Hi there,

Sat in a Fabia VRS for the first time a couple of days ago. Oh my god that interior trim is awful !!!! I love the design of the Fabia and especially like the thought of all that torque in the VRS but that light coloured trim is just awful and will no doubt prove to be an absolute pain to keep clean. Who on earth thought it was a good idea, expacilly in a country like Britain ???

Do VRS owners find keeping the tim clean a problem?

I had almost convinced myself that the Fabia VRS was going to be my next car, however the inerior has puit me off. I'll be having a look at the Seat Ibiza TDI sport and also the Fiesta ST. I note that drive-the-deal are offering the Fiesta and the Fabia for virtually the same price.

All the best.

Martin.

I bought a couple of tins aerosols of 3M Scotchgard and marks just wipe off. No problem. If youre still bothered you can specify leather for £1300 (Black only)or £800 from Seat Surgeons in York (Any colour)

Do not forget that you must take into account the service and running costs verses a Ford Fiesta which will use more fuel, higher insurance and will be worth a lot less in 3 years!!

Not had trouble keeping it clean, but I admittedly don't enter the car with dirty clothes generally.

As for Fiesta vs Fabia - hmm that's not a hard choice IMHO, I've driven both and found the Fiesta rather slow. That said I didn't drive the fastest model & didn't drive the diesel flavours of it, it may be an excellent car (I'd test drive it though).

Seat may be a good alternative, but leather could be the better option as it may actually work out cheaper

Martin

I'd been planning to buy a Fabia vRS for a while until I sat in one then sat in the Fiesta ST.

The Fabia seats are awful, not just the material but I felt as if they were 'pretending' to be sport seats. The whole interior does nothing for me. The build quality is top notch but I thought it dated and uninspiring.

The Fiesta is really inspiring inside and just feels alot more 'sorted' and up to date.

Have driven both, didn't really get to put my foot down in the Fiesta but felt like it accomplished and lively. The vRS has mountains of low down torque but I didn't like the rest - brakes, steering, handling nearly as much as the ST.

So, I'm visiting the Ford dealer next week to put in an order.

regards

Steve

In 1.5 years and 15,000 miles I've only had to clean a few marks from my Fabia vRS seats, they don't get easily stained. Also a lot more comfortable and supportive than they look.

The Fabia seats are awful' date=' not just the material but I felt as if they were 'pretending' to be sport seats. The whole interior does nothing for me. The build quality is top notch but I thought it dated and uninspiring.

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I'm interested to hear that, as having parked next to a MkIV Golf GTI the other day, I noticed that they are exactly the same design as the Recaros in the Golf, so I don't agree with you there.

Must admit, mine are well overdue a good clean, but I know from experience that as filthy as they look, a once-over with interior cleaning foam is all it takes. Also, in terms of cleanliness, don't forget that dark cloth seats will get just as dirty, it just won't show as much. It's up to you whether 'invisible' filth bothers you, of course!

In terms of the rest of the interior, I wouldn't say 'dated', but it isn't as 'trendy' as the Fiesta. I personally don't like the round air vents on the Fiesta (and the Ibiza as it happens), and I know from the Ka and Focus that an ex of mine had that the silver paint on the centre console will start to wear off within a year or so. At least with the black plastic on the Fabia, it's not going to lose its colour as time goes by.

The biggest factor for me, though, was the fact that the Fabia has 5 doors (as does the Ibiza FR nowadays). Having had a Megane Coupe prior to the Fabia, I vowed when I got rid of it that I'd never again buy a car without the right number of doors, as it's just too much hassle for someone whose car is a mode of transport before anything else.

And I think that brings me to the final factor in favour the Fabia (in my mind anyway), which is that it's far subtler than either the Fiesta or the Ibiza, and although the Polo GTi is likewise quite restrained in terms of styling, it's too expensive for me...

But each to their own, of course!

I quite like the trim in the vRS. It's totally impractical and my kids put their feet all over the light coloured bits, but it contrasts nicely with the dark headlining and dashboard.:tongue2:

The plain dash is just that, and yes it's dated, but it's easy to use and everything feels well put together.

I don't know why people expect a group 9 insurance, 130 bhp Diesel hatch to feel, handle and perform like an out and out sports car. It's not meant to be that. It's a cheap, comfortable, low insurance, sporty warm hatch. Skoda is supposed to be the 'sensible' VAG brand and that's what the vRS tries to be. The SEAT Ibiza FR, and even more so, the Cupra is the sporty small hatch. Has harder grippier seats, harder suspension and more sporty touches, and also comes as a three door like a true Hot Hatch.

If it's not for you then fine, but don't try and make the vRS something it's not designed to be, it's a niche market vehicle and so won't suit everyone. It's designed for someone who wants affordable stylish transport, not someone who wants 100% driver involvement 100% of the time.

Mind you throw a thousand quid or so at modifications and it becomes a very different animal

I'm interested to hear that' date=' as having parked next to a MkIV Golf GTI the other day, I noticed that they are exactly the same design as the Recaros in the Golf, so I don't agree with you there.

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The seats aren't a patch on my Octavia elegance with lumbar support (Obviously not sportseats though)

After driving the vRS for half an hour I had back ache. I also found the seats too wide across the back (I'm not thin:) ) so compared to the Fiesta they didn't give me the lateral support that you think they'd give you when you look at them.

Anyway each to their own! :rolsmile:

I find the seat backs too wide too, and it probably reflects that although the Furby has lots of goodies for a car of it's class and price in some areas, they have to scrimp in other areas. My mk4 Golf 1.8t seats were far superior too, but that cost quite a few quid more when new and doesn't offer any more interior space.

Sporty Fords have always had grippy seats and good brakes in my experience.

You could always go for the option that I took.....................fit Audi TT leather seats! Ok, a bit extreme for some people!

Much more support than the vRS standard seats. The vRS seats may look like Recaros but they ain't a patch on the real thing.

I got sick of cleaning the light grey cloth every month, even with a coat of Scotch Guard.

I spent ages toying between the new Ibiza FR and the Fabia and initally the seats did put me off. Final solution, I went for leather but still paid less for the overall package than what Seat wanted.

Food for thought.

Instead of being that concerned about looks why not consider what exactly your driving and also how long term it's going to be maintained.

I did

1) Skoda labour rates for servicing are cheaper than Seat and Ford.

2) Skoda give you 3 years full AA cover. Seat give a 2 year mobility package which refuses to cover tyre punctures.

3) Fiesta ST is only petrol right? Why even bother looking?!

1) Skoda labour rates for servicing are cheaper than Seat and Ford.

No idea on actual labour rates, but the major (read most expensive) service on my Mondeo is

I like the Fiesta but in comparison it feels crampt, whilst I agree the seats are supportive in the Fiesta and the interior is "fresh", the insurance group is 13E and not 9, the mpg is 38.2mpg compared with 55.4mpg for the vRS and will probably be a lot worse as the ST engine needs to be worked to get any kind of performance. Furthermore, a £425 remap will make sure the vRS is a much faster car than the ST.

I like the little ST, it's a nice motor, the 2.0 Duratec HE engine from the Mondeo works well, but there is very little tuning potential for it sadly.

Its bloody awful to keep clean!

Nearly 40k on the clock - no problems so far keeping it clean?

Before my Octy vRS I had a Fiesta Zetec-S (mk V) and it used to cost a fortune to run. Every 10,000 there was at least one bush or other part of the suspension that had gone. I did used to drive over 20,000 miles a year, but still it was costing on average about £350 a service. On top of that the air con played up when I first got it, I had a alloy wheel bend, the traction control light kept staying on, and by the end the door warning light was permanently on. But I put up with it just for the way it handled, and boy did it handle. Seems Ford have had to let a little go on reliability in order to get their cars to handle so well.

Have to say though I was a bit surprised when the missus 20k service on her 1.2 Furby cost over £200.

I think that being this critical (seat support, slightly dated) is a bit OTT for a car that costs

Spot on Jon