What a cracking car - Fabia 1.2 TSI DSG - mini review

[Plantman]

We purchased a 1.2 TSI Fabia with the DSG box for SWMBO. What a cracking drive!  Really solid feel and also very fun to drive.  It is so quiet compared to the Diesel Octavia too hah!

 

This version is the SE+ (lucky find) so the extras are climate control, electric rear windows, tinted rears and multi-function steering wheel. It also has the MDI and storage boxes under the front seats.

It also has the Black strips down the side and also slightly different seat patterns.  

 

Of course, I had to enable the dash sweep in vcds 

 

https://youtu.be/kWMdS9EULpM

 

I am very impressed with the 7 speed DSG.  I have driven VAG motors with the 6 speed DSG before and have been impressed but to have 7 gears in the Fabia seems bizarre, but a great move! For motorway cruising it's very refined. We have seen 50 mpg from some A road driving.

 

Observations:

• The front brake discs look huge!  Guessing this is because of the Auto box.
• Slight clunks on occasions when the DSG seems to go in to first, this is more noticeable when going over speed bumps - Seems a DSG feature.
• Rear drum brakes can bind when sat for a while, especially in rain or cold weather.  This produces a slight crack as they release. 
• Shame it doesn't come with Maxidot. Needed the Elegance model for this. You do get a full trip computer though.
• Vibration from the front A pillar when sat in neutral.  Thank's to the forum this looks like it could be a fuel pipe rattling in the engine bay. 
• Pollen filter seems pot luck to refit if you remove it without taking notice of the direction.  It looks like it should flow from the A pillar towards the centre of the dash, so have installed the filter that way. The side piece on the filter cover seems to face towards the seat, although it fits both ways.
• Removing the air filter box is a recipe for dropping the screws in the engine bay if you are not really careful, especially the ones at the back of the filter housing.
• Two Skoda recalls have been done. 
• Really quick acceleration for a 1.2! Really spirited engine considering the small cc's.  That turbo really does make it fun.  DSG also climbs the gears at lightning speed. I am sure it also skips gears, since it soon gets to 5th around town.

 

Only thing is, we now own 2 silver Skoda's! It looks like a 'his and hers' 

You can't say we aren't loyal  :p

 

 

 

[TSIspirit]

Agree with this entirely, got my Fabia (2011, elegance, 1.2TSI/DSG) at the start of this year - my first car and I absolutely love it! Regularly get 45-55mpg (a roads & town driving) and its a lovely ride in the process. Thankfully not had any issues with vibration or any noises that shouldnt be there :p Enjoy!

[Bluesarge]

I have a 1.4 TSi DSG Octavia, but while it was at the dealer for some warranty work recently (on the DSG box) I had a 1.2 TSi DSG Fabia as a courtesy car.

Needless to say I wasn't too interested in the fuel consumption, but it didn't feel that much slower than my Octy.

 

I doubt it's actually skipping gears, but unless you floor it, it seems to be set up to change up very early. In both cars I noticed it seems to use 1st gear as literally just a pulling away gear and change very quickly to 2nd.

 

Nice car, but glad to have my Octavia back!

[Plantman]

Agree with this entirely, got my Fabia (2011, elegance, 1.2TSI/DSG) at the start of this year - my first car and I absolutely love it! Regularly get 45-55mpg (a roads & town driving) and its a lovely ride in the process. Thankfully not had any issues with vibration or any noises that shouldnt be there  :p Enjoy!

Vibration was quickly sorted by moving one of the fuel pipes from it's default holding clip to the one adjacent and that immediately sorted it.  

[TSIspirit]

Glad you sorted it!! Hopefully should be a nice quiet ride!