I am just about to swap my beloved Volvo V40 for a 2020 Fabia Monte Carlo. Mixed emotions; liked the V40, but it was the base model with no toys, I find the view out of the back challenging, the infotainment impenetrable, and as time goes on it will be expensive to run. The Fabia is smaller on the outside but appears to have a bigger boot space and more room in the back. Yes the Volvo has a reputation for safety and is so well built as to feel hewn from granite. My wife finds it difficult to drive. As I drove away from the cars service and MOT, I happened to pass a Škoda Dealer. I felt so much more at home in the Fabia. Seating position, ergonomics etc just fit better. I had been looking for a supermini before I was lured by the V40. I tried a Fiesta (Vignali) plush, but it did not feel planted.
By contrast, the Fabia is not only lively, but feels planted. The suspension and steering feel ..well damped and responsive.
Now you are going to question my sanity here, but as the test drive came to an end, the check engine light came on! I have in the past - distant; sold cars (VW) and yet I still signed on the dotted line! I know, utter madness, but in the event that it was an ongoing fault which would prove costly I would have rejected it. It turned out to be the Evap canister apparently caused by overfilling the fuel tank. So I’m happy.
i hope to pick it up on Thursday. If you have got to this point, well done.
I can underestimate my potential for inducing tedium.