While Lorna was sorting out a car I had a good look round the new Fabia 2 ...and managed to have a test drive ....only a lowly 1.2 70bhp but have to say it didn't look as bad as I thought it would and it was quite nice to drive, quiet, even on bridgestones it handles quite well, the inside is spacious with loads of places to put things and I can adjust the drivers seat to fit me and then get in the back with room to spare , the engine even feels good with a nice growl to it, noticably faster than the old 63? bhp before it, maybe the new car is lighter.

Three colours at the garage orange, silver or black .....the black one looks awful the colour does not suit it at all but the orange and silver look smart on 15" alloy wheels.

I'm impressed to be honest.....would love a drive in a 1.9tdi

I've got a test-drive on Tuesday of a 1.4 TDI 3

I'm glad to see the new Fabia's got good cupholders!

Nice engine according to the blokes I saw and the road tax is real cheeeeeppp for that tdi engine

I had a perch in one earlier and it looked quite pleasant.

I'm not entirely sure about the looks from the front and it does seem narrow but should be quite a nice car to drive

Any road noise? (Tyres) Mk1 is terrible for it

I had a test drive in a Fabia 3 with the 1.4 TDI today.

The bodywork was totally squeak and rattle free, so you could hear the noisy Bridgestone tyres all the better. Coming straight from a remapped vRS, it wouldn't be fair to judge the performance of the three-pot TDI, especially as it had only done 21 miles. But the engine note was distinctive and audible when under load.

There was still some body roll there and the floor was vibrating more than the seat - obviously the seat cushions were doing their job - but this left me feeling very insulated from the driving process. You got the feeling that there were things going on that the car wasn't telling you about.

The Climatronic is exactly where I would want the satnav to be:thumbdwn: . The radio, with its tweeters in the A pillar is every bit as good as Skoda radios usually are and the instruments are an improvement on the Mk 1.

Under the bonnet there was acres of space for an extra cylinder; unfortunately the dealer didn't have a 1.9 for me to play with. I would expect a loosened-up 1.9 to be an improvement on the Mk 1 but somehow not as thrashable.

Any road noise? (Tyres) Mk1 is terrible for it

A little bit but not as much as I thought there would be

I went and had a look at the new Fab on Sunday when I was passing my dealer, they were closed so I'll go back later this week for a proper look but I saw the inside of a level 2 and a level 3 (in black)

Really like the look of the level 3 interior but disappointed with the seat fabric Skoda UK chose for the level 2. I know from seeing photos from CZ that they also do a dark black stripey interior (actually available on the Roomster here) and also black "Floss" sports seats which are much much better.

Hope Skoda UK decide to do a sport version of the new car like the old one with a 3 spoke steering wheel, alloys, black sports seats e.t.c.

Just got back from testing a 1.4 tdi 3, quite like the interior dash etc to look at but had the same problem as with the Roomster. That is to say if you have long legs you need arms like a urangutan, the seat imo does not go low enough, with the seat back to accomodate my legs i had to have my arms at full stretch, because the seat is so high the gear lever is also a stretch and is low down. The seats themselves i found narrow and short both in squab and back rest. I ahd the wheel adjusted for max reach. If i had the seat closer to allow a slight amount of bend in my arms it was more comfy to drive BUT evry time i moved my left leg, clutch, I would take my kneecap out on the corner of the centre console.

Definately felt perched on it rather than sat in it :(. Performance wise I was dissapointed, I know coming from vRS' it would be lacking but was expecting slightly more from a 80bhp diesal, seemed to have very little pull, also dissapointing were the brakes, wether the car is capable of high speeds or not it still needs to be able to pull up as fast as the guy in front at 70 mph, not fitting discs allround :thumbdwn: felt very weak and won't be complaining about the furb vRS again lol As and when the vRS does make an appearance i just hope they have done something with the seats so they sit lower, hopefully this would cure my knee/ arm stretch problem :(

not fitting discs allround :thumbdwn:

Discs all round are availible on any model in the range , when you opt for the ESP+ASR option -

Discs all round are availible on any model in the range , when you opt for the ESP+ASR option -

LOL! I find the disc/drum combo on my MK1 works just fine , but then I am used to it , and I only have 68BHP to slow down!

Test drove a 1.4 TDI Fabia 3 this morning. I have very mixed feelings about it.

My initial impression was not good, the car actually felt unsafe. This is a marked contrast to my test drive of an Ocky Mk II three years ago when I dorve away feeling very comfortable and immediately impressed by the handling and road holding. So much so that I placed my order immediately after the test drive.

Took it for a reasonable spin and tried a few well known bits of road to give the handling a real test. It actually clung to the road very well but there was a feeling that it might loose grip at any moment, quite unlike the Ocky that just hugs the road and feels very safe.

Performance of the 1.4 engine was quite acceptable once it was revving, low revs no performance at all.

Brakes also seem to be very poor though I did not try any emergency type stops. This may be unfair as the Ocky II brakes are just brilliant.

I was seriously considering trading the Ocky in for one as I can now get away with a smaller car. Not going for the Fabia at present. Will road test a Seat Leon instead as this may be a good compromise between size and handling as it is another Golf Mk V variant.

Well I have no hope of being able to afford one of these, but a test drive sounds fun. Might book myself in...

LOL! I find the disc/drum combo on my MK1 works just fine , but then I am used to it , and I only have 68BHP to slow down!

Wel yeah it does, added bonus is your rear brakes dont corrode up due to lack of use.