I bought this car from new and it beat the competition hands down on price. No other manufacturer could offer a 5 door for this price. The only compromise I made was petrol instead of diesel but I soon realised that diesel was above my budget for any manufacturer.
I've given 4 stars for Running Costs as diesel would have been better and this was the lowest engine size on offer.
I've only given 2 starts for comfort as "basic" really sums up the interior of the model. I went for the model 1 as it was the cheapest and for this the glove box has no cover, the dash board has no special or interesting lights or features but the car tells you what it needs to and gets you from A-B without fuss.
I had the Skoda Fabia 3 years and never had any mechanical issues, The passenger window had an intermittent fault from new - it didn't always work for me, but did for the garage men every time I reported it.
I've had the Fabia 1.2 TSi for three years now, having bought it at a year old with about 20k on the clock, and I can honestly say it hasn't caused me any unusual trouble. I've had a couple of tyres changed, and the wiper blades, but that's about it.
I mainly wanted a comfortable car as I'm now starting to drive my parents around more and more, and they wanted something nice and smooth. I also wanted a bit of power, and was concerned too about fuel usage, and the Fabia just ticked all the boxes. My folks love it - well they seldom get all that impressed with things these days but on a scale of things they were impressed! - and I like how easy it is to drive, as well as how confidently it takes on overtaking and other driving moves. I think maybe a bigger engine would be even more spritely, but the 1.2 suits my needs.
More important really is the amount of petrol the Skoda Fabia gets through, or doesn't get through. I'd say I average over 50 miles a gallon, which is immense compared to previous cars. Other long term costs are quite low too.
The seats are great, perfectly comfortable, although the middle one in the back looks a bit small. One of the things my parents didn't like about my last car was that the seats were a bit low, and they found it hard to get in and out of the car, and also had their knees too high up when they were inside. This car is quite a bit taller and both those problems are now gone for them, much comfier. They sometimes even stop telling me how to drive...
To drive, it's a very practical, no-nonsense car. There isn't any swish computer or anything inside, although the dash has a nice panel showing the radio station and that sort of thing. What I also like about that panel is that it shows what radio stations you've got programmed in to each button, right next to that button. So if you've got radio 4 next to the top left button, then the display shows radio 4 next to that button. It's much easier than having to remember what station is what button - which can be especially tricky if you share driving with someone else. The stereo unit doesn't look like a standard size though, so I'm unsure as to how I'd replace it, but I don't want to anyway so that's not a concern.
There's bags and bags of little spaces everywhere as well. Cup holders galore, there's even one in the door! Otherwise in terms of storage it's good. The boot is a nice size, I once had an odd collection of ten desktop PCs and it managed to squeeze those in ok. The wheel rims do jut out into the boot a bit though, that can be annoying.
Anyway I'm extremely impressed with my Fabia, and so are my parents. Not sure which is more important!
The Skoda Fabia is a bit like the Skoda Ocatvia gone wrong. I was really looking forward to this and despite my reservations at the test drive I bought it anyway but I do regret it. I know that it's slightly cheaper than the Octavia but I'd say the money saved is not proportionate to the sacrifices made.
The Skoda Fabia engine is underpowered, and noisy, the looks of the car are too boxy and it feels cramped inside. It's reliable and cheap to run, of course - it is a Skoda after all. But the cheap running costs are not everything- I want a car that I can enjoy owning and be proud of and this isn't it.
The handling is great, but I love the way all Skodas handle. Really the Suzuki Swift is a better option and I wish I hadn't traded mine for this model. Skoda need to be careful or they might go back to their old image of being cheap and nasty.
It's really priceless. I got this 2nd hand. I love Fabia vRS so much that I sold my old one and bought this SE version when I saw it being advertised on one of the local car magazine..
The fact that it is limited edition makes it so special to me. Love the individually numbered black leather seats!
On a good day the fuel consumption can go up to almost 60 miles per gallon.
Loving it!
One of the reason why I bought this car was because its fast and cheap for its perfromance.
Fuel consumption was amazing!! I could get as much as 50 miles per gallon on good day.
Don't expect any funky stuff on the dash though, everything else except for the engine is basic.
For its reliability, I would recommend 1st time buyer to consider it straight after passing their driving test.
Awesome!!