Hi

This is my first post, so hello everyone!

Im hoping to buy a new Fabia VRS very soon after saving for one for over a year. However my mate says that the Ibiza FR PD 130 has better handling than the fabia and that i should go with one of them. Has anyone driven one of these FR's that can confirm this?

As i understand it the VRS although stated at 0-60 of 9.6 seconds can do it in under 8.5 is this true? and is this the same for all VAG PD 130 cars.

Personally I still prefer the VRS as it has chunkier looks and I've read has better build quality than the Seat and is also

Hi

This is my first post, so hello everyone!

Im hoping to buy a new Fabia VRS very soon after saving for one for over a year. However my mate says that the Ibiza FR PD 130 has better handling than the fabia and that i should go with one of them. Has anyone driven one of these FR's that can confirm this?

As i understand it the VRS although stated at 0-60 of 9.6 seconds can do it in under 8.5 is this true? and is this the same for all VAG PD 130 cars.

Personally I still prefer the VRS as it has chunkier looks and I've read has better build quality than the Seat and is also

Call me old fashioned but I like to buy from the local dealer I'm going to get to service the car.

In the case of my dealer that also means a free courtesy car for services, something not offered unless you've bought from them.

In my car, since I had the inside retrimmed, they also did the work of stripping the seats and doors out and refitting them - without additional charge - though I did pay list price...

I'm happy with the Furby - did a bit of soundproofing and stuff on it, but you can see that in my sig. As for the other car - not driven it. I'm sure it's fine too.

As for better handling - hmm not convinced. The Cupra R does have better handling. But that's not the same price.

It all depends on what you have in mind. If you are able to buy it and do some tweaks on it, the Furby will probably work out better in the long run. Brakes, Eibachs perhaps.

I'd also check out the Seat forum for an opinion based on someone owning one. The Seat build quality is a little lower, seems to be the impression. But they're not bad by any means either.

All depends on your preference. You driven both ?

got the same fob off story with the main dealers not being able to match internet prices.

Just happened to be in Norfolk over a weekend and went to the VW dealer. It had changed into a very large Skoda dealer since I was last down there .

Went in with the best prices I had got from the dealers local to me and a couple off the net print outs.

I wanted cruise and a sunroof on a red vRS so it made it a special order.

GOBSMACKED when they said they would match drivethedeal's price, paid the deposit there and then, delivery in July

So for the details

Simpsons Skoda ( Not VW )

Suffolk Road

Great Yarmouth

Norfolk

NR31 0LN 01493 601696 ( Darren Sampson, sales )

Worth travelling across the country to get a deal like that from a main dealer.

That was the item, but I think someone got the wrong Simpsons,as they have only been Skoda for a few months so I think DTD used someone else, all the dealr did is check online what their current price was and matched it

Forgot to say the Spanish build quality is as it ever was !

I went for the Skoda

as far as the furby o-60 time goes, at the dealer where I bought mine , they had copies of a car mag (think it was autocar) test on a standard fabia vRS which had a 0-60 time of 7.3 seconds! (think it was that, deffo low sevens anyway..)

I test drove both and found the Ibiza a little sharper (but you paid for it big time in the ride quality) and also much darker and claustrophobic inside. Both nice though.

Dont know how they managed a low seven seconder, even though I do believe the magazine in question it seems odd that a renault sport clio 172/182 pulls about 10 lenghts on a standard vRS to a ton, and it can only do 0-60 in the mid 6's, or if you believe renault 7?

I'd say 8 seconds for standard is about right - the Skoda times can be a little off as they're based on the old gearbox. Same goes for the fuel economy, for that matter :(

I'd say 8 seconds for standard is about right - the Skoda times can be a little off as they're based on the old gearbox. Same goes for the fuel economy, for that matter :(

mmm I've seen more magazine tests that have had it recorded at about 8.5 seconds, that autocar one was the quickest I've seen. personally I think furbys vary loads, sometimes my car feels like 7 seconds , sometimes feels like 10! (definatly faster in the cold and slower in the heat...) *wonders about a fmic! lol.....

Nothing realted about the cars, but a brief note on buying from the internet.

I bought mine from tins.co.uk, brand new, delivery was 2 weeks (quicker than what my local dealers could off) and the service was excellent.

When I got the car I popped to my local dealer to introduce myself, and the rest is history...

So have no worries about buying from reputable companies off the internet, its a class A service

Thanks for the quick repsonses guys!

Ive just noticed that Seat are offering 0% finance on the Seat FR at the moment and I guess I'd have to pay top whack at a dealer to get that rather than via drivethedeal for a lower price.

I think im going for the VRS, theres no denying it, its a great package for the money plus the more subtle ride will be better for long distances/motorways.

Anyone know of any drivethedeal suppliers in the south-east? Im in Folkestone, south east kent.

Do you think its worth going to the skoda dealers at Deal or Ashford to see if they will match drivethedeal price? Or am I wasting my time...

I understand drivethedeal have just one supplier.

My dealer (QAS, now Caffyns, Tunbridge Wells) went about halfway towards drivethedeal's price plus I get the dealer relationship.

It seems Autocar were surprised at the low result too - their actual wording is:

"Pretty much everyone who drove the Fabia was blown away by its pace... Testing at Millbrook showed that the sensation of speed was very real. A clear cold February day gave ideal conditions: the ground was dry and the air temperature freezing. Even so we didn't expect it to be so fast. Skoda claims a 0-62mph time of 9.6sec, but we managed consistent times of 8.2sec and one incredible but genuine, non-wind-assisted run of 7.2sec."

So I don't think you can expect to get 7.2sec out of it in normal road driving. Note though that it also had the old gearbox so the new close-ratio box might be marginally quicker.

It is rumoured that Autocar's example might have been remapped though there's no proof of this.

I'd say go get a drive in both. Only then will you appreciate the better build quality of the Fab vRS.

I share lifts with a bloke at work and he bought a FR soon after I'd bought the vRS. He said he would never have a Skoda 'cos he's gotta watch his street cred. LOL.

Although I've not driven the FR, from the passenger seat it feels a much firmer ride, and because of that nowhere near as comfortable. The inside is not as nice either. With the vRS you get leather steering wheel, gaiter, gear nob etc.. You also get the alloy 'sports pack' (alloy door pins, pedals etc.) which gives it that more refined feel. You get non of these in the FR, it really does feel like a cheaper model. OK you get the steering controls for the stereo on the wheel and as standard the stereo plays MP3s, but as all OEM stereos, it sounds pap!

My opinion would be to go for the vRS. But you're gonna get that on a Skoda forum :p Take them both out and make your own opinion. I think I know what it will be though

Oh and whats with the stupid sliver interior in the Ibiza FR! Oh and stupid round air vents! The cacky seats! The gear knob looks like it's out of base model as does....... [walks off mumbling to self.....]

From a quality point of view i would say the Fabia has it, same engines so not a lot in it plus it can be re-mapped easily with good gains, 189bhp + 423nm torque on mine! The factory workers are a very proud workforce therefore ensuring quality. Go for the Skoda would be my recomendation

Agreed, you'll want to drive the Fabia everytime you get a free minute!

So I don't think you can expect to get 7.2sec out of it in normal road driving. Note though that it also had the old gearbox so the new close-ratio box might be marginally quicker.

I believe the new gear box is only shorter for the final gear ratio so it probably won't have any bearing on 0-60 time

Chris

If you want to get up to 3 figures quickly, don't touch 6th anyway. At around 11x you may wish to drop into 6th. But then most of the time I drop it in 6th once I've stopped accelerating and then stick it on cruise (and that's at speeds a lot, lot more legal than the 11x as I enjoy keeping my license clean)

this is a 0-60 time from auto express long term test (against a rally prepared 1.416v)

However, my car was the wolf in sheep's clothing, as became obvious when the vRS scorched from 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds - Ollie didn't cross the 60mph mark until 10.6 seconds, even though the Group A car is equipped with a six-speed sequential gearbox, which meant he could keep his foot hard down and just bang the lever through the gears. This is one of the few modified parts on the Fabia rally car, as most of the rest of it is unchanged fro

8.1 not bad.....

Friend has just bought the FR (he is 66 BTW!).

I must say from an exterior point of view it looked cracking.The wheels and calipers looked rather special.

Peeking through his window the interior looked good too,Didn't sit in it.Last time I sat in one it did feel bit cramped.

A nice car

Friend has just bought the FR (he is 66 BTW!).

Peeking through his window the interior looked good too' date='Didn't sit in it.Last time I sat in one it did feel bit cramped.

A nice car[/quote']

I must say I thought it felt cramped inside which might have arisen from it seeming dark due to the rather high window waistline of the body. Or that it was a sunny day and I had shades on!

If you've got any fillings don't buy the FR :eek:

I test drove an FR hours after driving the vRS and hated it. On some of the same roads where the vRS felt totally smooth, the FR felt like it was driving on corrugated iron - it really was that much worse. There were also already several rattles from the dash.

I've had the vRS for 10 months now and would (and frequently do !) recommend it to anyone - totally trouble free, handles well, excellent ride, good build quality, fast, economical and reasonable to insure.

Geoff

The FR is definitely very, very firmly sprung. Bone jarring i'd say. Even my golf feels fairly soft and cosy compared to it (but the golf still handles better than the FR).