Skoda Fabia Diesel Review

itwasntme · 8th April 2008, 11:33

[quote=nishantgandhi;786542] Anyways, nothing beats the Indica. Its as big as a small studio appt in Mumbai

Your comment had me

:

I remembered my tiny 'studio apartment' near Crawford Market during my bachelor days. My father came for his first (and somehow last!) visit to see me, and was aghast when I pointed out that he had to plan in advance WHAT exactly he wanted to do in the commode in the 'bathroom'! Fact was that you could NOT turn around once in. So, you either plan ahead OR come out, turn around and go in again

.

Before someone asks me why I used to stay near Crawford Market, it's because it was 12 minutes walking distance from my office. Now beat that in Mumbai!

Abhijat · 16th June 2008, 00:51

I want to thank you for puting up such a great and helpful review.
I was quite certain to go for a test drive but in hind sight which you have pointed me to.
I am not going near a skoda showroom.

nsbhagwat · 17th June 2008, 20:23

I had booked a test drive for June 17 with Acumen motors pune. When I saw the TD car, I was put off -- reason it was not a TD car at all but a yellow temp registration showroom car. The person accompanying the car was totally ignorant about the features.

As I opened the door I was shocked to see the horrible plastic quality. I had seen the top notch plastic quality of a Diesel Fabia when it was launched. But this was very bad (looks like cost cutting has started).

Anyways, I occupied the drivers seat and rolled up all the windows and cranked the engine. The diesel clatter shattered the silence. Slotting into first, the car appeared sluggish. As usual the speedometer was disconnected. I took a picture of the VIN plate (just in case). The meaty steering wheel is a delight to hold. The steering was well weighted and I found it to be responsive. The horn pad appeared pretty stiff to me.

The throttle response was not encouraging at low revs specially the feel of the gas pedal. It looked unconnected. But after a slight delay, the rpm started rising and once it crossed the 2100 marked, the engine came into its own, pulling the mass with no effort.

Further shifts and the car picked up speed rapidly. At @ 60 (my guesstimate) tried to slow, the brake lever appeared to get stuck for a moment (may be issue with a particular unit) but did the job.
I turned into a section of the Kalyaninagar IT park where the road is all messed due to construction. My friends sitting in the rear seat remarked that bumps were being felt inside.

Overall I was disappointed with the car and at 7 lakhs on road, it was a put off for me

.

nipunkul · 17th June 2008, 21:43

It may seem biased coming from me, since I own a fabia petrol 1.4 elegance, but the truth is I have seen the quality the top end swift petrol offers inside (seats, plastics, space) and out (paint, lights), as well as the engine peppiness, and after being in the Fabia, its just so easy to justify the 1.25L people talk about.

I agree that it not as peppy as the swift, but on the highway, its better. It has the much better ride, build and equipment as all have mentioned anyway.

If people still thinks it should have had more features (xenon, rear speakers, larger wheels) for the price, I guess we always ask for more than we can have. Somehow, I dont understand why people never ask for more in C, C+ sedans which are worse off in equipment, finish and ride (some even power/torque) compared to Fabia but are same or higher price... (boot?? thats all we need here is it!)

I guess we'll always have both sides

PatienceWins · 17th June 2008, 22:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by nipunkul

It may seem biased coming from me, since I own a fabia petrol 1.4 elegance, but the truth is I have seen the quality the top end swift petrol offers inside (seats, plastics, space) and out (paint, lights), as well as the engine peppiness, and after being in the Fabia, its just so easy to justify the 1.25L people talk about.

I agree that it not as peppy as the swift, but on the highway, its better. It has the much better ride, build and equipment as all have mentioned anyway.

If people still thinks it should have had more features (xenon, rear speakers, larger wheels) for the price, I guess we always ask for more than we can have. Somehow, I dont understand why people never ask for more in C, C+ sedans which are worse off in equipment, finish and ride (some even power/torque) compared to Fabia but are same or higher price... (boot?? thats all we need here is it!)

I guess we'll always have both sides

I do not understand why Indians have a such a great fascination for boot eventhough they hardly use it and use the car mainly on city. I understand when a watchman gives more weightage to a car with boot compared to a costlier hatchback with better quality and features - The outdated Ford Escort my friend bought for 1 lakh used to get VIP treatment in our office parking lot.

Quality does not matter if the car does not have a boot. I get strange looks when I say I paid 6.1 lakhs for Getz hatchback. Maruthi knows the pulse of Indians and that is the reason behind the huge success of Swift Dzire.

joslicx · 18th June 2008, 12:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

I do not understand why Indians have a such a great fascination for boot eventhough they hardly use it and use the car mainly on city. I understand when a watchman gives more weightage to a car with boot compared to a costlier hatchback with better quality and features - The outdated Ford Escort my friend bought for 1 lakh used to get VIP treatment in our office parking lot.

Quality does not matter if the car does not have a boot. I get strange looks when I say I paid 6.1 lakhs for Getz hatchback. Maruthi knows the pulse of Indians and that is the reason behind the huge success of Swift Dzire.

The reason for Maruti cars success is rather price factor than any other thing! So long they have been the cheapest (in their respective classes) cars available to the price sensitive indian customer. Of course things are changing somewhat nowdays and we are seeing sales of pricy cars like i10 and fabia as well. I also dont understand the fetish with boot in this country.

Thad E Ginathom · 19th June 2008, 03:09

The diesel Fabia was absolutely trashed by The Hindu last week --- this week they are being much more polite about the petrol model.

Sat in a Fabia for a couple of minutes at an exhibition last week and have to say that I was impressed. I quickly sensed that it would be a much more comfortable car to drive than the Swift, if it had a good and quiet engine. Fully adjustable steering wheel, and hight adjustable seat helps!

Not being Indian may be my reason for having nothing against hatchbacks; on the contrary, i love the flexible space and ease of getting stuff, even large stuff, into the car. I was very impressed by the amount of space behind the back seat of the Fabia.

(Unfortunately, at the same exhibition, I sat in a new Accord. Want One! Except for the fact that it is absurdly big.)

8th April 2008, 11:33	#16
itwasntme Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: BANGALORE Posts: 7,722 Thanked: 14,165 Times View My Garage	[quote=nishantgandhi;786542] Anyways, nothing beats the Indica. Its as big as a small studio appt in Mumbai Your comment had me : I remembered my tiny 'studio apartment' near Crawford Market during my bachelor days. My father came for his first (and somehow last!) visit to see me, and was aghast when I pointed out that he had to plan in advance WHAT exactly he wanted to do in the commode in the 'bathroom'! Fact was that you could NOT turn around once in. So, you either plan ahead OR come out, turn around and go in again . Before someone asks me why I used to stay near Crawford Market, it's because it was 12 minutes walking distance from my office. Now beat that in Mumbai!
	() Thanks

16th June 2008, 00:51	#17
Abhijat BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: ACT Posts: 57 Thanked: 3 Times	I want to thank you for puting up such a great and helpful review. I was quite certain to go for a test drive but in hind sight which you have pointed me to. I am not going near a skoda showroom.
	() Thanks

17th June 2008, 20:23	#18
nsbhagwat BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 425 Thanked: 288 Times View My Garage	Fabia diesel classic test drive I had booked a test drive for June 17 with Acumen motors pune. When I saw the TD car, I was put off -- reason it was not a TD car at all but a yellow temp registration showroom car. The person accompanying the car was totally ignorant about the features. As I opened the door I was shocked to see the horrible plastic quality. I had seen the top notch plastic quality of a Diesel Fabia when it was launched. But this was very bad (looks like cost cutting has started). Anyways, I occupied the drivers seat and rolled up all the windows and cranked the engine. The diesel clatter shattered the silence. Slotting into first, the car appeared sluggish. As usual the speedometer was disconnected. I took a picture of the VIN plate (just in case). The meaty steering wheel is a delight to hold. The steering was well weighted and I found it to be responsive. The horn pad appeared pretty stiff to me. The throttle response was not encouraging at low revs specially the feel of the gas pedal. It looked unconnected. But after a slight delay, the rpm started rising and once it crossed the 2100 marked, the engine came into its own, pulling the mass with no effort. Further shifts and the car picked up speed rapidly. At @ 60 (my guesstimate) tried to slow, the brake lever appeared to get stuck for a moment (may be issue with a particular unit) but did the job. I turned into a section of the Kalyaninagar IT park where the road is all messed due to construction. My friends sitting in the rear seat remarked that bumps were being felt inside. Overall I was disappointed with the car and at 7 lakhs on road, it was a put off for me .
	() Thanks

17th June 2008, 21:43	#19
nipunkul BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 119 Thanked: 16 Times	It may seem biased coming from me, since I own a fabia petrol 1.4 elegance, but the truth is I have seen the quality the top end swift petrol offers inside (seats, plastics, space) and out (paint, lights), as well as the engine peppiness, and after being in the Fabia, its just so easy to justify the 1.25L people talk about. I agree that it not as peppy as the swift, but on the highway, its better. It has the much better ride, build and equipment as all have mentioned anyway. If people still thinks it should have had more features (xenon, rear speakers, larger wheels) for the price, I guess we always ask for more than we can have. Somehow, I dont understand why people never ask for more in C, C+ sedans which are worse off in equipment, finish and ride (some even power/torque) compared to Fabia but are same or higher price... (boot?? thats all we need here is it!) I guess we'll always have both sides
	() Thanks

19th June 2008, 03:09	#22
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,435 Thanked: 29,971 Times	The diesel Fabia was absolutely trashed by The Hindu last week --- this week they are being much more polite about the petrol model. Sat in a Fabia for a couple of minutes at an exhibition last week and have to say that I was impressed. I quickly sensed that it would be a much more comfortable car to drive than the Swift, if it had a good and quiet engine. Fully adjustable steering wheel, and hight adjustable seat helps! Not being Indian may be my reason for having nothing against hatchbacks; on the contrary, i love the flexible space and ease of getting stuff, even large stuff, into the car. I was very impressed by the amount of space behind the back seat of the Fabia. (Unfortunately, at the same exhibition, I sat in a new Accord. Want One! Except for the fact that it is absurdly big.)
	() Thanks