I am almost certainly going to order a Fabia 2 1.4tdi 80 estate.

Is it worth adding ESP? Has anyone got experience of how it helps traction in slippery conditions?

As a prospective owner I'm really glad that I came across this site while searching for road tests etc.

I am almost certainly going to order a Fabia 2 1.4tdi 80 estate.

Is it worth adding ESP? Has anyone got experience of how it helps traction in slippery conditions?

As a prospective owner I'm really glad that I came across this site while searching for road tests etc.

Definatley, I wouldnt want another car without it

With ESP you get rear discs over drums, i cant comment on ESP as i dont have it on mine, but i can say that the standard brake setup with drums at the rear is more than effective. I dare say that with the 1.4 diesel in the rolly-polly estate body you shouldn't really be going fast enough to need it, i know i dont, i've not yet had an experience when i wished i had the ESP. HTH

With ESP you get rear discs over drums, i cant comment on ESP as i dont have it on mine, but i can say that the standard brake setup with drums at the rear is more than effective. I dare say that with the 1.4 diesel in the rolly-polly estate body you shouldn't really be going fast enough to need it, i know i dont, i've not yet had an experience when i wished i had the ESP. HTH

ESP has nothing to do with going fast enough to need it. ESP can be very beneficial in keeping control of the car during a sudden menouvre.

If you ever do have an experience where you wished you had ESP, it will probably be when you totalled your car

My previous Car had ESP, aswell as many other driver aids (and 160hp) and i cant say i ever felt like i needed it in that either. I think people use all these electronic driver aids as a get-out-of-jail free card for bad driving or not driving to the conditions.

ESP has been the best money I have ever spent and already saved me far more in a crash. During the bad weather, the roads where I live always get black ice. Going round a corner I know well that always ices over, going very very slow, I hit ice just as another car came round the corner. In a split second, the esp kicked in to give me just enough grip to steer past the car and miss it by centimeters. I have no doubt without esp i would have hit it. Research shows time and again, esp is one of the most important safety aids a car can have, to the extent that NCAP will now not grant a car 5 stars for safety without it. It now looks like esp will become standard on new cars over the next couple of years. For the majority of drivers who have average driving ability (i.e. not lewis hamilon standard but good enough) esp will save many lives and you can't put a price on that

It is standard together with rear discs on the 1.6 Tiptronic. In my opinion it should be standard fit on all models, after all it is a potential life saver. I cannot believe that it remains an optional extra on the just released 2009 facelifted Octavia up to and including the Elegance trim..

Come on Skoda, it's about time this was standard fit.

Agree with all ESP takes your braking effect up considerably and when you get to drive a drum rear equiped car again you feel how poor they seem by comparison.

Getting tired of whether ESP is a good thing/bad thing really..

It is a good thing for most users, most of the time. If you dont need it, then that's exactly how you should be driving..

It is for the situation where you are tired, even if you are an advanced driver, it is still worthwhile. A hidden patch of black ice, diesel spillage, anything like that.

On the track I guess it is a royal pain to have it turned on, but that's why you can turn it off

The new Euro NCAP parameters should force manufacturers to fit ESP as standard fit.

Not before time either - ridiculous it being offered on the factory fit options list as a three hundred and something pounds add on - plus a usual delivery delay while your car is built to order. Absolute madness.

ESP is a very good drivers aid which ought to be standard in all countries! Here in Norway I think ESP is standard. You might be able to order a cheap "classic" version with the smallest 3 cyl. petrol engine without ESP, but other than that, ESP is included on all versions of the new Fabia, drum brakes or not.

I leave mine on all the time except when driving through deep snow where ESP tends to "kill" all forward motion because of wheel slip.

I have ESP on my Skoda Fabia 3 1.4 16v estate. I must admit that we have only ever had the traction control activate once and that was during the recent adverse weather when we found ourselves on a very icy stretch of road. We were moving at little more than walking speed. I have never activated it in normal driving conditions. I had it fitted purely as an extra margin of safety rather than as a gadget to rely on - there are those who learn to rely on it, but that's not what ESP or ABS for that matter is designed for.

I would say that having all-round disks on my estate provides very good braking. Most of my driving is on B and C class roads, but not particularly fast roads. There are a few stretches where one can do 60mph, but often the zones of visibility or speed limits keep speeds lower. The point is that if the unthinkable happens and someone pulls out, a child runs out or something of that ilk, it could make the difference between hitting someone and not. All too often on our crowded roads, there is limited space to take avoiding action, so any system that helps you bring your car to a safe stop on your own side of the road has to be a good thing. Even a few cm of benefit could make the difference.

We drive so we can stop within the distance we can see to be clear - that's the basis of staying safe.

ESP is a very good drivers aid which ought to be standard in all countries! Here in Norway I think ESP is standard. You might be able to order a cheap "classic" version with the smallest 3 cyl. petrol engine without ESP, but other than that, ESP is included on all versions of the new Fabia, drum brakes or not.

I leave mine on all the time except when driving through deep snow where ESP tends to "kill" all forward motion because of wheel slip.

Same here in Denmark. I have the 1.2 12V with rear drums and have ESP.

bgds Dan

insurance companies reccon that up to 80% of fatal accidents could be eliminated if all cars were fittes with ESP as standard..... the ammount of holes in hedges and walls up here in Cumbria, I always wonder if ESP may have made a difference...

I have "tested" mine on private land ( an icy snowy field, not the 'lie' of private roads that some have ) and you'd be suprised how effective it can be, even with very little grip...

just take five minutes out to watch this... if you don't have 5 mins, watch it from 3 mins in....

or if you have 10 mins, the famous fifth gear one!

I wouldn't have another car without ESP.... it could, quite simply, save your life....

I am almost certainly going to order a Fabia 2 1.4tdi 80 estate.

Is it worth adding ESP? Has anyone got experience of how it helps traction in slippery conditions?

As a prospective owner I'm really glad that I came across this site while searching for road tests etc.

I would say have it, but drive like you haven't.

My only 2 issues with ESP are:

1. People assuming it will save them when they drive like idiots.

2. It's a pain in the snow- but that's what the 'off' button is for.

I have a Roomster 1.6 Tiptronic with ESP, my wife has a Fabia 1.2 HTP without. Guess which car we used in the recent snowy/icy weather? ESP every time.

ESP everytime.

Wouldn't want to buy a car without. I am not on top form everytime, no one is. Better to have it than not. I have also had no problems with it in the snow, in fact it's quite effective.

simple really, is your life worth less than £300?

you only ever have to need esp once for it to save you and your family far more than £300

I take it you couldn't retro-fit esp

yes you can, definitly, ross has just done it to WWVRS's car, also it only involves changing most of the wiring loom, loads of sensors and control boxes plus probably a lot more and cost you a few thousand in parts

Just to add a little more to bengie's post - my Fabia vRS had ESP fitted off-factory so that allowed it to be done, and even so it would cost loads.

The thing is, I would not like to buy a car without any longer.

Fifth gear did a bit on it recently but made an **** out of it IMHO as they mixed up traction control and electronic stability program totally.

Traction control cuts engine power to reduce/avoid wheelspin. This can also be a royal pain. ESP tries to brake wheels individually as well as potentially reduce engine power if needed to keep the car pointing in the direction you are steering.

Drum brakes are perfectly acceptable and good, better in many ways, on the rear of the Fabia Mk1 and Mk2, as they don't do much. However ESP needs discs and also ESP can end up using the rear brakes a bit more. All good fun

Highly recommended investment

Again, ESP does NOT need disc brakes to function properly.. Why would it need disc brakes?

I have a feeling it is easier to incorporate the sensors etc with a disc based setup on the rear. Still, if it works on drum brakes, then no problem.

There must be some kind of reason though, as most ESP-equipped cars appears to have discs on the rear?

The wheel rotation sensors for the ESP function are the same ones used in only ABS equipped cars.. And you see quite a few cars with drum brakes on the rear and ABS brakes?

I would rather say that most modern cars have got disc brakes on the rear.. The only thing the ABS/ESP hydraulic unit does with the brakes when trying to correct a slide is to brake individual wheels by sending brake fluid under pressure to the respective wheels drum or disc brake via valves in the hydraulic unit and that can be done regardless of the type of rear brakes..

Is it fast enough on the drum? Sorry I honestly don't know, just interested in it