After several times 'nearly' buying a Fabia vRS but not quite getting there due to rather rubbish deals being offered by dealerships, two years has passed since I first went to look at one. Here lies the problem - my kids are getting older and thus bigger.

Does anyone use their Fabia for general family duties such as transporting kids and stuff from B&Q? Is it big enough?

I had an Ibiza TDI a while ago which is obviously the same chassis, and we managed okay, but time has elapsed. Plus we also get back to that light coloured trim on the vRS.........does it stand up to it?

Thanks!

I guess it really depends what you're carrying around.... It is a small car, but it is 5 door and there is room in the back for the kids, but the boot is pretty small.....

Chris

Yeah, despite bribery and threats, I can't persuade them to travel in the boot no matter how big or small it is. So they just sit there on the back seat wrecking my expensive trim with pasty crumbs and grease!!!

Yeah, despite bribery and threats, I can't persuade them to travel in the boot no matter how big or small it is. So they just sit there on the back seat wrecking my expensive trim with pasty crumbs and grease!!!

Cool, bring them to my chippy

Only if I can 'measure them up' in the back of your Furby!

Seriously though - I'd love to, but it's a wee bit of a trek from deepest Devon.

Who makes your Pasties BTW?

For the back seats you could try Scotchgard (available from B&Q - get one on your next trip :P) however I doubt anything will be able to stop kids and their mess getting through!

Not too worried about the back seat itself as I can cover it with a blanket or something equally glamourous, more worried about legroom and muddy shoes on the back of the front seats....

Only if I can 'measure them up' in the back of your Furby!

Seriously though - I'd love to' date=' but it's a wee bit of a trek from deepest Devon.

Who makes your Pasties BTW?[/quote']

Holland's, and they are crap, but my customers won't try any others..:thumbdwn:

In answer to your original question, I'm sick to death of the state of my seats. I run my greasy staff home at night, and the stains are beyond a joke, although 30 mins a week brings them up again...

Hmmm, not familiar with Hollands.

How do your kitchen slaves find the leg room in the back?

I find mine is spot on for family duties (one 5 year old daughter plus the "Significant Other" + Mum and Dad's dog on a regular basis). The seats clean up no problem with a good hoover and the boot is deceptive (I never cease to be amazed by the amount that it swallows up). "Significant Other" has a Megane yet when we go up to the Lakes for weekends (as we aften do) I load us all into the VRS no problems and we crusie up in amazing comfort and refinement for a so called "small car".

Get an octy if this is an issue

Get an octy if this is an issue

Got a Golf at the moment, Octy would be little improvement and too long to fit in my garage(!)

Fabia vRS has always ticked the right boxes for me - I like the styling, the compact-ness, the VAG engineering and mechanicals, value for money etc etc. Soon as I first saw one I wanted one, when Diesel Car first test drove a Czech import a couple of years ago. Just need to get one out of my system I think!

In my opinion the Fabia feels Golf sized, Octy looks a size up and from the ones I've sat in feels like a size up from a Golf !!! (and yes I do know the Golf and Octy share the same platform)

I know what you mean John. My Dad's Bora feels bigger than my Golf for some reason.

The Furby feels Golf-ish I think because it's styled quite Golf-ish

The Octy (I) has a much bigger boot that the Golf - dunno about the Golf Plus as I've not seen one 'for real'. Definitely WAAAAY bigger boot than the Furby, no doubt about that.

You can fit 4 adults + reasonable amount of shopping, but if you need more room, hmm, not quite so sure.

As for the staining - that's gonna be a problem with kids generally. Leather might be easier to clean, but it's an expensive upgrade (and SWMBO won't let me :( :( )

Surprised the Octy is too long for the garage - can I guess, it's a fairly new house/garage? For some reason some garages would 'fit' say a Ford Fiesta but you couldnt open the doors (at all)

i hope it does as my wife is 17 weeks pregnant and i am now stuck with the vrs not that i dont like it. more that i will not be able to afford any thing else good for my-self for the next 16 years, so it best hold up to it's rep, and for one last blast of money i may have to consider giving it leather seats, as im not to sure if baby sick will go well with the light grey

Ref the garage: It's mostly to do with the amount of junk in there. Can't keep it anywhere else as the shed's full and the attic too! Fabia would give me an extra 9 inches or so of 'junk space' to back fill.

Have 2 kids myself, and yes no matter what anyone says they will put there dirty muddy feet on the back of your front seats.

what I have done is got a set of grey medium size seat covers and put them over the front seats and just used the bench part of the back ones for the back, it looks like crap but my seats remain clean and they take 2 min to take off if im out on my own.

As for the size well I take my kids to B & Q and IKEA and get the usual junk that we buy no problem, I also have no probs with my shopping and the mother in laws shopping boot is not to bad, holiday is going to be a tight squeeze but prety sure i will get most in boot and rest in the back with the kids.

It is a small car and the boot is small ish but think you will be supprised.

can honestly say that knowing how kids are if u dont cover the seats they will get filthy so covers are a must no matter how crap they look.

After several times 'nearly' buying a Fabia vRS but not quite getting there due to rather rubbish deals being offered by dealerships' date=' two years has passed since I first went to look at one. Here lies the problem - my kids are getting older and thus bigger.

Does anyone use their Fabia for general family duties such as transporting kids and stuff from B&Q? Is it big enough?

I had an Ibiza TDI a while ago which is obviously the same chassis, and we managed okay, but time has elapsed. Plus we also get back to that light coloured trim on the vRS.........does it stand up to it?

Thanks! [/quote']

Likewise I was concerned about "downshifting" from an old tech turbo D estate. Cavernous box, ideal for moving stuff and lads (15 & 19) but out of 365 days it was only doing that maybe 10-20% of the time.

Now the 19 year old has his own car and is hardly ever present, 15 year old wouldn't be seen dead out with Mum & Dad!

Took the plunge and got the vRS (cheap insurance whatever age, but over 50 the premium almost qualifies as peanuts). For me the vRS drive/torque is the proverbial dogs danglies, with mystical reminiscences of blasting my Dad's old 1968 straight six 3.3litre Vauxhall up and down to the midlands in 1976... wonderful old GM sixes...ahhh

So far haven't missed the estate one bit, vRS seats fold down and the rear cushions lift out, I can get 2mtr lengths of timber inside (maybe even 3mtrs corner to corner) and longer on the roof rack which can be fitted if needed. A few old sheets & curtains plus a boot dish protects the interior when needed and so far touch wood nothing untoward even on trips to the local dump.

Ibiza PD130 has same engine but much harsher ride, OK if you're 22 and still have hair to gel, but those of us with a bit of crustiness might prefer the softer set up of the vRS.

Slight downside is that my two sons and their mates are constantly badgering for lifts here and there, now the old man has a cool ride instead of the old "banger".

Curries, coke, beer, sweets, ice creams are all banned however! With all that torque you hardly notice the four burly 19 year old's parked in the passenger seats tuned up for a night on the town. Shame they don't pay me the same as the taxi driver!

So far so good.

You need to be sensible with the light upholstery but a small price for the rest of the package. I wouldn't let a 5 year old loose in there with his choc ice though.

Look for a nearly new demo if the new ones are outside the budget.

Ultimately its down to what you want from a vehicle, but I'd sooner have the vRS than a Honda Jazz - not quite on pension yet.

Surf the torque and smile all the way

My friends, some of them 6ft or thereabouts, never had any complaints about the rear leg room in the Fabia vRS. I think one thing that helps, is the back of the seats are "carved out" for more leg room. I think it would have no problems accomodating children. And I don't think they know they're born - when i was 13 I had the "pleasure" of having to sit in the back of a Citroen AX GT.

My record for cargo in a Fabia (with rear seats removed) was two 7' long baulks of timber; a bandsaw; a pillar drill and a lathe. And me. Convinced me I didn't need an estate.

As for the seat covers, leather is a surprisingly practical option, and getting cheaper all the time (see Seat Surgeons threads)

Tried a mini, sitting in the back of one physically being unable to move due to having to carry about a bunch of PC equipment, and 4 people

As it's got the 5 door arrangement it's not too bad, access wise, anyway

Put it this way, I have owned a mk 3 and 4 Golf and my Fab FEELS bigger inside than both.

Put it this way, I have owned a mk 3 and 4 Golf and my Fab FEELS bigger inside than both. Not quite sure why people feel the need to buy a boat on wheels just because they have one, even two kids???? There is plenty of room in the rear for a couple of adults to sit in comfort, so unless anyone has freak sized children it wont be a problem.

i hope it does as my wife is 17 weeks pregnant and i am now stuck with the vrs not that i dont like it. more that i will not be able to afford any thing else good for my-self for the next 16 years, so it best hold up to it's rep, and for one last blast of money i may have to consider giving it leather seats, as im not to sure if baby sick will go well with the light grey

We were in a similar position 3 months ago and realised how small the Fabia was when we were looking at baby buggies in Mothercare and all the assorted gubbins you need to lug around! It may be ok when the kids are a bit older though.......

Chris