SEVrs

Absolutely. It was an unfair comparison. It was more that the step down was more of a step than I was expecting, if that makes better sense? The S60 is a seriously underrated car and requires only minor mods to transform handling and performance. Stock, it is under-sprung but well damped and has plenty of poke in that 185BHP 5 cylinder lump. Mildly tuned, it's phenomenal (massive torque which the auto box is best handling rather than torturing the manual clutch). Not really looking to spend much, as the business needs my investment so I can put food on the table. Just more about getting the handling sorted for me at reasonable cost so that the mid corner issues are more controlled.

Thanks guys. Not yet dodging too many coffins yet I hope, as planning to do next years IoM Manx GP on my Aprilia plus do a fair bit of cycling, pounding the miles out on road/MTBs to keep middle aged spread at bay! Us old 'uns can still pass muster ya know. I'll look into those suspension suggestions, so thanks for sharing that :clap:

Hi guys, I'm Paul, and have recently bought a 2007 VRS Fabia SE. Have looked in on the forum from time to time and it seems a great resource with some good knowledge and banter, so Hi from me, and hope to be able to offer something back as well as picking the brains of you lot on here

Should really have introduced myself in the Introduction section but thought I'd cover two birds with one stone and give some impressions of recent ownership of a new (to me) Furby VRS (Special Edition). I've owned a Mk1 VRS previously, back in 2004 I had one from new as a company car for a few years, and it's funny how the memory plays tricks. Back then, after ownership of slightly sporty cars ranging from older Manta GTEs (for those who remember them!), Ford Focus 2.0, Scirocco GTi (Mk2); Modded Merc saloon, and a few others, the Fabia was a revelation for an oil burner. I seem to remember that particular 2004 VRS felt quicker than my current SE version, especially through the mid range and it also I think may have used different mapping from standard as power came in with more of a wheel spinning bang in the lower gears. Before I get ahead of myself though, I'll explain where I'm coming from. I'm, errr, a more "mature" driver than I suspect many on here might be, now well into my 40's. For real kicks, I ride some fairly exotic 2 wheel machinery which redefine the word "performance" when compared to anything on 4 wheels, so outright performance has never been a major attraction in a road car, although decent handling has always been important for me. I've had to economise, being self employed so have recently sold my much loved Volvo S60 D5 (230 BHP re-map, uprated suspension etc etc) due to annual running costs being too unrealistic now. Having suffered serious back injuries in mountain biking accidents, I need a comfy ride and nothing has ever come close to the S60 for that. However, the Fabia VRS in standard trim has surprisingly comfortable seats, driving position and suspension, so I has no worries about returning to a VRS which seemed to offer the blend of value, performance, comfort and low running costs that I was after. In fact, nothing else seems to come to mind that does these things any better for the money. I've offered my initial impressions of my re-acquaintance with the fabulous little Fabia below, along with some thoughts on the pros/cons and potential improvements I might look at: I have so far put up a few hundred miles this week in the little Fabia and first impressions, compared with the Volvo are: MUCH slower, poorer handling, more wind noise, but fabulous fuel economy and reasonable comfort. The S60 utterly destroyed it in overtaking punch, handling and comfort but that, I guess, is no surprise. The positives with the Fabia outweigh the negatives because these days, running costs matter. The quality of the SE seats is great...as good as anything I've sat in, so grateful to have found a genuine, un-molested one previous owner standard SE car with low miles (under 50K from new with a full dealer history). I've had the suspension bushes renewed and for peace of mind, have done a cambelt and waterpump service; other than that, the car's almost showroom condition. The mapping does seem rather soft. I have a lot of mechanical sympathy so wouldn't drive the thing hard from anything under 2K revs, and only then after proper warm up. Pull from 2.5K revs is adequate for reasonably safe overtakes in 3rd/4rth gears but it seems to lack the effortless punch which made overtakes so reassuringly safe and quick in the S60. I know it's about power to weight but the older Mk1 I seem to remember had a little more on the seat of the pants dyno! Still, I'd describe the performance as adequate, and motorway cruising is a breeze. The handling is another matter. The standard suspension is actually very good indeed for our pot-holed roads. Lovely and compliant and comfortable. Its firm enough to give a slightly sporty ride without breaking your fillings, something I value. However, pushed hard along a road I know well, the trait for the engine to want to continue in a different direction to the rest of the car led to a few hair raising moments with the front end dipping, sending the back squirming out of line, but it was quickly recovered without drama. This is a loss of control however you look at it, and one no doubt caused by driving too fast for the corner. However, find yourself caught out, distracted for a second, and into a bend slightly too fast, and it could lead to something worse than finding out that the colour of adrenalin is brown-ish, so handling really does need to be sorted without resorting to ruining the ride. Brakes seem more than adequate and are certainly more than adequate for the standard chassis. If looking to track-day the car, I guess drilled larger front discs wouldn't hurt and would reduce the tendency for fade, but for 99% of road conditions, decent pads and standard discs are more than up to the job, so I plan to leave well alone until discs are worn, then replace with standard sized drilled Brembos. Suspension is a tricky one. I'm an advocate of NOT lowering, or using coil overs for road use. Most "slammed" cars may make the spotty youfs driving them (sorry of this is you!) look Kewel, but usually destroys handling. As an engineer, I know that lowering springs/standard shocks simply doesn't work. you may get the impression of a firmer ride but the reduced damper travel, and lowered roll centre (often lower than the lowered C of G) can actually worsen body roll whilst lowering grip. The answer, funds allowing, would appear to be to fit better quality dampers. Good as the standard ones are, they are not up to the job of controlling that over-weight iron lump under the bonnet's effect on handling stability, especially mid corner, and in what was essentially a budget car to begin with, wont be top drawer spec. Springs aren't too bad standard but would benefit from a more progressive design, firming up more with compression. Trouble is, I don't have the funds, nor would I (even if I had) throw what would ultimately be the best part of a grand on fitting Gucci suspension on so the sensible option might be a rear ARB and perhaps better front suspension bushes. I am sure that there's a million threads on this subject already, but if you'll humour a newbee, is there anyone out there who may have come to the same conclusion and done this, and if so, is it a worthwhile handling improvement for safety without loosing ride comfort? I'd be very interested in the views of those with experience in doing this. Engine-wise, I plan to leave everything standard as the chassis will probably need more than an ARB if any more "go" is injected. I also don't want to monster the DMF or clutch or KKK turbo which I know is reputedly only reliable for 150 or so BHP; anything more and I would have to invest in something better because reliability is paramount for me. I have also been put off modifying cars too much. Past experience shows me that gearboxes aside, most cars have clutches, suspension, driveshafts etc etc pretty much matched for their output, and every time I've modded a car, its cost money on repairs to transmission and upgrades. I don't want to go there again. I drive pretty sensibly so performance is only an issue for safe overtakes. There you have it. I've returned after a 10 year break to a Fabia VRS and dont regret it for a second. They have there issues, not least standard turbos, clutches and suspension bushes, joke rear washer pipework connectors (never had a rear washer work on my old one for more than a few months after every repair!) etc, but the issues are all known and the engine is a peach. Arguably more reliable and economical than the later CR diesels which replaced them too. I'm looking forward to the next 100K miles at least with this one, so any advice on sensible mods to improve the handling or reliability would be well received.