[rutvij]

Congratulations for your Fabia 1.6. It definitely is a better choice than polo considering the fact that both are made on the same assembly line and with the same engine. With Skoda you get better space and equipment level.

Nice pictures... particularly those taken without flash in night.

[shivir]

Just wanted to let you know that I clocked 160 on the speedo reading on my drive to work today. Left home a little later to get an open road and was rewarded.

It did get a little noisy at 140 but pulled easy to 160 and felt absolutely planted on the road. I have clocked close to 1200 Kms as of now and am ensuring I run the engine through its entire range. It was a blast. Let me know how your car is coming along with the bedding in process.

Drive Safe

[guha_2001]

Thanks rutvij, I hate flash in the night. In fact used flash for the daytime interior pictures to get an even bright look

Shivir, 160 is great! In Bangalore 16 seems to be a difficult speed to reach :(

Buying decision

I have had the pleasure of driving many good cars from the day I turned 18, but they were all either company provided or relatives’ cars. So I was quite particular when it came to the purchase decision and took my own sweet time to choose the model

For me the prinicipal considerations while choosing the car were
- Good highway stability and performance. I have a bike for daily commuting, so the car would be primarily for weekend use and commuting during rains. Driving pleasure was a must
- Manageable in the city. I believe in the ‘small is beautiful’ philosophy and did not want to go for a large car. Was fine with a large car if the maneouvrability was good

I had a flexible budget so tried a number of cars. The other models I had test driven or tried

I10: Sweet city car and great 1.2 engine too. But was not happy with its highway stability. Rating: 3.5/5

Micra: very strong offering from Nissan. Good performance and comfort. Dropped because of the snooty and careless dealer in Bangalore. Rating: 3/5

Swift: Was the car I had in mind initially. But the blind spots make me very nervous and everyone seems to have one nowadays. Rating: 3/5

Ritz: Fantastic car with a gem of an engine. Wanted something more powerful and had chosen this as my fallback option. Rating: 4/5

Polo: loved it and was my first preference. But the 6 month waiting period killed my enthusiasm. Rating: 5/5

Fiesta: very sporty and great engine. But design and interiors too dated for my tastes. Same for its brother Figo. Rating: 3.5/5

City: expensive but good option. But would have been difficult fitting it in the parking spots I have. Also was unhappy with the plasticky build quality and road noise. Rating: 4.5/5

Vento: tried the diesel option and was quite impressed. But the long waiting period and size of the car were negatives for me. And didnt seem VFM once I tried the Fabia. Rating: 4.5/5

Fabia: finally everything clicked. Performance, stability, comfort, ease of use and safety. Rating: 5/5 for my needs

The only other car that I should have tried but didnt is the Etios

[StarrySky]

Congrats on the Fabia 1.6!

I have a question: My BIL recently bought a Fabia 1.2 TDI Elegance. What I observed today when I tried to open the door using the remote is that one press only opens the driver's door and it requires another push of the button on the remote to open the passenger doors. Is that a feature or a problem with the car/me??

[2cents]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

Congrats on the Fabia 1.6!

I have a question: My BIL recently bought a Fabia 1.2 TDI Elegance. What I observed today when I tried to open the door using the remote is that one press only opens the driver's door and it requires another push of the button on the remote to open the passenger doors. Is that a feature or a problem with the car/me??

Not so in mine (1.2 MPi Ambiente, earlier version). I don't know if they have changed it now. You do have to press the middle button longer to open the boot alone.

[shivir]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

Congrats on the Fabia 1.6!

I have a question: My BIL recently bought a Fabia 1.2 TDI Elegance. What I observed today when I tried to open the door using the remote is that one press only opens the driver's door and it requires another push of the button on the remote to open the passenger doors. Is that a feature or a problem with the car/me??

That is a feature. Two presses opens all four doors. One press opens the drivers side only.

[allajunaki]

Option 1 : NICE Road
Option 2 : Bangalore - Mysore SH.
Option 3 : Elevated highway From SilkBoard to EC (or Hosur) (Warning, Cops with speed gun spotted once a while, in the only "Parkable shoulder" on the bridge.)
Option 4 : Hosur road AFTER EC. (all the way to Avinashi(Outskirts of Coimbatore), 200+ Kms)
Option 5 : Airport Road (But Cops with speed gun is a constant threat).

All are good roads. However, Avoid ANY high speed driving on these roads during night. Most of the trucks don't have rear lights and quite invisible in the night, especially at high speeds. And some of the roads have villagers who think they have 3.0L V6 Mopeds and Sumos with 500BHP+ Engines. Best to let them continue with their beliefs. All these creatures are seen at night.

These are the ones I know, and have exceeded 120 (160+ on some).

Originally Posted by guha_2001

Thanks rutvij, I hate flash in the night. In fact used flash for the daytime interior pictures to get an even bright look

Shivir, 160 is great! In Bangalore 16 seems to be a difficult speed to reach :(

[guha_2001]

Originally Posted by shivir

That is a feature. Two presses opens all four doors. One press opens the drivers side only.

That's right. Took me also some time to figure out that it was a feature and not a defect

On the same note any idea how to switch off the rear cabin light when the doors are unlocked? I have tried switching on/off the button and does not seem to make a difference

@allajunaki: thanks for the suggestions. Have never driven on NICE road, will definitely try this weekend

[pradeep_mk]

I am very keen on this thread. I will be a Fabia 1.6 owner very soon!! Have booked the car and will get it in the first week of April!!

[theoriginal9321]

congrats on your fab car!
Hope u really enjoy it!
Can someone confirm, is the new fabia 1.2 powered by the slightly tweaked version which is used in the polo or is it still the old one? Also, are there any downsides of the old 1.2?
Thanks

[himavanth_m]

Congrats on your great fabia 1.6. I did not drive this one but I drove its younger cousin - Polo and I really loved it

Originally Posted by allajunaki

And some of the roads have villagers who think they have 3.0L V6 Mopeds and Sumos with 500BHP+ Engines. Best to let them continue with their beliefs. All these creatures are seen at night.

LOL. This one had me in splits.

[iSpoke]

Originally Posted by guha_2001

- Good fuel efficiency for a 1.6 car with such a heavy body. So far I seem to be getting about 12 in the city and 17 kmpl on the highway. My driving style does not provide good mileage in any car so have been surprised by the tripmeter numbers

hey, your FE figures are shocking, that too for 1.6 Fabia
well, I don't own one but am searching that perfect hatch as a family car. Every time I endup with Fabia only (either Petrol Elegance or Diesel Ambient), with lots of other on mind like Figo (D), Punto (D) and i20 (P). Two things that are keeping me away from Fabia are; all those horrendous After Sales Services that Skoda is well known for and second is its very low fuel efficiency that many quote even <10 in city.
But if these numbers are really authentic (I mean not any ODO error) for a 1.6 motor.
Please elaborate, a word about FE from you or even any other Fabia owners will be very encouraging for people like me who likes it a lot but not daring to buy it for above two reasons only. Last but not least, Congrats for the new buy and thanks for the post.

[guha_2001]

Originally Posted by pradeep_mk

I am very keen on this thread. I will be a Fabia 1.6 owner very soon!! Have booked the car and will get it in the first week of April!!

Congrats Pradeep! This is a great car and am sure you will enjoy it too!

Originally Posted by theoriginal9321

congrats on your fab car!
Hope u really enjoy it!
Can someone confirm, is the new fabia 1.2 powered by the slightly tweaked version which is used in the polo or is it still the old one? Also, are there any downsides of the old 1.2?
Thanks

AFAIK its the same engine as the Polo. The 1.2 is a noisy engine, sounds like a diesel at times. Also while the mid range is strong, it's still a puny engine for a heavy body

Originally Posted by iSpoke

hey, your FE figures are shocking, that too for 1.6 Fabia
well, I don't own one but am searching that perfect hatch as a family car. Every time I endup with Fabia only (either Petrol Elegance or Diesel Ambient), with lots of other on mind like Figo (D), Punto (D) and i20 (P). Two things that are keeping me away from Fabia are; all those horrendous After Sales Services that Skoda is well known for and second is its very low fuel efficiency that many quote even <10 in city.
But if these numbers are really authentic (I mean not any ODO error) for a 1.6 motor.
Please elaborate, a word about FE from you or even any other Fabia owners will be very encouraging for people like me who likes it a lot but not daring to buy it for above two reasons only. Last but not least, Congrats for the new buy and thanks for the post.

The new VW engines are quite fuel efficient. My neighbor claims his Polo 1.2 returns 17 kmpl in 50:50 city/highway traffic!

I drive my car with a very light accelerator and honestly that's all the car needs to sail through Bangalore traffic. Good fuel efficiency is a guarantee unless one's driving style is really rev happy

Also Skodas need to be serviced only once a year. So service costs will work out to be more or less the same as its rivals. Parts are supposed to be horrendously expensive though!

[swiftnfurious]

Congrats on your car !

Originally Posted by allajunaki

Option 1 : NICE Road
Option 2 : Bangalore - Mysore SH.
Option 3 : Elevated highway From SilkBoard to EC (or Hosur) (Warning, Cops with speed gun spotted once a while, in the only "Parkable shoulder" on the bridge.)
Option 4 : Hosur road AFTER EC. (all the way to Avinashi(Outskirts of Coimbatore), 200+ Kms)
Option 5 : Airport Road (But Cops with speed gun is a constant threat).

All are good roads. However, Avoid ANY high speed driving on these roads during night. Most of the trucks don't have rear lights and quite invisible in the night, especially at high speeds. And some of the roads have villagers who think they have 3.0L V6 Mopeds and Sumos with 500BHP+ Engines. Best to let them continue with their beliefs. All these creatures are seen at night.

These are the ones I know, and have exceeded 120 (160+ on some).

You seem to have missed one ! Some of these "creatures" also believe they are immortal and drive on the speed lane in the opposite direction to the fast vehicles. They are mostly seen during twilight [5 PM -7 PM ] ! So please try and drive in the middle lane whenever you reach curves.

Originally Posted by shivir

That is a feature. Two presses opens all four doors. One press opens the drivers side only.

Now this looks good to me as a feature. I mostly drive alone 80% of the time and whats the need to unlock all doors ! But for me, as soon as I hit 25kmph speed, it also auto-locks all doors. Its a great relief - am talking about my swift by the way!

Originally Posted by guha_2001

Thanks rutvij, I hate flash in the night. In fact used flash for the daytime interior pictures to get an even bright look

Shivir, 160 is great! In Bangalore 16 seems to be a difficult speed to reach :(

Buying decision

I have had the pleasure of driving many good cars from the day I turned 18, but they were all either company provided or relatives’ cars. So I was quite particular when it came to the purchase decision and took my own sweet time to choose the model

For me the prinicipal considerations while choosing the car were
- Good highway stability and performance. I have a bike for daily commuting, so the car would be primarily for weekend use and commuting during rains. Driving pleasure was a must
- Manageable in the city. I believe in the ‘small is beautiful’ philosophy and did not want to go for a large car. Was fine with a large car if the maneouvrability was good

I had a flexible budget so tried a number of cars. The other models I had test driven or tried

I10: Sweet city car and great 1.2 engine too. But was not happy with its highway stability. Rating: 3.5/5

Micra: very strong offering from Nissan. Good performance and comfort. Dropped because of the snooty and careless dealer in Bangalore. Rating: 3/5

Swift: Was the car I had in mind initially. But the blind spots make me very nervous and everyone seems to have one nowadays. Rating: 3/5

Ritz: Fantastic car with a gem of an engine. Wanted something more powerful and had chosen this as my fallback option. Rating: 4/5

Polo: loved it and was my first preference. But the 6 month waiting period killed my enthusiasm. Rating: 5/5

Fiesta: very sporty and great engine. But design and interiors too dated for my tastes. Same for its brother Figo. Rating: 3.5/5

City: expensive but good option. But would have been difficult fitting it in the parking spots I have. Also was unhappy with the plasticky build quality and road noise. Rating: 4.5/5

Vento: tried the diesel option and was quite impressed. But the long waiting period and size of the car were negatives for me. And didnt seem VFM once I tried the Fabia. Rating: 4.5/5

Fabia: finally everything clicked. Performance, stability, comfort, ease of use and safety. Rating: 5/5 for my needs

The only other car that I should have tried but didnt is the Etios

Thats a pretty good list to compare and fair ratings as well. Did you rate Micra low because of the dealer experience or do you think is that all what Micra deserves as a car?

Wish you miles of happy and safe trouble free motoring.

[KishoreC]

Congrats on your new Fabia.

I myself have a 2009 1.4 Diesel Fabia. Have clocked 68K without any problem at all. I'm still quite impressed with the build quality of the vehicle.

The low range lag in the engine used to bother me as well. Too many gearshifts in the city, but I guess you will get used to it eventually.

I see that they have removed the rear windshield wiper from the new models. Don't know if it was part of their cost cutting efforts. At least it is much more affordable now.

My 2 cents on maintenance. They are quite a bit costlier compared to other hatchs. Specially the synthetic engine oil. But to some extent the cost comes down because of 10K gaps between service.

Wishing you a long and delightful experience with your Fabia.