5000 mile Fabia II report

[tonyfvrs]

Dear All,

I have now done 5000 miles with my Race Blue Fabia II vRS, with black wheels, centre armrest, Supagard, mud flaps all round (I fitted) and rear parking sensors.

My previous car was a Honda Civic (new shape) 1.8ES manual, so I will make a few comparisons first.

The Skoda is better built, better materials and a far better paint finish.

The Honda was slightly better at getting into traffic gaps with it's razor sharp throttle response.

The Honda is more stylish to look at, but the Skoda is somewhat 'classy' in appearance.

The Honda suspension was better over high frequency bumps, such as concrete road surface, but the Skoda generally rides better and holds the road better. Bumps would unsettle the rear with the Honda in a corner, not so with the Skoda.

The Skoda radio is much better and easier to use.

The Skoda speedometer is accurate to approx 2.5mph high at 70mph and above and better at lower speeds, the Honda was miles out, hence recording 42mpg overall, so Skoda, although lower indicated mpg, is probably not far from the truth.

All the Skoda controls are easier to use. You need a degree in Philosophy to work out how to put on the Honda headlights, fog lights and rear warning lights.

However the Skoda does not have auto wipers and dipped lights, so it's the KISS principle (keep it simple stupid).

The air con on the Honda was climate control split left and right; I can't say that I miss it much.

The Skoda centre armrest is not well positioned, if you use the handbrake a lot, which you do not need to do, but it is easy to retract anyway and provides usefull storage.

I ran the car in to manufacturers recomendations to the letter and although I have put in 1.5 litres of the recommended 5w40 Castrol Edge over a period initially, it now burns very little oil.

The engine and gearbox are fabulous, but you need to allow 5000 miles to get used to it, even if you have driven automatics.

The big difference with the DSG over automatics is the lack of 'torque limiter/fluid flywheel', which means that the engine is directly driving the wheels and not a whirlpool of oil.

I have just driven 500 miles in Mid Wales and although I did not exceed 60 mph, progress was very fast, given that Mrs F was a passenger, roads were wet and some slower traffic was encountered. However I was overtaken twice by large Range Rovers doing insane speeds given the conditions.

When following slower traffic it was 'D' and when the road was clear, 'M'. On several downgrades in 'D' enginge braking was great, even downshifting, after a dab of the brakes, which seems to contradict the feedback from others in this forum.

The motorway driving was very relaxing and the overall mpg at the moment is 39.3 over two trips to Wales and one to Cornwall.

Cleaning the car is always so easy, as the Supagard is really good. Dirt flies off with the power washer and the beading is terrific.

I have always used Auto Glym products, but have never achieved the beading of Supagard. Every time I washed the Honda more scratches would appear, not with the Skoda.

So it's thumbs up for the vRS and thumbed noses to the Honda, including the Type R's.

Hope this is of interest.

Regards

Tony

[sharkrider]

nice little review, I like the comparisons too. I'll give som in comparison to a few of your points!

It took me about 4,000 miles to get the best out of the gearbox, I wouldn't go back to a manual now!

I didn't run it in as per book, I drove it "as normal" from day 1 with 14 miles on it. I have now covered 11,000 miles and just had it serviced, it used 1.5 liters of oil in the first 10k. engine is now run in, I got 50.7 miles to the gallon trundling off on a 14 mile a-road run today! 44mpg on the way back, as I was then driving in a 'spirited' way rather than my "eco" mode on the way there

my box will also change down on downhill inclines , all by itself, to give decent engine braking

enjoy!

[Bullyboy]

Nice review Tony, great to see how far Skoda has come and the great cars its now turning out.

[Ad Lav]

Nice little review, and having the Estate means you have the practicality with no loss in performance! Another + against the Honda, even though its in the car class/size above the Fabia.

[Stug]

Nice review Tony

[Kermit82]

Having come from a Honda Civic myself I agree with you 100%. Looking back I don't think it lived up to expectations but it was a good looking car. Style over substance.

[Darkalien]

I too owned a new shape Honda (EX)for 3 years until just 3 weeks and I agree with much of what has been said regarding the poor interior quality, remarkedly thin paint and crashy suspension! In end went for Golf (1.4 TSi Match) which is a much more refined drive and the interior quality is years ahead of the Honda. The exterior of the Honda is unique but i do feel that it never quite lived up to expectations and for me it was a meatter of style over substance, nevertheless it was a very reliable fun car to drive. Having test driven the VRs i think that it is a better purchase proposition all round!