Should I decide to buy another fabia vRS instead of the new octy is ESP worth the extra

i got ESP on mine and i do think it was worth it, sorted me out of a problem once, (was slightly going out of shape) :(

plus you can switch it off if you need to......................

esp was first demonstrated to me in a merc vito van on a wet roundabout. its astonishing. worth

I started a thread a short while ago to preempt the very question you've just asked

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/showthread.php?t=39427

Watch the videos from the link in my first post.

I have it and believe it is worth every penny. If u go the euroncap saftey website -

www.euroncap.com

and click on the stability control bit it tells you about what esp can offer in terms of saftey. Indeed they suggest that cars fitted with esp tend to be involved in less accidents than equivalent cars without it. Also a little while back Tiff on 5th gear did a test on an iced lake to demonstrate esp. He failed to avoid two obstacles at 70mph in a jag xtype with esp turned off. If Tiff needs it on the road/real life situation then Im damm sure we do! The beauty is if ur on a track day u can just turn it of.

Your chances of dying in a car crash are far geater than in a plane crash or everyday medical procedure (and of course far far far more likely than winning the lottery:O )

So personally I decided to go for esp for not only my saftey but more importantly the saftey of any passengers. I also went for side air bags but thats another thread:rofl:

Save your money and put it towards some leather seats!!!

If you can afford it, get it. Any added safety feature is a good thing imho although i'm far from an expert.

get it. sorts you out when going slightly to fast with too much power round those slippery round abouts and bends in this weather. cant imagine a fabia vrs with out it. better power delivery from standing start as well, as i believe it works in conjuntion with traction control works differently to vrs's with out esp.

If you can afford it, get it. It only has to save your bacon once and can you really put a price on safety especially one as low as £400. I know in a tricky situation i'd rather have ESP than leather seats. :P

edit: I dont really reply to posts twice in 10 minutes, my internet connection is playing up tonight and I thought the 1st one got lost. I'm not mad honest. Wibble Wibble.

the leather seats may be easier to clean after sh!tting yourself whilst rolling your car but it wouldn't have rolled with esp

Sounds like esp it is come order time...................

If anyone saw "5th Gear" last night, Tiff Nedell (?) demonstrated perfectly the ESP on a 1.9 diesel SEAT. He drove it on the track with it switched on, and then did the same with it switched off, the difference was quite dramatic. Even though he was driving like a nutter, ESP kept the vehicle under control. I don't drive like a nutter, but can quite easily light up the ESP lamp, especially this time of year when the roads are covered with grunt. I have it fitted, and I think it's worth the cash outlay. I understand that non-ESP vRS' have something called ASR, which cuts the engine output if you get a bit acrobatic, but ESP (I believe) just applies the brake to one or two wheels to straighten you out without cutting the power

That seems to be the key difference, most of the time ESP doesn't interfere too much, whereas ASR kicked in a lot too early for my personal liking when test driving the Fabia vRS (had it for a while now LOL)

I'm sure a driver capable and willing to use his/her own skills would be able to drive the car as fast etc as with ESP turned on, but I sometimes do get a little tired, might loose concentration for a fraction of a second - and I bet there are people who drive pretty tired too. For those reasons I'd have it left turned on most of the time.

Track-wise I'm quite sure a skilled driver with a well-setup car would be able to outperform someone in the same car who is skilled, but needs to rely on ESP.

Hoping not to rely on it much myself and improve on my skill levels, but it's a good safety feature to have for those unexpected patches of ice, mud, water

I have it and reckon its worth it.

It's a bit like the question - side airbags, are they worth it??? I have them and, touch wood, will never have to use them but I wouldn't be without them.

I have had the ESP come on a few times through spirited driving and after seeing the various demonstartions on the websites (posted earlier) am very glad I did order it.

Thankfully my ESP hasn't had to kick in yet in an emergency situation but this time of year with greasy roads etc it would be impossible to get the power down as easily as I can if i didn't have ESP. It regularly kicks in if i try to take off even just a bit quicker than normal and then again when I change up to 2nd or 3rd gear. I consider it essential.

Stick the