6.40 onroad for the Fiesta, I am paying 6.80 odd for the Fabia.

[rajcs]

Originally Posted by mb_jg

The Skoda guys were really flexible in their dealings, they will get me an NOC from Skoda so I can change the tires to the 195 patch which will not void mechanical warranty.

Thats very cooperative of them. Are they also willing to go upto 15" alloys in place 14"? You could also consider installing rear speakers if you frequently have rear seat passengers.

[rajcs]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

Despite frequent reminders, the dealer had to give me a sorry excuse saying that registration is still not complete. Arrrgh! Why could he not inform me this earlier and had to wait for my call to tell me this.

(

Oh sorry to hear about the delay. Don't they deliver the car with temporary plates ? This is what is done in Delhi. The temporary plates are valid for a month during which the normal registration process will be done.

[sgiitk]

One thing I am unable to fathom. Once he 1.2l / 1.5l (for diesels) is breached then the excise rebates are gone. How is it that with the exception of the i20 nobody has brought out AT variants, not only Skoda, but also VW and FIAT are not there. Honda had announced a 1.5AT for the Jazz but later shelved it.

[mb_jg]

Originally Posted by rajcs

Thats very cooperative of them. Are they also willing to go upto 15" alloys in place 14"? You could also consider installing rear speakers if you frequently have rear seat passengers.

I actually wanted to see how flexible they are willing to be to retain a customer & provide a complete sales effort. I honestly did not think about bumping up the alloys to 15", but I will surely get it done it they are willing. The tires I will surely upgrade to a 195 patch which definitely compliments the engine & overall looks.

[shivir]

@memphes - sorry, just saw your post. The dealers dont really understand the 1.6 since they dont have demo versions of it. They just work on larger engine, more fuel consumption based logic. Hope you get your car soon and happy driving.