Skoda Fabia User Reviews

 

Look and Style This is a subjective topic. Like the color of the car a person chooses to drive. Fabia has classy looks. Big car feel. Good view from the rear and the front. The steel grill gives it a grander appearance from the front view. In my view this is the one of the best looking hatchbacks in India. I own the 1.2 TDI CR (diesel Fabia). Purchased it in Feb 2011.

Comfort Quality of the interiors is top notch. Gives you a majestic and luxurious feel when sitting inside. Very spacious in the front and even the back leg room is decent if not the best. The ride quality is good. But on the bumpy indian roads, i feel the suspension can be improved a bit. Steering response is good. Low engine noise inside the cabin. (this is in the newer models, 1.2 TDI CR models which come with the engine guard built in).

Yes the door closing with a thud, which is the signature of skoda make is always there. Not to mention the seat belts having the audi symbol or the VW polo engine (yes Fabia and Polo have the same exact engines. Compare the specs if you want). The AC is the best. No second thoughts here. esp the diesel cars' AC. Very powerful cooling and the car gets cooler very fast. I've noticed one interesting thing here with comparison to the petrol models (HTP models). Though the petrol fabia is very quiet (you will not know whether the engine is on or not) the moment you turn on the AC in the petrol model you can hear a noticeable noise increase and engine vibration inside the cabin. This is not seen in the diesel models (TDI CR models). When the AC is off, the diesel car is noisier than the petrol one. but we never drive a car like that. When the AC is on, there is not much of a difference, the diesel is only slightly more noisier.

The sound proofing is excellent. This adds to the reduction in the engine noise. But from outside the engine noise is much higher for the diesel car. The only problem with the rear ac vents is that they work only in the feet mode. They'd freeze your legs if you use it like that. They should have kept a mode which serves the feet and the top partially, which is very common in Indian cars.

Pickup Being a diesel car, the pickup is not so great. But not bad at all. more than enough for city driving. I feel the problem is the pick up in the 2nd gear. From the moment you reach 3rd gear the pickup is good. again the 5th gear pickup is good only after 60 kmph. 50 to 60 is little slow.

Mileage The trade off of lesser pickup is the mileage. I am getting 17 to 18 kmpl (diesel) in city driving. I think it will touch 22 on highways ( i didnt check it by driving on highways exclusively).

Best Features Interior quality, powerful A.C, smooth gear shifts, Safety (dual airbags).

Needs to improveSuspension (for bumpy roads in India). Rear AC vents should work in dual mode/ feet and top both together.

Overall Experience Extremely satisfied. No problems whatsoever in the 6 months so far. Also there is an extended warranty given (4 yrs unlimited kms) along with complete bumper to bumper coverage in the insurance (yes even scratches are covered). The talk of expensive spares is not relavant now after localization of spare part manufacturing is employed. There are plants in Pune and Shendra.

I was thinking of buying the Ford figo or the Skoda Fabia. The reasons I went for Fabia is the newer engine (2010 model, with CR/common Rail technology). Figo may offer better value but Skoda offers you pride and satisfaction on each drive.

quality interiors, powerful AC, safetyrear ac vents work only for feet, suspension can be improved for bumpy roads

The reviews talks volumes about the build quality, solidity, finish & interiors of Fabia. It's so upmarket that it feels more spacious, functional & superior to some of the higher segment cars. Same with the ride quality too. It is time that the way people stop underrating hatch-backs.

After several rounds of test drives & in/out checks & balances of the competition around and even the higher segments, It was acceptable that the price we all presumed higher for this segment is actually justified. The extremely rugged construction & has perfect shut lines. This is actually the international success that encouraged Skoda to come up with this model. Evaluating the snob value of Skoda in India, this product line reflects the rich choice & immense resale value.

The indian driving & traffic conditions, it will  be extremely pragmatic to have a hatchback car, which emulates standards of higher luxury class and at the same time has immensely optimised space and manouverability.

I test drove the 1.2MPI (petrol) and I could not under rate its tractability. The precise gear shift(er) seems to be slick & smooth. Even at the third gear and speed below 20Kmh there was not a hint of rattling or 'knocking' (no pressing or manipulating of clutch). Though the 1.2 litre engine seemed little less on the torque at lower RPMs, I had presumed it to behave that way. I could not expect an outright thunder out of it. But you are definitely saving bucks for this category engine and adds more VFM. The 1.4 PD diesel option is excellent for heavy users. It is extremely practical & fuel effecient. If you are looking for all the goodies in the petrol version, throw some extra bucks and get the 1.4MPi elegance. It will definitely satisfy your soul.

The interior quality and the space is awesome (more than many bigger segment cars). I am 6' 2" and haven't felt comfortable driving any other car. This is superior to any car in this category and in the next higher segment too.

The features are unique and unparalled. Starting with the 'key'. The unique built-in safety features (ABS, Airbags & engine immobilzer). The fit & finish of the door trims, the Knobs of the dash board controls, the onboard data displays such as average speed, fuel consumed etc. The cubby holes, pockets & sun-glass holder, auto dimming rear view mirror, height adjustable front seats, rear AC vents below the front seats, rough road package (protection at the bottom), (parktronics parking sensors & projector head lamps in the top variants only)- all-in-all you feel extremely pampered.

Skoda is hard pressed on improving the after sales service and the change is evident. The cost of spares for fabia is very competitive. I can only tell you one thing-the "Obsession with quality" is evident.

The only downside- Skoda is not using the available engines but putting new sizes. 1.2 MPI is understandable from the excise duty waiver point of view. But they are already overstepping on the category to 1.4MPi and loosing the benefit. So why not the vRS & 1.9PD they already have? (it would have been much economical rather than developing a new engine like 1.4MPI) . Here, the performance will catch up with price.

Hopefully, we see skoda coming up with upgrade /option soon.

Chow!!!!!!

Quote from an owner "

Top notch interiors, Spacious, features, refined & tested enginesDesireable Upgrade-15" rims & a 4 cylinder diesel engine

 

Exterior They are best. The front grill looks like a Skoda sedan. If you look from front side you will find that it looks like Laura Octavia. Cappuccino Beige looks very rich.

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) These too are best. In elegance model I liked the dual toned dashboard.

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Fuel eco is lil bit less than other cars such as Punto i20. But who cares when there is lot of other features,

 

Ride Quality & Handling When you sit in the car you get a very good feel which cannot be expressed in words. Handling is very good. i have driven my friend's Punto, it had many features like Fabia but it lacked in driving satisfaction, quality.

 

Final Words This car is for them who want comfort and not concerned about economy. This is really a fabulous car. Compared to its competitors only i20 can reach to Fabia level. price is very competitive. After sales service by Skoda dealer is very good. Fully satisfied by this car. If you are planning to buy a car in this segment please check Fabia also.

 

Areas of improvement I dont find any. Only fuel economy should be greater.

 

Style, Comfort, Safety, Security, Design etc etc.Fuel Economy

20 plus KMPL with 80:20 highway:city driving, interiors and build quality are top classDiesel engine is noisy -- but you can hear it from the outside and not inside the car

I got my Ambiente Silver Diesel 10 days ago.   Its so beautiful car everyone in the road are stopping by the car and saying wow and Oh.  I am from US(stayed for 11 years and came back very recently).  I owned Honda Accord and Lexus RX330 suv over there.  Driving my skoda reminds me of my Lexus driving.  So elegant and precise driving.  No feeling of bumps or pits.  Good for my lower back pain.  Brakes are perfect. No need to move forward eveytime while braking like in many other cars. AC is also effective.  For us its 100%on.
So far I have driven twice from Pondy to Chennai and believe me or not there is no need to stop for rest.  I usually stop every 45 minutes while driving with my santro to strech my legs.  Definitely this is not a small car.  Yes the engine is a bit noisy and but one can accept it for the luxury the vehicle offers.  I see only 2 discomforts in Fabia, one is the horn.  You need to move your fingers from position to press it.  And the other is there is no remote fuel lid opener.  One has to stop the vehicle and give the keys. or carry the second keys with you.   I dont see any significant underpowered engine.  There is a slight lag in the pick up when you move from 1 gear to 2 gear in the suburbs(especially when you change gears quickly).  But wouldn't be a big issue in the normal city traffic.  Surprisingly 1st gear can handle upto 30 easily and 2nd upto 60 and 3rd upto 80.  Since I tend to move to 2nd gear in my Santro as soon as the vehicle moves which I need to adjust in Fabia move to 2nd after 20-25.  So its a matter of adjusting between my santro and fabia or get rid my santro completely as I don't like to drive my Xing anymore. 

And about the price yes its costly but definitely not over priced if one looks at all the feature this vehicles offers, airbas, abs, electric ORVM, heated side view mirror, height adjustable seat(manual), fog lamps,  much more.  Most of all the safety this vehicle offers, I am ready to buy it one more time.  I never drove my Xing more than 100 as Santro sways whereas I reached 130 and still felt safe and secure.  For whom can afford this vehicle this is a sweet surprise. 
And lastly many of my friends and big shots who have test driven are very surprised about the quality of driving this hatch offers.  People who drive fiesta immediately compared it with fiesta and said its better than fiesta.  As I was in the auto shop to add my mudflaps(surprising it does not come with the vehicle and spares has not reached skoda yet) Fabia was standing next to Swift and guys there told that the front look of Fabia was mindblowing.  Typical European car look. The owner of the swift came to me and sat in the car, felt it and said its an amazing car.  Its defintely fabia feel special.  I dont want to compare this vehicle with any other vehicle as this is in its own league and will not do justice for Fabia.  The reason for buying is I needed the best city vehicle(as I dont like fords and the look of logans, swift or sx4 are cheap build quality) and also luxury vehicle for long drives(as i am not interested in innovas, safari or scorpios).    People might give different reasons not to buy Fabia and but the only one reason I bought it is because I like it.  As for mileage is concerned I got around 285kms for 15 litres around 19kmpl (with AC on) in the highway.  Not yet done for city.

Inspite of various forums hate the price of Fabia this vehicle is definitely in demand in its own league.  In such a small town pondy itself inlcluding me there are 2 silver vehicles.   In Chennai I have seen 2(one silver and one white)  so far in the mount road alone and I  have been to chennai only twice last month.  And one while driving to Bangalore(black) on the highway before hosur early feb.  If one has the skoda eye to see it then he will see it.  So far only 2 lots have been dispatched and each dealer gets around 20-50 vehicles.  In the third batch only 20 ambientes are to be delivered to Chennai(no classics at all).

Recommendation:  Skods has to reduce the engine noise(not the price) for future vehicles in order to become a big sucess.  And for prospective buyers:  if you think saving 1 or 2 lacs is more important then you are definitely in the wrong place.  This car is not for cost consious buyers.  This is for self driven buyer who dont want to buy a fiesta or the expensive octy(which sits in the garage most of the time or used buy the drivers) to pick up kids. Rather a daily luxury car.
Great interiors, Fuel economy, Superb driving experience, Safe and Sturdyslightly underpowered, engine noise,

Exterior

 It has a matured looks with a strong built. A simple still elegant one.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 Most spacious & comfortable if compared to Ritz, Swift, Polo, Indica Vista, Figo or Punto. Only i20 can match it's space & comfort to certain extent but it's costlier also.

The driving comfort as well passenger comfort is excellent. The interiors are far more better than Maruti's / Tata's / Fiat's / Ford's.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 Fuel economy is bit lesser if compared to Swift or Ritz, but who cares when you are getting a premium hatch-back with an unmatchable comfort.

Ride Quality & Handling

 Driving comfort is it's bigggest benefit over other hatch-backs. It's a pleasure to drive it even in city traffic like Mumbai.

Final Words

 Please to drive, comfortable for passengers, loads of luggage space, Strong built.

Areas of improvement  

1. Mileage.
2. Engine noise.

 

Driving Comfort, Passenger Comfort, Luggage spaceLil bit lesser fuel economy & bit noisy engine

Dear users,readers,Hi I am a Doctor by profession, my hospital is about 15 mins drive with the usual red lights,bumps,etc.I think the suspensions are ideal for our road,i rarely feel the jitter ,I already have a Opel astra,Sx4,had a palio too but i give my dues to skoda Fabia ELEGANCE 1.4 MPI.The interiors are plush and suitable for a luxury car ,the space handling in this car is quiet efficient as proclaimed,in fact they have used the minimal unutilised spaces for storage purposes,which in most of the other cars are not thought of.Now coming to the turns and torque, i feel in tighter turns the car manages well without skidding or total steering turn.The fog light and the head lamp give ample and sufficient road light in dark roads.The power steering needs minimal pull or turn it is quite efficient.I haven't noticed any noise during road play or start of the engine.Coming to the A.C on hotter days i felt it took a little more time to cool especially for the back seaters as compared to the cars i have .The fuel efficiency is 10.5km/ ltrs with A.C in city drive before the first service.The stero function are good coud have given a remote though.The only thing i felt that skoda funnily didnt give any mud flaps,the manual is customised for europe and it is confusing,the Tyre pressure is 30 psi but not mentioned in the manual,though on the petrol tank it is 33.The fuel recommended is normal petrol and not POWER which is surprising and i have yet to confirm it.And if you want to put seat covers you cannot they dont fit so you cany buy ready made ones.They should have given a seat belt indicator ,though you dont need one to tell you that you are not wearing one.The rear parking sensors get faulty at times.The door open warnings are good and inormative.The key security features are superb though they could have given an audio warning the ususal blep when you close and open the door.The overall package is Good i am happy and i hope i could give some information for you all.
good style,excellent interiors,contour design,comfortable drivesac takes time

I have had the Fabia 1.2 petrol for some time now,

The biggest plus about this car is its solid build feel and the ensuing confidence it gives - which is a very good feel good factor when driving on highways, in the hills and even in the city.

Nothing has gone wrong with the car so far, but nothing was expected to go wrong any way

Only point is that if Skoda could make the price of the petrol version a little lower, bring the nett on road price to the sub 5 lac price, volumes could double treble, and also give confidence to the users that spares and services will be cheape when needed

Mahesh
Feels well built, gives a lot of psychological comfortif boot was extended some more it would be nice

Two months after the purchase my car met with a minor accident.to replace the bumper,headlight ,fog lamp they took 3 months with poor repair job.painting started peeling off within 2-3 mths.interior totally spoiled since they kept the car windows opened allowing the dust to accumaulate so much so that even 3 M PEOPLE could n't clean it up.after 2 mths of 1st repair a.c started giving trouble initially blower problem.a.c not cooling effectively so again given back to service centre,was told there was fan problem.to repair A.C they took 5 VISITS at monthly intervals.kept telling gas leak,relay problem & so on .

2.water seeping on the floor for which car kept at service centre 7times.every time false reassurances without lifting the floor mat &checking for seepage gave back the car.ultimately on 7TH VISIT ON MY INSISTENCE  THEY found that its overflow of a.c .water outlet.still not sure about the water leak so i told them to remove the carpet.unfortunately i found out a hole on the floor of my car which was made without my knowledge on earlier visits to drain the collected water.

Worst of all callous attitude. Irresponsible Skoda management, ill equipped workshops, no illumination, not even a simple torch! Using cell phone torch to do underbody inspection! Don't even have termometre to check AC efficiency!

Final Words

For God sake never buy Skoda car because of poor service backup!

Areas of improvement  

No chance. The company is only interested in selling cars. They never even bother to ask the customer about satisfaction or any problems. No evan to your emails!

 

bad experienceelectric and electronic failures .after two month of purchase met with minore accident problem start