GTI v Fabia RS

[Savant]

I drove the Fabia RS wagon last week and I was pleasantly surprised with the power and poise. It also appeared to be well put together and the cargo space was great. But that's where the positives ended for me.
The interior is utterly drab and uninspiring. A color other than grey would've been welcome.....somewhere. Even a shopping trolley like Corolla has a more exciting interior. The Fabia also has a look that only a mother could love. It ain't ugly but it also ain't gonna come anywhere near close to winning a beauty contest.

So off I went to my nearby VW dealer for a closer look at the Polo GTI. Whilst the difference between the two interiors couldn't be classified as chalk and cheese, it's safe to say that they're very different cheeses. The Polo's interior is far nicer. The steering wheel alone is enough of a reason the choose the VW over the Skoda. The standard radio is also waaaay better in the Polo and you also get a choice of some decent options.
Put the two side by side and the Polo is a much nicer looking car (subjective I know).
For $1000 more, the Polo represents excellent value as an initial purchase and it's better resale will likely make up for the extra coin you had to lay out at purchase time.

The Skoda wagon would make a great sleeper though. Mod it with an ECU retune, CAI, intercooler, exhaust and some lowered springs and you've got yourself a 170kW wolf in grandma's clothing. But you'd have to deal with that depressing interior everyday......

[steveyoshi]

The biggest thing for me is the size of the Polo versus the Fabia... Both small the Fabia has just that bit more room in the boot as well as the rear legroom. Availability is much better too. Looks are subjective, Interior blandness is agreed but the comfort is still fantastic for the Skoda too.

Have no problem with Steering wheel either.

As for making a sleeper out of a wagon, the hatch works ok too. LOL

Slowly but surely it is still a pocket rocket.

Stephen