Hi folks

Next week's Autocar (on sale 12 October) will have the next report on their long term test Furby vRS. They liked it a lot at the last report (7,500 miles) and the 'what's in next week' bit says:

'Bouncing Czech:

We've just done 16,000 miles in a brilliant hot hatch: a diesel Skoda'

The well respected Steve Cropley said what a great car it was in their 'top 54 cars' the other week where the Furby range came out 22nd.

Cheers, Jerry

PS One (black) vRS heading towards England as I write with my name on it, can't wait!

The magazine is out today and if there is anyone out there in Briskoda-land who is thinking about getting a Furby vRS then go and buy the magazine and then go to your Skoda dealer.

To say they like it would be an understatement. Me thinks the queue might be getting longer still!

To quote Steve Cropley who provided a second opinion:

"What struck me about the Skoda, every time my eye fell on it, is what a fantastic ownership proposition it was. Quick, spacious, well-made, and with diamond-hard residuals. The thing I'll remember best, though, is the acceleration. Even when you were used to it, it was still amazing."

And their best 0-60 time was 7.2 secs....

Now where has mine got to? Bah humbug!

Cheers, Jerry

"Although we have reservations about the 1.9 TDi engine in this model

Here we go again...

Here we go again...

Seriously that is a direct quote from the road test they did of the new Octavia as printed in June. I kid you not.

So whats that got to do with the Fabia then?

So whats that got to do with the Fabia then?

Well the Fabia uses the same 1.9TDi engine as the Octy II. If it is out of date in one it is out of date in both????????

I suppose, but there are lots of cars use "out of date" engines. It seems to work well enough in the car in fairness. If they used the 2.0 TDI engine in the Fabia it would have been more expensive (and thus not such a bargain) and even heavier than it is already.

to a point.. he is correct... uber modern common rail engines are quieter and more refined... and VAG are sticking with PD tech as theyve poured millions in investment into it... PD engines will always give more torque and bhp per litre tho ive never driven a better driving engine than the vag PD lump

The Octavia 2l pd is the newer version with the latest 16v diesel technology. The 1.9 uses the older 8v technology that is now reaching the end of it's use. It will probably be replaced by the 2l units and derivatives as the models are replaced in the VAG group.

Errr....am I missing something here???? If you like the engine, and the way it pulls etc who gives a flying toss that its old, or 'yesterdays technology' etc. Its used in cartloads of cars so there is something good about it.

At the end of the day if it offers good performance and is reliable (which the tdi pd is) AND can be tuned then.....whats the problem?

William - give it a rest will ya?

I read that Octavia test in Autocar and seem to recall it was the 105BHP version of the engine. Different states of tune produce different results so the comparison is not valid.

And their best 0-60 time was 7.2 secs....

Is that right?

Is that right?

Yep. And 30-70 was 7.6 secs

The best 0-60 was 7.2 but they achieved 8.2 more than once.

Compared to the official 9.6 it's not too bad.

Yeah, surprising!

Still I wouldnt put it past doing it in that, but the average person will probably manage 8-8.5 seconds IMO. Very good figures though, for a diesel

Also the test appeared to be for the 2004 version with the shorter gear ratios. Did you notice it seemed to tail off after about 80 or so.... got to 70 in 9.0 seconds but took 23.8 to reach 100.

Is the fact that the generally diesel sceptic motoring press actually like the Fabia vRS a bad thing?

Could this mean more of them on the road?

No..I dont think so. So many people are still so badge orientated.

ps..VW are persisting with the pd development as it is capable of giving higher injection pressures than common rail, plus it uses and needs far less space to allow fitment.

If the pd lumps are so bad, why are they so popular with new and used car buyers?

Was the 0-60 time not 8.2? either that or the vRS was chipped!

Oh, just read the above few posts. They are exellent times for the Fabia, better than autocar managed in the Ibiza.

If you like the engine' date=' and the way it pulls etc who gives a flying toss that its old, or 'yesterdays technology'

At the end of the day if it offers good performance and is reliable [/quote']

Haven't seen or heard anything about an up and coming replacement for the good old fashioned wheel yet!

Must have got that right too!

If it's not broken, don't try fixing it ey!

Mr Carefree

yes you are kind of missing something.New European leglisation is tougher on co2 emmissions,and the 1.9 lags way behind some other engines,the 2 litre engine in Beemers is a corker,and an example of how the PDs are being left behind.3% tax is a lot for co car drivers

its noisier and more expensive to run,so yes its out of date

Re the 0-60 times: they did it at Millbrook testing ground on a 0 degC day (nice thick air!). Mileage was 6357 - not even run in from what you lot say.

To quote: "A clear, cold February day gave ideal conditions: the ground was dry and the air temperature freezing. Even so, we didn't expect it to be so fast. Skoda claims a 0-62mph time of 9.6sec, but we managed consistent times of 8.2sec and one incredible but genuine, non-wind-assisted run of 7.2sec."

They use some differential GPS system to get their speeds/times from what I remember.

As for the 'old technology' claim, its not as bad as computers and other modern gizmos. It does the job and will be just fine for me!

With regards to the "old technology" claim, just look at the Space Shuttle. A 1960's design which is still flying perfectly well today...

Oops, i'll get me coat

With regards to the "old technology" claim' date=' just look at the Space Shuttle. A 1960's design which is still flying perfectly well today...

Oops, i'll get me coat [/quote']

And yes, they stopped using monkeys for space flight...and put one in the Whitehouse instead

OK, so its off topic

Makes you wonder what Autocar would get out of a 180bhp + Fabia in ideal conditions - 6.2 ?!!