Hi Guys!

We are contemplating the purchase of a 61 plate Monte Carlo 1.6td and we are seeking current drivers opinions on our choice, the reasons we are stalling, is for a few reasons mainly we currently drive a 3dr VX Astra which i hate a [1.6 petrol] dubbed "Atastraphy" as i have hated it since we got it almost 3yrs ago now? but at the time it was sporty looking and as my partner at least is young it was in keeping if you like however its proved reliable enough never letting us done in 30k mls covered but the fuel economy is horrific max being very carefull 30 tops and its impossible to see out of its rear to reverse without using ones mirrors the seats are damn uncomfortable on a decent run, other than that its ok i suppose, but we like the newer one less!

Now being a BIG VW man for many years [operating the now successfull T4-T5 Club UK www.volkswagen-transporter.co.uk for many years i know VW Group vehicles well but am not really inspired by Golfs not "sporty" enough unless VERY expensive so it was Seat or Skoda now having owned a few Caddies [skoda versions] in my past we resinated to Skoda to have a look yesterday and have to say i was impressed with the Monte Carlo, i did look, sit in and play with a VrS but for a number of reasons it wouldnt suit [suspension/seats mainly]and this is where i need a bit of advice please..

First off im kicking 50 and no speed freak, more into economy and comfort now than anything else really, however due to our homes location in the superbly scenic Highlands of Scotland that we love and wont move from [unless in my wooden box i fear, we currently live rural/coastal area on the NW side of Scotland close to Mallaig with some superb driving roads the A830 being the main drag for us, anyone that knows Fort William will know where i mean] this presents more issues in our choice of vehicle however in that our nearest supermarket is an 80ml roundtrip over A roads and our nearest "town" is either a 230 or 250 ml roundtrip??? add to this the biggest challenge in our car buying thinking i sadly suffer with the dreaded MS {and other internal deseases making travel painful and tedious in many vehicles} so now require comfort over most other things! whilst still able to drive i think i am far more likely to be a passenger more these days and driving on long journeys to give my partner a break, as i say our journeys are infrequent but long when and if we do have to go out..... [the 3ml jont to Mallig however on the last stretch of the A830 is brill, fast and superb to blow off any cobwebs or frustrations all the same]

So really what i need to know before making a final decision is what is the comfort levels like in such a vehicle when having been used for some time? whats the drive like with the factory alloys and suspension set up as is which is of real importance to us from a comfort perspective and is the quoted fuel figures at 60+ correct? in the real world from the 1.6td and is a dsg worthwhile thats about all for now oh ... also colours what looks best? one of the main things i like about this vehicle is its pretty well speced as standard but is there any must have accessories that anyone feels should or would better the driving experience longterm (we personal lease our vehicles having ownership for a 3 yr period with full cover on everything but we feel if this works out well we may buy this one when its lease ends? hence all our questions..

(we were also looking at the superb Audi A1s and A3s but to get the same levels of trim and fun it would have to be an S-line and they are just to expensive, we also looked at the Seat, Volvo and Vw ranges all of which excluding Skoda you really need to go to Passatt A4 levels to get decent spec?comfort and all are just price prohibitive the Skoda certainly gives it all in one out the showroom package....

I look forward to current Monte drivers views, suggestions etc

Cheers

Edited 25 January, 201214 yr by scotsmart

Hi Scotsmart,

I am a very content Monte owner with a red 1.6 tdi 105 , its been everything I expected it to be. To answer a few of your questions , in my opinion the option of climate control is a must as without this the dash a/c controls are basic looking and let the dash down a little. The only other options I went for was c/control and a spare wheel kit (DSG is not an option). Economy wise I know people’s experience varies but I can manage 65mpg if I drive accordingly , my average has been 60mpg since new with 9k on the clock in 7 months. The handling is sporty on the 17” rims with 40 profile tyres , I am currently on 15” winter tyres which has improved comfort but I am looking forward to going back to the 17” summers as the car feels more precise and planted.

Good luck with whatever you end up with .

I'd suspect that all fabias may be too firm given the conditions outlined. Something bigger and much softer, and auto(/dsg) would be my suggestion.

Disagree entirely. I am on my second Fabia now and can honestly say that for me, they are very comfortrable indeed. Did a trip from the North West to London and back in August with no discomfort whatsoever. Can't comment on fuel consumption as I don't have the 1.6 diesel although they generally have good write ups. So if you like the look of the car, go for it.

On colour, my preferance would be white, silver or red in that order but very much a personal choice. Hope this helps.

Fabia Monte Carlo

The special edition Fabia has been developed to celebrate 100 years of the Monte Carlo rally. The car is based on the SE but what really distinguishes the Monte Carlo is its black gloss wheel arches and door mirrors and striking black roof. It has sports suspenion. sports seats so it will be a firmer. i would go for SE or Elegance 1.6tdi cd as not got sports suspenion or seats

Edited 26 January, 201214 yr by skoda1982

We have petrol 1.2TSI (105BHP) Monte. The suspension definitely firmer than standard but not uncomfortably so. Car is very practical and looks great in all the colours IMO. If you trawl through the forum pages you'll find pictures of Monte in most options. We have standard Air Con which is OK but agree with a previous poster that the climate control looks classier. Amundsen Stereo/SatNav also looks great but the sound from standard unit is very good. Parking Sensors are a good option and be sure to get the spare wheel included. Good luck whatever you choose.

1327525738[/url]' post='2660706']

Fabia Monte Carlo

The special edition Fabia has been developed to celebrate 100 years of the Monte Carlo rally. The car is based on the SE but what really distinguishes the Monte Carlo is its black gloss wheel arches and door mirrors and striking black roof. It has sports suspenion. sports seats so it will be a firmer. i would go for SE or Elegance 1.6tdi cd DSG as not got sports suspenion or seats

I'm not sure but 1.6 tdi has no DSG I'm not 100% but can not say more than this as I will be slated for telling lies

Hello scotsmart

You might actually be better suited with an octy or a superb or yeti if you are experiancing any sort of mobility or join related issues.

Just being bigger cars they will give you more room to find a comfortable possition.

I would recomened the superb as one of the lads at work is an ex hammer athlete and he moved from an X5 to the superb and says its far more comfortable.

Scotsmart not jealous at all of where you live..........Best part of the best country in the world. What a driving road you have as well. I have been going your way on holiday for every year since I passed my test.

Have not driven the Monte but I did have a Fabia 3 with 16" alloys and the ride was really good considering the low profiles, we now have a Fabia SE Estate with 15" wheels and the ride is excellent. Not sure how well the Monte would fit your needs for comfort. For a supermini it is a big car. Easily as big as a Mk3 Golf I had a while back.

Guess you are not doing big miles. If you lease have you thought of a ....dare I say it but I will because it is not on your list...Mini Countryman (5 dr Mini)? A bit of a marmite car as later responses will probably demonstrate. I recently got a Mini One Diesel, because waiting times on the Fabia Greenline were too long and I have been seriously impressed with it. Monthly cost is really cheap (lower than Greenline) because of good residuals,diesel engine is smooth and very economical, 20k mile service intervals vs 9k in the Skoda. Not driven one but I think it could be good for your needs, slightly higher driving position for making the most of your wonderful scenery...the sunset over the islands on the road to Mallaig...I'm off again not jealous honest...Thinking about it more have you thought Skoda Yeti? Clarkson says it is all the car you will ever need.

If you are going Skoda and are prepared to drive a bit further can't recommend West End Garage in Broxburn enough. I am an obsessive negotiator come trade in time and they are always significantly more competitive than rivals, really easy to deal with as well. You could probably do it over the phone.

My mother in law had MS and for many years she used a Mondeo because it was big enough to take the wheel chair and for my father in law to get her into the passenger seat. I would consider the Octavia or Fabia Estate and for ride hight the Yeti.

Looking at the Fabia The Monty is nice looking and the SE Plus 1.6 105PS which has similar spec is cheaper. The SE Plus will have a slightly softer ride than the Monty with a bit more roll in the corners. The savings on the SE Plus could then go to adding extras like cruise control and ESP.

The 105PS has the best grunt out of the diesel engines and is more likely to give good MPG once run in and talking of extras ESP is a must for me as it has already saved my life in a previous car.

I find the slightly stiffer suspension much better in corners. The excessive roll of my previous Fabia sometimes felt like I was on a boat when negotiating several roundabouts. Unless the road is in a dreadful mess I cannot see it making a huge difference in normal driving.

Always found the seats in the Fabia to be very comfortable. The seats used on the Monte are quite supportive and my Father who has medical issues with his hips/spine find them no bother (when lifted to maximum height).

Suspension is fine IMO - might be stiffer than the other models, but by no means a hard ride

I am regularly getting ove 60mpg, so very cheap to run, and next to nothing in tax

Go for it

I wouldn't get hung up on derv though - fuel saving is likely to be about 4p per mile (40mpg @ £1.32 vs 60 mpg @ 1.41) then take into account the increased purchase price of the derv. Obviously that might work out in your favour, then again it might not and especially if you do short runs so are likely to come up against DPF problems.

All I'm saying is that I'd suggest driving the TSi and the derv back-to-back, and also note that the TSi with the excellent DSG auto box comes with ESP too.

Ok guys thanks for all your comments, what can i say kind of covers most of my points i suppose?

To whomever wasnt jealous of my home and area - yeah right

We as i say above always lease so residual running/maintenace and servicing costs are not an issue at leadt not short term but at 3 yrs old i would have the chance to buy it at a very competitive cost and might consider purchasing after lease (the first time we would of done so) :'(

As for fuel being in the Highlands we have quite well subsidised fuel as it goes but can see the argument my thoughts levitating towards derv simply due to the historical longeviety of VW group deisels ( i currently know of a T4 Transporter still running well at 743k yip you did read that right dont get me wrong a well serviced one owner vehicle with only one clutch change proving quite conclusively that these engines are the doggs danglies for reliability if correctly maintained, btw i also know first hand of some big mileage models of T5's as well mind) so this would be our reasoning for staying with-in the group if you like...

We looked, sat in etc a Passat, an Jetta and an Octavia which were all very nice but BIG and thus expensive let alone my partner is not really likely to want to drive what she sees as a taxi? apart from the residual deposits on new leased vehicles of this type are around three times + what the Monte is all factors we must take into account.

My partner is only a very young 37 and feels driving old folks/taxis has not quite yet hit her, as for the Yeti or Roomster they are just glorified vans (no offense meant nor intended to any owners) but ive been down this route before, so have concluded that we want something that at least looks semi sporty and will not like some manufacturers "sports" models rattle our teeth out their sockets so i think them the next step is to test drive one and try to get a feeling for its suspension ride and comfort first hand..

I may of misheard or misunderstood but im positive Arnold Clark in Inverness told us that Dsg is indeed available on the 1.6 Monte but i will have to check as i say its no big deal i had a semi auto Smart and loved it but am going into hospital later today after which i will hopefully know better if im going to be doing much driving if i am the dsg or auto would help i although suffering MS am still all be it aided by sticks and occasinally a chair/buggy thankfully still all things considered pretty mobile if not totally functional m main worries are getting in and out of an vehicle thus its ride height which immediately blows a lot off the list (most VW's as it goes sadly) but we felt the Monte was just a bit better in that respect i really think ALL manufacturers would do themselves a big favour if they had a hire car of each model you could even hire for a day pre purchase to get a better feel for these types of things in the absense of such availability its a short salesman accompanied test which really proves or disproves little.

My quest continues, more when i return from my second home :p

Fabia is a pretty common hire car so you may be able to get one. Depends on the dealer Arnold Clark in Glasgow gave me a Passat for the day when I was looking at one......still not jealous of where you live!

Ok were even im jealous you got a Passatt for the day (lol) strangely VW/AC in Inveness offered us an unsupervised testdrive which is the first time ive been offered that....... so may phone and ask Skoda if they would also offer even a few hours testdrive as i simply do not beleive you get a real feel for a car unless you can drive it "your" way if you know what i mean a salesman beathing down your neck is not really what you want, you want to be able to drive it for a reasonable distance over all types of roads and fiddle, play with knobs etc..

Not aware of anywhere i can hire a Skoda ??

I have owend a MK2 Fabia vRS and just chopped it in for a Monte 1.6 CR TDi 105 . The suspension is not as firm as it was on the vRS, the seats are very comfortable, and there is more weight to the doors and they sound better sound deadened than the vRS (possibly a weight thing?) I am very happy with my Monte and it is very comfortable, but I did come from a vRS so might be a bit biased.

cheers guys arranging a test drive hopefully this week coming so will let you know how i go! ( if anyone has any influence at Arnold Clark in Inverness that could lead to a full day loan i would be obliged )

More after test drive

1327841952[/url]' post='2665095']

cheers guys arranging a test drive hopefully this week coming so will let you know how i go! ( if anyone has any influence at Arnold Clark in Inverness that could lead to a full day loan i would be obliged )

More after test drive

I doubt this would be a problem but contact skoda direct they would sort it

Ok cheers for that i shall speak to Skoda direct them thanks for the advise ! as i said above even somewhere i could rent one for a day would do but i shall duly get onto it tommorow as running out of time my Astra goes back early May and they require 12 wks to order and build most new cars nowadays :wonder: