I know i should be grateful they found me a car at very short notice, but having had a Fabia Greenline Diesel for a day i REALLY REALLY REALLY need my Octavia VRS back.

I hve got used to the gutlessness (it feels like it might stall at less than 2,000 revs) and can live with it because that isnt dangerous. I cant put up with the crap brakes or the fact that the steering is so light it feels like i'm on ice all the time though :(

Other than that, i am impressed at resetting the mpg reading halfway through my drive home and seeing it rise to 75mpg (!) and the nifty little bits in the boot for hanging the shopping. It's fairly roomy for a small car i guess although it feels a bit 'narrow' - my clutch foot/leg is getting nudged in by the centre console, but then i'm not exactly a small person i guess.

When driving it i look in the wing mirrors and feel like they're huge and very circular, but on the whole, apart from the seats, engine, brakes and steering its fine!

Sorry - rant over. I do feel better for it though

know how you feel.. ive got a pugrot 207 - 70bhp of pure muscle in a 1.4 tonne car.

LOL give me a 207 any day!

Well i did dig out the parkers guide to see what engines came in Fabia (diesel form) these days. There was something tiny like a 1.4D which popped out 75bhp (not bad for such a small engine surely) but i dont believe it was that. There was also a 1.9D that apparently manages a whopping 64 - that must be the one surely.

Now it's gone, i dont feel like it was such a bad car as i thought. Easy to say when you dont have to drive the damn thing anymore i suppose!

If it was the greenline it will be the 1.4 3 cylinder diesel with 80bhp.

I like the new fabia and could quite easily live with that engine and coule even live with the 1.2 3pot petrol (74 bhp). They're good little engines... just a world apart from a 2.0 TFSi!

I think i had a 1.2 3 ot petrol once before - took it on a 650 mile round trip and wasnt too bad.

I also had a 1.4mpi last time, and this wasnt too bad either.

It's just this engine that really, really, disappointed. Maybe its because i've got used to driving at lower revs these days (seem to change by about 3.5k unless i'm having a bit of a boot) but it just felt like it was shaking/stalling at the 1.5k to 2k revrange. Considering it redlines at 4.5 that doesnt leave much to play with!

I also thought grunt at low revs was one of the main benefits of a diesel!

Must admit when I drive Mrs Stigs Ferbi 1.9 tdi Sport straight after my Octi vRS tdi, it feels so slughish and gutless

Courtesy car? Try this:

Courtesy car? Try this:

If i had been given that as a courtesy car i would of handed the keys back on point of principle.....

I think I would have been mildly embarrassed at the helm of a Poo7 :thumbdwn: I really hate those things :thumbdwn:

I was quite happy with the facelift Octy Elegance I had the other day, very nice car.

Saying that, my old firm had a habit of sending our cars to a backstreet bodge outfit. I once got a H reg Rover 214 thing in exchange for my then brand new Octavia Elegance

I've also had the obligatory Fabia 1.2HTPs, Fabia 1.4TDIs and Octavia 1.9TDIs.

I also had the pleasure of the Chevvy 'reasonably pirced car' Lacetti - god did I get some stick that day

I test drove the MkII Fabia - was looking at a 1.6 sport although was given a test drive in a 1.4TDi - it felt gutless against my Felicia 1.6! Hardly any power at all. It nearly put me off buying one at all. I do like the new ones - although have bought and Octavia 1.6 2nd hand for the time being.

I get all sorts of courtesy cars from the garage I go to - sometimes an Octavia or reasonable Fabia (around 6 / 7 years old), to Felicia's around 10 years old! Im not that fussy though and the Felicia is a good little car.

I was very embarrassed! Comfy though. But I felt like a **** driving it!

Was glad to be back in my A4

Last time I had to take my car to the dealer I got an MkI HTP Fabia, it was like driving around with a tin of angry bees under the bonnet. Unfortunately during the time I had it I had to make three trips from Cardiff to Gloucester, not the best motorway car.

it was like driving around with a tin of angry bees under the bonnet.

Good way to describe the sound of the 3-pot!

Does have a weird growly, buzzing kind of noise to it!

My friend has a MKii Fabia2 and think the engine is pretty good really and very suprising for a 3 cylinder. Like I say their just a completely different ball game to a vRS or "proper" derv.

Phil

When I had my Touran the VW dealer gave me a 1.6 petrol Beetle - it was sh*te - gutless, crap visibility, but at least it didn't have a feckin' daisy in the flower holder. Would have preferred a Polo ! - still some places don't even offer a courtesy car, so shouldn't complain.

When I had my Touran the VW dealer gave me a 1.6 petrol Beetle - it was sh*te - gutless, crap visibility, but at least it didn't have a feckin' daisy in the flower holder. Would have preferred a Polo ! - still some places don't even offer a courtesy car, so shouldn't complain.

Why on earth do they have those flowers in there? I have never worked that out!

Why on earth do they have those flowers in there? I have never worked that out!

Maybe it's to cheer you up because the car itself is so sh*te !

Maybe it's to cheer you up because the car itself is so sh*te !

:rofl:

We got a petrol daywoo... sorry chevelet matiz when our octavia was being fixed, it was so cheap and nasty inside i refused to drive it. and it managed (i'm told by my wife) to be slow, underpowered and have very bad fuel economy, which for a modern car is some accomplishment. we begged the garage for something else but thats the only cars they used.:thumbdwn:

We got a petrol daywoo... sorry chevelet matiz when our octavia was being fixed, it was so cheap and nasty inside i refused to drive it. and it managed (i'm told by my wife) to be slow, underpowered and have very bad fuel economy, which for a modern car is some accomplishment. we begged the garage for something else but thats the only cars they used.:thumbdwn:

You might have been lucky and got a 0.8 litre 3 pot model, how did you cope with all that power on tap?

You might have been lucky and got a 0.8 litre 3 pot model, how did you cope with all that power on tap?

Believe me I love cars and if i get the chance to drive a different one i will. But that thing! i didnt even sit in it and had no interest in the sowing machine under the bonnet! a car that kills my interest in cars is indeed a bad one. whenever i see one of those things doing the other way i just shake my head. the ironic thing is they probably see my badge and do the same...little do they know:D

There are a few Korean/Malaysian grot boxes that also tick that box, Perodua Kenari anyone?

If I was handed the keys to one of those beauties I would honestly hand them back and make sure my shoes were well laced up for walking.

If i had been given that as a courtesy car i would of handed the keys back on point of principle.....

No, you would hand them to me and I'd bugger off all day playing................... :-)

Why on earth do they have those flowers in there? I have never worked that out!

Beacause on the original car in the 1950s and 60 one of the most popular accessories was a ceramic 'Bud Vase' which clipped to the metal dash. I have no idea why , or why it only seemed to happen in a Beetle , but thats why the Newbie has a lil plastic vase on the dash.