right guys bit off advice please i have the vrs for a year and in the year my life has changed. bought my own place me and the better half expecting aug and we have to dogs as well know at current they weigh in at 20kg and 18kg they will get heaver as time goes by, so i need advice is it worth going for the fabia vrs estate or octavia estate or properly not a option keep the hatchback....

Hi there,

I have an Octy Estate. Two children, two dogs... sometimes need a roof box, but can mostly get away with out it. I have rigged up a cargo net against seats at rear of boot. Amazing what you can cram in there!

I think you'd get by with the Fabia Estate, provided you're not very tall so have more space in the rear.

But really I think you're going to appreciate the extra space in the Octavia more.

The first few years of parenthood will see you traveling with all kinds of stuff!

We have a Fabia Estate and a son who is now two and a half.

If it was our only car it would have been a bit inconvenient at times... and we didn't have any pets.

We bought a Yeti instead of an Octavia and managed fine, but the Octavia is better value and has a bigger boot for the dogs.

We couldn't have managed if we had a dog too.

Hi there,

I have an Octy Estate. Two children, two dogs... sometimes need a roof box, but can mostly get away with out it. I have rigged up a cargo net against seats at rear of boot. Amazing what you can cram in there!

cheers just out off intrest what dogs as size is another issue i have two shar pei.

I think you'd be better with the Octavia.

You could divide the boot in half easily for dogs and child stuff. I think you'd struggle and regret the fabia given your needs.

my mind is looking at the octavia do people know what the load weights off each model, over the rear axle?

cheers just out off intrest what dogs as size is another issue i have two shar pei.

Little and large!

Weimeraner and Border Terrier. In terms of 'mass' probably the same as your two!

Its a struggle to get a buggy in without the roof box, but i can get jackets, bags etc, a scooter!

Octy Estate is the perfect family hauler. diesel if you can.

Octy Estate is the perfect family hauler. diesel if you can.

there is this one

http://www.mitchellgroup.co.uk/previously-enjoyed/search/3122/skoda-octavia

20kg and 18kg you say?

A huge Border Terrier and a small Weimararner?

I have a Weimaranrer x Labrador and she manages fine in the boot with shopping etc.

It depends on your budget - if you can afford a decent octavia then go for it - if not go for a top spec fabia estate. Both offer plenty of room - the fabia estate offers more room than a 3 series BMW

20kg and 18kg you say?

A huge Border Terrier and a small Weimararner?

I have a Weimaranrer x Labrador and she manages fine in the boot with shopping etc.

It depends on your budget - if you can afford a decent octavia then go for it - if not go for a top spec fabia estate. Both offer plenty of room - the fabia estate offers more room than a 3 series BMW

We feed the Border miracle grow. Shocking results!

Have you seen images of 'Mexican Lion Dog' on web in recent weeks! Fantastic!

We also had a 320d Touring, Octavia boots seems huge in comparison.

No kids here, but three dogs (2 spaniel-mixes 12 kg each and a bulldog 32 kg) and we have an Octy vRS Estate that we use for family travel and a Seat Ibiza ST that I use for driving to work. Both have the OEM partition grille / dog guard - most aftermarket ones are flimsy and cannot be trusted to keep the dogs in the boot in an accident (the OEM ones have been crash tested).

As you have a kid on the way, I'd definitely go for the Octy. It has more space both in the rear seat area and the boot. An Ibiza/Fabia class car will get cramped in all but short travel.

My two Labs, about 40kg each, fitted in the back of my old furby estate but wouldn't really get anything else in. No way would they fit in the new furby hatch! But didn't buy it for that.

Octy should give enough space in the boot for dogs plus some stuff, but a roof box is useful as well for when you do bigger trips if you need a bit extra space.

believe it or not the fabia estate has a bigger carrying capacity than a honda accord estate, i think it's big enough for 2 medium sized dogs.

Definately go bigger. I have a vrs hatch for work. Can just use it at the weekend with air and two kids. Small pushchair only just fits. In the past had a mondeo, a Volvo v70 and now a Mazda 5, which is the best car ever for a family. Sliding doors are ace. We also have a roof box for any UK holidays

We have a 16 month little un and have done trips to Center Parks Nottingham, an Anglesey Bungalow and a Cornwall Cottage for self catering holidays in our Fabia vRS estate so far. We have a massive Mommas and Papas all terrain pram and don't tend to pack light (2x20k+ bags, travel cot from hell (seriously it would be smaller to flat pack our standard Ikea one), timberland hold all and 2x(full)rucksacks, shopping and baby stuff+pram), but we haven't required a roof box yet. So the 400l space with retractable parcel self is an extremely useful and boxy shape, but luggage doesn't run about or chew prams. With 2 large dogs i'd be thinking Octavia or if you could stretch a used Suberb estate. With a roof box anything is possible but i'm sure it'd be a push if you wanted to holiday at home or go away for the weekend with the dogs in even a Fabia estate, wouldn't like to think about coping in a hatch.

Edited 21 January, 201214 yr by RobL

No kids here, but three dogs (2 spaniel-mixes 12 kg each and a bulldog 32 kg) and we have an Octy vRS Estate that we use for family travel and a Seat Ibiza ST that I use for driving to work. Both have the OEM partition grille / dog guard - most aftermarket ones are flimsy and cannot be trusted to keep the dogs in the boot in an accident (the OEM ones have been crash tested).

As you have a kid on the way, I'd definitely go for the Octy. It has more space both in the rear seat area and the boot. An Ibiza/Fabia class car will get cramped in all but short travel.

Its probably just me but watching those cuddly toy dogs fly around in the car is hilarious.

On a serious note it sounds like the Octavia's the car for you!

Its probably just me but watching those cuddly toy dogs fly around in the car is hilarious.

The toy dogs are laden with weights, so they are actually 6 and 32 kg apiece - not just fluffy stuff inside. In a 50 km/h crash they would have an impact force of 180 and 957 kg, so proper restraint for the pets - properly crash-tested partition and/or a crate (properly attached to the car) are a must.

Oh dont get me wrong I certainly wouldn't want something like that hitting me in a crash. It totally deformed the drivers seat then it flew into the back of him.

Have you seen the mythbusters episode where they try to see if a tissue box on the parcel shelf could kill in a crash? They test a few common things which car often on there and the results are pretty surprising.

Having just recently swapped from an Octy vRS to a Fabia vRS estate my opinion is that although the Fabia is indeed a roomy small car the Octy is unfeasably able to cram just about everything in that you will ever need...

We have no dogs but I do have a wife for whom the term "travelling light" is an irrelevance........

Oh and the Octy will be a lot less rattly (is that a real word...) too.