Hi,

Am thinking of getting a Fabia Estate, very happy with general performance, but need to tow a dinghy around 10 times or so per year. It's an unbraked trailer, I estimate the total weight to be in the 250kg range. This seems well inside the advertised limits, I just wondered if people had experience with the 1.4Tdi (80bhp) engine? I am attracted to that by the better economy, and for 95% of the driving I do it will be fine, but I'm a bit concerned about whether it will have enough oomph for the towing. Would the 1.9Tdi be a better bet?

TIA....

Chris

I would imagine the 1.4 would be fine, 250kg is only approx 2 large adults, so i see no problem.

have a drive of both engine sizeies see which one you like best.

Oh welcome to briskoda.

If you can run to the extra cash the 1.9 TDI would be a better bet. That extra cylinder makes a useful difference; i imagine the fuel economy from the 1.9 would also be better as the engine wouldn't have to work so hard. WHy not look for a an ex-demo and get a 1.9 TDI for the price approaching that of a 1.4 TDI?

I have a 14ft day boat that I'll be towing with mine as soon as the bar is fitted. So if you have a week or so to wait I can let you know.

However....I towed the same boat with a crappy 105bhp scenic with a dying turbo OK So I'm not expecting any problems

Sorry, took longer than expected to get the towbar sorted.

Engine wise it tows fine, nor problems at all. My boat trailer is a bit heavy on the nose so there is some compression in the rear and a marginal loss of traction in the front.