[theoriginal9321]

y is it that top gear Uk has rated fabia better than polo? It keeps showing the negatives of polo and positives of fabia in the both the polo and fabia reviews?! Its now even making me believe so!
And I am pretty sure that fabia is built on the pq24 and not the PQ25 platform like the new polo, it says so on wikipedia .

[altius]

I cancelled my Polo 1.6 booking and bought a used 2009 Honda Jazz with 19.5K on odo for 5.4L, which I felt was a good deal and good value. The poor customer service and lack of timeline for delivery made me look at other options and when a good deal presented itself, I just took it. Polo is a very good car and it deserves better sales and service support!

[Mustang.101]

I have driven both the cars. I find them to be quite similar.

But If i were to buy one out of these two then i would go for the fabia, I found it more solidly built.

But if anyone is concerned about resale then he should go for the polo.

[rahul_9327]

How does Polo 1.6 and Fabia 1.6 stack up against the present Fiesta 1.6. For a budget of 7.5 lac on road which would be the best buy.

[karty_83]

Originally Posted by rahul_9327

How does Polo 1.6 and Fabia 1.6 stack up against the present Fiesta 1.6. For a budget of 7.5 lac on road which would be the best buy.

With the Fiesta classic on the horizon, all the 3 cars would more or less fall in the same price range. Would personally prefer a Polo or a Fabia simply because they are new and refreshing as and when compared to the aging Fiesta.

[lamborghini]

@Rahul: Depending on what your requirements were, all three of these would fit your needs.

As an out and out drivers car, the Fiesta would win due to its stiffer suspension set up, responsive engine and steering, and better handling characteristics. Similarly, if you are a family, who goes on long trips often, the boot present in the Fiesta would be a big advantage.

The Polo and Fabia on the other hand are better built, and have a newer design. As a style statement, nothing would beat a Polo, and as a city car with a comfortable backseat, the Fabia would trump.

Personally, after seeing the Polo 1.2, and driving our Fiesta TDCi, I felt much more comfortable in the Fiesta. Apart from the looks, there is no other reason I would pick a Polo 1.6 over a Fiesta 1.6.

[mempheS.D]

Just one question to your petrolheads. Is the additional 70k for a Fabia 1.6 Elegance really worth the money in comparison to a Punto 1.4 emotion pack ?

I'm going mad trying to choose between the two.
Punto - for the styling and package and price
Fabia - for that million rupee smile that just wouldn't go off my face after I got out of the TD vehicle, flooring the pedal to reach a 130 on hosur road in no time.

HELP !

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

Just one question to your petrolheads. Is the additional 70k for a Fabia 1.6 Elegance really worth the money in comparison to a Punto 1.4 emotion pack ?

I'm going mad trying to choose between the two.
Punto - for the styling and package and price
Fabia - for that million rupee smile that just wouldn't go off my face after I got out of the TD vehicle, flooring the pedal to reach a 130 on hosur road in no time.

HELP !

Out of these two, I would pick the Fabia. The Punto is not as good performer in real world as the paper specs suggest, though dynamics are absolutely top notch. The Fabia 1.6 is a better performer, the dynamics is not as good as the Punto but i rate it second after the Punto. Only if Punto had the T-Jet.

Why don't you check out the Polo 1.6? Fabia is a better handler and has better steering but i do not like the looks. Polo being is new product and looks more youthful and sporty.

Or you can wait for the new Swift. The Ride and build may not be as strong as the Europeans, but the Performance, Handling and overall Fun to drive factor is expected to be very good. Even the current Swift is an entertainer.

[volkman10]

Would suggest you TD the Polo 1.6 and then decide between the two (Polo Vs Fabia)

Cheers!

[mempheS.D]

Thank you anshuman and volkman10. That helps me think clearer. I agree, the VW polo 1.6 is better when it comes to things I'm looking for in my car. However, the price is a scorcher! An 8.2 on-road in bangalore approx. Yikes ! That was the main reason, I narrowed down to the fab and punto. Yep, how I wish the punto had a t-jet. But then, the price would have shot up too. Grrr.

Another fact I happened to read on a fabia thread is about the frequent complaints with the vw-skodas like high oil consumption, electrical faults, and engine stalling due to Indian heat. Now, I really wished I didn't see that line or I think I'm happy I read about it on tbhp before I made the plunge. Looking at the profile pic of anshuman, it looks like you are a skoda owner too. Can you comment on the basis of this claim on one of the fabia review threads? During my stay in the middle-east, I did hear that Volvos (or usually european cars!) do have this frequent problem in tropical countries, not forgetting the extra few degree Cs. thanks to the pollution we all petrolheads cause to the environment!

I'd really love to wait for the swift but the new swift's delivery time is nothing less than 6 months. Can't wait that long.

All in all, a confused mess! Suggestions or alternatives?

Thanks
Memphes

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

Another fact I happened to read on a fabia thread is about the frequent complaints with the vw-skodas like high oil consumption, electrical faults, and engine stalling due to Indian heat.

Looking at the profile pic of anshuman, it looks like you are a skoda owner too. Can you comment on the basis of this claim on one of the fabia review threads? During my stay in the middle-east,

Both the petrol engines in the pre facelift Fabia had issues with Indian fuel and some other niggling problems. The move to improved engines from Polo should make things better, but it's still early to comment to reliability. Some of the 1.2 Polo owners have reported some issues with the engine, not sure about 1.6. The older PD Diesel engine was annoyingly loud, the newer CR Diesel is as quiet as the competition.

Bigger petrols from VW group have an appetite for engine oil. Most problems reported in India are from 1.8 TSI. I am not sure about these smaller engines.

I have a Laura CR TDI 140 DSG, i've driven it close to 10,000kms in last 6 months with absolutely no issues to report. I am yet to visit a service center, so it's too early to say something about support.

I also own a Punto MJD 75. One of the first Punto on this forum. I love the car but the support and parts supply is absolutely poor grade, the staff at most Tata Service centers is good enough to cater to only commercial vehicles. I do recommend this car, but with a huge disclaimer. Some parts i ordered months back are yet to arrive, i've stopped pursuing some issues because i know the dealers are not competent to deal with them, so i only disturb them for major issues.

[musicmanaman]

I would pick Fabia 1.6 of the two, for space, interiors. Always liked the Fabia.

[mempheS.D]

Great ! Now, that's some handy information I trust and bank on.

All this means, more and more points to the Fabia. I sense a winning feeling within me every time I feel the FAB has a point over the competitor.

Test drove many other vehicles today:
1. Swift zxi
2. Ritz

Great ! Now, that's some handy information I trust and bank on.

All this means, more and more points to the Fabia. I sense a winning feeling within me every time I feel the FAB has a point over the competitor.

Test drove many other vehicles today:
1. Swift zxi - the next best thing to the fabia and the polo
2. Ritz zxi - smooth, predictable, sticky shifts
3. i10 asta - smooth, VFM, but I'm not too keen on a hyundai ! <personal reasons>
4. i20 asta 1.2 - i thought the i20 1.4 petrol was available in m/t, but only automatic is available. so, that one's out too :-(
5. punto 1.4 FIRE - sluggish, plasticky on the inside, but the driveability was at par with the FAB

...Yet to try the polo and the fiesta, however I'm hell bent over having ABS in my car, and hence the models which have those ie, trendline and SXi, respectively are out of my budget of 7.2 lacs now.

To summarize, I don't think there are options I have missed considering at all unless any of you can think of one.

So, finally, it's the :
1. Fabia 1.6
2. Swift zxi - (a new hatch zxi will take 3 months, but the dealer suggested an alternative wherein he has 4 dzire zxi models which he can give me within a week but they are 2010 nov/dec models. I'm not keen on the DZIRE's appeal and character although it's the same sporty engine, plus, it comes to the same price of the fabia ie, around 7.5lacs and the dealer would include teflon coating, under chassis coating and 3M sunfilms)

This has indeed sent me into deep thought whether :
- to take the plunge, go for the FAB with a 1.6 which will please my lead foot at times necessary and of course, the welcoming luxury in the czech automobile which is excellent quality for that price enjoying it while I have it and hoping that no problems will arise, and risking the claims of falling prey to low FE, high maintenance costs, dipping resale values, and shoddy skoda service which the dealer claimed has improved with the new skoda shield!)

OR, ....

-go for the DZIRE considering it's VFM, proven, a maruti, good resale value and just look straight ahead and never behind cos I jus can't bear the awful looking boot of the dzire and of course, partially please my LEAD FOOT with a 1.2 instead of a 1.6

...HMMMM !

But, thank you all for the comments. I must admit. It's really driving me closer to my machine which is waiting for me in some godown in some part of this city.

:-)

[.anshuman]

^^ I totally forgot about the Fiesta classic 1.6. If you do not mind the ageing looks and any of the version comes with ABS, pick it up with your eyes closed. It's better than all of the hatchbacks listed above, when considering it from a petrolhead's perspective.