Your experience going from Fabia vRS to Octavia vRS PD170

[djthompson]

I'd be interested to learn persons experiences going from the standard Fabia vRS to the Octavia vRS TDI. Specifically:

• performance (particularly on b-roads and motorway)
  
• fuel economy
  
• comfort, and suspension
  
• parking, and low speed turning
  

Rgds, D

[rsbspt]

I don't quite fit your profile as my Furby was modded with Eibachs, Konis and PD160 intake. But here are my thoughts:

performance (particularly on b-roads and motorway)

More refined, less 'in-your-face', but with more turbo lag from rest

fuel economy

Worse by about 5mpg, though I'm told it gets better with age

comfort, and suspension

Rubbish on the OEM springs and dampers IMHO (but then so was the Furby in my view)

parking, and low speed turning

Steering a little heavier, but otherwise fine.

Here's how I felt after a long test drive:

http://briskoda.net/forums/octavia-ii/octavia-vrs-tdi-first-impressions-after-7-day-test/93000/

The biggest difference is S-P-A-C-E, loads of it, both the interior and boot.

[J999VRS]

I traded up from a standard Fabia VRS to a diesel Octavia VRS (combi).

If I am honest, I was a little disappointed with the Octavia 'at first'. I dont like the unsettled ride on 18" rims with Dunlops. The car almost always seems nervous and jiggly. Push on handling is safe and predictable. Perhaps not as much fun as the Fabia but very competent and refined.

Predictably, the fuel economy is not as good as the Fabia which was outstanding for the level of driving performance it provided. However the Octy is still good for the size of car and performance available.

The Octy's power band is too narrow however which means that Ist and 2nd gear are despatched too quickly when pushing on. Wheel spin also happens too easily. The 170 is fast but you have to use the revs so it does not feel as flexible as the 130 in the Fabia VRS. I also find that the 170 growls and sounds gruff compared to the 130.

Where the Octy really scores is in long journey refinement and comfort. It is so good at gobbling up the miles with ease. You have to use cruise control or a fair measure of restraint in order to avoid collecting speeding fines.

The Octy's build quality is much better than the Fabia. Just listen to the sound you get when closing a door. Every bit as good as a mercedes. The fit and finish of all interior trim is very good and the rear carpets are dry, unlike my Fabia!

I have the estate so plenty of room and the seats are definitely better than those in the Fabia. I was lucky in finding a car with ALL the toys including sat nav, sun roof, Zenons, cruise, maxi dot, hands free etc so the level of equipment is high and makes for a rewarding driving experience.

The longer I own the Octy, the more I have come to appreciate its merits over the Fabia. It is a more grown up car but not as much fun to drive. There was a time when I would happily have gone back to the Fabia but not now.

Like everyone, I wait in eager anticipation of the next generation Fabia VRS if it ever materialises.

It will have to be very good indeed if it is to better the Octavia VRS.

[Ibby]

performance (particularly on b-roads and motorway)

Motorways its alot better, in top gear its not as willing to pull as the fabia but its alot more refined. B roads its alot quicker if you keep it in 3rd gear. 4th used to be my favourite gear in the Fabia, 3rd is definatly my favourite in the Octavia.

fuel economy

Rubbish, im about 10mpg down on every tank of fuel, im hoping this will get better. With cruise control set to 70 ill only just get 42mpg whereas the fabia was in the 50's.

comfort, and suspension

It crashes over bumps a bit less than the Fabia but its still not brilliant. As for comfort the seats are slightly better and the car has better soundproofing so is a bit quieter. The steering seems lighter too (but i thinks thats because the steering on my fabia was knackered!)

parking, and low speed turning

Parking on the Octavia is helped by the parking sensors, turning seems pretty similar too

[djthompson]

Cheers for those posts,

Doing 30k p/a I find the Fabia vRS lacks a little road presence with other drivers (in part due it's size) and it can be quite frisky on greasy A-roads through the winter.

Having owned a Mk3 GTI before the Fasbia, it feels less of a cruiser - which I really attribute to the physical size of the car. Don't get me wrong for the money there was no equal; and diesel is definately the long distance engine of choice for relaxed crusing and less engine wail. But I guess like we all are, I'm hoping to upgrade with the next motor!

I'm looking for a replacement that has the same if not ideally more power (really in the overtaking and 'supercruise' areas of driving. It's got to have more seat comfort and plantedness on the road. An A4 quattro would be the ticket - but not at the $$$.

For me Octy vRS TDI on 17in is the way to go (though those 18in look sweet) - for the money the Octy vRS to offer the best bang for buck. It's a little different, a little spicy, it's definately not Mondeo-agnolia or Vectra-nilla...

[nickcoll]

Road presence!!! You mean like those prats in Range Rover Sports and the like? Give me a decent car that's good to drive, economical given the way fuel prices are going, and doesn't attract much attention any day of the week. Let's face it, no-one is going to look admiringly at someone driving a Skoda, whatever model it is!

[djthompson]

LOL, didn't quite mean it like that, what i meant to say was that a bigger car is less easy for people to miss as it's physically bigger and has more of a "presence" on the road. Little car = eaten for breakfast; that doesn't just apply to the Fabia.

[Paul2867]

Road presence!!! You mean like those prats in Range Rover Sports and the like? Give me a decent car that's good to drive, economical given the way fuel prices are going, and doesn't attract much attention any day of the week. Let's face it, no-one is going to look admiringly at someone driving a Skoda, whatever model it is!

I picked up my Octy vRS on Wednesday, brand new. She has everything except sat nav & xenons. It's awesome AND it turns heads but maybe that's cos she's candy white? Either that or I'm mistaken for old bill. Mine has 18" alloys and seems quite settled on them, given I've only covered about 6o miles so far. Maybe that's because she's running on Continentals?

My wife runs a Fabia vRS, a 170 bhp animal. I occasionally drive it; it's blisteringly fast, unbelievably economical (76 mpg from South Wales to Heathrow at 70 mph) and handles quite well but not as planted or solid as my Octy.