Hey guys,

Trading in my Octavia Vrs so get something cheaper and more economical to run. Heard really good things about the Fabia's would love a GL 2 but the price difference between the 2 is alot and I cannot decide if it's worth the extra cost.

a 08/09 Fabia GL 1 I could get for around 8-9k where as a GL 2 is 12ish K. Is is really worth the extra money?

Opinions please =)

Hey guys,

Trading in my Octavia Vrs so get something cheaper and more economical to run. Heard really good things about the Fabia's would love a GL 2 but the price difference between the 2 is alot and I cannot decide if it's worth the extra cost.

a 08/09 Fabia GL 1 I could get for around 8-9k where as a GL 2 is 12ish K. Is is really worth the extra money?

Opinions please =)

I have the GL 1. Its been brilliant. Save loads in fuel costs. 70 mpg in summer is realistic and 60-65 in Winter is normal. The long gearbox takes some getting used to. I dont even use 5th unless I am going over 60mph and in town your going to stay a lot in 3rd. The ride is a little hard on the tyres mine came with. They are inflated high, around 37 psi which makes for feeling the ride. I now have Uniroyal rain experts on and the car is much quieter with a softer ride. Touch wood it hasnt missed a beat. The DPF regen is a total non event and easily missed unless you really pay attention to whats going on. Never had the DPF light come on.

It does take some getting used to driving this car properly. Mostly due to the gearbox. At 70 mph your just over 2000 rpm . It has thinner 165 tyres but to be honest, you dont notice any lack of grip and even the most expensive tyres are cheap due to the size. The only thing I would say it lacks is cruise control. The GL 2 has it and it would be of use on the GL 1. I do loads of miles and get a tired foot on the motorway.

I am glad I bought mine. I suggest a good test drive. Some folks cant get on with the gearbox and also some dont like the slightly noisy engine (rattles when cold but is quite smooth when cruising along).

One negative point is the headlights. They are a bit crap. I upgraded the bulbs using phillips xtreme and they are now adequate.

I get roughly 550 to 600 miles between fill ups. Economy is best around 55 to 60. Recent trip to Essex over 200 miles I got 62 mpg at a steady 80 all the way on the motorway. This would be even better mpg in summer imho.

If your doing loads of miles like me then its a good buy. If you doing average mileage then a standard Fabia would be equally as good. I was going to buy a standard 1.4TDI. With the vat off offer and limited stock available I decided to get the Greenline.......so far its been a wise decision.

Nothing wrong with a Fabia GL 1 or 2 but personally i'd look for a Fabia 3 1.9/Elegance 1.6 105ps TDi. Real world MPG isnt hugely greater on a GL and you give up a fair amount of extra go for the sake of a bit extra consumpution. GL is a bit of a niche product, dont think it's risidual value will stack up well against a more popular mainstream variant like the bigger diesels.

A 1.9 PD/1.6 CR TDi will run rings round both the 1.4 PD and 1.2 CR performance wise and will still return 60 mpg on a good day. Will be considerably cheaper to run than the Octy vRS you will be coming from. It's all a matter of personal choice but I drove a 1.4 TDi 70ps Polo a little while back and absolutely hated it, was gutless and noisy. I'm sure the 1.2 CR is a big improvement but it will still lack proper go, particularly having been used to an Octy vRS. Would be a better compromise in my eyes.

Edited 26 February, 201115 yr by pipsyp

Hey guys,

Trading in my Octavia Vrs so get something cheaper and more economical to run. Heard really good things about the Fabia's would love a GL 2 but the price difference between the 2 is alot and I cannot decide if it's worth the extra cost.

a 08/09 Fabia GL 1 I could get for around 8-9k where as a GL 2 is 12ish K. Is is really worth the extra money?

Opinions please =)

A difference of 3k for two or three years ?

Yes, I'd personally say it's worth £20 to £30 a week extra to get a car you can choose brand new with full maufacturers warranty, plus it'll be worth more when you come to sell it so you won't have lost he extra £20/£30 a week either.

Plus if you are going estate it really does have a useful sized boot.

I moved down from a 2008 Range Rover to the Greenline 2 and am happy with it.

Just couldn't justify loosing £8k a year on the other car plus is was expensive to run on top.

The GL2 surprised me with it's refinement and comfort as people say the engine is noisy. Yes, it is until you've been driving for a few minutes and it's warm. Then it's fine.

Just check you can live with the performance difference. It's not slow, but it is a lot slower than a VRS.

Overall I rate the GL2 as a comfortable car that gets good fuel economy with minimal sacrifices over a standard Fabia.

Edited 26 February, 201115 yr by CT17

Forgot to add to my original post......I havent ever driven the new GL 2. The mpg reports from current GL 2 owners have similar figures to my own car. The new GL 2 appears to have a lot more specific technology in it. Start stop system, power recovery and I believe a unique engine. My GL1 is as near as makes no difference a standard 1.4 TDI Fabia 80 hp based on the Fabia 2. Main differences are the longer gearbox, thinner wheels, extra aerodynamic bits, 1 inch lower than standard and a remapped engine that produces its max torque lower in the rev range. The injector cams are modified to allow for DPF regen.

Blah, I'm really torn now!

I've got around 15k to play with as I'm part exchanging. Really wanna walk away with as much money as possible. Hence the considering a GL1 and not going to the new ones/model.

I just want something that is gonna be cheap to run and not **** me off as much as the current fuel prices are and going to be getting extortionate.

Blah, I'm really torn now!

I've got around 15k to play with as I'm part exchanging. Really wanna walk away with as much money as possible. Hence the considering a GL1 and not going to the new ones/model.

I just want something that is gonna be cheap to run and not **** me off as much as the current fuel prices are and going to be getting extortionate.

The GL 2 is never going to be super quick out of the blocks, but once cruising it is well capable to keep up with the traffic - can you live with the preformance difference

This link from Parkers guide can calculate your fuel costs and might help you to decide http://www.parkers.co.uk/advice/fuelcostcalc.aspx#miles=0&pencePerLitre=0&miletype=0.

As for real world MPG my engine has done 1800 miles and everybody's mpg is different, around town at 30mph I am getting 59mpg, on a motorway run and cruising at one notch below 60 I am getting 71 mpg.

just did a quick calc and using 12000 miles and book mpg the GL2 is £195 less to run in fuel than the GL1 and £221 less than the 1.6 105ps plus the GL2 is 0 road tax.

.

As for real world MPG my engine has done 1800 miles and everybody's mpg is different, around town at 30mph I am getting 59mpg, on a motorway run and cruising at one notch below 60 I am getting 71 mpg.

just did a quick calc and using 12000 miles and book mpg the GL2 is £195 less to run in fuel than the GL1 and £221 less than the 1.6 105ps plus the GL2 is 0 road tax.

Thats book figures surely ? If I drive just below 60 I can easily get 73-74 mpg. In all the postings I have seen regarding the GL 2 I have yet to see fuel figures that beat mine. Best I ever got was in town going along the coast to worthing. I got 84 mpg indicated (in reality thats about 79). I dont know why this is. Maybe mine is looser or I somehow drive it in a more economical way......no idea. The PD engine is certainly less refined and noisier than the CR. But it has more power with a bigger punch in the torque range. Its also efficient when used in the right way. The PD has a much higher injection pressure than the CR.

I really would like to try a GL 2 on my journey to work. Then I would see if it is up to the hype. I will happily eat humble pie if its more efficient than mine. Might even go buy one myself

Thats book figures surely ? If I drive just below 60 I can easily get 73-74 mpg. In all the postings I have seen regarding the GL 2 I have yet to see fuel figures that beat mine.

Maybe that's because we are all running them in still?

If you need 15k+ miles to get a true reading it's still a little early.

I am now averaging 70mpg in mine, with 1800 miles on the clock. Until 1000 miles it was 67mpg.

Maybe that's because we are all running them in still?

If you need 15k+ miles to get a true reading it's still a little early.

I am now averaging 70mpg in mine, with 1800 miles on the clock. Until 1000 miles it was 67mpg.

Thats a fair point. I gained approx 5 mpg once mine reached about 8000 miles. Ignoring economy and just driving with the traffic 'within' speed limts my daily commute in summer gives around 70 mpg.

The bonus I guess with the gl 2 is that it can do this without having thinner wheels and maybe a softer ride ? How does the 3 pot cr engine compare with the PD as regards noise and vibration ?

Thats a fair point. I gained approx 5 mpg once mine reached about 8000 miles. Ignoring economy and just driving with the traffic 'within' speed limts my daily commute in summer gives around 70 mpg.

The bonus I guess with the gl 2 is that it can do this without having thinner wheels and maybe a softer ride ? How does the 3 pot cr engine compare with the PD as regards noise and vibration ?

As the GL2 is my first VW Skoda I cannot comment personally on the noise difference between the PD and CR engines, except for when I collected the car the dealers made a comment on how quite the CR engine was compared to the older PD. Vibration?

I did state in the thread the calculation was based on book price. There is no other way to measure fuel economy between cars, everybody's real life mpg will be different, as stated in previous threads when the same car is driven by someone else the mpg is different.

The PD engine is certainly less refined and noisier than the CR. But it has more power with a bigger punch in the torque range. Its also efficient when used in the right way. The PD has a much higher injection pressure than the CR.

Yes I agree the PD injection system has a much higher fuel rail pressure. In alot of respects its more efficient than CR but because of the poorer injection control its less refined. Having owned both PD and CR cars I can confirm that the low down power delivery on a PD is much stronger than a CR but nowhere near as refined. I tend to prefer the way PD engined cars drive, find the CR engined cars too linear in their delivery but they are still very good.

I also hold fast in saying that a 1.6 CR would be a better bet than the 1.2, certainly as a step down from a much quicker car. I still reckon the GL 2 is a niche vehicle like the Golf Bluemotion. I found mine rather novel initially (particularly as I got mine very early on - very few on the road) but after a year I found the way it drove frustrating. To keep it on the boil you kept having to stir the gears and if you drove it keenly it was no more fuel efficient than a normal one. Low suspension was also a problem, often got the front bumper stuck on curbs etc.

Each to their own and all that, if you drive one and really like it fair shout to you but i'm not convinced its the sweet spot of the Fabia range, rather compromised as a result of its eco tweaks.

I also hold fast in saying that a 1.6 CR would be a better bet than the 1.2, certainly as a step down from a much quicker car.

The Octy VRS 0-62 is 7.2 secs

Fabia Hatch 1.6 105ps 0-62 is 10.9

Fabia Hatch 1.2 Greenline 0-62 is 12.6.

If you are going to drop from such a fast car at first either the 1.6 or 1.2 will seem very slow and the 1.4.

If you can I would try and get a test drive in a 1.6, GL2 (although unlikely as they are just being sold) and the GL1

The Octy VRS 0-62 is 7.2 secs

Fabia Hatch 1.6 105ps 0-62 is 10.9

Fabia Hatch 1.2 Greenline 0-62 is 12.6.

If you are going to drop from such a fast car at first either the 1.6 or 1.2 will seem very slow and the 1.4.

If you can I would try and get a test drive in a 1.6, GL2 (although unlikely as they are just being sold) and the GL1

Yes agree, you should really drive them all and make your choice on that basis.

The Octy VRS 0-62 is 7.2 secs

Fabia Hatch 1.6 105ps 0-62 is 10.9

Fabia Hatch 1.2 Greenline 0-62 is 12.6.

I'm surprised the difference between the 3 cylinder 1.2 and regular 1.6 105PS is only 1.7 seconds.

The GL2 is faster than I thought.

That's actually quite a difference, in the same way a car capable of 5 sec 0-60 is on the whole considerably quicker than a 7 sec car. Diesels are never very good off the mark, its the mid range that makes them. No disrespect but the 30hp and much greater torque produced would make a big difference on the open road.

My 140ps Golf for instance is considerably slower than a GTD, even though itself its no slouch.

12.6 secs is not too shabby for a 75ps diesel though, not much slower than my wifes 1.4 80ps petrol Polo.

Edited 28 February, 201115 yr by pipsyp

That's actually quite a difference, in the same way a car capable of 5 sec 0-60 is on the whole considerably quicker than a 7 sec car. Diesels are never very good off the mark, its the mid range that makes them. No disrespect but the 30hp and much greater torque produced would make a big difference on the open road.

My 140ps Golf for instance is considerably slower than a GTD, even though itself its no slouch.

12.6 secs is not too shabby for a 75ps diesel though, not much slower than my wifes 1.4 80ps petrol Polo.

My Morris Minor takes 30 seconds to get to 60mph and my Land Rover Defender takes about 20 seconds.

So believe me, 12.6 is good. Certainly fine for everyday use.

My Morris Minor takes 30 seconds to get to 60mph and my Land Rover Defender takes about 20 seconds.

So believe me, 12.6 is good. Certainly fine for everyday use.

Haha a mate of mine used to use his Mum's (admittedly quite new, think it was a 52/03 reg) Defender 110 SW TD5, was good fun. I remember it only just did 80mph and it took a year or two to get there! Was wierd being in a Land Rover that had AC and Electric Windows though!

I would, in your position, go for the newer one... I have a 59 plated Greenie, with £20 a year road tax but would have waited had I known I could have a free road tax and free congestion charge later one!

I AM happy with mine but the dealer sold me a wrong un by telling me the differences were just a front bumper and interior trim (I still prefer my black/onyx here) but could really benefit from the free con charge!

I would go to the nearest COUPLE of dealers and play off one against the other to get a MUCH better deal, saving even more money than the VAt discount... If one offers another £300 off, tell the other it was £500 and can they better it, etc. When they have reached rock bottom, get them to offer a few bits, like mats, mudflaps, etc as they won't cost them anything like they will cost you so they will deal! Finally, try to screw them for 0% finance. If you have cash offer up say half, with half on 0%. What have you got to lose? You may find your new car costs no more really than a year old one as they will want to sell one to make up the sales figures...

Often, it is best to go in right near the end of the month as they will be wuch more willing to negotiate for just that reason. Also, take advantage of the free weeks insurance as it gives you time to sort your own and also, gives you time at the end of the year to tax, before having to insure again as the insurance will hopefully still be valid past the road tax end/start date.

If they really cant give any more discounts (Though they usually can, in my experience) Get some extra free servicing for say, two or three years as again, it will cost them next to nothing but you will save a few hundred, minimum.

Remember, it is only your time you will waste, they will larf at you if you come in, stump up the full whack and drive out thinking it was a good deal, due to the freevat price... They have already bargained that into the equasion and have been offering it for a few years, despite always saying it will end soon!

They bump up the showroom price just for this purpose... :S