Mar 22, 2014 05:27 PM
178210 Views
(Updated Mar 22, 2014 05:27 PM)
Well, the car has already off the self and selling no more, but still couldn't resist to post my review after driven it for more than a year.
I bought Fabia 1.2 HTP Elegance model in Feb-2013. I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the car, both interior and exterior looks stunning and every bit of the material is of very high quality. I was worried about the mileage and ASC of infamous Skoda. Luckily both of my fears proved wrong till now(touch wood :)
Well, to get maximum out of this car, it needs some getting used to. This is not a powerful car, and considering its weight and just 74 BHP on board, don't expect rocket like performance, but it never feels under powered if driven sedately. The best thing is gear shift, its butter smooth and gears have long range, so you can drive almost like automatic in 3/4 gear in moderate city traffic (I normally do it and enjoy it thoroughly :)
The seating position is high, which gives very good view of the road, and is very comfortable. I did 500 km trips twice and never felt any strain/driving fatigue(Actually enjoyed driving, which I never do on long distance driving).
Comparing to other cars, I have personally driven Alto, WagonR, Swift, i10, Brio and have observed them thoroughly, the quality of this German is way ahead(Brio/i10/Swift felt like tin boxes comparing to this tank! Another very important observation that I would like to mention, it age very slowly and gracefully, 3 years old and still feels like new (not only interiors but overall mechanical's like clutch, break, which feels worn out within 6 months in a Maruti/Hyundai.
Things I love:
-Beautiful cabin lights(have dimming effect) comes on automatically, once ignition is turned off/car is unlocked and turns off once ignition is turned on or car is locked. very very handy, specially in basement parking where you always need it as it is almost dark.
-Power windows works even after switching off the ignition and pulling out the keys. very convenient really, otherwise you need to keep the car 'on' for operating power windows.
-Gear box is extremely smooth and long range ensures excellent city driving.
-Great turning radius is a boon(don't know about figures but feels much better than my other car Alto). taking u-turn even on narrow streets is a breeze.
-Glove box and Boot have lights which comes on/off automatically, when opened/closed.
-Very good seating position, seat position is higher and leads to good road visibility and driving position. driver seat is height adjustable.
-Good quality audio system have six dedicated buttons for preset FM channels which is very convenient.
-Full featured MID, including current trip meter, distance to empty, average mileage, instant mileage, distance/time traveled, clock etc.
Downsides:
-There is no provision to lock front doors from inside(Rear ones have child locks). My daughter have opened door few times, while the car was running! Scary I must say.
-Fresh/inner air circulation mode switch (electronic in Fabia) behave somewhat in random manner. It always comes in fresh air mode, whenever car when ignition turns off and on. but sometimes, it remembers the last position.
Overall, if you are a sedate driver, love quality and are OK with slightly higher expenses on fuel/service then its the car for you. I usually get approx 14 kmpl in city usage(moderate traffic conditions) and 17.5 kmpl on highway usage.
Service is annual or 15 km, and costs approx Rs.6500/-.
