Fabia vRS Estate

[darrenm2001]

Now settle down children, tonight's story is about Darren and his Fabia vRS Estate...

I Knew I Shouldn't Had...

“I'm not going to buy one but can I have a test drive so I can compare it to the old vRS?â€

“Sure, I'll book it out for the whole day to you.â€

I knew I shouldn't had taken him up on the offer of the test drive and I knew I might regret it afterwards.

The 'New Fabia vRS - Made of Meaner Stuff' brochure had popped through my letterbox in April/May time. Very nice I thought but looked a little pricey and I had only picked up my brand new Octavia at the beginning of January so I wasn't in the market for another new car. Or so I thought.

I was only visiting my dealer to sort out an offer of cheap servicing on my Octy when I spotted the vRS demonstrator on the forecourt. Actually, that's a lie. I drove straight past it as it was red (rather than the expected green) and didn't have any advertising on it at that point. I actually spotted the vRS brochure on the salesman's desk which started the conversation.

“Our demonstrator is outside if you want to take a look.â€

“Is it? I didn't see it.â€

After sorting out my service deal he took me out to see it. It was a hatchback in Corrida Red with the dark chrome alloy wheels and a body-coloured roof. It was tricked out with most of the options including climate control, cruise control, bluetooth functionality, etc. but a little surprisingly not the Amundsen sat nav stereo. I was glad to see the two tone vRS seats had made way for something more sombre and sensible (and some may say boring) but the previous ones were a bugger to keep clean and began to look a little tired by the time I traded in my Mk1 vRS after 56,000 glorious miles.

I arranged to take it out for the day in a couple of weeks time. I needed a service on the Octy so the vRS became my 'courtesy car' for the day!

Test Drive 1

The test drive day, er, Octy service day finally arrived and thankfully it was a nice day the Friday week before the August bank holiday weekend. It had a full tank of gas and I was handed the key.

“It's booked out to you for the whole day so take as long as you want.â€

I had a route in mind – taking the B1159 coast road from Great Yarmouth to Cromer. I knew it would be fairly quiet with a nice combination of twisty and straight bits. However, to get to the B1159 I needed to take the short stretch of national speed limit dual carriageway on the A149 (the Caister-on-Sea bypass). As it was all 30 or 40 mph speed limits by this point I had no idea what the performance was going to be once I gave it the beans on the dually.

“GOOD GRIEF!!!†is a very family-friendly facsimile of what I actually said as the speedo dial rotated in a spirited manner. 70 mph was achieved very quickly but I am unable to comment on how the car performs after that as breaking the speed limit would have been a very naughty thing to do...

...very naughty indeed. And let's leave it at that shall we?

I was very impressed with the handling of the 'pocket rocket', taking bends without drama and with minimal understeer. It was clear that the XDS trickery works well. I had a thoroughly enjoyable and exhilarating drive up to Cromer. Most of it was actually driven at a sensible pace as driving hard is quite a tiring thing to do – I'm clearly getting old. :( I did notice that the interior was dark, very dark. Stuff that was silver coloured on my Roomster (door handles, air vent surrounds, etc.) were now black. I did feel a little like I was sitting in Hotblack Desiato's spaceship – black switches with black lights mounted into a black panel with black writing underneath them. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little but the car does have a very dark interior which is further enhanced by a black headlining and black A, B and C pillars. I do actually like dark interiors as it makes the sunset glass at the back of the car more effective. That and generally I'm a grumpy bugger too so it matches my mood!

I parked up on Cromer cliffs, had a drink, took some pictures of the car and drove back to the garage, stopping by the petrol station on the way back to refill the tank as it was my 'courtesy car' after all. I thanked the salesman for the drive and was on my way.

However, I couldn't stop thinking (or talking) about the car during the weekend. My other half had seen me like this before when I'd bought other cars so she could see what was coming. She had to admit herself that she found the drive as exciting as a passenger as I had as the driver. Unable to contain myself I contacted the dealer on the Sunday for him to work out the figures for me.

I spoke to him again on the Monday and he told me what he'd worked out. Unfortunately for me I could afford it and it was only going to cost me about £30 extra a month in finance. He offered me another test drive which I accepted.

Test Drive 2

I drove the car again on the Bank Holiday Monday. This time I took a drive down to Southwold which is a nice combination of single and dual carriageways plus a twisty B road. It was as much fun as the previous drive plus I got the chance to upset a Beemer driver on a section of dual carriageway. Despite the DSG being in Drive rather than Sport which badly hurt my roundabout exit speed I still managed to pull away from him. Once a decent speed was reached (just to prove a point of course) I moved over and let him speed past. The car had been debadged but I'm guessing it was at least a 325i as I didn't pull away a great deal. Had I been in Sport mode the gap would have been a lot wider as I lost a good second or so as the DSG had to have a little think and then adjusted the cogs accordingly for warp drive.

Doing The Deal

Once back at the dealer I signed my life away (yet again) and waited for news. The build week finally settled at week 46 (ordered week 35). It was built on week 46, was at Emden week 48 waiting for a boat, stuck in the snow at Grimsby week 49 and finally delivered late on Wednesday 16th December (week 50). I took delivery of it on the Saturday. Road conditions on the way up from Hertfordshire to Great Yarmouth had deteriorated badly and at one point I saw one car hit a lorry and a barrier, saw a car almost slide into another and drove past the aftermath of another multiple car shunt. I only had about 7 miles left of my 125 mile journey but they were the most nervous 7 miles I think I've ever had to endure. I finally arrived at the dealers and my car was sitting in the showroom but I pretty much walked straight past it and sat down as I was mentally and physically drained by this point. I had set my insurance to swap cars at midday and had the journey gone completely smoothly I would have been there at 11.45 but the Acle Straight carnage made my arrival 12.10. I was effectively driving uninsured for 10 minutes and considering what was going on around me this was not a good situation to be in. I'm pretty sure the insurance company would had paid out in the event of an accident but they seem to look for any reason not to nowadays.

Anyway, enough backstory, let's get to the important bit - the car!

The Car...

If you look at my Briskoda profile I've owned a lot of Skodas – some big, some small, some powerful, some not. This new one is neither the biggest nor the smallest but is certainly the most powerful and fastest!

Skoda's Choice Of Model And Specification

I think I'm one of the minority who is glad that the new vRS comes with DSG. I know giving people the option of a manual or auto box would be nice but it is quite clear it is not technically possible to have a manual as none of the VW Group hot superminis possess one. Had it been a manual only option only I wouldn't have bought one as I couldn't go back to manual after enjoying the smoothness and convenience of a DSG. Nor would I have bought one if it didn't have the estate option as I would have found the boot to be too small on the hatchback after the cavernous storage spaces of the Superb and Octy. Actually that's probably a lie too. I think my heart would had eventually overruled my head and accepted the hatch if that was the only option. Yep, I really had enjoyed those test drives!

Looks

I'm also one of the people who thinks the vRS estate is actually better looking than the hatch. It just looks more balanced in my opinion and seems to hide some of the tallness of the Mk2 Fabias. I also plumped for Race Blue as I think it's a lovely colour and synonymous with the vRS 'brand'. When I first saw the dark chrome Gigaro alloys I wasn't initially taken with them but two of my petrolheaded colleagues both really liked them. One just liked the look of them and the other pointed out how much easier they would be to clean as the darkness will hide a half-arsed cleaning job. I like his thinking, it's clearly similar to mine!

Options

Other options I went for was climate control, cruise control, parking sensors, front seat storage boxes and mud flaps. Unfortunately the dealer could only fit front flaps as the rear ones wouldn't fit on the vRS. They're going to find out why they won't fit and whether there's plans for a vRS compatible mud flap. I also had the door protection strips fitted. I appreciate they make the car slightly less sporty looking but after an incident at a ferry port where a woman opened her door onto my Octy (which had door protectors already fitted) I realised that would have resulted in a nasty dent without them.

Gadgets

As I've gone from a mid-spec Superb to a high-spec Octy and now onto the vRS my 'gadget' list has generally dwindled between models. I wasn't unhappy to see auto lights go when I moved to the Octy as I found the Superb had a nasty habit of turning the headlights on in low sun. Nor am I shedding a tear to the loss of auto wipers. They worked okay most of the time but there were times when I sat there thinking, "Just flippin' wipe will you? I can't see anything!"

Having climate control in the two bigger cars made it an essential option for the vRS. It's a real 'set and forget' feature which I would now find hard to live without. I don't use cruise control much but I'd miss it if it wasn't there. I find it most useful when in speed-limited roadworks as most of them have SPECS speed cameras. It's easy to let your speed drift upwards and even more so in a powerful car. Parking sensors were another essential. I don't rely on them entirely but are certainly very useful especially in tight spaces.

The tyre pressure monitor makes a welcome return (which last made an appearance in my Roomy Scout) and XDS appears for the first time. Good grief, I'm sounding like the announcer on the National Lottery!

Build Quality

As for the car itself it seems to be as well screwed together as any other Skoda I've owned. The quality of the materials may vary between model ranges but the build quality certainly doesn't. Yes, it's a bit plasticky in places but I think it's still nice to look at and the facelift changes on the dashboard raises the perceived trim level slightly. The steering wheel has a very nice feel to it and I'm of those people who likes the DSG gear knob in the Fabia/Roomster. I always felt the Octy one was a little old fashioned but each to their own I guess. Some people may disagree but I feel the Mk2 vRS interior is vastly superior to its predecessor. I know there's been a lot of talk about the Mk2 door handles and I agree the Mk1's were much nicer but at no point did I ever think I was going to break them on my Roomy and this car is exactly the same in that respect.

Comfort

I'm finding the 'buckety' vRS seats very comfortable especially considering I'm over 6 foot and 22 stone. All of the controls are sensibly laid out and within easy reach.

On The Road

As the weather and road conditions have been so poor my first 250 miles have been rather sedate with very little hard acceleration. I do love modern high performance cars as they're so docile if you want them to be. Having the DSG makes pootling about easier still.

Noise entering the cabin seems little different from the Octy - perhaps slightly louder but it's very hard to tell. There's a little wind noise from around the mirrors but nothing to get your panties in a bunch about.

Tyres

For you rubber sniffers out there this car is fitted with Continental Sport Contact 2 tyres. My demo car had Dunlop SP Sport Maxx fitted. I cannot compare them as the weather and road conditions were totally different. My brother's Mk1 vRS had the Continentals fitted and we always thought they were effective but noisy. Only time will tell if I find this to be the same on my Mk2.

Audio

One thing I do have to mention is the 'Swing' stereo and MDI port. Functionally and visually the Swing is far inferior to the 'Bolero' by being a monochrome, smaller and non-touch screen display and takes just a single CD, not a 6 disc multi-changer. However, the Swing sounds vastly superior to the Bolero and I think a lot of this is down to the positioning of the speakers. The Bolero sounded good in the Superb but I was unimpressed with it in the Octy - it always sounded harsh and I think was down to the location of the tweeters. In the Fabia/Roomster the front ones are in the A pillars, the Octy's by the door handle (and thus closer and more directly pointing towards the front occupants). By fiddling with the tone and fader controls I managed to improve it but it was never great. All I've done in the vRS is faded the music to the rear by a couple of units. The bass is tight and has presence, the mids are clear and the treble is bright but not harsh.

I'm using a portable hard disk with the MDI - a 250 GB Seagate Free Agent GoFlex (yup, stupid name). It's the one Maplin has on sale regularly and was recommended by a fellow Brisky member on another thread. I've got my whole iTunes library on it which is about 17,000 tracks! The Swing is able to read it fast and navigating through the folders is straightforward. When you pull the key out of the ignition (thus switching the stereo off) the hard disk goes to sleep and wakes up when the stereo is turned on again by any method. After a few seconds it carries on where it left off. Put simply, it works brilliantly and has become another 'must have' feature on any future car I buy!

Conclusion And Final Thoughts

I apologise if some of you feel this thread entry is too long and are just here to look at piccies of a Race Blue vRS Estate but I know some people are genuinely interested in why people make choices and what sacrifices and decisions were made to make them end up with car they chose. Is the vRS costing me more in finance, insurance and petrol? Yes to the first two and probably yes to the third but I'll only be able to answer that with any conviction in 10,000 miles time. Will I be able to make use of all that power under the bonnet? Probably only rarely but it will be great fun when I'm able to do so. Will I miss the extra space that the Superb and Octavia gave me? Yes again but it only on the very odd occasion. Knowing my addiction to buying new cars will I be writing another one of these rambling entries in 1-2 years time? Possibly, but as the organisation I work for is being abolished by 2013 my employment status is uncertain and therefore my future purchasing ability.

The Pictures

Anyway, enough guff from me, here's the pictures taken just yards from the dealer in a snowy Great Yarmouth:

My name is Darren and I'm a Skodaholic. Please treat me gently.

[diezel]

door protection strips :no:

Race Blue :yes: :love:

Edited 20 December, 2010 by diezel

[marcusfordus]

Nice review, looks like a nice load lugger you've treated yourself to.

I've used the very same dealer for my last two cars even though they are 153 miles from where I live

Darren couldn't beat the deal I got from Rainworth this time on my snowy vRS though.

[Black]

Very nice car - Think the door protection strips look good. They give the car some definition. We moved from the MkII hatch to the Estate, car feels no bigger to drive but it has so so much more space. I read somewhere that it has more space than a 3 series touring.

[Paul007]

I'd agree with you about the Estate looking better than the hatch. I'd also agree with you about the DSG only as that's obviously the way forward. Having seen the pics, I'd be off to the nearest VW dealer to buy a Polo GTi if I'm honest as the Fabia is still too tall and too boxy and nowhere near as nice as the original vRS. Just my opinion and I know the VW would be hellishly expensive compared to the Fabia but to me it's the nicer car.

http://www.motorward.com/2010/05/2010-volkswagen-polo-gti-in-details/

Edited 20 December, 2010 by Paul007

[Stug]

Hello Darren, great write up i really enjoyed reading it. Nice pics to! My two test drives had the same effect on me to

[banksider50]

Thanks for the write up.

[SimonK24]

Good write up enjoy your new car, always a great feeling picking it up

As much as I want to like the new vRS, I wasn't so impressed by the test drive. I may well look at a used Polo GTI in a couple of years though.

[BossFox]

Great post.

I also prefer the look of the Estate.

[lemonvrs]

Looks stunning and with the door trims and roofbars it looks like an estate car should

Over time you will find the actual assembly quality isnt great, my Fabia has several rattles, vibrations after just 18,000 miles.

[OLDOILER]

Nice write up, I have been seriously considering swopping my FR Tsi 211ps for one of these too – when’s the remap then !! Be interesting comparing the Seat ST version along side too.. ps the DSG g/box takes some getting used to, what do you think ??

Edited 21 December, 2010 by OLDOILER

[Woodwasp]

Hi

Enjoyed your post,hope you enjoy the car.

W

[*tim*]

The more I see these the more I like them. Affordable too, but must resist.

Nice write up thought. Thanks

[darrenm2001]

Many thanks for all of the replies guys. To pick up on some of your specific points:

Diezel: I knew the protection strips would divide opinion! I did look to see whether the Mk1 strips would fit (as they're much more subtle) but sadly not as the Mk2 doors are a different size.

Race Blue doesn't seem to be getting a great deal of love on the Fabia forums so I'm glad you like it. I would have been disappointed with any other colour.

Marcusfordus: Again some people will disagree but I've found Simpsons in Great Yarmouth to be very good with sales and aftersales. Everyone is polite and helpful and even the MD feels very much part of the team and doesn't sit in an ivory tower.

My business has been conducted with Darren on both occasions and he comes across as a genuine and honest person and not just a salesman going through the motions which I've experienced many times before. He clearly has a passion for the Skoda brand, the company he works for and treating his customers well.

Black: I think the Fabia estate is a clever package of spaciousness and practicality wrapped up in a compact body. I remember the thing about the 3 series touring too - probably in a car magazine review somewhere.

Paul007: I agree that the Fabia vRS isn't the prettiest car in the world and the Polo GTI is much nicer. However, I've done the maths and to get a Polo with the extras I want would have cost £3,637 more than a identically specced vRS. That over 20% more and I can't see you'd get it all back with a higher residual trade-in value either.

I agree that the Mk1 Fabia hatch was a nicer shape than the Mk2 and I loved my Mk1 vRS for the 'all go and little show' looks! The Mk2 does look too tall but I think this was partially due to changes in the law governing pedestrian safety and the like.

Stug, Sleithykeithy: Car ownership is a very personal thing and 'specialist' models like the vRS can evoke more extreme reactions in people. Having different opinions on things makes life interesting and makes Briskoda a far more entertaining forum because of it!

Lemonvrs: I know what you mean, all cars start off quiet and then gradually develop noises as the miles pile on. My Octy had a rattle from the back I couldn't put my finger on, the Roomster had a rattle somewhere near the instrument cluster. This vRS has an occasional rattle which appears to be coming from the driver's A pillar. I've owned cars from various manufacturers and none have them have been rattle or buzz free - it must be a nightmare for a manufacturer to completely irradicate them especially considering the state of Britain's roads.

Oldoiler: I'm sure someone on here owns a remapped Ibiza Cupra outputting 225 horses so I'm guessing that would work on the vRS too. The question is with 180 bhp already on tap do you need 45 more in a front wheel drive car? I think the DSG has a short learning curve moving from a manual. The thinking time of the DSG needs to be taken into account when you're booting it for an overtake but otherwise I find it easy to drive. I am finding the reversing a little more snatchy on the vRS than my Octy - I guess I just need to get used to the slight difference between them.

*Tim*: I think the new vRS is a bit of a 'grower' and I believe the car looks much better in the flesh than it does in pictures. Photos seem to make the perceived 'tallness' worse than it really is. If you haven't already done so, take a test drive. They are quite a different beast from the Mk1 vRS and your resistance to buy one may be eroded!

[helix]

A handsome car I think, and the colour really suits the estate shape.

[*tim*]

Darren, I meant it in a good way. I've always liked the mkII vRS, but the more I see the estate the more I feel like I could somehow justify it as it gives me larger load area. Realistically I should not be looking at this time, however I priced one up on DTD and with the 0% finance Skoda are offering makes it very attractive, but NO.

Stu: You've ordered a Fabia?? Good work. I may even make the next meet once you've got it. We could have race between a remapped mkI and standard mkII

[Wardy]

Nice review. Well put together and I'm sure that'll help people, if they're pondering a purchase

I'm not really a fan of the Mk2 Fabia, but think that the Estate in Race Blue probably helps to show its best side. I also agree on the door strips, although I'd have got the dealer to colour code them.

Enjoy the car

Steve

[ChrisRs]

Great review.

Well done

BUT...I'm not a fan of the Fabia Estate.

Good luck with it

[bingo765]

Nice colour and was my original choice, except a black roof wasn't available at the time.

I think the wheels look good with Race Blue ,but am also not keen on the side strips.

It's great that everyones' tastes are so different and I'm sure you will enjoy the fact there won't be many Race Blue vRS combis on the road at the moment.

You are certainly very thorough in your review ,you'd put many journalists to shame

[PeteVRS]

Great review, thanks for posting. Sounds like a super motor and a great colour too.

[Ross Chapman]

I`d map it myself - our Superb is hilarious now its mapped up to 210! Estate is more "discreet" than the hatch I should think as less people expect it to be a fast hot supermini (can`t call it a hot hatch as it isn`t a hatch!).

You`d be amazed how much the estate will carry, my little one has taken a full size fruit machine in the back and still went like a train.

I didn`t the the coloured roof was available on the estates. If it was that would have been the colour I would have had with a white roof and white wheels. Or the green!

I tried the Ibiza ST but its got a smaller (and more awkward) load bay. Looks sportier as standard but I prefer the Fabia. I suppose if you want a "pointy" warm estate take the Ibiza, if you want a loadlugger thats still quick, take the Fabia. That and at the moment the most potent engines in the Ibiza ST are the 1.2 and 1.6 diesel.

[darrenm2001]

Wardy: I've never thought the Mk2 Fabia was a particularly pretty car either but the facelift certainly improves the visual appeal a little. You're not the only one who has mentioned colour-coding the door strips; my mate said the same thing. Maybe I should have a bash with Photoshop (well, the GIMP) to see what they'd look like in the same colour and go from there!

Bingo765: Not many race blue vRS combis on the road at the moment? I've only seen one Mk2 vRS of any flavour on the road since they were released and that was owned by someone on Brisky!

Thanks for the compliment regarding the review, maybe I should consider a change of career!

Ross: I can't deny it, I am looking forward to embarrassing the odd driver at the 'traffic light grand prix'...

As for getting a fruit machine into the back of a Fabia Estate, that is impressive. I've got an videogame arcade cabinet but I'm not expecting to move it any time soon! Well, I bloody hope not as it weighs a ton…

As for remapping, I cannot condone this practice of visiting establishments like Jabbasport and coming home with a Mk1 vRS with 50 horses more than it started with…

[Stug]

Darren, I meant it in a good way. I've always liked the mkII vRS, but the more I see the estate the more I feel like I could somehow justify it as it gives me larger load area. Realistically I should not be looking at this time, however I priced one up on DTD and with the 0% finance Skoda are offering makes it very attractive, but NO.

Stu: You've ordered a Fabia?? Good work. I may even make the next meet once you've got it. We could have race between a remapped mkI and standard mkII

Hello Tim, Yes i have a Fabia on the way . I took one for a test drive just to see what it was like and not intending for it to be anything other than that, but was totally blown away by my test drive so i went for another one then done the deal . Hopefully getting it for March the 1st

Go on Tim treat yourself, you know you want to :yes:

Happy Christmas, look forward to seeing you at the next meet!!

[*tim*]

Go on Tim treat yourself, you know you want to :yes:

Happy Christmas, look forward to seeing you at the next meet!!

Shut up

Happy Christmas to you and the wife. Hope you have a good one!

[Vrstdi estate]

Great review all round. I bought my VRs hatch without even testing one as the write - ups were so positive. I chopped my 3 yr old Octy VRs Tdi estate in (race blue BTW) for it. Wanted a fun car that can be sensible and relaxed in our awful traffic jams, frugal when required but have a naughty side too and it seemed to fit the bill.....

The ice and snow means I've done less than 100 miles so far at a gentle pace but I can feel the potential. After years of oil burners a higher revving petrol engine excites me and the DSG box is sublime, exactly what I want from an everyday car. Yes if I could have a hot hatch just for fun a Clio 220 might offer more thrills but the consumption and lack of comfort on the commute ruled it out. BTW whilst the Polo GTi is a more attractive design, it works out about £5k more than the deal I got - is it really that much better? Cant wait for spring and ice free roads!