Mar 14, 2012 01:50 PM
39953 Views
I bought my skoda fabia ambiente 1.2 tdi diesel 1 year back. It has done about 16000km so far. I was actually looking for a diesel sedan after driving alto for 5 years. Our baby was 1 year old then, and we drove long distances with lots of luggage. making the alto somewhat inadequate.
Unfortunately, I live in calicut where raods are narrow, making reversing sedans difficult. Fabia had the best boot. I test drove swift, ford figo, swift dzire, mahindra verito, indica, punto, accent, i20( all within my budget of 7 lakh) and petrol honda jazz. I found the fabia had the best combination of looks, comfort, space and practicality.
It was a stable car, slightly heavy, with good steering feedback, adequately weighted steering, good back seat, which can seat two adults and a child(large central column on floor made it uncomfortable for 3rd adult). The back seat had good seating position and head rest, making it comfortable for old people on long drives(contrast etios liva diesel). The engine was the same as VW polo 1.2 tdi, which although noisy, had terrific pickup, pulling adequately from 1500rpm onward (had to learn to control the acceleration!).
After 1 year, I feel its a very good car. I have spent 5800 rupees after 15000 km on oil and filter, no other costs so far(except interior cleaning and wheel balancing). Fuel economy is 15-16 in city(a/c on all the time), in 2-3-4th gears stop start traffic.
On highways in tamilnadu (we don't have highways in kerala yet, only streets that connect cities which are 1 1/2 lane, the people here call them highways!), I got 20-22 kmpl at speeds ranging from 80-140kmph. It doesn't have ABS, but braking is assured till 120kmph, straight line stability is good, and is a very confidence inspiring car at high speeds. The boot is 315 litres, and can take two mediu sized suitcases flat on the floor. No other car in its class has this luxury, so we use it routinely for our airport runs, and even for shifting small mattresses in the boot!
The fit and finish is exceptional, and no other car seems to have this attention to ergonomics and detail. Swift comes a distant 2nd. I get 2 airbags as standard. The onroad price after 4 year skoda shield warranty was 650000/-. I felt it was cheap for the value, and comparable to most cars(my brother bought a liva diesel which afetr similar specs, except ABS extra, cost 700000/-).
Overall, a good buy.
And I feel as a professional, it stands out in a crowd of swifts and figos easily as the more elegant car.
Cons: a little heavy(i like that actually)
Front windshield keeps getting fogged from inside which needs periodic wiping or defogger use.
Suspension is a bit on stiff side, so low speed ride can be bumpy on potholes. Great suspension at speeds above 60kmph.
Low ground clearance, aminly due to the engine guard in front. Doesnt scrape speed breakers often, but scrapes oddly designed steep inclines in parking areas.
Cant fit anything additional which needs wiring alteration(fog lamps for example), warranty becomes void. I presume thats the VW policy in general.
Who should buy:
People who want a solid car that is comfortable, spacious, well specced and well finished. Reliable, fantastic on long journeys and highways. Lots of boot space and well designed boot.
Mail your responses to durgaprasan@gmail.com
