Thinking of one of these but I do a lot of short runs ( school and Back 5 miles round trip ) Any comments from owners of this model, please?

Mick

I don't own one, but I've read that cars with a diesel particulate filter (dpf) don't like lots of short runs. The car needs to get warmed up at regular intervals to prevent the dpf from getting clogged.

Compare the figures - the normal 1.4 tdi (80 bhp) has a quoted torque of 195Nm at 2,200 rpm. The Greenline has 105Nm at 2,200 rpm. The 1.2 petrol car (70 bhp version) has 112Nm at 3,000 rpm. What your getting is a lot less torque so those extra few mpg comes at a real price on performance. (Figures from Skoda brochure) You'll pay over £200 extra for the Greenline and on low mileage, you will struggle to get your money back in a reasonable time. A recent Auto Express article considered the eco models as a waste of money for people doing average or low mileage. You'd be better just buying the standard 1.4 tdi.

I bought the standard tdi for the reasons stated above. Only in my brochure and handbook it says both the standard tdi and the greenline have identicle torque outputs of 195nm (144lbs ft) at 2,200 rpm. Plus the extended 4th and 5th ratio make town driving a 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear drive. 4th gear is too long to use in town at 30mph hence you will be using more revs and more fuel staying in 3rd rather than having the engine grumble and strain away in 4th. For longer journeys the greenline is fab and better then the standard tdi due to the longer ratios, but for plenty of town work, we chose the standard tdi 80.

Hope that makes sense and is of help too!

Apologies - there's a mistake in my copy of the Fabia brochure. The website quotes the same torque values for both variants. The issue regarding the dpf filter I've read in several articles on the internet, including on the website of 'Honest John' who has a column in the Saturday Telegraph.

The article on eco cars was in the Auto express of 10th September which I bought while I was on holiday.

dpf's dont work on short runs. price of fuel and all things considered if it was me id go for the 1.2 petrol. save you alot of money

I have a greenline estate and am very pleased with it. I have had no problem with the higher gear ratios, although I seldom drive with a fully-loaded car. I've never had the DPF warning light come on, although obviously I can't comment on any long-term issues with the particulate filter.

The majority of my driving is extra-urban, for urban journeys I would suggest that the advantages of the greenline become less clear.

for mainly short trips? you'll be better off with a petrol Fabia will save you more money due to the lower list price.Unless you want a diesel or need one because you plan to tow.

Agreed, you would be far better off with the petrol for short distance work.

Much more civilised start ups - none of the oil burner's cold engine clatter.

Hello 'M',

Whatever you buy you will find it ok, I'm sure. However, the Greenline is, in my opinion the least well suited car for short urban trips unless you are going to include regular higher speed, longer ones as well. You won't get out of 3rd gear and it felt not nice to drive in urban territory when I took one out for a spin. The Diesel Particulate Filter (dpf) doesn't take kindly to constant short trips and something you must know is that the filter, unless the vehicle is driven fast and long regularly, does reduce your performance and fuel enconomy as it gradually clogs up. Then, if it does clog up the engine DPF light comes on and you must take it for a long hard spin to clear it. If it doesn't clear you can face a big bill from your garage to have it replaced. It is not a warranty item. Check out the forums on this and other sites and you will see the big problems owners are having with DPF's.

The petrol units are fine...but, in my opinion, it is worth the extra cost of buying the diesel 1.4TDI PD 80. NOT the Greenline. My wife and I bought the level '2' version Estate car and it gets used for everything and anything. Fuel economy is brill, it's very powerful, and is a sheer joy to drive. Ours gets used 65% short trips of under 5 miles each day and the rest is anything from 14 to 20 miles in a day 2 days per week. Not big mileage but varied. Some of thoses miles are on a dual carriageway. But here's the thing...the 1.4TDI is optimised to take anything you can throw at it. It thrives on town work and short trips, it warms up quickly, and won't suffer the engine wear a petrol unit does on those short trips over a long period of time. But it's equally happy cruising at 75-80mph all day on the motorway (yes...I have done a few lengthy trips too). In town we get a constant 53mpg, and much more cruising on the longer trips. If you don't believe me...try driving the standard version like mine and then take the Greenline out both in urban conditions.

I realise some people will have bought the Greenline and be using it in town all the time and may not have had any problems (yet!). That's fine. I'm actually NOT anti-Greenline. It's a great car for some especially if you spend a lot of time on the motorway. But be careful to drive it in the conditions you would want to use it in before making a decision.

Good luck and let us know what you end up buying.

Personally I have found the Greenline to be better to drive than the standard 1.4TDi 80. The engine is just as good and the lower suspension does help the handling. Fine around town and on motorways. I didn't find that the higher gearing was any problem around town but it definitely seemed to improve the overall fuel consumption.

Many thanks to all. I have at the moment the 1.9 SDi Fabia Estate so , as a Diesel fan, I am probably going to go for the 80HP 1.4 TDi, To be honest, the lack of a spare wheel is weighing heavily against the Greenline, I gave up on puncture repair outfits when I gave up riding pushbikes!!!

Mick

You can get those fancy inflaters that fill a deflated tyre in an emergency. I would not be that bothered on the spare wheel score. My wife is on her second Mini Cooper neither car has had a spare and in four years she has only had a slow puncture. Either way you have roadside cover for your first three years. I have to admit that I have not used a spare wheel on my last three cars and that covers about 10 years because I too have only experienced slow punctures twice.

If what you want is a high mpg then it is the car to go for. If as I hope you have, you study the mpg thread it seems that the cars readings / claims are higher than that obtained by most of us users.

PS. She only realised on the second Cooper that there was no spare wheel when she assumed that someone had knicked it.

PS. She only realised on the second Cooper that there was no spare wheel when she assumed that someone had knicked it.

HZ...that's creased me up!!! :rofl:

The Diesel Particulate Filter (dpf) doesn't take kindly to constant short trips and something you must know is that the filter, unless the vehicle is driven fast and long regularly, does reduce your performance and fuel enconomy as it gradually clogs up. Then, if it does clog up the engine DPF light comes on and you must take it for a long hard spin to clear it. If it doesn't clear you can face a big bill from your garage to have it replaced. It is not a warranty item. Check out the forums on this and other sites and you will see the big problems owners are having with DPF's.

Hi there, I am considering a fabia estate, possible greenline, i was just curious about your DPF comments, and what exactly constitutes a short trip. About half my trips are 10-15miles (excepting the 2 miles to work that i'm trying so hard to get on the bike for), is this considered a short trip, and would therefore potentially cause a problem with this component?

I am doing as much research as poss before ordering, as this will be my first new car, following a '92 metro and a '96 escort, so i am most interested to see what everyone on the forum has to say. I have been for a test drive, and was very impressed, but would have liked a little longer, to experience the long gear ratios in different situations, is it rude to go back for another one?

Thanks. James

Just to note, the DPF has a warning facility on the dash, and there are clear guidlines from skoda about running an extra urban trip to 'clear' the dpf and thus extinguish the warning light.

It's not a disaster if it comes on.

is it rude to go back for another one?

Thanks. James

Take as many test drives as you need. See if you can get the dealer to agree to a long-term test drive (e.g. a day or a weekend) - some will do that.

You are spending a lot of money - it is important you make the right decision.

In this week's Auto Express.

To be clear, does a standard 1.4 TDI 80 - NOT A GREENLINE - have a DPF? Or not? Clarity here appreciated. Thks

Thanks, Bassa. Food for thought. As for the puncture business, I been driving for over 40 years and I can only recall one puncture but you can bet your last pound that as soon as you have not got a spare, that is when you get a flat that cannot be repaired with an aerosol!!!

Mick

When I was looking round at different cars, different dealers gave varying info on DPFs.

Mazda (for the 3) said that it shouldn't be a problem as long as the car gets driven far enough to warm up, Citroen (C4) said it wouldn't be a problem full stop and just came down to whether I wanted a manual gearbox (without DPF) or a flappy paddle (with DPF).

Pretty sure my 1.9 Fabia doesn't have a DPF as it comes with the James Bond style smog cloud to hide you from following cars (just floor the accelerator to activate it!)

Anyway, looking at the brochure online, the specs for the diesels are split into:

1.4TDI PD 70 (Fabia 1 only),

1.4TDI PD 80 (Fabia 1,2,3 & Sport),

1.4TDI PD 80 DPF (Greenline only) and

1.9TDI PD105 (Fabia 2,3 & Sport).

From this I would say only the Greenline has the DPF.

Just to note, the DPF has a warning facility on the dash, and there are clear guidlines from skoda about running an extra urban trip to 'clear' the dpf and thus extinguish the warning light.

It's not a disaster if it comes on.

Actually, it is if it doesn't go out...as can happen early on in it's life! Costs vary but £1,350 to £1,600 to fix it is quite normal. It's any make of car with a DPF that can suffer. Dealers and manufacturers are getting quite a few complaints from customers about these. Our dealer who we bought our Fabia Estate diesel from told it like it is when I pushed him about it. I was still considering the Greenline at that point until he discussed the filter in more detail. You only need to do some research to see what the problems are.

Adrianh, Steve is right, it is only the Greenline Fabia diesel that has the filter.

Musicman, your journeys should be fine for the filter if you are able to blast it down the road a few times a week to keep the filter clean. The problem with the filters is they need a good constant burn of very hot gases to burn them clean regularly. If they don't get that...and you do need to do mile after mile at motorway speeds to clean it, you will get problems or at the very least, a shortened life for the filter. In addition, the performance of the vehicle degrades as the filter gradually blocks causing increased fuel consumption too.

In practice, the manufacturers thought the filters would last and last. The experience of some is showing this not to be the case. Read the attachment in the above post by Bassa. It's typical of the sort of thing that is starting to happen according to much of the press.

I agree about the DPF. Volkswagen actually tell customers that a DPF is not really suitable for purely urban driving in a Golf brochure I have but fail to mention it in any of their Skoda, SEAT & Audi literature,. Why? Greenline should be a nice little car to own but make sure you give it 30 minute at least of A road use to keep that filter in good nick. What's the gearing like. I have just had a SEAT Leon Ecomotive on test and found it a tad over geared? Economy fantasic though.

I think that despite the higher cost of the fuel, a Fabia 2 TDI 80 would be your best bet. I think it is far nicer to drive than the 1.4 petrol engine which I find an absolutely gutless and noisy engine. The TDI 3 pot is not quiet around town but at least it sounds engaging.

.

In this months "What Diesel" the greenline estate doesn't get a very good write up. I wonder how much the increase in mpg over the 1.4 pd has to do with the difference in the gearbox ratio's.

about the dpf, my dad had the occy vrs with the dpf filter. only ever came on once after about a week of town driving. quick blast down the motorway soon got it off. am i right in thainking that a diesel engine never really gets into its stride until youve done about 6 miles off a cold engine? im now driving a petrol leon from my 1.9 fabia. the difference is huge. much preferr the petrol over the diesel. was never really doing the mileage for a derv.