Fabia 2.0 Elegance is it a good buy?

[seaweasel]

I'm one of the few Mustang Slayer owners and I have to say I quite like it, though I'm aware the engine has its bad points, and performance wise there's a big difference from the vRS (not that I've driven one, but I gather there's much more to it than just the extra 15hp or so - turbo and torque especially).

 

To be honest, I didn't go out my way to buy one (wasn't aware of that model before) but I was looking for a Fabia, didn't have the budget for a vRS, the extra power and Elegance spec was better that the others on the used market locally at the time (mostly 1.4 MPI and 1.2 models), and I got a good deal on it (£800 IIRC).

 

Good points:

 

• Elegance spec - heated seats, A/C, heated mirrors, foglights
• Quicker than the old 1.4 pushrod models and the 1.2 (plus the 16V on paper)
• Big lump so fairly torquey and bit of a growl uphill ("good towing yoke" as the father-in-law says)
• Not too revvy/noisy at motorway speeds
• Relatively cheap if you can find one compared to a vRS
• Pretty reliable in my experience (had it about 20 months and nothing major, no turbo means one less thing to fail)
• Quick-ish but not flashy (if you like that sort of thing)
• Maybe better for short runs than the diesel depending on your commute
• You can pretend it's a Golf GTi

 

Bad points:

 

• Road Tax isn't cheap (£220ish? If you end up with the early spec engine might even push you up another band, mine is on the cusp)
• Not a major performance increase over the 1.4 16V from what others have discussed above
• the 2.0 8v isn't that powerful for its displacement
• Probably more thirsty too (though it's much of a muchness compared to our newer 1.6 MPI in the Octy - about 30 if I hoof it around, well over 40 for sensible/longer journeys, usually somewhere in between)
• Power is smooth as there's no turbo, but tails off at 5000 rpm (3000-5000 is the quick band, maybe a remap might even it out?)
• Handling won't be as good as the vRS - it's not unstable but has more wobbly cornering than our Octy (take it 16V is much the same though)
• Limited scope for upgrades/remaps since there's no turbo
• Heavier than the 16V

In short - I haven't driven either the 16V or a vRS but if you don't have a budget for the vRS and see one at a good price then it might suit you, especially if you want the Elegance spec. If you happen to have Elegance 16V or PD models around locally for sale, then it's maybe not so attractive though. If you want a fast Fabia then it's the vRS (remember lusting after one when they came out back in the 2000s, still want one a some point!).

 

Surely the 2.0 8v Fabia has better gear ratios than the 1.4 16v though?

 

The latter is doing 4,000rpm at 80mph...

 

Yup, while it's not exactly efficient by today's standards, my 2.0 hits 70 mph at less than 3000 revs (2700 maybe?), whereas our Octy 1.6 MPI is similar to the above, 3000 rpm will only give you about 60-odd.

Edited 22 August, 2015 by seaweasel

[@Lee]

1.9TDi PD 100 Elegance FTMFW.

Jabba RARB, cheeky Shark remap, job's a good un.

 

#thevrsisnotthebestfabia

 

(I also have a 1.4 16V 100hp to compare with)

[hutchysrs50]

1.9tdi elegance... I second that.