Hi all,

Ordered new fabia vRS last week:

Candy White

Black Roof

Dark Chrome Alloys

Cruise /Climate /Heated seats

Just waiting to hear 'estimated' build date now, can't wait!! Had a mark 1 fabia vRS a few years ago and loved that car, just hope some of the character hasn't been lost in the switch to petrol power.... :wonder:

Anyhow should be cheaper to run than my previous car - focus ST (if not quite so quick)!

Tom

Hi all,

Ordered new fabia vRS last week:

Candy White

Black Roof

Dark Chrome Alloys

Cruise /Climate /Heated seats

Just waiting to hear 'estimated' build date now, can't wait!! Had a mark 1 fabia vRS a few years ago and loved that car, just hope some of the character hasn't been lost in the switch to petrol power.... :wonder:

Anyhow should be cheaper to run than my previous car - focus ST (if not quite so quick)!

Tom

BUT YOUR GRIN WILL BE WIDER:rofl:

Nice one matey.

Ordered myself a new Furby vRS too just recently. Same colour, candy white with a black roof but with black wheels.

I too had a mk1 vRS and how I miss that car! I was totally blown away by the test drive in the mk2 though. Didn't take much to persuade me into buying one! I've been quoted build week 1 for mine which should mean delivery end of January all being well.

It sounds great, can't wait for the pictures.

Congratulations

You'll love it, it's sheer power annoys the hell out of other drivers!

Hi all,

Ordered new fabia vRS last week:

Candy White

Black Roof

Dark Chrome Alloys

Cruise /Climate /Heated seats

Just waiting to hear 'estimated' build date now, can't wait!! Had a mark 1 fabia vRS a few years ago and loved that car, just hope some of the character hasn't been lost in the switch to petrol power.... :wonder:

Anyhow should be cheaper to run than my previous car - focus ST (if not quite so quick)!

Tom

I to have a Focus ST and having test drove a new vRS i was very impessed, just cant seem to bring myself to take the plunge as yet.

Yep new vRS is rapid but not in same league as ST, won't sound as nice either but I'm thinking the cash saved on tax/insurance/fuel will be some compensation!!

Just looking forward to being allocated a build date now....

Hopefully in a year or two companies will start to have remaps/exhausts etc available. I'm quite fancying the idea of a fab vRS with remap to 210 bhp and milltek exhaust......

There is already a couple of 210 bhp maps!!!! Revo and Superchips both do one, just have to search for the Seat Ibiza Cupra or VW Polo GTi

There is already a couple of 210 bhp maps!!!! Revo and Superchips both do one, just have to search for the Seat Ibiza Cupra or VW Polo GTi

Yeah I'm aware of those maps, reckon it is worth waiting awhile tho to see if there are any reliability issues etc. The 1.4 TSI in 180bhp form seems like a pretty highly strung motor as it is...... :yes:

Might be tempted with an exhaust tho as on my test drive thought the standard one sounded slightly poor

Yeah I'm aware of those maps, reckon it is worth waiting awhile tho to see if there are any reliability issues etc. The 1.4 TSI in 180bhp form seems like a pretty highly strung motor as it is...... :yes:

Might be tempted with an exhaust tho as on my test drive thought the standard one sounded slightly poor

I disagree with the exhaust being 'poor'

Ours sounds like a racing car when you give it the beans...very impressive sound

Edited 21 November, 201015 yr by ChrisRs

I disagree with the exhaust being 'poor'

Ours sounds like a racing car when you give it the beans...very impressive sound

Thats good to know, wasn't able to give it a full test with salesman in the passenger seat, he was very nervous about any 'enthusiastic' driving! lol

Thats good to know, wasn't able to give it a full test with salesman in the passenger seat, he was very nervous about any 'enthusiastic' driving! lol

Bad form I was just given the keys. I was good, honest.

Bad form I was just given the keys. I was good, honest.

I've taken a car for a test drive from that dealer before and was just tossed the keys and told to 'come back whenever'. However on this ocassion they didn't have an official demonstrator available and had to get the lovely shiny one out from inside the showroom itself. This seemed to make them nervous for some reason! Anyhow didn't end up buying from that dealer in the end.........

At the risk of provoking more controversy (concerned face) it would help to clarify which ST variant people are comparing to the VRS.

A standard old-shape Focus ST will have its doors blown off by a VRS.

A newer current-shape will blow the doors off the VRS.

But the VRS performance is more accessible in the real world as it rarely drops outside the power band due to DSG especially in sport.

If you buy fast cars to drive slowly dont read further and go buy an Audi A1 with big wheels and smoked glass for less than a VRS.(ooh).

If you buy performance cars for their performance I would reccomend an extended unaccompanied test-drive in a VRS as a must. Preferably on quiet roads that you know. Its a very different experience and its not for everyone. Some people simply have to swap their own cogs with a clutch pedal, they cant do it any other way, and fair play to them. But if you get it, and it does require work (1500ish miles for me!), you will be rewarded. You may still gnash your teeth at the lack of finesse when low-speed manoeuvring though, but hey. And if you do get it, when you return to a manual, it will be like getting in a Morris Minor. Nostalgic, smile-worthy, but yesterday.

Bring on your opinions people!

At the risk of provoking more controversy (concerned face) it would help to clarify which ST variant people are comparing to the VRS.

A standard old-shape Focus ST will have its doors blown off by a VRS.

A newer current-shape will blow the doors off the VRS.

But the VRS performance is more accessible in the real world as it rarely drops outside the power band due to DSG especially in sport.

If you buy fast cars to drive slowly dont read further and go buy an Audi A1 with big wheels and smoked glass for less than a VRS.(ooh).

If you buy performance cars for their performance I would reccomend an extended unaccompanied test-drive in a VRS as a must. Preferably on quiet roads that you know. Its a very different experience and its not for everyone. Some people simply have to swap their own cogs with a clutch pedal, they cant do it any other way, and fair play to them. But if you get it, and it does require work (1500ish miles for me!), you will be rewarded. You may still gnash your teeth at the lack of finesse when low-speed manoeuvring though, but hey. And if you do get it, when you return to a manual, it will be like getting in a Morris Minor. Nostalgic, smile-worthy, but yesterday.

Bring on your opinions people!

At the risk of provoking more controversy (concerned face) it would help to clarify which ST variant people are comparing to the VRS.

A standard old-shape Focus ST will have its doors blown off by a VRS.

A newer current-shape will blow the doors off the VRS.

But the VRS performance is more accessible in the real world as it rarely drops outside the power band due to DSG especially in sport.

If you buy fast cars to drive slowly dont read further and go buy an Audi A1 with big wheels and smoked glass for less than a VRS.(ooh).

If you buy performance cars for their performance I would reccomend an extended unaccompanied test-drive in a VRS as a must. Preferably on quiet roads that you know. Its a very different experience and its not for everyone. Some people simply have to swap their own cogs with a clutch pedal, they cant do it any other way, and fair play to them. But if you get it, and it does require work (1500ish miles for me!), you will be rewarded. You may still gnash your teeth at the lack of finesse when low-speed manoeuvring though, but hey. And if you do get it, when you return to a manual, it will be like getting in a Morris Minor. Nostalgic, smile-worthy, but yesterday.

Bring on your opinions people!

Good comments there Latte!

I particularly agree with the apparent 'lack of finesse' lower down ,but I don't find it a problem as we know it's been designed that way for economy reasons.

As I have bought the car for fun, I'm using it that way, and as you will know yourself, you need to kick down on the pedal to get the excitement and 'go' you desire! Boy does it go!!

I tend to use sports mode on the motorway when you want that extra bit of welly for overtaking that porsche 911, audi tt or bmw 3.0, which the vRS is more than capable of doing so ~( much to their amazement too ,despite them trying to put their foot down ), but like I said previously, you have to put your foot down harder and get those revs up to 5k/6k.

Again ,sports mode from a standstill is more effective when you kick your foot down hard ,whereas gently pressing won't be as effective.

With a mixture of driving styles on each tank of petrol ,I am confident I'm averaging 33/34 to to the gallon. Pretty reasonable I'd say!

At the risk of provoking more controversy (concerned face) it would help to clarify which ST variant people are comparing to the VRS.

A standard old-shape Focus ST will have its doors blown off by a VRS.

A newer current-shape will blow the doors off the VRS.

But the VRS performance is more accessible in the real world as it rarely drops outside the power band due to DSG especially in sport.

If you buy fast cars to drive slowly dont read further and go buy an Audi A1 with big wheels and smoked glass for less than a VRS.(ooh).

If you buy performance cars for their performance I would reccomend an extended unaccompanied test-drive in a VRS as a must. Preferably on quiet roads that you know. Its a very different experience and its not for everyone. Some people simply have to swap their own cogs with a clutch pedal, they cant do it any other way, and fair play to them. But if you get it, and it does require work (1500ish miles for me!), you will be rewarded. You may still gnash your teeth at the lack of finesse when low-speed manoeuvring though, but hey. And if you do get it, when you return to a manual, it will be like getting in a Morris Minor. Nostalgic, smile-worthy, but yesterday.

Bring on your opinions people!

Yeah agree, comments are spot-on!

To clarify it was the current focus ST I was comparing it to, sold mine a couple of months ago and will miss it dearly :'(

Won't be missing the horrific fuel consumption tho....

Nice read guys. I have just made the switch from an old skool 306 Rallye to Mark 1 Black 06 Fabia VRS now tuned to 182 bhp and slightly worried about clutch.Even though the thing appears to have been replaced at about 24k prior to remap it still slipped twice today (or at least I think it slipped). Would be very intereting to test drive the Mark 2 though. Nearly went for one using a loan but using diesel is cheap - hence the Mark 1.

Edited 25 November, 201015 yr by Newera

I've taken a car for a test drive from that dealer before and was just tossed the keys and told to 'come back whenever'. However on this ocassion they didn't have an official demonstrator available and had to get the lovely shiny one out from inside the showroom itself. This seemed to make them nervous for some reason! Anyhow didn't end up buying from that dealer in the end.........

Sounds funny, did you pull up in your Focus ST or the KA? If the KA maybe they thought you didnt no how to drive??... By the way ive collected mine from my local dealer and was given very similar service, salesman on test drive, not driven to hard but was treated with good old fashioned main dealer service , maybe not the best deal i could of got but it was fair, this swayed me to buy from them rather than looking around or shopping the interent.

My spec is

Silver/Black Roof

Dark Chrome Wheels

Phone prep.

Pinklips :cocktail:

Could someone elaborate on the "lack of finesse" which you accept with the low down performance of the vrs?

Could someone elaborate on the "lack of finesse" which you accept with the low down performance of the vrs?

I will try.

This is in low speed manoeuvring like parking, turning etc.

I regularly pick up a friend who lives in a narrow cul-de-sac. To turn the car around at the end requires a 5 or sometimes 7 point turn. In my manual Focus I would do this in say 15 secs, in a torque-converter auto say 20, but in the VRS I reckon its nearer 40. This is, I believe, down to DSG.

At the risk of being retentive, I will try to elaborate on this manoeuvre. In a manual I turn, brake and declutch simultaneously. By the time I have stopped I am in reverse and finding the biting point, and I know where this is. The whole thing is seamless and I am stationary for a very short time.

In an old-world torque-converter auto I turn, brake and shove it into reverse. Because the converter is forgiving with slip you can be back on the gas before you stop and use the transmission as a brake. Hence its not that far behind a manual.

But in the VRS I have to stop, select reverse, feed in the gas carefully, reverse, stop, first, careful gas etc. I cant do this quickly without lurching. Its the nature of the clutch take-up. It lacks finesse.

I have a steepish drive that I generally reverse into. If I put it into reverse it will go up without gas, but just a bit too fast. My wife dislikes this, and brakes. This causes a declutch and hill-hold, you then have to wait for the hill-hold to disengage, roll forward, and do it again. You can speed-up the hill-hold disengagement with a bit of gas, but then you’re going too fast again and the garage door is looming fast.

I don’t want to paint too bad a picture of this, you do get used to it, and compensate accordingly. But I suppose I ought to recommend that anyone test-driving one also needs to do a bit of car-park manoeuvring preferably with gradients. Maybe all DSGs are like this? I am sure others can add their experience.

P.S. I totally forgive it this! I still love this pocket-rocket beastie dearly!

Sounds funny, did you pull up in your Focus ST or the KA? If the KA maybe they thought you didnt no how to drive??... By the way ive collected mine from my local dealer and was given very similar service, salesman on test drive, not driven to hard but was treated with good old fashioned main dealer service , maybe not the best deal i could of got but it was fair, this swayed me to buy from them rather than looking around or shopping the interent.

My spec is

Silver/Black Roof

Dark Chrome Wheels

Phone prep.

Pinklips :cocktail:

Went in SWMBO's Ka so maybe you are right!

I was keen to buy from my local dealer as the service was really good, ended up voting with my wallet in the end tho. That colour combo you have chosen looks really good in a few pics I've seen, was tempted with that myself but focus was silver and fancied a change so went for the white.

I will try.

This is in low speed manoeuvring like parking, turning etc.

I regularly pick up a friend who lives in a narrow cul-de-sac. To turn the car around at the end requires a 5 or sometimes 7 point turn. In my manual Focus I would do this in say 15 secs, in a torque-converter auto say 20, but in the VRS I reckon its nearer 40. This is, I believe, down to DSG.

At the risk of being retentive, I will try to elaborate on this manoeuvre. In a manual I turn, brake and declutch simultaneously. By the time I have stopped I am in reverse and finding the biting point, and I know where this is. The whole thing is seamless and I am stationary for a very short time.

In an old-world torque-converter auto I turn, brake and shove it into reverse. Because the converter is forgiving with slip you can be back on the gas before you stop and use the transmission as a brake. Hence its not that far behind a manual.

But in the VRS I have to stop, select reverse, feed in the gas carefully, reverse, stop, first, careful gas etc. I cant do this quickly without lurching. Its the nature of the clutch take-up. It lacks finesse.

I have a steepish drive that I generally reverse into. If I put it into reverse it will go up without gas, but just a bit too fast. My wife dislikes this, and brakes. This causes a declutch and hill-hold, you then have to wait for the hill-hold to disengage, roll forward, and do it again. You can speed-up the hill-hold disengagement with a bit of gas, but then you’re going too fast again and the garage door is looming fast.

I don’t want to paint too bad a picture of this, you do get used to it, and compensate accordingly. But I suppose I ought to recommend that anyone test-driving one also needs to do a bit of car-park manoeuvring preferably with gradients. Maybe all DSGs are like this? I am sure others can add their experience.

P.S. I totally forgive it this! I still love this pocket-rocket beastie dearly!

Thanks for the info and I will definitely try some manoeuvring if and when I take a test drive because it's sometimes too easy to be won over with the plus points on a car and after buying get hung up on the annoying characteristics.

Just to add my own first weeks VRS DSG thoughts.

Pulling out of junctions requires a bit of thought, you have to plan ahead as there is a delay between pressing the gas pedal and forward motion..if you panic & step harder on the gas...BANG...you are flying & quickly have to get on the brakes before you rear end someone. I do find things are better in sport mode as it doesn't do that 'I'm rolling so I'll get into 2nd' trick that standard D does. I'm going to try selecting 1st with the paddle and going old school until the car is up to cruising speed & see if this improves things.

I'm very impressed with the engine though....the way it picks up from low revs (at about 30mph) makes me think it must have kicked down a couple of gears, but no, I look at the display & it's showing 5th! I really am looking forward to it being run in & warmer so I can take it for a cross country blast. The small dimensions & light weight make it feel very agile & keen to go...it's most definitely a car to put a smile on your face.