J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

What could you take on with a chppied Fabia VRS and not be embarrassed ?

Going to be ordering one soon-ish (was going to be a Focus ST but new job is 52 mile round trip) and then get it modded, Seat Cupra intake, filter and Chip.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Mods, can you stick this in other Marques, have been drinking !

Spankathon

52 mile round trip... that it..? Mines more than that, should have got the Focus mate !!!

misty

52!!!!! I travel 70 miles a day in the Evo mate! Get a job that pays better....
dave

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

The job pays reasonably well, just me working at the moment though, 70 miles a day in an Evo, you must really know the cashier at the petrol station well !

brickboy

A Revo'd one is reckoned to do 0-60 in around 7 / 7.5 seconds so off the line it's not so good, but it's the midrange what does it.

Best fun is p*ss*ng off tailgating BMW drivers .... stroke the throttle and leave 'em choking in the soot

Rabid

Fabia VRS wasn't able to leave my lowly 320D in it's soot trail. In fact as speeds got higher I outran it in the inside lane. For some reason the idiot driving it wasn't used to people going faster that him and had no intention of moving over *please note obviously not on any UK roads
The VAG 1.9PD units are good at lower speeds and then run out of steam very, very quickly. Particularly the 130 with no FMIC and smaller turbo.
A remapped PD130 with hybrid turbo is better but still they really aren't rocket ships, been there done that and the fun runs out very quickly.
Amusing for annoying drivers of low power cars and good for what they are but when I read some threads on them you'd think they were actually quick- which they aren't.

lozgti

Standard car to 90mph is quick Which is more than enough unless there is a rep race on.And £10,000 cheaper than a 320d is a good saving too for something that does the same job.

Rabid

More like £14 grand cheaper, it doesn't do the same job though. The Fabia understeers like a bitch, has a ****e ride and is cheap and plasticky. Don't even get me started on those seats either.

They are though a good car for the money I just think it's funny when people make out they are quick- they aren't. Nippy maybe but not quick.

I remember reading a magazine article where they pitted the VRS against the mighty 1.6 petrol StreetKa- it was slower round the track which tells you all you need to know about the handling.

Don't get me wrong as a compromise for the economy minded driver who wants a bit of go the Fabia VRS is good but reading comments some dreamers make you'd think they are rocket ships.
Still it is funny keeping up in gear with some numpty bug eye driver getting 12mpg and failing to leave you behind.

brickboy

Nowt wrong with the 3-series diesels, they're quick. What I meant was you can surprise the average lane 3 hog with the grunt.

I don't understand why some say the VAG PDs run out of steam, my standard 130 Passat sport pulls well right round to 4.5K. Like any diesel there's not much point going beyond 4K but I've driven a few other modern four-pot diesels and they feel a bit flat by comparison.

Duck_Pond

I'm leaving my vRS standard. It wheelspins in 3rd in the wet as it is, and chipping them adds extra worry of the clutch / gearbox failing...

I agree that they're not rocketships, but they're quick enough, and keep pulling over a tonne too. It is also the first "normal" car I have got out of, and into the Scooby, and not been blown away by the performance of the Scoob.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

'and chipping them adds extra worry of the clutch / gearbox failing... '

Not the end of the world really, clutch is easy enough and gearboxes cant be that weak, have changed a few in the past !

Rabid

The point with the clutch is that it will keep failing. Replacing the flywheel and clutch will cost about a grand or 1/12 of the price of your 'bargain car'.

Best left at 130 if you intend to actually use it or spend a fortune modding it- clutch upgrade 1K, remap £300-500, sort handling up £1.5K, brakes £350 upwards. This is why I came to the conclusion it's best to start with a better car in the first place.

Duck_Pond

Can't really fault Skoda though - the latest driver power survey from Auto Express mag has 3 Skoda models in the top 6. New Octavia is 2nd behind the Honda S2000, the Fabia is 5th and the old Octavia 6th.

Rabid

Skodas are the best 'people's cars' of the Volkswagen group no doubt about it. Just can't see the hype some people try to surround the Fabia VRS with myself. Sure it's a good car, maybe one of the best in the sector and punches above it's weight but in the final analysis it's an overweight supermini with an understeer problem, albeit one with a torque monster of an engine.
Overall unless you are a high mileage driver why not buy something more fun?

Duck_Pond

Costs of ownership are definitely a factor - but as an overall package, for the money it's hard to beat. I have a Scooby as a 2nd car, which meant insuring this one would be dear. Fabia is Group 9. Result

I also cover 10-15k miles per year, and this averages 48 mpg... and over 60 if I am on a long trip on motorways.

There's enough room to seat 4 adults comfortably, and the boot is a reasonable size, and with fold flat rear seats, it's far more practical than say, a Mini.

It's sporty looking (well I think so, and I'm not alone) and not "girly" and got a decent amount of toys. And there aren't millions of them on the road, so it's a bit different.

It handles okay - a little nose heavy, but can be chucked round the lanes (I know, I've got plenty near my house) and for £350 you can get Einbachs fitted, if you don't feel the standard set up is good enough. Compared to my old Celica (2.0 litre GT) it handles perfectly acceptably... that used to redefine "understeer", and to be fair, the Scooby doesn't handle that well, it just has tonnes of grip.

Touch wood it should be reliable too... which discounts anything Peugeot, Citroen or Fiat can offer.

As for fun factor - the kick in the back from the turbo makes me smile each time I drive it... reminiscent of my other car

dtriggs

Blimey Rabid - dont like the vRS then ?

All I can say is I bought a 10 month old one for £9500 - there wasnt a small hatch that came close in performance terms except the Ibiza which was uncomfortable, harder suspension (no more grip), and looked awful. As a 5 door semi-hot hatch nothing comes close. Once chipped it is a quick car. A bugeye scooby is a quick car - and you freely admit it humbles them.

The vRS beat a Mini Cooper round the track - who's going to say Minis dont handle ?

With £21-22k to spend I wouldnt have bought the Skoda. But the 320d is on paper slower - 8.3 in manual form to 60mph. The 318d is over 10 seconds.

I stayed with a 210bhp Cupra R (another quick car imho) the other day 30-90 mph which made me very happy.

mg driver

just about anything can stop with anything from 30 -90 cause it only takes maybe ten seconds and thats not enough time to make a gap unless your in a ferrari.
try doing a standing start race over 1/2 mile or something and the leon would chew you up and spit you out.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

A grand for a clutch, am I missing something, last one I did cost me a hundred quid, nech ache, skinned knuckles and grimy nails for a week, how come you have to replace the flywheel, does the torque distort it ?

I can understand what MG Driver is saying, I have stayed with supposedly faster cars in that 30 - 90 range, its after a ton where fast begins and quick ends, but I rarely venture above 90 as I dont fancy getting banged up or a driving ban, or splattered for that matter as I dont really count myself as the succesor to Ayrton Senna.


With regards to it beating a Mini Cooper round a track, I think that shows how gutsy it is, i.e. even given its less than remarkable handling it still best the Mini.

320 d slower one paper than the VRS, I though the Skoda does 0-60 in about 9 or 9.5 seconds ?

My reasoning is to accept the ineviatable that I cant really justify vast ammounts of money to run a performance petrol car so I might as well bight the bullet and get the diesel, the government aint going to ease up on the motorist anytime soon.

Rabid

No they are very good, we had one and it got very well used. They just aren't the sort of hot hatch slayers some people make out. At least not in terms of handling, fun or even outright speed. They are a one trick pony, in gear mid range acceleration is their forte and little else. Nice practical little car with a turn of speed, good fuel economy, good resale values but all in the final analysis very boring.

edit to add :You need to change the dual mass flywheel for one that can cope with the torque about £600 notes from jabba plus fitting. Change it all yourself and you'll save a few quid but still an expensive and necessary job if you plan on a remap.

BTW on paper the 320D is faster- remember the VRS is 9 seconds+ to 60, also remember that you can tune BMW diesels as well........

davecweed

ive got shares in shell! lol, i do an average of 175miles per day in the working week, in ma S60R, average of 22-23mpg, i must spend about £6500 on 97/98ron petrol per year, its great fun, having money to burn! lol

ps - 99% of diesels are smelly and slow!, ive not had any diesels yet, give me a hardtime, i haven't come across a bmw 535d yet tho! lol

Rabid

The VRS isn't slow davcweed, it just isn't quick if you see what I mean.....they don't stop very well though when you up the power.

davecweed

i had a revo one trying to take the **** one day, i could close the gap easy, it had revo and other stickers on it.

Rabid

Sounds shat,a stickered up Furby, usually Skoda drivers display restraint and good taste. I suppose the stickers don't mean it was REVO'd anyway but with circa 180bhp they aren't that quick. They flatter to deceive, lots of instant shove and a good belt of torque means easy progress but they do have a narrow power band and as I said before run out of steam once you up the ante a bit.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Yep, I dont suppose even a chipped one is going to be troubling 300 bhp Volvo's.

I think I will probably get one but get some kind of project going, quite fancy either a MK1 Capri or a Volvo Amazon fitted with a more powerful engine and a slippy diff for Drift action, would make a change from all those 200 SX's. Keep looking on Ebay, all the Capris are either too nice and original or utter dogs.

Fabioso

If anyone thinks a modded Fabia vRS is going to win a track race then forget it.....however I own one and after having owned or driven most of the 'standard' performance cars (sub £30k you know the kinda cars I mean) the Fabia is quick. Modded, real world, in-gear its quick.........

Spankathon

He clearly wasn't trying

lozgti

Isn't that describing a pretty perfect car though for most people's everyday use?

In reality its quite funny that the fabia is being talked about alongside the likes of all these other cars.One of the great things about them is the owners don't really care about outsmoking other cars etc They weren't bought for that purpose.

Best quote on this thread is the one re its not a girly car.Not many other little hatches in this segment don't have a whiff of that (fiestas,minis) Its totally asexual if you know what I mean

Rabid

Other than the fact it's no real fun and has a tiny boot the Fabia is a great car for everyday use. Then again so are the lower powered versions.
The only reason it's talked about alongside these other cars is the delusions of the VRS owners. They think they're giant killers, they aren't though and I'm speaking from experience here. Unless you count low end saloons and warm hatches as 'giants'.
Great cars-yes, fun to drive- no.

MooseRacer

I'm kind of with Rabid here. Had a VRS for a year:

Does not handle at all well
**** poor steering
Great midrange grunt

It is definately NOT what I would call a hot hatch...It does not feel alive, there is no real enjoyment pushing it hard down a favourite road - it's 'handling' just does not feel anything other than safe, middle of the road numb VAG crap tbh

Flogged it and have now got a Fabia diesel estate as a second car and it retains all the many VRS good qualities just doesn't try to be sporty.