My 3 grade 1.6 petrol is quiet and reasonably refined at all speeds but will only achieve 40mpg with care and given the right conditions. Having just had the entry level 1 grade 1.4 TDI 70bhp as a loan car, I cannot believe that they are within the same model range. Not only did I find it to be noisy on startup and at slower speeds, although things did improve a tad higher up, the entry level grade did feel low rent in comparison. Doing it no favours was the lack of glovebox lids, cheaper quality dashboard plastic together with many other missing goodies, in particular the 3 grade's extremely tactile leather steering wheel . It may have been capable of nearly 60mpg but after my petrol unit it sounded far too noisy and I was dissapointed by the lack of the anticipated and supposedly characterful 3 cylinder diesel hum - it was quite torquey though. It struck me as though the 1.4 TDI required better cabin noise insulation - is the 1.9 TDI a quieter unit?

I know it's a bit unfair to compare when the 3 grade is over 2K dearer but the gap felt much more than that, it fact it was difficult to believe they were within the same model range - chalk n' cheese.

Probably been spoilt by the 3 grade 1.6 - was I glad to get it back? - you bet.

Can't comment on the 70bhp 1.4 but the 80bhp is a joy, yes it is noisy at idle and low speed but very refined at cruise, and personally I like the noise it makes.

Never been in a '1' so can't comment on that either, but the '2' is OK IMHO, dunno if it is closer to the 1 than the 3 in quality though?

My 3 grade 1.6 petrol is quiet and reasonably refined at all speeds but will only achieve 40mpg with care and given the right conditions. Having just had the entry level 1 grade 1.4 TDI 70bhp as a loan car, I cannot believe that they are within the same model range. Not only did I find it to be noisy on startup and at slower speeds, although things did improve a tad higher up, the entry level grade did feel low rent in comparison. Doing it no favours was the lack of glovebox lids, cheaper quality dashboard plastic together with many other missing goodies, in particular the 3 grade's extremely tactile leather steering wheel . It may have been capable of nearly 60mpg but after my petrol unit it sounded far too noisy and I was dissapointed by the lack of the anticipated and supposedly characterful 3 cylinder diesel hum - it was quite torquey though. It struck me as though the 1.4 TDI required better cabin noise insulation - is the 1.9 TDI a quieter unit?

I know it's a bit unfair to compare when the 3 grade is over 2K dearer but the gap felt much more than that, it fact it was difficult to believe they were within the same model range - chalk n' cheese.

Probably been spoilt by the 3 grade 1.6 - was I glad to get it back? - you bet.

I had a sport 1.4 TDI 80 as a courtesy car, and like yourself I have a 1.6. Like JSJ I actually like the noise the 1.4TDI makes, and the mid range torque was missed greatly when I returned the car. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get below 50MPG.

I get 47-48MPG on a long run in my 1.6 Tiptronic which I think is very good, and considering the initial lower list price and lower fuel cost, I am better off with the smoother and quiter petrol.

If I did more miles I would go for the 1.4TDI, especially considering the tuning potential

Hi Bassa,

I think if you are used to the '3' petrol...you would definitely notice the engine noise on a 1.4TDI '1' base model if you had to drive one. I think the 70bhp model is noisier too as it has to work much harder than the more powerful diesel models. But hey...I love that noise and is the main reason I bought my new Fabia 2 1.4TDI PD 80bhp. Although I must say I came from driving a very quiet petrol unit and I don't find the noise on my Fabia 2 Estate in anyway intrusive especially in the cruise when it's a job to tell it's a diesel...except that is when you ask for power in the mid-range when it simply rockets to any speed you want. I've not driven the 1.9TDI so can't comment from experience on that one. I've read the 1.9 is noisier, and then I read another test and the tester says it's quieter! You must try it for yourself I guess. I can easily obtain 70mpg without driving too much with economy in mind...but I normally get between 58-62mpg.

Agree with estate man. What I have said though on a couple of previous threads is the underbonnet insulation / boot floor is not very good and the noise would be greatly reduced with investment in quality insualtion.

Agree with estate man. What I have said though on a couple of previous threads is the underbonnet insulation / boot floor is not very good and the noise would be greatly reduced with investment in quality insualtion.

not only is the 70bhp tdi the older unit. but the fab 1 has less sound deadening than the 2 or 3. so i would agree with the chalk and cheese comparison. if you drove a level 3 80 bhp 1.4tdi or 1.9tdi you'd probably think it was closer in comparison.

1.9 pd tdi is MUCH quieter than the 1.4 also has 105 bhp as well:) and will do in excess of 55mpg......road fund tax will be £90 next year

1.9 pd tdi is MUCH quieter than the 1.4 also has 105 bhp as well:) and will do in excess of 55mpg......road fund tax will be £90 next year

ah but by then the gov will have diesel at one million, sqillion pounds per litre to compensate!!!

I found all the diesels in the new Fabia were very noisy all the time :(

Most of the excess noise from that base model I borrowed I feel sure came from poor cabin insulation. How the higher grade & higher powered Fabia diesels compare I cannot say since that base one is the only model I have experienced. A Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4-D I had, although quite noisy from the outside, especially when cold, was always very refined inside, in fact you could easily believe it was a petrol, only its torque giving the game away. Toyota even took acoustic measures with the windscreen glass. Bet it's a different story with their Aygo or Yaris diesels.

It appears to me that most small diesel cars always play second fiddle when it comes to noise insulation compared to their larger relatives. If Skoda produced the Superb diesel churning out that Fabia's type of cabin decibels, all hell would break loose. (no pun intended)

Sixty miles to the gallon & low emissions are great - BUT.

1.9 pd tdi is MUCH quieter than the 1.4 also has 105 bhp as well:) and will do in excess of 55mpg.

Agree with this fully.

I have the Fabia 2 1.9 TDI PD and also a VW Golf MK4 1.9 TDI which has always been a quiet smooth car. Just a bit long in the tooth now. The Fabia is just slightly more noisey inside than the Golf but the difference is so small that I wouldn't need to bother with extra sound proofing.

So much so that I just ordered the Fabia 1.9 TDI PD Estate to replace the Golf.

Having test driven the Fabia 1.4 TDI about ten months ago, I get the impression that it was noisier than my 1.9.

V.

My Fabia estate is my 6th diesel and I have found that all of them have quietened down as the mileage increases. I always thought this was possibly due to the exhaust system becoming quieter as the carbon and soot put an insulating layer on the bare metal. This Fabia has now done only 3500 miles but is already quieter than when it was new.

My previous Skoda was an 05 Octavia 2.0 TDI Elegance with DSG and by 60000 miles everyone who travelled in it were commenting that it was the quietest diesel they had ever been in, and some found it hard to believe that it was a diesel.

I concurr with 'mcalp' regarding the noise levels from the engine reducing a bit as the vehicle covers a few thousand miles. I have noticed this fact with other diesel vehicles I have owned. My own new Fabia 1.4TDI PD 80 Estate diesel is already quietening a little as she is running in and loosening up. I'm sure it isn't just me getting used to the noise.

Personally, I like the noise these high pressure diesels make at tickover...but mine doesn't seem to make much noise at all when on the move in the cruise although it is a bit noisier than most petrol cars.

My wife has just bought a new 2.0TDI PD VW Passat and it's nearly silent at tickover and you'd genuinely struggle to tell it was a diesel from inside. Outside it's really, really loud though, and it's very definitely a diesel in that respect!

But - to compare it to a car that costs less than half as much and uses a diesel engine from one or two generations back (as the Skoda 1.4 and 1.9TDIs do now) is a bit of a stretch in my opinion.

I could never be tempted back to petrol now, as the driving characteristics of modern diesels really suit the lazy way I like to drive, but compare a Fabia 1.4TDI to the equivalent VW Polo or Seat Ibiza (both more expensive) and they are (of course) exactly the same. The equivalent French turbodiesel superminis are also a bit rough and ready and the diesel Vauxhall/Opel is appalling in comparison. The diesel Panda I drove recently was brilliant, but unfortunately for me now, anything short of the full 130bhp of my Fabia vRS will always just feel gutless.

The difference between the Fabia 1 and the 3 is quite marked, but the basic materials are the same and it's all awfully well screwed together (although arguably not as well as a Fabia Mk I) and if you buy a modern supermini for about £6000 (easily possible through a broker) then I think you can expect it to be very basic indeed, and the £10500 or so that the Fabia 3 1.6 Tip is going to cost you is still very good value in my book. Why on earth they think the big diesel 3 is worth an extra £2000 or so really does baffle me though, as it's definitely not that much more fuel efficient.

My wife has just bought a new 2.0TDI PD VW Passat and it's nearly silent at tickover and you'd genuinely struggle to tell it was a diesel from inside. Outside it's really, really loud though, and it's very definitely a diesel in that respect!

But - to compare it to a car that costs less than half as much and uses a diesel engine from one or two generations back (as the Skoda 1.4 and 1.9TDIs do now) is a bit of a stretch in my opinion.

I could never be tempted back to petrol now, as the driving characteristics of modern diesels really suit the lazy way I like to drive, but compare a Fabia 1.4TDI to the equivalent VW Polo or Seat Ibiza (both more expensive) and they are (of course) exactly the same. The equivalent French turbodiesel superminis are also a bit rough and ready and the diesel Vauxhall/Opel is appalling in comparison. The diesel Panda I drove recently was brilliant, but unfortunately for me now, anything short of the full 130bhp of my Fabia vRS will always just feel gutless.

The difference between the Fabia 1 and the 3 is quite marked, but the basic materials are the same and it's all awfully well screwed together (although arguably not as well as a Fabia Mk I) and if you buy a modern supermini for about £6000 (easily possible through a broker) then I think you can expect it to be very basic indeed, and the £10500 or so that the Fabia 3 1.6 Tip is going to cost you is still very good value in my book. Why on earth they think the big diesel 3 is worth an extra £2000 or so really does baffle me though, as it's definitely not that much more fuel efficient.

Was that diesel Panda as quiet in the cabin as your wife's diesel Passat?

It appears that the larger the car the better the insulation, all down to costs. Just think it is an area that most manufacturers could improve on regarding small car diesels, after all a decent degree of refinement is important regardless of size.

i quite liked the 1.6 fabia 2 that they gave me as a courtesy car,the only thing i couldn't forgive it was the woeful fuel econamy,on my 1 1/2 hour crawl comute home from work it was dishing out only 22mpg average,apart from that i really liked the car(first time i'd driven one with a decent level of trim)

i quite liked the 1.6 fabia 2 that they gave me as a courtesy car,the only thing i couldn't forgive it was the woeful fuel econamy,on my 1 1/2 hour crawl comute home from work it was dishing out only 22mpg average,apart from that i really liked the car(first time i'd driven one with a decent level of trim)

Blimey, did you ever get out of second gear?

Skoda's quoted figures for the 1.6 manual are 31mpg urban, 50.4mpg extra urban & 40.9mpg combined.

Still, at least your hearing would not have been impaired!

Was that diesel Panda as quiet in the cabin as your wife's diesel Passat?

My wifes Diesel Panda is quieter in the cabin than my Octy vRS diesel

I recently had a Fabia 2 1.9tdi as a courtesy car when my vRS was in for servicing and was suprised that over the same journey to and from the dealership (approx 33 miles each way on duel carridgeway) that the fab only returned 2-4 mpg more.

i quite liked the 1.6 fabia 2 that they gave me as a courtesy car,the only thing i couldn't forgive it was the woeful fuel econamy,on my 1 1/2 hour crawl comute home from work it was dishing out only 22mpg average,apart from that i really liked the car(first time i'd driven one with a decent level of trim)

Well my Fabia 14td (80) is my 6th Oil burner and is the best yet. I did a 65 mile round trip to Alnwick today and Averaged 63.4 mpg. Keep your Petrol's

Well my Fabia 14td (80) is my 6th Oil burner and is the best yet. I did a 65 mile round trip to Alnwick today and Averaged 63.4 mpg. Keep your Petrol's

lol,agreed i love my fabia vrs,and the econamy,but mostly the performance:thumbup:tho i never get aywhere near 65mpg in it,it does have a handy 173bhp and 346ft lbs of torque:D

Let's face it, VW group diesels aren't quiet full stop, whether they have 3 cylinders or 4.

They have always been considered noisier then their contempories, even if they do push out impressive power and torque.

When I looked toward purchasing a Fabia, I wanted an automatic and as such only had the choice of one, namely the 1.6 petrol tiptronic. It goes without saying I really liked the car since I bought it.

However, had I wanted a manual and had tried that basic 1.4 TDI 70bhp version, I would have run the proverbial mile dismissing the the Fabia range, somewhat unfairly, from my list.

I do like the concept of diesels with their torque, fuel economy and low emissions but I found that base Fabia was far too unrefined and noisy.

Hopefully the 80bhp version and the 1.9 are a marked improvement?

Still no DSG version though, unfortunately.