Newbie - Golf VR6 to Fabia vRS

[TonyMcA]

Hi All,

After finally tracking down my Golf's V5 certificate down over the weekend, I took delivery of my Silver Fab vRS today, and I must say, she's looking good in the West Berkshire sunlight tonight.

I can't think of any time I've switched cars and felt so much at home - even with my self imposed 3000 rev limit for the first 500 miles. I should hopefully reach that within a week - off to a stag do in deepest Wales for the weekend.

So far, it's beating the (admittedly almost four year old) Golf in just about every way. The handling's great, turn-in on the much maligned Michelins is very sweet, and the ride quality by comparison with the Golf is awesome. A trip down Newbury's most pitted and speed-bumped street (Queens Road, fact fans), was completed with none of the nad damage the VR6 gave you.

Not much more can be said about the engine than already has been. It may be tighter than a gnats, but it's still putting more than enough power down. My salesman told me that a 100 hp TDi with 30-40K on is a revelation, and having driven through similar mileages on the Golf I can well believe him. OK, so you have to stir the stick a bit to keep it on tap, but the shift quality is streets ahead of the Golf.

Sorry for the Autocar style musings. In short, I'm dead pleased with it!

Tony.

[Tech1e]

Glad you happy, top motor...enjoy

[DGW]

The Fabia (and other recent Skodas) really are surprisingly good, aren't they?! Welcome to Briskoda, Tony. :wave:

[pbirkett]

Greetings, and I love reading little reviews like that! I am surprised to learn it measures up so well with a VR6.

[TonyMcA]

First, thanks for the friendly welcome.

Obviously time will tell, but I have little doubt that the Fab will be better in the long run than the VR6. The Mark 4 VR6 felt like an unfinished car, and had I taken one down a twisty road on the test drive, rather than being seduced by its cracking straight line performance, I don't think I'd ever have bought it.

Basically the VR6 is just too heavy, and the suspension is far too stiff, so on a typical British road it just skips about - it gets around corners fine but you don't feel it's going to. It was absolutely fine on the motorway, and felt totally planted at very silly speeds - I expect the Fabia will get blown about a bit more. But I don't do huge motorway miles, and an awareness that Mr Plod will catch up me with one day means I plan to stay on the right side of 90 - hence my optional cruise control!

As to how I discovered Skodas - well, my Golf got rear-ended soon after I got it. While it was getting fixed, I had a 1.4 16V Fab for a couple of days and absolutely loved it - as with all "rental" cars I gave it a damn good thrashing and was really enjoying roundabouts again (I should mention that I had a Toyota MR2 before the Golf....)

Anyway, probably the wrong forum and wrong makes of car being discussed, so I'll leave it there.

Tony.

[Schtum]

The Mark 4 VR6 felt like an unfinished car, and had I taken one down a twisty road on the test drive, rather than being seduced by its cracking straight line performance, I don't think I'd ever have bought it.

MKIV VR6...... :confused: There wasn't one was there...? Surely the only VR6 motor in a MKIV was in the 4Motion and the R32.

[TonyMcA]

MKIV VR6...... :confused: There wasn't one was there...? Surely the only VR6 motor in a MKIV was in the 4Motion and the R32.

My lazy fingers I'm afraid, the car we're referring to was a 4Motion, full title Golf VR6 4Motion, last time I checked. As I was coming from a RWD car, I foolishly thought that 4WD was a sensible compromise.

In reality, because of the way Haldex works, the 4Motion drives like FWD 99% of the time, and a particularly understeery FWD at that, thanks to the weight of that V6 lump.

From what I've read, the R32 cured most of the 4Motion handling problems. It's a shame it took them until a year before the Golf was replaced to do it. I'd imagine that with the vastly superior Skoda suspension tuning, the 4x4 Octy's are alright as well.

T.

[Schtum]

I'm not sure that I entirely agree with you about Skodas having vastly better suspension tuning. Yes, SWMBO's Fabia vRS suffers from less intial understeer than my Golf, even although my car sits on Bilstein PSS9s, but it's at the expense of a lack of it feeling planted at the rear end. Also, one of the reasons that I didn't buy an Octavia was that the the TDI version I tested felt oversprung and underdamped.

[faboka vrs]

Welcome to Briskoda.

[geordiesteve]

was embarrassed totally by a an r32 this evening (up a hill as well). felt better in the knowledge that MOST (99%) of the time in daily traffic it wouldn't happen and i'm paying half his insurance/fuel bills !!

[andy ellis]

Welcome friend! Get down to your Seat dealer and order a strut brace for a Ibiza 130TDI. You think the Vrs is good now. Life can only get better........