D is for cruising and fuel economy.... when you want instant responses used the paddles to ovveride... e.g. approaching a roundabout, use the left paddle to drop to 3rd (or if slower 2nd) then accelerate away, changing up with the right paddle, then pull and hold right paddle at crusing speed to re-enter D.. e.g 2, when wanting to overtake, pull tle left paddle 3 times to engage lower gear , then folloow the rest of e.g 1

Hmmm, I would have thought D would be able to cope with spirited driving when you press the accelerator a bit. Bit annoying if I have to override it with the paddles or use S all the time. Will do the 'reset' and experiment at lunch.

When you are cruising and want to give it a welly (is this a word ? lol) "D" is perfectly good to do so. As shark said, use paddles, they are great fun! Can get funny on bendy sections but that what "S" is for .

Give it 4 weeks to learn the car before you even start thinking about anything to change with it

It is adaptive to your driving style and will take a few miles to try and change its shift pattern to suit your driving style.

Just come back from a drive. I tried the resetting technique (ignition off, foot on accelerator until it clicks, then hold for 10-20 seconds and release). It actually does feel different now. Feels more linear and was holding gears longer until I backed off the accelerator and it changed up. Seems as though it is trying to learn my driving style. How much of this is true and how much of it is in my head I am not sure. S mode didn't want to go above S3, even when trying to cruise at about 70 on the motorway though.

Will do a mini review later.

You have 7 gears in 'D', but 6 gears when in 'S'.

Normally if in D 7 @ around 70mph, if you move the stick back to 'S' it will do to 'S5'.

I would do some driving in 'D' & let the gearbox get used to your driving, use 'S' or Manual shifts if you like,

but '70' on the Motorway, cruising & in 'S 3' does not sound good.

70 in 'S 3' & accelerating sound very good. but it will be going up through the gears,

depending on how hard you are accelerating it might go to 'S6 at around 110..

george

Well, I use "S" either for accelerating hard or engine braking, nothing else.

Sometimes I use "D" for hard acceleration as it shifts before red line which I prefer really.

When I left it in "S" for a short time It did shift up when detected a steady throttle pedal position.

There is really no reason to bother with hand-shifting from D to S back and forth when you got the paddles for this reason at the tip of your fingers, ready and waiting. Way more fast, accurate and efficient whether it has to do with preparing for a quick overtake, engine brake or whatever.

Kind of cancels the very meaning of driving an Auto If you take your hand off the wheel all the time. After all, it's only you that knows whether you want to engine brake a little or are braking hard before a junction, hence which gear is the best for every unpredicted condition.

I can only understand that in the beginning, paddles may feel strange to some, like the ones that never played racing games in the pc or playstation, but once you get used to them you'll most probably drive in Manual most of the time and forget about S.

IMO, One advantage of dropping to 'S' from 'D' is it drops 2 gears instantly, right into the rev range i want.

Hits 3500 rpm the way i do it, and i do not need to look at the Rev counter.

Be that for Slowing or going faster

& No looking at the 'gear indicator' when i want to be looking at the road, & no dropping one gear at a time.

I can drop 2 gears and kick down or change once more with the paddle still instead.

Or, Decelerate by 2 gears & straight back into 'D' to accelerate or stay in 'S' & accelerate.

Hand is momentaraily off the wheel & then fully on the wheel again,

the paddle option is still there if a drop or increase 1 gear if required again.

Maybe just a generation thing, not being a paddle fan.

george

IMO, One advantage of dropping to 'S' from 'D' is it drops 2 gears instantly, right into the rev range i want.

Be that Slowing or going faster

No looking at the 'gear indicator' & dropping one gear at a time.

george

Who needs to see the gear indicator and wait for one gear down at the time?

Best thing I enjoy with paddles is when approaching a roundabout while cruising in 6th or 7th, braking and at the same time pulling the left paddle 3 times in a row, immediately in 3rd, road clear, then off I go... If I bothered with S I would be found at 4th, which given the braking I had applied would be too high, hence I wouldn't be able to drive off as nice as with 3rd gear. That's why I said there are times only you know which gear is 100% right for the situation.

There is one problem with the paddles. If you are in a really twisty section you are not able to change gears when needed hence me preferring S in such situations, does good enough a job so far To drive any faster I'd need a proper race track...

newbie69,

Horses for courses then,

i was not meaning for roundabouts and roads like that or 1st gear i am never in 1st gear apart from starting off,

virtually never in 2nd,,Gear points and changes in 'D' suit me much more than change points of 'S' so really i use 'S' lots to decelerate & maintain good traction, no brakes used.

Just my habit to knock across to manual to drop gears one at a time and then knock back across to 'D', not into holding the Paddle to go back to 'D'.

i was thinking mostly hills and bends & motoring on..

It is good that the DSG and the twin charger gives so many ways to drive the combination.

george

I think the lesson here is you have a lot to get used to, I also find the paddle shift to be really good once you are used to it, roundabouts as stated above and especially overtaking on single carriageway roads, paddles are great.

One other thing to get used is the kick down, if you want a fast down change to get moving then stab the accelerator all the way down! No good just pressing a bit, mash it! then it will pick up, usually dropping two possibly three gears at once.

One thing for sure you will have a big grin on your face everytime you do stab it, regardless of paddle shift or kick down, it is great!

It's true that in very twisty sections you may have a hard time finding that paddle. But that's why I always prefer Manual mode as I said before. Because not only you always are in the right gear but even if you are unable to get to the paddle, it suffices pushing the stick forwards (or downwards) and you're done. Again, Manual mode is a win-win situation in my eyes.

100 mile review:

2010 Rallye Green Fabia VRS with options - sun roof, parking sensors, sunglasses holder (standard?), climate control, bluetooth, cruise control, rubber mats, mud flaps. 9000 miles.

2010 Skoda Fabia VRS by Graeme_Smith, on Flickr

Exterior Looks - I'm not bowled over by the exterior looks of the Fabia VRS. I like some parts like the front bumper and the rear diffuser with exhaust tips, but I don't really like the boxy nature of the car. I also requested that the black Gigaro alloys were refurbed in silver prior to picking it up. I have to say these now look stunning and a lot less 'Halfords' than the black colour (alienates half of the forum...). The car really needs to sit lower to make more of an impression on the road. The green colour is lovely, but i'm still getting over the in-your-face aspect of this (it has already caused some stir in my office!).

Interior - Really impressed with it inside. Contrary to what many reviews have said the cabin is very classy, with some nice plastics. Seats are nice and supportive and look great too. The dash and maxi-dot display are a touch of class, whilst the climate control really finishes the cabin off nicely. Top marks here.

Engine and gearbox - this is a quick car, but deceptively so. At normal speeds everything is quiet, the engine hardly audible, with the DSG box changing smoothly. However when you want it to shift it does so. The DSG box is taking some getting used to, but after doing the reset (which I'm sure has done something) the car is driving a lot more aggressively and changing up and down more in tune to what I wanted. S mode is plain loutish and a lot of fun, but Im not sure I could drive for a prolonged period in this mode.

My previous car was a mk4 Ibiza FR PD130 (so pretty much a mk1 Fabia VRS) and the mk2 Fabia VRS is definitely quicker. It loves to rev and this is where it is a joy to drive where the PD130 would run out of puff.

Handling - It's ok, but just ok. There isn't too much body roll at sensible speeds, and it grips well but the feedback is poor. From the first 100 miles I have driven it is difficult to feel the grip levels. The car rides very well and doesn't crash too much over road undulations, and the steering weight was a pleasant suprise - much heavier than my Ibiza.

100 miles conclusions - I am pleased with the purchase and the engine is a fine one. It has got flaws, but I knew that when buying. The compromise in handling makes this car a nice commuter and all rounder which I think is what it was meant to be. It isn't a hardcore racer and was never meant to be one. I am still getting to grips with the car so some of these points may be plain wrong, but they are just initial thoughts.

Good review matey. Like the silver wheels. How did they 'refurb' them from black? Agree with comments re 'S' mode, don't ever use it myself as revs too high- manual chages with paddles/stick much more fun imo.

Good review matey. Like the silver wheels. How did they 'refurb' them from black? Agree with comments re 'S' mode, don't ever use it myself as revs too high- manual chages with paddles/stick much more fun imo.

The dealer used a wheel refurb company that they use for their vehicles. Lepsons in Gillingham

Good review matey. Like the silver wheels. How did they 'refurb' them from black? Agree with comments re 'S' mode, don't ever use it myself as revs too high- manual chages with paddles/stick much more fun imo.

They just strip them right back and re-paint them. I had that done to my 'Chrome' Gigaros and now they're just effectively 'standard' Gigaros -

Enjoyed your review Grapo - glad you're pleased with it. I had the same concerns re oil use but it was a case of having an itch and wanting to scratch it - as soon as I test drove the car I wanted it. Particularly agree with your comments on the interior (and climate control finishing it off) - although I liked the, er, minimalist approach of my MKI, the MKII interior is a much, much nicer place to sit.

Agreed with your interior comments! It is really comfy, quality materials, ergonomic and easy to use. Have a gripe with green bakc light of switches etc on my manual A/C as the only downside really.

I love driving on "S" but you have to be in that special mood and be sure there is no plod around . I have not been overtaken so far

From reading this thread think I need to 'reset' my DSG - car gets too 'easy' a life.

I always said that she needs a firm hand and be told what you want and then comply.

errr... did it come out all wrong ?

The manual says the dsg adjusts based on how you shift, by learning from your tiptronic manual shifting behaviour.

Nice car Grapo. Looks so much better with Silver alloys. I'm also not a lover of Black ones.

Hope you enjoy. Have fun!

I have driven 300 miles now and I am getting used to the gear box. It is more responsive than at first, however I still feel it is always in the wrong gear on roundabouts meaning you can't put your foot down when exiting as it is in too high a gear. Have started to use the paddles for the odd blast and this works very well.

The whole car is very 'grown up', but the road noise on the motorway is quite bad. Don't get me wrong though I am loving it so far.

I have driven 300 miles now and I am getting used to the gear box. It is more responsive than at first, however I still feel it is always in the wrong gear on roundabouts meaning you can't put your foot down when exiting as it is in too high a gear. Have started to use the paddles for the odd blast and this works very well.

The whole car is very 'grown up', but the road noise on the motorway is quite bad. Don't get me wrong though I am loving it so far.

When I want dynamic "roundabout driving" I leave it in "S" and it does the job very well indeed making the traction control systems work REALLY hard. I accelerated from the lights on a huge roundabout (8 roads in and out and 4 or 5 sets of traffic lights on the roundabout itself lol). It was going a bit uphill and off camber. I kept the foot planted and could feel "loose" grip but it was still gripping and accelerating hard. Only when I exited the roundabout it bit hard and I wass pushed against the seat. A day earlier on the same roundabout (I obviously love that one ) but exiting at different exit I was racing a scooby, I think it was 7 years old or something. I put it in "S" waiting for green and smashed the accelerator. The exit goes hard left into dual carriage-way, downhill and off camber - scooby could not get the traction and I run away/ Then on the straight he was not closing at all until I had to break. Pretty happy with "S" performance .

I'd agree with road noise, I even notice it at low speeds... :( What rubber are you on?