I so much wanted this new vRS to be great. :'(

Look at the new Polo Gti though. Looks so sweet and balanced, and for not a huge amount more either.

http://nexus404.com/Blog/2010/03/03/volkswagen-polo-gti-debuts-in-geneva-new-polo-gti-comes-with-twincharged-1-4-tsi-sports-180ps/

I don't agree. The Polo looks pretty, but it's not agressive at all. I don't think it looks beter than the photos I posted a couple of pages back of the red facelift Fabia with the white roof!

It seems to me that some people on here were itching to >not< like the new vRS. I still think it's gonna look a lot better in "real life" or when we see some different colours combos, but one thing I would say is that whoever did the launch publicity photos and chose the green paint/black roof combo for the launch needs firing!

The new fabia vrs and f/l fabia look cool i like them both

I agree, Ive never seen an owners forum where so many folk are set against a model as on here. Its like the Fabia 2 isnt even a Skoda, most seem to really hate it and take every opportunity to slate it. Its all opinion too, the Fabia 2 may not appeal to some but to others the Fabia 1 isnt great. People say its awkward looking, too narrow etc and I just dont agree. When I first saw the estate I loved it, so much that I bought one instead of the used Roomy I was going to buy.

As for the new Polo GTi, itll sell well as its a VW and thats all most folk go by.

The new vRS looks a right beast compared to the Polo GTI and the Ibiza Cupra.....

With the right colours I think people will soon change their opinions. ( Although the Green metallic paint looks good, the wheels do NOT match, and it wouldn't be my cup of tea! )

If the price is right, I'm going for either Black paintwork, silver wheels and silver roof/spoiler....or Race Blue paintwork, white wheels and white roof/spoiler.

The new vRS looks a right beast compared to the Polo GTI and the Ibiza Cupra.....

With the right colours I think people will soon change their opinions. ( Although the Green metallic paint looks good, the wheels do NOT match, and it wouldn't be my cup of tea! )

If the price is right, I'm going for either Black paintwork, silver wheels and silver roof/spoiler....or Race Blue paintwork, white wheels and white roof/spoiler.

On the strength of the launch pics I wouldn't buy a Fabia RS,. I think they should have launched it in the green, but with white roof and white wheels like the rally car.

I like your colour combo ideas though, here's a black facelift Fabia "sportline" with the silver roof: http://www.skoda-auto.cz/cze/model/newfabia/equipment/pages/sportline.aspx

I wonder, as the car has Gigaro designed wheels, will it come with Gigaro designed tyres, i.e. Vredestiens? :think:

Edit: Hang on, am I getting mixed up with Gigaro and Giugiaro.

Edited 4 March, 201016 yr by Jim H

Too true, it most certainly isnt cool at all. I remember driving a VRS in 2005 and thinking what a bloomin racket, nice torque but you cant beat revs.

Sorry, disagree....

You can 'beat revs' when you are doing nearly 20k miles a year and only want a small fast hatch car and low company car tax.....

30 - 35MPG petrol or 50+ MPG Diesel, work that out over 20k and see why I for one will not be changing my current vRS for the new one and seeing that the Diesel will follow with 140 BHP, I'll be keeping mine for a while longer then....

The new Diesels are Common Rail, so loads less rattle.

I'm warming to the design, but I think I'll need to actually see one in the flesh at a dealers and have a go before I really pass judgement.

The one thing holding me back from purchasing one is the lack of a high powered Diesel!

Thing is, if they had the space, surely it would be a better buy for somebody to buy a year old Octy vRS than £16k for a Fabia???? I know that's what I would do?

Ben

....

Thing is, if they had the space, surely it would be a better buy for somebody to buy a year old Octy vRS than £16k for a Fabia???? I know that's what I would do?

Ben

Ben, that's what I said in my previous post. Except that that somebody wouldn't have to settle for a year old Octy VRS when a brand spanking new one is £16k if bought before the end of March with Skoda's excellent VAT free offer.

Ben, that's what I said in my previous post. Except that that somebody wouldn't have to settle for a year old Octy VRS when a brand spanking new one is £16k if bought before the end of March with Skoda's excellent VAT free offer.

For the moment it would seem a no brainer then.

Thinking about it, the 140 BHP TDi wouldn't be too bad if somebody just wanted the looks of the vRS but not the out and out speed of the petrol. You could have one and it would be much cheaper to run.

It could be a good choice for somebody who is just coming into the Skoda range and wanted different car but not worried about the performance but wanted a tad more than the 'Sport'.

I'll say no to a DERV one personally as my current vRS is nearly 140 BHP now, so I couldn't justify the £16k for the same acceleration. The handling will probably be better than the current one but I don;t throw mine around anyway.

The two versions of the Octy vRS seem closely matched regards engine choices but 140 to 180 bhp in the Fabia would just make the cars non comparable if it were a toss up for someone looking at both fuels which could potentially drive people away from the brand (VAG as a whole, not just Skoda). I mean, what if Vauxhall were to do a Corsa with a 170 BHP Diesel, or any of the French car makers for that matter. Would VW then change attitude and up the power of the Diesels to save sales??

Just my thoughts anyway....

Ben

On the strength of the launch pics I wouldn't buy a Fabia RS,. I think they should have launched it in the green, but with white roof and white wheels like the rally car.

I like your colour combo ideas though, here's a black facelift Fabia "sportline" with the silver roof: http://www.skoda-auto.cz/cze/model/newfabia/equipment/pages/sportline.aspx

Yes ,you are right about the white/white combinations ,they go well with both the green and the blue!

Looking at the wheels again, if they had been black.............now that would look good!

Thanks, now I've seen the 'sportline' pic, I'm definitely swaying towards the black combo.

Whenever anything new comes out, there will always be a fair share of people picking fault. If I'm honest , I didn't like the fabia 1 at all when it first came out ,but over time it's sort of grown on me. Now it's been 'facelifted' ,I actually quite like it!

Once the cars come into the showrooms, attitudes and opinions will start forming, and so long as they price it right, with ample extras ,I think Skoda are onto a winner!

I agree, Ive never seen an owners forum where so many folk are set against a model as on here. Its like the Fabia 2 isnt even a Skoda, most seem to really hate it and take every opportunity to slate it. Its all opinion too, the Fabia 2 may not appeal to some but to others the Fabia 1 isnt great. People say its awkward looking, too narrow etc and I just dont agree. When I first saw the estate I loved it, so much that I bought one instead of the used Roomy I was going to buy.

As for the new Polo GTi, itll sell well as its a VW and thats all most folk go by.

You got it in one lemonvrs, "Its all opinion". But I don't think it's a case of folk "set against a model" in some orchestrated sense. Some like the look, some don't. I'm "in between", even about my current Octavia's aesthetics. I can count on one hand the current mass production cars that I think are "beautiful" (no, I won't list them to avoid the brickbats, but there IS an alfa romeo in there) and equally on the other hand the current mass production cars that I think are downright "ugly" (I'm saying nothing ).

"In between" are dozens of manufacturers' models that do not offend my senses in any way and which sometimes have individual details which in aggregate elevate them to "pleasing to the eye". I find the Fabia, in most colours (bar the "bogey green" - I'm sorry I posted it now, even though it's not bound for UK), to be "pleasant to the eye".

Do the 140 bhp TDI and the 170 TDI take up the same space in the engine bay? If so , why wouldnt the Fabia vRS be fitted with the high power TDI rather than the 140? (If , of course , diesel power is on the cards at all?)

I quite like it!!

It's unsuall and in your face styling isnt something you see every day.

So i clap handies at Skoda for having the balls to try something a little bit more unique

Do the 140 bhp TDI and the 170 TDI take up the same space in the engine bay? If so , why wouldnt the Fabia vRS be fitted with the high power TDI rather than the 140? (If , of course , diesel power is on the cards at all?)

The DERV should show it's head, that's what's going into the SEAT.

I would think both engines would fit, can't see there being many changes apart form maybe a different intercooler etc?

I think the 170 is held for the Octy as it's the looked at as the better or flagship vRS model, and to have the 170 in the fabia would probably make it faster due to the heavier weight of the Octy?

Ben

Edited 4 March, 201016 yr by Conshine

I still quite like the green colour, its a shame that they have droped the orange colour in the facelift though, think it would have looked good with a black roof and those wheels in black. Agree that the 2.0 cr 140 will prob find its way in like the Ibiza. 170 wouldn't as it would put fabia above its pecking order. Its a shame they couldn't do a twin turbo with the 1.6 cr with around 130bhp. Still think people are getting a bit carried away in their dislike of it at the end of the day it is a worked over shopping car, if you want the best handling or looking supermini buy a Fiesta/ Clio.

This link http://new.skoda-auto.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Catalogue/NewFabia/FL/Fabia_MiniCatalogue_ENG.pdf (stolen from OctaviaT81) confirms that Race Blue is available

Also cant help but think that if i was going to spend 16k + options + estate price bump that i would rather buy one of these: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201005351720763/sort/priceasc/usedcars/fuel-type/diesel/body-type/estate/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/maximum-age/up_to_1_year_old/model/octavia/make/skoda/keywords/vrs/postcode/sa43ed/radius/1500/page/1?previous=%2Fsearch%2Fused%2Fcars%2Fskoda%2Foctavia%2Fpostcode%2Fsa43ed%2Fradius%2F1500%2Fkeywords%2Fvrs%2Ffuel-type%2Fdiesel%2Fbody-type%2Festate%2Fengine-size-cars%2F2l_to_2-5l%2Fmaximum-age%2Fup_to_1_year_old%2Fsort%2Fpriceasc%2Fpage%2F1&logcode=p hmmmm..... is it possible to use the PCP purchase scheme on a used car?

Scratch that.. Drive the deal will do a brand new one with my chosen options in Solid paint for £17017.... bloody ridiculous!!

Edited 4 March, 201016 yr by snownrock

OK, so opinion on the looks is split. But let me cheer you up.

I've just noticed that the 1.4 TSI 122 HP engine in my Octavia is the exact same engine that is now offered in the base VW Scirocco, costing £19k before optional toys (yep, even the performance figures are the same). The same engine with a supercharger as well is rated at 160HP and is the next model up in the Scirocco range as well as being the powerplant for the VW Golf GT (both of which will cost you north of £20k, well north if you buy some optional toys).

To put it in perspective then, the new 180HP Fabia RS has two more features not broadcast at the Geneva launch: (1) less room in the driver's seat due to the ridiculous wad of money in your pocket that you'll still have after buying it; and (2) a picture of the VW Scirocco 160HP and the VW Golf GT in it's rear view mirror.

Edited 5 March, 201016 yr by Cauliflower

But both of those cars are in the class above, give more space and comfort (and a better VW interior.)

I'm sorry but that's seriously ugly. Always fancied a Mk1 VRS (although sadly never owned one). Was waiting for Mk2 and might have bought one, but this looks dreadful. It's like VAG management have deliberately made it look frumpy so as not to cannibalise VW sales. (which might explain the facelift Octavia and Superb as well IMO...)

I'm especially annoyed as I used to have a Mk1 Fabia Estate, and if the VRS had been available in that shape would have bought one five years ago. But now the Estate is available....well...I mean just look at it....

I really dont know how anyone can say the Fabia 2 estate is horrible, whilst in the same breath admit they owned a right minger (IMHO) in the original Fabia estate... now that was gross .

I really dont know how anyone can say the Fabia 2 estate is horrible, whilst in the same breath admit they owned a right minger (IMHO) in the original Fabia estate... now that was gross .

The proportions were a bit iffy, granted, but I thought it was quite clean and classy looking - like a mini Audi Avant. Would have looked good in VRS trim. But each to their own...

But both of those cars are in the class above, give more space and comfort (and a better VW interior.)

Agreed, they're in a different class. The "we'll charge you an exhorbitant amount for snob value, but give you less performance" class.

Come on! I'm not suggesting for a moment that Golf GT and Scirocco buyers would consider Fabia and Ibiza, but let's iron out some of the urban myths into facts:

• the more space "thing" is at the margins - if you really want space, you'll go up a sector or into MPV;
  
• the comfort "thing" is subjective - the best seats I ever had were fabric stretched over wire on a mid 1980's Fiat Panda;
  
• the 'better VW interior "thing... NO!!!!!! Nice feel and pleasant to eye doesn't translate to bits that don't fall off - I've been there.
  

If the Fabia RS price list reflects the trend with Seat pricing over the years, all I'm pointing out is that Fabia RS owners, who wouldn't be in the market for a VW Scirocco or Golf GT, can give them the bird on the way past them...

hmmmmm would have to see this car in the flesh.......looks dull and like a fabia sport.

Honestly! You people.... I suppose you wanted the new RS to look like this

Well a bit more like that, yes.