Finally got my fabia - first thoughts

[MozzyMarr]

I collected my brand new Fabia 75 SE today.  It was dark when I got it home so pictures will taken another time.  My old car was a base spec Fiat Panda for comparison. 

 

My initial thoughts on the car:-

Good:-
The steering is simply brilliant, it is so sharp and after reading all the reviews I wasn't expecting that. There is hardly any body lean in the corners and the suspension deals with the rough bits perfectly. 
The driving position seems very comfortable and I like the clutch rest space to the left of the clutch. 
Although I didn't choose it I really like the jeans blue colour scheme, I was very unsure when I found out the car came with it but it looks a lot better in the flesh than it does on the photos. My car is white so the white strip on the dashboard gives it an extra bit of style. 
I have managed to use Android Auto and get it working without using any instructions. I love the fact I can use Spotify via bluetooth too, it means for shorter jouneys I don't need to bother with the USB cable. 
No rattles or anything so far but time will tell. 
The visibility is good for a modern car and the reverse sensor seems to work well, I wasn't expecting the radar display on it either. 

Seems to fog up a lot less than my Panda did. 
The boot is massive for a supermini but I knew that anyway.
The stop start works a lot better than I imagined it would but not sure if I will mostly just turn it off. 

I am not always a fan of white but wanted a car that would stand out in the dark and show scratches a bit less, however I think the Fabia looks brilliant in white, the shape just suites it. I am a big fan of the simple understated design of the Fabia. I think a lot of modern cars are over designed. The design just works, it reminds me a bit of the original Golf MK1 or even Polo mk1 with its rear slant. 

Bad:-

These issues may just be because the car is new. The gears require a little of effort to get in but maybe that will loosen up? The clutch also seems a tad heavy but maybe my Pandas one was worn.
The rear demister seems a bit slow compared to my Panda. My Panda would take less than a minute but the Skoda seems to take minutes
The lack of one touch electric windows.
Having to press unlock twice to open the other doors.
As the sales person was showing me round the car the sunglasses holder broke.  He got a technician to swap one from another car and it took less than 15 minutes to fix but it makes me a bit worried about the build quality of the rest of the car!
The switch gear all feels fine but certainly no better quality than the ones on my Panda in terms of the feel of them. 
Electric windows in the back should be standard as it just makes the car seem like a lower range model.

This is really just 

 

[CapstanPlug]

24 minutes ago, MozzyMarr said:

Having to press unlock twice to open the other doors.

 

You can change that on the radio - CAR and the Cog Icon on the bottom left ... Look for "Opening and Closing" ( or something like that !) and

there you'll find the options for, Unlock ALL, Unlock One Side (means the Driver's Side), and (what I reckon is the Current Setting) - Unlock One Door (Drivers Door)

Should be straightforward. I have the Unlock One Side set - very handy for popping the shopping in the back!

 

Enjoy your motor! Almost 2 and a half years in with mine, and I still appreciate the car's shape and styling, and the driving experience as well. Don't think you need worry too much about build quality - it's more than good enough!

Edited 30 November, 2017 by Dithane

[vc-10]

I totally agree with what you say about the windows- it's my one major gripe with the car. For what it's worth, if you spec rear electric windows you do get a one-touch driver's window, but honestly that should be standard anyway. 

 

But they're great little cars, and I'd definitely recommend anyone looking for a car in this size to have a look at them. Hope you enjoy your new car!

[MozzyMarr]

Thanks for the replies. The rear heater demisted much quicker today so I am suspecting there is a temperature sensor and that effects how much current is applied. I assume this is to avoid the glass cracking if too much heat is applied to it when its below 0c.

[Guest]

Great Mozzy! Thanks for your initial report. Yes, the gearbox will loosen over the next 1000-2000 miles as will the engine. In turn you will notice more power and even better fuel economy. Enjoy!

[Eccles]

Hi there Mozzy, My Mk 3 estate is now three years old and faultless so far. Comments are 1. The brakes could be a tad better but that may happen when it has the first brake fluid change due at three yr service shortly, we'll see. 2. Wish the cabin heating would get going more quickly but I am told that is a feature of these modern lightweight turbo charged engines. 3. I rarely achieve the advertised 60 mpg and I am not a boy racer; usually more like 55mpg but that is so much better than the 35 - 40 I used to get with older non-TC engines so can't really moan.  For the money there is still no other car on the market at present which competes although that may change if KIA start fitting TC engines (our other car is a KIA Picanto which takes for ever to accelerate up to motorway speed.)