10000 mile Fabia vRS Estate Review

[MartynVRS]

Since it’s almost done 10,000 miles and just had the first service I thought it was about time I wrote a follow up report on my vRS Estate. I do go on a bit but there’s a lot to say.

It’s a car I’ll go out just to drive in. It makes me take the long way home and eggs me on through every corner. As many have said this car has Jekyll and Hyde personality which can be unleashed at any time. It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it yet is dependable. It’s childish I know but being able to beat things sometimes three times the price is great and overtakes are easy. It’s a laugh and that’s important in a car. I even get withdrawal symptoms if I can’t take it for a blast at least once a week.

It laps up whatever you throw at it too. It fires out of corners, charges hard up the revs, bang up the next gear and another then brake hard round the next corner and do it all over again. It’s fantastic!

Good on a blast then?

Absolutely. Performance has been great and I feel it getting faster all the time, especially after the service. It’s been to Castle Combe and been on the South Wales run with no issues. Both occasions let me push the car harder than normal. Sure when you really go for it you notice the roll but this was at Combe. On roads you don’t notice so much and doesn’t spoil it at all. The setup is fun, not too hard and backbreaking nor is it too soft. Good for our crap roads. I’ve also noticed how easy it is to flow through corners without much effort while still making good time. It’s shocked quite a few of my passengers too how effortlessly it accelerates, blips up and down the box and fires you out of the next corner.

But what’s it like every day?

My commute involves driving 4 times a week in stop-start traffic and once on a longer run to another store where I can open it up more. DSG really comes into its own here. Fuel economy is improving all the time but does drink fuel on the way home as it’s uphill and slow plus my impatience. My Fuelly would be showing higher mpg otherwise. Driving tidy round roads between 30 and 60mph I get 36-40mpg easily and on a run to Preston I saw near 50mpg. Now it’s had a service I hit 40mpg going to work in the other shop when the norm is 36mpg.

How does it stop?

Brakes I’ve found are fine. At normal speeds and for emergency stops they are very good. When pushing hard for more than 10-15mins they do get hot as I think most of us have found. They are a lot better than the standard Mk1 Fabia vRS brakes though. There are still a few VCDS tweaks I want to make but fine for the moment.

DSG is definitely the faster way to change. I can see why many don’t like DSG having only had a quick go, it takes a while to get used to it but when you do it’s so rewarding. I like learning new technology and new methods of driving but if you’re the type of person who’s stuck in their ways and would like to see starting handles come back then this won’t be for you.

I tend to use paddles most of the time. It adds something special to even the most mundane journey. Tend to use D at slow speeds and starting off in traffic then switch over when it gets up to 2^nd or 3^rd .

Boot space has been great and I’m glad I got the estate now. With seats flat I can fit my road bike in without taking wheels off. I do have to drop one seat to get rods in but this more me not wanting any sand or mud in the car and I cover it. I have the boot cover you can get from Skoda and it’s paid for itself. Keeps all the mud and dirt contained. The car handles weight well too. Had a few KG of adhesive in a few months ago fine. Here’s the kayak on Thule bars which are a good fit. The kayak looks a lot better on this car compared to the Mk1. I had several feet overhanging before.

Niggles?

Not much really. Within the first 1000 miles it wouldn’t lock but then after 10 mins it did fine. Went to Skoda for a reset but has done it twice since. Not a major problem as you can still lock with the key. There’s a small rattle coming from where the DRL switch is. Also now and again one of my parking sensors will go off when there’s nothing there. Haven’t had time to look yet and didn’t have time for the dealer to do it. The lights at night are ok. I’ve had better and I’ve had worse. I do sometimes miss the interaction of a manual but having use of two very good manual cars I don’t miss out. Plus the sheer speed of DSG outweighs this point. My brother compared it to changing gear on Gran Turismo and I’m sure it’s just as fast.

All of the negative points are really, really minor. Many go on about faults with cars in general as if they are the worst thing ever to happen and condemn the car because of it and for me they’re missing the point (or just trolling I’m not sure...). It’s a cheap, small (relatively) hot hatch. Some have said it’s not hot are being silly. Coupled with the DSG box it’s quick and embarrasses things a lot more expensive and it’s fun to drive. I always buy a car for my needs at the time and currently this ticks all the boxes and more. Decent on fuel for the performance, plenty of power with easy options for more, handles playfully enough, buckets of room and my local dealer is great which for me is a big plus point. Always get remembered, never fobbed off and given decent prices every time I go there.

Anything you don’t like?

It’s always hard to stay impartial when you own the car but there isn’t much really I can criticise it for considering how good value for money it is. I suppose it could have come with more power or stiffer suspension or more space or more tech but then would have cost a lot more. Lots criticise Fabias for having harsh plastics but this doesn’t bother me. All I care about is the controls I touch when I drive the car which are all great. I’m sorry but I don’t get the dash stroking fetish some have.

Overall it’s been great.

Consumables

Oil – 4 litres in 10k

Tyres x2 @ 9000 miles – Original tyres were Continentals which were fine until 3mm and went off the cliff. Changed to Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalines which so far take a while to warm up but once they do are great. Considering it’s a summer tyre pretty good in the wet too.

[sharkrider]

nice review Marty

[seboni121]

Nice review well done keep enjoying it

[Rsrob]

Very nice review

The fabia vRS estate is very cool car i love my one

[MartynVRS]

Thanks. It's been great.

[skodakev]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.I'll certainly be test driving a Fabia with a DSG next time.

[Brian69]

Smart motor.

I've seen a white estate with 'bump strips' along the side - somewhat detracts from it - the 'clean' look is much better.

[MartynVRS]

Yeah the clean look is better. One thing I forgot to add is how big it is to clean compared to similar sized hatches. It takes time but then I'm fairly careful when I do it. Was washing once a week but it's once every 3 if I'm luck with the weather being crap. Spending more time enjoying driving. You will notice tar spots more with it being white but then you can easily get them off because you can see them. The back end often looks like a dalmatian Wheels were sealed and waxed several times in the first month I had it and keeping them clean has been easy. Much better than the Mk1 which were a nightmare.

Hoping to go for a spin after work if it's dry but not looking promising

[Stug]

Great review

[Elliot C]

I actually dont think there is better value for money than the Fabias just dont get why we dont see more of them on the roads!

[tonyfvrs]

Brilliant review and reflects my feelings except for one thing.

RATTLES; everything rattles some of the time, dependent on temperature and road surface.

I have fixed some, but now treat the car like my wife's old 2CV, everything rattles, so forget asking the dealer and live with them.

However it's the best car I have driven.

Tony

[NorthernSoul]

Great review Martyn – As always, your thoughts are very interesting and reflect my findings about the car – overall it’s great.

I took my vRS estate for its’ first long run to Newquay in Cornwall on holiday last week - We (me, wife + two children), always take far too much luggage than we really need with us, but the boot managed to hold it all.

Averaged over 42mpg on the trip down, which is pretty good given the car was fully laden.

I achieved 38mpg on the way back – I drove quite briskly (232 miles, door to door, in 3hrs 20mins). The car was great to drive on the Motorway, although the wife did comment on the heavy ‘thump’ upon hitting the cats-eyes when changing lanes in order to overtake – A combination of the weight in the car, low-profile tyres and the suspension set-up I guess.

The DSG works like a dream in every situation – I rarely use the paddles, maybe I should make the effort.

On a different note, for those that are interested, I did find that you can only get standard 95 RON petrol in that part of Cornwall.

Edited 5 August, 2012 by NorthernSoul

[dirty hari]

On a different note, for those that are interested, I did find that you can only get standard 95 RON petrol in that part of Cornwall.

off to Cornwall soon, will be taking some octane booster now thanks

[ardandy]

Agree with pretty much all that review, although the colour could be better!

Handles me, the missus and a 1 year old on long trips with all the stuff and luggage that goes with them!

[MartynVRS]

My only rattle is by the DRL switch with I think is the cover and now and again the armrest will creak but these are minor concerns. As for finding 98+ fuel I had that problem when I went to Aberystwyth on holiday for a week. Nowhere seemed to sell it apart from Lampeter on the way home. Most of the garages up there were Texaco and some did premium, apparently it's not that good and more expensive than V Power

[Polo6n1600i]

Thats been really a great review and exactly what I was looking to read!

I'm going to test drive your car's evil twin tomorrow!

 

Looked at a Yeti - but dog can't jump up into the back its too high for her.

 

But I do have a quick question - Will it fit 5 in it plus dog in the boot??? (myself, wife, 2 girls - 10 & 7 - one in a booster seat, and in June baby number 3 arrives!)

[pearce_jj]

Depends on the baby seat, it does fit two high back boosters plus aged 8-10 in the middle.

[Ootohere]

I do not have an Estate, just a hatch, and it is run pretty light,  so others can maybe comment on a VRS Estate for Family use.

 

Fuel Consumptions drops lots IME when carry full loads, but that is full sized adults and luggage and still nipping along.

but then maybe OK when driving at Family Use type speeds,

or MPG does not matter to you.

 

Ex Demonstrators and slightly used MK 3 Octavia vRS Estates can be a bit of a steal,

they look like being depreciation disasters, so a good buy as a keeper.

(Asking prices are not really an indication of how little you might have to pay to buy one.,

obviously Skoda Dealers do not want them appearing too cheap, but there are some bargains around with Demonstrator type miles on them.)

[MartynVRS]

 

Ex Demonstrators and slightly used MK 3 Octavia vRS Estates can be a bit of a steal,

they look like being depreciation disasters, so a good buy as a keeper.

(Asking prices are not really an indication of how little you might have to pay to buy one.,

obviously Skoda Dealers do not want them appearing too cheap, but there are some bargains around with Demonstrator type miles on them.)

 

I haven't seen any bargain MK3's yet. I'm wanting to buy a Mk2 TDI estate but even these are being priced optimistically.

[sharkrider]

its fine loaded up, I have eibach springs and RARB, and have had the boot full berfore, no issues.

[pirving]

Test drove the Fabia VRS last weekend, just used DSG. Been used to Avensis 2.2diesel with 150 brake and 250 lb/ft torque but this was like the starship Enterprise going to warp. Need to find some money so I can trade in my 86BHP SE. :-(

[Polo6n1600i]

I take it the rear arb is the whiteline one?

[sharkrider]

I take it the rear arb is the whiteline one?

no H&R much stiffer, NO droplinks

[MartynVRS]

Oh and it runs perfectly fine on normal unleaded but only from proper stations like Shell, Murco, etc. I was forced to use half a tank of Morrisons and it run like a dog. Hesitant, lot less power. Went to Shell for a tank of VPower to clear it out and was fine. But next tank I went for Shell 95. Runs almost the same on it. Only thing of note is the power starts to tail off after 5.5k but will still happily rev to the limiter. Hasn't been any issues for the last 5000 miles for my commute and almost all of them have been driven hard.

[Ootohere]

& might have a rougher cold start, and might burn out spark plugs with continues use and expecting to use the Twinchargers available performance.

(or just the spark plug for Cylinder 3)

 

All EU Type Approved cars are required to run  on 95 ron fuel and do,

but the Prescribed Fuel for Twinchargers is 98 ron.

 

I would not be wanting to buy a Twincharger that has been getting driven spirited with 95 ron used, without getting the spark plugs replaced at the first service.

I would not go past the 2nd servoce on the Oiginal plugs, even where the Service Schedule is 40,000 miles.

But then the Prescribed Fuel is 98 ron, when they say 40,000 miles for spark plugs.

 

They feel just fine until misfiring under load, & misfiring Twinchargers on Turbo tend to cause problems.