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I reckon I'm averaging around 36-37mpg according to the trip computer, but it's definitely the short and urban drives which bring it down. Now my 1.8 dsg is loosened up I regularly do better than 40 mpg on my longish commute of mixed driving: urban, extra-urban, and motorway with and without aditional speed restrictions. I also notice the economy falls away quite quickly as you exceed 70ish mph even if at a steady cruise. The engine offers a great drive for reasonable economy overall and I'd recommend it so long as most of your driving is out of town.

The Golf with the 1.2tsi engine and 6 speed gearbox is reviewed in this month's WhatCar. The engine is generally praised, but also the car posted sub-10 second 0-60 and 30-70 times, which suggests the lighter Fabia may be even quicker. I suspect the official 10.1 time is cautious given the amount and spread of torque available.

If I recall, the poor low rev pull in the 1.6 TDI was one of the few criticisms What Car made of the Golf with that engine. This is perhaps quite an issue as this engine in various states of tune is becoming ubiquitous throughout the VAG group, including in the Fabia and Octavia. I belive it's due to be fitted to a Yeti Greenline at some point. Seems like the current 2.0 110 is better suited to the Yeti (can produce more torque for the 4x4), though I think this variant was probably originally intended as a stop gap between the old 1.9 and the new 1.6.

Did you look at the pictures? I thought the gear stick looked a bit odd: more like the tiptronic one, rather than the 7speed DSG stck in other models

Hi would anyone know when the facelift hatch (not vRS) demontrators will hit dealers and be available for test drives? thanks

There are a couple of threads on here commenting on the infrequent sightings of Yetis. All of a sudden I spot Yetis on most of my commutes. Looks like some of those early orders have turned into deliveries.

Hi James do you know if the 1.4 will have DSG available in combination? Thanks

Hi as others have said, there are none in the country yet I think, though i should think dealers' demonstrator models should be imminent. If it's anything like the 105 version it should be a cracking engine. It's big advantage over the 1.4 it replaces is its significantly higher torque of c.118lbs v 1.4's 97lbs, and its wide range of availability. Evidence of the impact of torque as well as bhp on acceleration is that it's over a second quicker 0-60 than the 1.4 with the same 85bhp (according to Skoda's published figures). Also it's quicker than the mk1's 1.4 100bhp variant which had 93lbs torque if I recall (though a heavier car, to be fair).

If most of your driving is urban commute don't get the 1.8tsi I've got one, it's great, but urban mpg is not good. Also you'll never use its power (and it is really quite a powerful car). The 1.4tsi sounds a good choice: still quick and flexible. And won't you pay less BIK than for the 1.6TDI?.

Sounds good advice to me. Even the 85bhp version of the 1.2tsi has more torque (c.118lbs or 160nm) than the previous petrol 1.6 range topper. This pulling power is available low down and sustained throgh the rev range so in real world driving will seem pretty flexible. The 105 will be even more so of course. Incidentaly, given the torque figures, I'd be surprsied if the latter wasn't quicker than the times Skoda has posted, which are currently the same for the 105 tsi as for its 1.6 predecesor. I'm sure both 1.2 tsis will be quicker in gear and 30-70 than the normally aspirated engines they replace.

To be fair, Auto Express made the same criticisms as WC about noise and low speed jiggly ride in their test, whch the Yeti won, against the same opposition plus Hyundai i35: it's just that AE appeared not to attach the same significance as WC to these. AE's decibel readings were slightly higher than the opposition's. It does seem odd that WC can praise the 1.2S on ride and refinement while criticising the 110 SE. It may be down to the heavier diesel engine and 17" rims on the latter. In terms of WC's attitude to Skoda, they do have them in top 3 of 3 categories of "best buy", but praise does seem partly predicated on value. I notice WC seems to feel most comfortable with Skoda by keepng it in a "value car" stereotype, and seems to favour Skoda's more expensive products less eg higher spec 4wd Yetis.

Thanks. I notice "Sports suspension" is an option. Am i right in thinking this is the same as the "lowered suspension" as in the pre-faclift and standard in the Greenline and later Sports, and not a significantly modified suspension?

On-line Drive the Deal and Broadspeed are generaly competitive and well known. I notice you're in Somerset, but James at Allams in Epsom Surrey (which sponsors this site I believe) and Geoff Garner at Withams in Walton on Thames, also Surrey I think, are both very helpful and straightforward and should discuss realistic discounts I would bet. Give them a call. I believe one of the on-line sites sources its Skodas from Marlborough Skoda in Isleworth, Middlesex so you could probably get a good discount by dealing with them direct.

I've ahd 3 Skodas and they all had one creak/squeak/rattle each as I recall! the first was the rear seat back mounting and was cured with masking tape; the second in the driver'sdoor trim which I ignored as it was mild and occasional. My new Octavia has developed something recently (6 months old) where the front passenger door seems to touch the side of the dashboard. Not sure of the cause or location yet but it's irritating so will get it checked. otherwise pretty rock solid: nearly 10 years motoring between them.

In absolute terms I'd say the 140 gives you more ie extra power, 4wd (also available with 110), 6 speed box. But do you want/need the extra? The 4wd component alone costs £1700. The 110 2wd is a fair bit lighter so the benefits of the power difference between it and 140 4wd won't be as marked as the paper figures usggest i would think. Finally, depending on your budget, you can have most of the benefits of the Yeti experience in a 110 in very respectable S trim while the 140 starts in SE. In other words you can get a 110 2wd S spec for not a huge outlay.

110 2wd in this week's Auto Express. Won the group test.

One question though, aimed at anyone with DSG. At the D position, you can move the stick across to the right. Does that give full manual control of shifting? If so, then I would not consider the paddles a necessity. I also assume that "S" is a fully-automatic sport mode yes? Yes to both questions, though I think in my Octavia you move the stick to the left. Just shows how infequently I use manual shifting! My hunch is most DSG owners end up rarely using manual mode as it's just too easy and efficient to leave the auto to do the work. However I suspect it might be a differnt story with paddles as you don't have to move a hand from the steering wheel. S (Sport) position just holds the gear for longer allowing more revs before changing up I understand. Again I rarely use S, not least because I've redlined during kickdown in D, so not sure how many more revs I'd need in practice.

I've seen about four on the road ie not at a dealers now. Perhaps curiously, with the exception of a red one, all were in colours I'd not seen in a showroom: being silver, black and most recently white . I know the survey on here shows a liking for white, which isn't a colour Skoda seem to have used for marketing purposes. I was struck by the efffect made by the diferent colours. On the move the white one looked especially impressive and attractive, with quite a lot of road presence, though not in an intimidating kind of way (this seems to be the Yeti's personality). In my rear view mirror it seemed quite large and imposing, but while tall, less "big" ( in a traditional 4x4 way) from the side.

I've not had extended opportunities to drive a Yeti which I think you'd need to get a good judgement on how consistent noise is. However I have driven, or been driven in, 3 Yetis: 2 Elegances, one a TDI 170, the other the 1.8TSI, and an SE 1.2TSI. I quickly noticed road noise in the 170, I can't recall in the 1.8, but the 1.2, which I drove most recently, and spent most time, struck me as remarkably refined, including the absence of road noise. Possibly 4WD is noisier than 2WD? One or two reviews have commented on road noise at speed,though more seem to comment on the refinement!

It would be good to see a review based on what a Fabia with a new engine is like to drive. If the Facelift is starting production, it shouldn't be too long till journalists get to drive one.

Different dealers do have different charges.I think you can legally get your car serviced at an independent without invalidating your waranty subject to certan conditions eg using approved parts, but possibly a bit of a minefield if you did need to activate the warranty. Charges will also vary according to which service it is eg oil change service should be less than full service, and also the mileage when certain lubricants and/or parts need changing according to the log book schedule. However given the age of yours, it sounds like you're probably not into the latter scenario yet. It's worth getting quotes and making a comparison and checking what's included in the price: many dealers do an all in price but best to be sure. For example I've heard some dealers charge more for oil provided at a service than it would if you bought the oil and asked them to use it.

Yes 2.0 TDI 140 from about May. Currently this engine only comes with 4wd and in SE and Elegance spec so at the more expensive end of the range. Personally I think Skoda could increase sales by makng this engine available in 2wd, but perhaps that might offer too much competition to the Octavia or to the VW Tiguan.

That is impressive.The 1.2 86PS has more torque than the current 1.6! The Polo 1.2tsi 105 is reviewed in this month's WhatCar and is praised for responsiveness and refinement (esssentially as it doesn't need much working). It gets a 0-60 of 9.5 seconds, and a group leading 30-70 of 9.0. In-gear times for gears 3 - 5 are amongst the best for the group too. Obviously can't make a direct comparison to the Fabia as it has 6 gears to the Fabia's 5

Hi out of curiosity, does anyone know the torque figures for the 1.2 TSI 86 bhp? I know the 105 bhp has 129 lbs, a fair increase over the 1.6's 114lbs

I too prefer to deal with a dealer, and there are many decent Skoda ones. Only a very few cars are so desirable or difficult to obtain that they attract no dealer discount. No Skodas fit into this category, though the wait for Yetis is possibly making some dealers think they don't have to discount. However the issue with the Yeti is less likely to be massive demand (good as they are) but difficulties in supply ie the dealer still wants to sell to meet targets. Dealers saying they won't do deals will usually fit into at least of one of 3 categories: 1. they are checking to see if you know the market or are an innocent. Demonstrate you are knowledgable with internet broker quotes, quotes from other dealers or eg the WhatCar target price (which you should be able to better). Some dealers will denigrate internet offers, but the well-known and reliable brokers put you in touch with a dealer who has in effect guaranteed a discount. 2. they think you're an idiot. They don't deserve anyone's custom. alk away and find a decent dealer/consider internet broker 3. they are in a monopoly position eg no competiton for miles. Find another dealer/consider internet broker. Several dealers are recommended by posters on this forum and I'd be tempted to approach them first.