Fabia 2 12 12v advice Please ESP

[felicia11years]

about a week ago I ordered this car, it should be delivered in about 10 weeks.

I have a concern, when I was looking at the choices etc. Esp. was an option that I really considered. The Fabia 2 has several ‘value’ options, for £500 each. One of them is ESP + cornering fog lights + curtain airbags. In the end I didn’t go for it. :confused: (Being persuaded by these cars are safe etc... not needed it so far etc)... However, now having serious second thoughts! One of the reasons was

ESP are not available on the 12 6V why? The drum brakes are not available on the engine size I have ordered (1.2 12V)which made me wonder is ESP as effective with out those brakes? As Fabia is a fairly heavy car ( for this engine size) will it make it seem less powerfull (thinking of getting up hills etc.

Ive read so much about ESP, and watched all the video links from this Forum. I am convinced that new car should have them. It looks like they will be a regulation at some stage in the near future. I dont want to get them if they are going to drag the car.

It may not be to late to amend my order.

I would appreciate any advice. Sorry if this post seems a topic that has been covered before, but they all seem to be with regards to bigger engine cars that may be driving more frequently at higher speads.

[JonA]

I would ask if the car has been put into production, and if it hasn't, ask for ESP. Having ESP on a car is a good thing and could save you no matter how small the engine in your car is.

ESP will not make your car feel slower going up hills etc..

Good luck with your new car when it arrives!

[Captain Sisko]

I think you mean discs

is it engines with 75BHP+ get discs all round?

ESP = Electronic Stability Control. or some form of it.

Your car will already have ABS as standard.

[Phil-E]

It is an option as it isn't a very powerful engine and all this business about it 'saving your life' someday... well that's just troddle! Safe driving will save your life not relying on an electrical system fitted to a pretty small engined car. Seems pointless.

The drum brakes on the back will be more than adequate as it is the front brakes that do most of the work.

The 1.6 felicia and many others like it had 74bhp and it is perfectly safe if driven so.

Save your £500 or whatever and have a holiday or something

Just my 2p.

Phil

[Fabia00]

I would see if it can be fitted for the sake of £500, I bought an ex-demo but in some ways wish I had got a new one with curtain airbags and ESP (including Traction control). Just from the point of view that it only has to do its job once and its worth the expense. For example if you have to do a sudden emergency lane change or have a tyre blow out it may be the difference between helping you keep the car in a straight line or crashing; regardless of engine size (not to be dramatic).

Extreme example but this should demonstrate ABS, TCS, and ESP:

In terms of going up hills etc I really don't think it will weigh that much more and should in no way affect the drive. It should only kick in when something is really wrong.

I agree that safe driving is essential and not relying on these systems but you never know when it may come in its like ABS you may only ever use it once but it could help you stop hitting something.

[Little Jo]

I have ESP on my Fabia 3 estate with the 1.4 16v engine. I opted for it as N-CAP who do all the crash safety testing recommend it and from next year (if I remember correctly), they will no longer give a five-star rating to a car that hasn't got it. It won't achieve miracles, but in an emergency situation it could make the difference between having an accident and not. It did prove it's worth when I found myself on untreated roads last winter because the council hadn't gritted them on time and it made life just a little less difficult. It doesn't mean good driving goes out the window - it's just there as an added safety measure. As with ABS, which doesn't allow you to stop any quicker, just allows you to brake and steer at the same time, it cannot defy the laws of physics.

Is it worth it? If future models come with it as standard, (as ABS now is) then it should make the car that little bit easier to sell come trade-in time. That's aside from the safety benefits now. Curtain airbags are worth it too in the event of a side impact.

The trouble with road safety is that accidents always seem to be something that happen to other people, until it happens to us. That's why I made the effort and passed advanced driving tests and reached RoSPA Gold standard.

[Guest]

Felicia,

If 'I' had already ordered my car without ESP, I would not be worried. However as others are saying there is no doubt it could prove useful...maybe one day, but ask yourself, up to now..."do you think it would have made any difference to any situation you have encountered?". Difficult to know eh! Many people don't even know what ABS does (Jo excepted!), let alone ESP. And as a driver everyone should really know. If you haven't had ABS previously...your car will already be safer. It does what Jo says above...but actually in most circumstance will allow your vehicle to stop more quickly in an emergency. In testing on dry roads at 30mph it made little difference, but on wet roads the difference was amazing. Pulling up nearly a full car length earlier than a non ABS equiped vehicle of the same type that was skidding. Earlier in life, as a Dept of Transport ADI I experienced this for myself whilst teaching advanced and high performance driving at Snetterton race track some years ago. At higher speeds the difference is even more marked.

Go for it if you really want it, but my feeling is save your money.

[Auric Goldfinger]

I think you mean discs

is it engines with 75BHP+ get discs all round?

ESP = Electronic Stability Control. or some form of it.

Your car will already have ABS as standard.

I believe Disc brakes are only available all round on the 1.6 petrol version

[TorqueXIsXCheap]

about a week ago I ordered this car, it should be delivered in about 10 weeks.

I have a concern, when I was looking at the choices etc. Esp. was an option that I really considered. The Fabia 2 has several ‘value’ options, for £500 each. One of them is ESP + cornering fog lights + curtain airbags. In the end I didn’t go for it. :confused: (Being persuaded by these cars are safe etc... not needed it so far etc)... However, now having serious second thoughts! One of the reasons was

ESP are not available on the 12 6V why? The drum brakes are not available on the engine size I have ordered (1.2 12V)which made me wonder is ESP as effective with out those brakes? As Fabia is a fairly heavy car ( for this engine size) will it make it seem less powerfull (thinking of getting up hills etc.

Ive read so much about ESP, and watched all the video links from this Forum. I am convinced that new car should have them. It looks like they will be a regulation at some stage in the near future. I dont want to get them if they are going to drag the car.

It may not be to late to amend my order.

I would appreciate any advice. Sorry if this post seems a topic that has been covered before, but they all seem to be with regards to bigger engine cars that may be driving more frequently at higher speads.

Good to see you have ordered one mate From your previouse thread