Well as an owner of an old style Fabia Combi I like the look of the new one - it's far more balanced in my opinion than the hatch. Having said that I'm still not convinced on the new 'nose'. I'm getting used to it but still not convinced it's better than the old one.

I went with my friend on saturday morning to have a nosey at one, its erm.... HUGE! super mini estate! haha. its mahooosive! i dont think i like it but then i just watched the video of it and it looked really nice... i dont know now:O

I went with my friend on saturday morning to have a nosey at one, its erm.... HUGE! super mini estate! haha. its mahooosive! i dont think i like it but then i just watched the video of it and it looked really nice... i dont know now:O

sounds odd i know but, you have to see them moving to make them look their best

i wheeled our lvl3 demo out for a testdrive and when the estate is on the move it really does improve the looks lol!!

god knows why!!

The speed must take some of the hight away!!!:auto:

sounds odd i know but, you have to see them moving to make them look their best

i wheeled our lvl3 demo out for a testdrive and when the estate is on the move it really does improve the looks lol!!

god knows why!!

ahh. i have a test drive later this morning in a fabia 3 tdi combi:) i hope its nice.

That's the one I've bought!Same colour with eletric back windows and ESP

Nice one jamjar! It does look a quality vehicle, imho far better than the Puggy 207 SW and other similar comparables. Shame What Car don't seem to think so. I am beginning to question their (What Car's) judgement though, tending to opt for autocar's decisions!!

The practicality of this so called 'supermini' is frankly quite amazing! Is it just me or has ride height been increased still further on the combi? It sure looks high, perhaps no bad thing on a load lugger. I have ordered a 1.9tdi Skoda Fabia Sport as it suits my needs better, it is hell waiting for it to built. Hope yours does not take too long Jamjar. Good purchase.

Mark

I saw one at a dealers on sunday morning, must say i was massively impressed, i love the MK2 as it is and the extra room is greatly impressive in an estate that isnt so much larger than the hatchback. My brother used to have a Focus estate and id say that the Fab estate has more room, it would be finished off if the rear seats werent so fiddly to put down, having to take out the headrests is just awkward, at least they fold flat though.

Size wise its about the same width but taller than the old one - the Pug is all "style" and no use for carrying anything - rather like the Mini Clubman - I suspect that the Clio estate when it arrives will give the Fabia a bigger run for its money....

Actually looks similar too:

Renault Clio | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express

I think the Fabia estate looks more like a mini estate. the others look like elongated hatchbacks.

When I saw the Fabia 1 estate a few years back I though it looked like a Kia Rio. I mean similar in shape.

I agree - the old Polo Estate was even more so - very boxy - the 206 and 207s look reasonable but space is rubbish - looking at the Clio the rear roof line seems to drop away too quick - limiting rear headroom, perhaps? The Clubman is a joke - its got less space than the Fabia hatch!

It really isn't the best looking car around... :( Is that the Sport version, BTW? If so, it rides a LOT higher than in brochure pictures, but that's how it always is. They lower the cars for brochure photoshoots and even use spacers.

It's nice if the car is eye-candy to look at, but it doesn't mean a thing when driving it. I fell in love with the new Fabia on my test drive. Loved the practicality and how everything worked just the way I'm used to in other VAG cars.

ITS MINE!!

what with my roo just being sold, im now driving the very fabia estate i put up in the first pics on the thread.

so expect a review soon

ITS MINE!!

what with my roo just being sold, I'm now driving the very fabia estate i put up in the first pics on the thread.

so expect a review soon

:orb_bouncEnjoy!!! Really looking forward to a 1st hand Pro's/Pro's comparison!:orb_geek:

Kind of expect it to be like which is better? :orb_skiinOR:orb_snowb

Well how are you liking the estate then?? I read somewhere that it has more interior space than the Ford Focus estate!

well so far ive only covered 500 miles. but already i feel the level 3 is by far the best way to go with the fabia. driving up and down the motorways with the cruise and the armrest certainly makes all the difference! im loving the maxdot and the white needles on the dash.

the seats are very firm and comfy and i prefer them to the level 2 interior. even if some people have said its a bit dark feeling in the cabin. the black cloth has a certain look of quality that i find lighter trims find it hard to do.

The first fabia i drove had the 1.9tdi engine and even though this is the estate version i cant feel much, if any difference in the straight line performance. it feels like theres a bit more give in the suspension when cornering, but it still feels sturdy and predicable. the steering itself hasnt changed either. its still nice and light, but with reasonable feedback from the wheels. the space in the back is another story though! second day i had it i had to fit in a astra estate tailgate, bonnet and front bumper barin the boot. they all went in without any issues at all. i used some old blankets and duvets to cover the important parts of the car and it survived without a mark.

in the back there does feel like theres more headroom, partially as rear window is further away than in the hatch. the road noise hasnt increased, which i tended to find on estates of old. they seemed to have a kind of boomy sound at high speeds.

Generally speaking when driving the estate theres nothing to seperate the hatch vs the estate. the extra room and bigger opening into the boot make it a very practical car. living with the car, its easy to drive, park, and being a level 3 has all the toys you could want really. having the two glove boxes means ive got room for all my junk, and the extra wide pockets in the boot itself have swallowed up all my bits that used to bump about in the back of the hatch.

if i were to buy this car i would certianly look at some lowering springs as it would look fab and improve the handling. of course the blue fin tuning box would be heading under the bonnet too

obvisouly im still bedding everything in nicely but im already seeing a good 45mpg on the trip to work (all stop and go 30/40 mph roads) which is better than the roomster gave on the same journey. defo a winner in my books!!

Nice review , I love the interior of the 3 spec as well , I'm still wondering whether to get a new Fabia next year to replace my trusty V reg one , or just stick to what I know! If Skoda make Ocean blue availible on the Fabia it could tip the balance for me tho...lol!