Hi everyone,

I am looking for your experiences with the Citigo vs. the 1st generation Fabia. Hopefully, a few of you have owned both and can compare them with respect to daily driving?

The question is, will the driving experience of the Citigo be inferior to the Fabia since it's smaller? How about on faster roads? I have driven the Citigo, but I am interested in the opinions of those with day-by-day experience with both cars.

Thank you!

Some more background if you're interested:

I currently drive a 2002 Fabia Combi (station wagon) 1.4 MPI 68bhp. I am not unhappy with it, but I have had to spend more money on repairs than I was hoping too - there could be more in store... The Citigo should give me significantly lower running costs. I don't usually carry any passengers and I only occasionally need the the boot space of the station wagon.

I do a daily commute of about 30 km each way, which is split between 80, 90 and 100 km/h speed limits (flat, straight roads). It works perfectly fine in the Fabia - will the Citigo be just as good? I had a test ride (60bhp) and it really felt solid all around. However, the engine needs to be revved more than my Fabia (although the Citigo has the best power and torque/weight ratio). My current car is slow by any standard - it hasn't bothered me, but that's maybe because much of it's power lies in the lower rpms.

I should also say that I live in Oslo, Norway, but will try to buy my car from Denmark, which will be considerably cheaper. Hopefully its resell value after two-three years in Norway will be about the same as I will pay for a new one in Denmark.

I found the main difference in the driving experience is the influence of the weight.

The Fabia is around 300kg heavier than the Citygo.

Which means the Fabia has a slightly more solid feeling to it, but is also more ponderous when driving.

The Citygo zips along and is very responsive to drive and can take corners at quite some speed.

The Citygo does take a bit of time to get to 70mph+ (just like the Fabia petrol) but it will sit there quite happily and doesn't get noisy until you venture over 80mph when wind noise becomes worse.

Obviosuly with the Citygo you have to wind it up more as the power comes in quite high in the rev range.

Overall I have to say the Citygo is good fun to drive while the Fabia was a bit boring unless it was the diesel VRS.

Put simply the Citygo is a more modern car with a more modern/lightweight design.

The lack of weight has a lot of positives and does make it possible to have fun even though it's no racing car.

I found the main difference in the driving experience is the influence of the weight.

The Fabia is around 300kg heavier than the Citygo.

Which means the Fabia has a slightly more solid feeling to it, but is also more ponderous when driving.

The Citygo zips along and is very responsive to drive and can take corners at quite some speed.

The Citygo does take a bit of time to get to 70mph+ (just like the Fabia petrol) but it will sit there quite happily and doesn't get noisy until you venture over 80mph when wind noise becomes worse.

Obviosuly with the Citygo you have to wind it up more as the power comes in quite high in the rev range.

Overall I have to say the Citygo is good fun to drive while the Fabia was a bit boring unless it was the diesel VRS.

Put simply the Citygo is a more modern car with a more modern/lightweight design.

The lack of weight has a lot of positives and does make it possible to have fun even though it's no racing car.

+1 on what bossfox said, i've gone from a remapped Fabia vRS to this small 1ltr car, it has to be the most fun car i've owned, really smooth ride, nippy around town and seems good on fuel as well, it feels more like a bigger car when driving it as well and very spacious inside!

I'll also echo what's been said especially on the comfort front. I came from a Vx Signum, basically a Vectra hatch with a different rear end. The comfort of the Citigo is very much like the Signum I owned and also feels as smooth to drive. Obviously the engine power is where the big difference is for me but I really expected it to be snail like compared to the above mentioned car, but I was quite surprised at how it performs. It sounds like it's the car you need to replace your Fabia.

Mick

Edited 24 September, 201213 yr by MickA

having owned both a 1.4 16v and 1.4 mpi Mk1 Fabias i can say it is hard to tell the difference in performance between the CitiGo 75PS and the 68bhp 1.4 MPI Mk1 Fabia (Infact the CitiGo has better power/weight ratio then the 1.4 MPI). I would also say there is less body roll, probably due to its smaller size.

+1 to what bossfox said

Thank you very much, all four, for the input.

I was a bit worried that the Citigo might be the wrong car for me since I do (short) motorway commuting (while I live in the city), but you have pretty much confirmed that I will be ok. It says a lot that you can go from bigger and more powerful cars like the Fabia VRS and Opel Signum and still be happy in the Citigo. I guess many people drive around in much bigger cars than necessary

One situation where you may miss the extra weight of the Fabia is on really snowy and/or icy winter days, but those are not too frequent in the Oslo area. On the other hand, the Citigo will have ESP and ASR that my Fabia does not have, so it should be up to the task in those conditions too.

It says a lot that you can go from bigger and more powerful cars like the Fabia VRS and Opel Signum and still be happy in the Citigo. I guess many people drive around in much bigger cars than necessary

Without wanting to play "mine's bigger" my other car is a 600bhp Nissan GT-R. But with the Citygo you appreciate it for what it is. Horses for courses.

Bare in mind it revs freely and at 4000rpm it's in the peak torque band doing around 90mph and not feeling strained, other than a bit of wind noise. It will do 80mph+ up (not very, very steep) hills with a couple of people in it no problem at all.

It really is well designed for what it is.

In winter I'd just get a skinnier set of winter tyres to give it a smaller footprint and more ground pressure.

Bare in mind it revs freely and at 4000rpm it's in the peak torque band doing around 90mph and not feeling strained, other than a bit of wind noise. It will do 80mph+ up (not very steep) hills

What wind noise? I can't hear anything

Without wanting to play "mine's bigger" my other car is a 600bhp Nissan GT-R. But with the Citygo you appreciate it for what it is. Horses for courses.

Bare in mind it revs freely and at 4000rpm it's in the peak torque band doing around 90mph and not feeling strained, other than a bit of wind noise. It will do 80mph+ up (not very, very steep) hills with a couple of people in it no problem at all.

I'll be happy as long as it can do 62.5 mph (max speed limit in Norway) with two people in it without feeling strained - so it sounds I'll be all right

I'll be happy as long as it can do 62.5 mph (max speed limit in Norway) with two people in it without feeling strained - so it sounds I'll be all right

More than alright! works ok on steep hills too

I'll be happy as long as it can do 62.5 mph (max speed limit in Norway) with two people in it without feeling strained - so it sounds I'll be all right

I was doing 60-65mph on the motorway with no effort at all. Infact I was holding back an awful lot really as I'm running in, only had the car 4 days. I reckon at that speed 60+mpg should be achievable.

Mick

vgnils, are you sure you are not me? Norwegian Fabia I Stw owner, with a Citigo on its way...

I actually purchased mine of half the price in a contest, so I bought it before testing it or even have seen one in real life. However, I think it was a good buy no matter how the car performs

I tested the Citigo yesterday, and it was no bad experience. My colleagues were impressed by the space inside (compared to 107 and Aygo etc). I gave it a test run in an area with a lot of speed bumps and holes in the road, and it seemed both more stiff and better damped (?) than my Fabia.

It gave the impression of being a well built, however simple, car. In that sense it seems like they have made the right compromises.

Now, I just have to decide whether to keep the Citigo and sell the Fabia, or the other way around...

By the way, when I rode my Fabia back after testing the Citigo, it suddenly seemed like a big and powerful car. Maybe I should test drive smaller cars once in a while

Edited 4 October, 201213 yr by cecolon

vgnils, are you sure you are not me? Norwegian Fabia I Stw owner, with a Citigo on its way...

I actually purchased mine of half the price in a contest, so I bought it before testing it or even have seen one in real life. However, I think it was a good buy no matter how the car performs

Hehe. I am pretty sure I am not you since I entered that same contest and didn't win! But congratulations, you beat me and a lot of other people to it! Did you succeed on the first or second announcement? If you can get something for half the price, it will usually be a good buy

After two test drives, I am quite sure I will be very happy with the driving experience in the Citigo. It's really a comfortable car to drive, both in and out of town. There may be times when I will miss the convenience of having a large boot, but only very rarely. The Citigo will give lower overall running costs (I am buying in Denmark, so avoiding much of the depreciation) and it's overall a more modern car, even if you can see evidence of cost-cutting here and there. But depending on your transportation needs, your conclusion may be different

By the way, when I rode my Fabia back after testing the Citigo, it suddenly seemed like a big and powerful car. Maybe I should test drive smaller cars once in a while

Which engine do you have in your Fabia? I have the old 1.4 68bhp and all official figures and my own experience indicate that it's slower than the Citigo But you can certainly feel the weight difference, which may be both good and bad.

I won in the first round. Actually, they sold it to too many people, but decided to make it right and sell to everyone that got the coupon code.

I forgot to mention that I had exactly the same thoughts as you after driving about the higher rpm needed to get some power, and the worries about driving on snow. I usually walk to work, and use the car for short distances, but I want to be able to go skiing and such.

I have the 1.2 64 hp which is even less, but as you say, that engine is newer. I like to think that a car with small engine and little help (ESP etc) teaches you to be a really good driver

How much do you save by buying it in Denmark? Wouldn't you have to give the savings back in fees when importing it?

I won in the first round. Actually, they sold it to too many people, but decided to make it right and sell to everyone that got the coupon code.

That's decent of them - seems their systems were not fully prepared to handle the interest.

I don't have much experience with ESP, but from what I've heard it's a safety feature that should go a long way in making the Citigo a better car for winter than my Fabia. Of course, you need a roof rack to carry skis while the Fabia can swallow them in the cabin if you put the back seats down.

Buying in Denmark will save me (after everything is accounted for) 35 - 40000 NOK on a 60hp Greentec Elegance so it's a significant saving. That includes an optional extended warranty so that it matches the standard Norwegian one.

Edited 4 October, 201213 yr by vgnils

Nice!

I have verified that a roof rack is available. I hope I can use the Thule system I already have for my skis, but I think they are fit to the different models.

I am still not determined if I should keep the Fabia or Citigo. But it would be really nice to have a new car with warranty and everything, and the backseats and storage is seldom used...

According to the Thule website, they have a roof rack that will fit the Citigo. I also have ski and bike holders from Thule and they can be mounted to any Thule roof rack, I think? I am a little worried about the car paint when mounting a roof rack directly on to the roof (no rails) so will try to find some way to protect it.

Good luck with your decision

The Thule roof rack is in the Danish brochure: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/1c6640e3#/1c6640e3/6

The Thule roof rack is in the Danish brochure: http://viewer.zmags....0e3#/1c6640e3/6

Thanks! Are you sure that is a Thule-made rack? I doesn't seem to look like any of the standard Thule racks?

Thanks! Are you sure that is a Thule-made rack? I doesn't seem to look like any of the standard Thule racks?

I believe, I saw Thule mentioned in the price list, but I might be wrong. There is a Skoda badge on the images in the brochure, so maybe not.

I traded up from a Fabia MK1 vRS to a Citigo and have never looked back.

I miss the outright speed of my heavily modified vRS, but my head says I've had my fun and speed just gets you into trouble. That aside, the Citigo is a better car in every way.

Interestingly enough, I'm 6'6" and the passenger sat behind me has MORE legroom in the Citigo, than in the Fabia. The car is like a Tardis!

Interestingly enough, I'm 6'6" and the passenger sat behind me has MORE legroom in the Citigo, than in the Fabia. The car is like a Tardis!

Amazing!

I am 183 cm, and tried to adjust the passenger seat to an "ok" position, and then jumped in back. I found quite uncomfortable.

More legroom...didn't say comfy!