Hi. A friend is considering a used or new 2007 model Fabia 1.4 TDI, but has found the seats to be uncomfortable, on a test run. As an alternative she's considering a Polo - not necessarily a good move, but its her choice. I was surprised to hear what she had to say - her back was made painful and she found the clutch leg movement inhibited by the seat. Normal height - say 5'5", slim. I've never sat in a Fabia of the new type, so have no opinion, and don't want to go dealer pestering without being interested in buying. Wouldn't be a Fabia for me - an Octavia is more my cup of tea! Just wondered what other drivers have found. Thanks in anticipation.

Put her in a Fabia with "sport seats" and help her with seat height adjustment.. I would be very surprised if a drive in such a car would give her a pain in the back!

The seats and steering on the Fabia are fully adjustable for height, reach and rake. I suspect the reason for the problem is that your friend wasn't fully aware of all the adjustments and didn't get a good seating position. Not only does the seat move forwards and backwards, it's height adjustable too. She should put the steering wheel close to the dash and adjust her seat to suit comfortable operation of the pedals, then adjust the steering and seat back in combination so that her wrist rests comfortably on top of the steering wheel, just behind the heel of the hand, her chest should be at least 25cm from the airbag.

You would be amazed how few drivers take the time to properly adjust their seat. It is a cause of a lot of back pain and leg discomfort that is totally avoidable. I'm 5 feet tall and my husband is 6ft 3ins, we can both get very comfortable in my new Fabia.

It's probably worth her taking another drive in a Fabia and putting some emphasis on the seating adjustment. The Fabia seats are better than some others I've sat in over the years.

Fabia seats are fine IMHO, not outstanding but perfectly adequate. Only real let down is a lack of lateral support.

Yes I find the seats fine

Useful to know others are not tortured: if there was anything much wrong the word would be out! I suspect, as Little Jo does, that she didn't take the time to adjust the driving position. She wasn't aware the wheel could be moved in and out. Glad to hear nothing intrinsically wrong, but getting her back to the dealer to do it properly will be a task, unless she manages to get uncomfortable in the Polo she's meant to test this morning:)

The adjustments in the Polo will be much the same as they would be in an Ibiza. Both of them are at the end of their product cycle. The Ibiza getting replaced in less than 3 months & the Polo due in less than a year if not sooner! Most any VAG seat/steering will adjust in the same fashion from entry level right up through high-end offerings!!!

I've mentioned the replacement Polo is imminent, but she wants to try out the 1.2 70 hp petrol Polo the local dealer just happens to have in stock....:confused: Maybe the seats will be to her taste. BTW, I am not getting involved in the nitty gritty of the choosing/buying palaver. This is a matter for the driver: I only give what little information I can glean on the factual side:tired:

Make sure someone helps her properly adjust the seat then & good luck!

I have a bad back but find the seats in my Fabia 1.4 TDi really comfortable unlike my old Megane which I could never get out of without resorting to weird yoga type moves!:eek:

The Fabia has excellent seat/steering adjustment and it's worth taking the time to get it just right to suit you.

There's a very topical article on the BBC News website regarding ladies' seating positions:

BBC NEWS | Health | Women 'face raised whiplash risk'

If you read the Fabia handbook, it states clearly that the driver's chest must be at least 25cm from the steering wheel. This is to give the driver's airbag room to fully deploy in an accident. Sit closer, and it won't work properly. The other vital component to safety is the head restraint. Fail to adjust that peroperly and you can suffer serious damage at impact speeds as low as 12mph.

I know, it does take time to adjust everything when the driver changes over, but the consequences of not doing so can be very high indeed. Your car can be repaired/replaced, you are much more valuable.

Thanks LJ. I wonder why women sit so close - is it simply a function of height/arm length? I'm not sure it is. My wife sits crammed up to the wheel, but she's only a couple of inches shorter, and I can't get my legs in at her setting. At least the wheel can be adjusted for reach on the Fabia, which it can't, on her Jazz.

I'm trying to get the friend to look at the Sport trim Fabia: maybe the seat will be better - but I fear the Polo is her target. She thinks the Fabia TDI is "heavy" but I'm not clear why. Salesman has probably given anti-diesel slant.

Hi. If it helps, I "sit close" as the travel on the clutch is a long one on Polo, Golf and Fabia and "dancing on the pedals" (knees up Mother Brown) comes to mind, rather than the slight hint that, say, Peugeots need. I don't really know why it should be different for menfolk, unless women, being ballet-toed, need to be sure that the ball of our foot will depress the pedal? :ne_nau:

Re the Fabia seats themselves (I have a 1.4 mpi), I find they are less comfortable on motorway journeys than other cars I have driven, however adjusted, though mine doesn't have a lumbar adjustment.

I reckon mine's a good car though.

Regards

Mo

Thanks LJ. I wonder why women sit so close - is it simply a function of height/arm length? I'm not sure it is. My wife sits crammed up to the wheel, but she's only a couple of inches shorter, and I can't get my legs in at her setting. At least the wheel can be adjusted for reach on the Fabia, which it can't, on her Jazz.

I'm trying to get the friend to look at the Sport trim Fabia: maybe the seat will be better - but I fear the Polo is her target. She thinks the Fabia TDI is "heavy" but I'm not clear why. Salesman has probably given anti-diesel slant.

Some, but not all females sit close to the wheel as a result of a lack of confidence. Others do so because they're not wearing ideal footwear. It's not all down to leg length. Some simply haven't been taught how to set their seat up properly. It doesn't help when demo cars rarely have the handbook in the car, and there won't always be enough time to go through all the details before the drive. Height-adjustable seats and reach/rake adjustable steering have become more vital since the appearance of airbags.Anyway, I do hope your friend isn't being pressured into buying a 1.2 Polo because the dealer just happens to have some in stock that they want to shift before the new model appears! I had a Ford dealer try to sell me a 1.8i Focus because they had discounted them! It does happen, even though there are plenty of honest, helpful Sales guys out there.Jo

Mo: what is ballet toed? New one to me! I think the potential buyer gets wound up, stressed and worried, so doesn't take the time to set the seat up before setting off. As for the VW sales guy, although not pushy, I suspect, as you do LJ, there's a Polo they want to get off the forecourt before the new version is known about. According to them, TDI Polos are as rare as hens teeth. Impossible to get. The best rapport was with the Skoda saleswoman: but the seat was supposedly the issue there.

The only problem I find with the seats is the lack of Lumbar support and no way to adjust it (didnt spring for sport seats). Its really only an issue on longer journeys but bad enough to warrant me buying a lumbar support cushion from Argos.

Its probably different for everyone though as no one else seems to have mentioned the lumbar support.

Hi Nortones2. By ballet-toed, a ballerina's feet form an extension of her leg; not so a man's foot, the natural position being at a rightangle. That can cause cramp for a woman if held thus on the gas pedal. Logically she'd put the seat back, except that the clutch goes so far away that you can't depress it fully (not so good for the clutch), so have to have the seat forward... I find this disparity between the pedals unusual to VW-type cars, of the all the makes I've driven.

It also seems odd to me that some VW-type cars are described as "women's cars" as you have to be a female wrestler to work even the gearstick by comparison with other cars.

Hi Gremin: Quote: "Its probably different for everyone though as no one else seems to have mentioned the lumbar support." Unquote.

Well I mentioned lumbar support so there are at least two of us I found it less important in a car which had a "rake" on the seat that could bring the front up a little (i.e. to support the under-knee area and tilt you back a little). For long journeys, I agree about the cushion

Incidentally, I agree with Little Jo that women have less confidence than men and like to sit forward, e.g. to be able to see into the road they're entering (rather than sticking their nose out and expecting cars to swerve around them), no bad thing perhaps, but I also think that women just naturally sit up more, so appropriate support is important for long journeys.

In my opinion as a 5' 5" woman, I wouldn't have a VW-type car if I drove many miles every day, but I don't now, so my Fabia seems to be a good car that suits me well

Regards

Mo