dannytwo

iTrader: (5)

does anyone know anything about these little cars,had one behind me today and it kept up with pretty well

NotoriousREV

1.9 PD TDi 130bhp as standard but loads of torque. Can be chipped up to 180bhp and loads more torque (over 300lb/ft). As you found out, they're no slouch and still manage 45mpg.

Andy M3

You don't drive an RS Turbo Fiesta and travel up the Dronfield bypass from Chesterfield to Sheffield of a morning do you dannytwo ???

dannytwo

iTrader: (5)

no mate i drive a forester import

Andy M3

Holly crap - i assume it was chipped then so over 300 lb/ft.

I have a stock car and can 'horse around' with much more powerful cars - supprises people a lot ! But the only forester i could chase would probably not have a turbo - lol

16vmarc

I took one on a no holds barred test drive and loved it!!! It definatly doesnt drive like a conventional diesel!!!

misty

Still a paraffin burner though!!! On top gear it only just beat a standard cooper round a track so in other words SSSSLLLOOOWWWW!!!!!
dave

Jonathan Davies

What mpg do you get pressing on in a CTR? Different strokes innit...

misty

Couldn't agree more mate! Fact is though people think they're quick cars, and unless your in an invalid carriage!!! then the truth is they're not. They have a power band of about 1500 revs between 2000rpm and 3500rpm. No doubt this thread will now take on a "my oil burner can out pull your jap screamer" turn, but the figures speak for themselves.

Power (BHP) : 130
Weight (KG) : 1260
Pw to Wgt (BHP Per Ton) 104.83
0 - 60 9.8
0 - 100 31.2
60 - 100 21.3

Look at the 0-100 time!!! you don't need a stopwatch for that, you need a calander.
dave

Jonathan Davies

Fair play... but times and real world don't always go together. Not blistering I agree, but I think most ordinary people would say a cooper is fairly brisk car, so the Fab doesn't seem to be a slowcoach.

I think it's a good idea myself, but I hate the interior so won't be getting one...

16vmarc

Although its still quicker than a golf gti!!!!

paulwrxboro

I had one on my bumper (in scooby)
i left it for dead i was expecting more from it to be honest

jon77

Where exactly did you get those acceleration times?
The real times as tested in several magazines along with the Ibiza 130 TDI Sport are around

0-60 8.4
0-100 24
30-70 7.4

Not bad for a quite heavy 130bhp car, a remapped one will be sub 20 sec to 100

Also if anyone seen the race between the vRS and the Cooper on Top Gear you will have noticed that the vRS actually blitzed the Cooper on the straights, it was only on the bends that the Cooper was able to claw it back a bit.

16vmarc

LetsTorqueBHP.com qoute same figures as Misty.

jon77

I think I would rather go with the likes of Autocar who use the latest gps technology etc to get the actual acceleration times, rather than some blokes who works out a theory that doesnt seem to take torque into consideration. Im not trying to critisize letstorquebhp.com as I actually like the site but at least with Autocar and Auto Express etc the times are real and not theory.

Petem95

Agreed, and the autocar figures are pretty impressive, especially in-gear times. Real-world performance counts for a lot, and theres no doubting these are swift cars in reality.

Would love to have a go in a 180bhp chipped one - defo the thinking mans sports hatch! German build quality (almost), tidy handling, 40-50mpg and very understated - love it

And surely VAG plan on putting the new 2.0 TDi 140bhp in these sooner or later?..

Jonathan Davies

If only there was a three door with a nice interior...

On the times, I think I've seen people on these very boards commenting that the engines loosen very considerably and the Skoda official times are slow. Dunno, but there does seem to be a big gap.

misty

Right! Right! Right!!! I give in!!! They are feckin great cars. Fast as ****, great handling, great steering, great brakes............................................ .












I must be the only sane person on this site!!!! If they're that good why have none of you got one? Why spend all that money on a scoob? why put up with dodgy build quality? Why pay extortionate insurance premiums? why put optimax in all the time? Why? Why? Why?
dave


And here is the Evo Mag road test results!!!




July 2003
Skoda Fabia vRS


Immense torque/economy, practicality
Lacks emotion and raw speed


Engine: In-line 4-cyl, 1896cc, turbodiesel
Max power: 130bhp @ 4000rpm
Max torque: 228lb ft @ 1900rpm
0-60mph: 9.6sec (claimed)
Top speed: 126mph (claimed)
Price: £12,500 (estimate)
On sale: September

NotoriousREV

Claimed means they are relying on the manufacturers figures and haven't tested it themselves

I nearly bought one to replace the Impreza but at the end of the day it just wasn't "special" enough for me and I couldn't bring myself to do it. And the remote mirror controls are in the stupidest possible location. And the seat adjustment thingy is hard to reach. Apart from that, I liked it a lot.

Oh and I only got 38mpg on my test drive which tells you something about how hard I drove it.

Andy M3

I have one - it replaced my Volvo T5 that had just over 300hp. No regrets yet. The Fabia makes up for the lack of in line performance in the character and fun factor. Totally recomended.

Andy M3

And one other thing. Performance wise it is snapping on the heels of a Mini Cooper S in a straight line - on the track [which i have done] the Fabia is a bit squishy - but on the road it soaks up the bumps, has loads of grip and doesn't tramline or rattle [yet]!

dannytwo

iTrader: (5)

i suppose it depends on whos driving to.the woman who was driving this one was giving it some,i think if id have wanted to i could have left it,but was very impressed with it

Stu_WRX

I did have a Scooby mate. I bought a Fabia VRS for the wife's company car and enjoyed driving it so much I couldn't wait to get rid of the Scooby and buy myself one.

Granted it's not as brisk as the Scooby and the handling isn't as great but then again I don't have to drop a gear every time I want to overtake someone.

I'm not saying that the Scooby wasn't a great car, I loved mine and spent a fortune on it.

It's every day drivabilty beats the Scooby hands down I'm afraid and instead of paying in excess of £900 for insurance I now pay £300. Instead of paying £500 for a 30k service it'll be about £250. Instead of filling up at every available shell station I now get over 50mpg. Then we could talk about losing 8k in 2 years on a Scooby cause no ****** wants to buy them. (look how many are in Auotrader)

You should book yourself a drive - It might surprise you. Better still see if you can get your hands on a Mapped one.

We also have a fair few ex Scooby owners on Briskoda.net.

Iwan

I had one, i bought it to replace my P1 and it was almost perfect. However I (stupidly) sold it after 2 months to go back to another scooby as it didn't have the same handling, acceleration or grin factor as the P1 (duh! ), but in hindsight I REALLY wish I hadn't.

I have an STI Type R now but it'll be getting sold in the next 6 to 12 months to make way for a house purchase. I'll definately be buying another Fabia no question, they rock.

Off to cry now as I've been reminded again what a nice car it was.

The_Titanium_Knob_Man

The figures for the Fabia are not impressive. If you look at just figures it would not even be considered a warm hatch. The thing is the Fabia isn't about sheer raw speed, street cred, over the top spoilers etc

What it is for is disillusioned owners of serious kit (Scoobs etc) who are :-

• pi$$ed off with paying the best part of a thousand pounds worth of insurance
• tired of watching the needle drop everytime you boot it
• on first name terms with all the local shell garage staff
• tired of 'through the floor' depreciation
• cheesed off with ***** who think its dead funny to key down the side of your 'pride and joy'

What it does, it does very well. Effortless driving and in the 'real world' its fun. Its fun because on the roads round here there is way too much traffic to go really fast anyway. Watching it keep up with faster machinery is a huge laugh.

Even funnier is the fact that whilst they are booting it, they are on their way to losing yet another fiver, whilst I know its going to be 2 weeks before I visit another petrol station.

Sort out the suspension, chip it and you have a very capable car indeed.

If you had asked me 2 years ago if I would drive a diesel, I would have told you there was no chance in hell of me getting into an oil burner. I am very much now a convert.

chiark

Like Mr Shiny ****, I am a convert... If you'd have used the words performance, enjoyment and diesel in the same sentence, I'd have laughed in your face. A Skoda Fabia vRS caused me to realise that, real world, the WRX wasn't actually that much faster than a diesel hot hatch, and once you make that realisation then the disillusion really sets in.

A month later, the WRX was sold, and a BMW 330 Diesel replaced it. The vRS was just a little too small for our needs, but it was the vRS that opened my eyes.

Christ

Another convert here too, although in Golf PD150 form, re-coded by Revo..

Very similar result to what youd get from a vRS:

http://www.haddock.tv/temp/revo.wmv

Loved my Scoob, but Ive never looked back...

rusty1977

I have done kind of the same thing, traded in my classic and bought a leon cupra TDI.

Best all round car ive ever had ( never thought id have a Derv either!)

Fluffmeister

I have got one, I replaced my MY03 Impreza with it and have done 400 miles this week and still have a 1/4 tank of carcogen left. Forget the road tests, go and drive one, my dealer gave me one for an afternoon to test and that sold me on it.

Off to get it remapped in 3 weeks and so it should be running really well then

Not missed the scoob once so far, and I have got toys like cruise control, heated seats to play with. Other well thought out things like the false floor in the glove box, with more than enough room for the alpine adapter and Ipod.

Performance wise, once it's rolling there is not all that much in it between a standard new age WRX and the vRS, there is of course about £8.5k in it

If I keep this for 3 years I will save approx 8k in fuel, tyres, servicing and insurance.............. no brainer for me, the vRS is spot on.

Fluff'

dtriggs

I sold my Type RA last year and went thru 2 cars until I hit on the VRS - had it for 3 months now and think it is fantastic. Not as fast as a WRX I know but as has been said in gear it's not far away. As per a seperate thread I kept up with a BMW 330i the other day which really surprised me. I get 450 miles from a tank and pay £300 to insure it. Handling is a bit soggy when really pushed but under normal conditions it soaks up bumps really well and is very comfortable.

Everybody who goes out in it is impressed. And it's some £8-9,000 cheaper than the WRX anyway !!