New car opinions - Fabia RS or Octavia 118

[pologti18t]

If the boss is paying then get the Octavia.. its a 40K car (RRP + ORC) compared to a 34k car (RRP +ORC)
The Octavia comes with sat nav and dual zone climate control as standard and isn't much slower (0-100 in 7.9) than the Fabia.

[Difinity]

I got the Fabia RS Combi. Very happy. Suspension is a bit hard at low speed (esp. Speed humps etc), but overall very comfortable. Is not too much shorter than the Octy, but quite a bit narrower.
The car feels as solid as my Saab, well built too. As for the 1.4 twincharge & DSG ... it's a lease car. Any maintainence needed is fully deductible.
Very happy with performance, and no it is not a sports car - it's a small hot hatch wagon. Got some go and sticks like glue though.

[brenw]

Am a bit skeptical about the 1.4 twincharge after reading about the engine failures in the Golf forums, but there doesn't seem to be the same reports about this engine in the Fabia (or haven't I looked hard enough!?). And like Difinity said, it's a lease car.
Decisions, decisions.

[Lucas_R]

Am fairly certain that the 118 TSI Octavia a 1.8 turbo engine not a 1.4 twincharger.

Cheers

George

^ you are correct - my bad. Using the "118TSI" naming confused me. The 1.8T is a good motor.

[Lucas_R]

Am a bit skeptical about the 1.4 twincharge after reading about the engine failures in the Golf forums, but there doesn't seem to be the same reports about this engine in the Fabia (or haven't I looked hard enough!?). And like Difinity said, it's a lease car.
Decisions, decisions.

^ thats because theres not many people with Fabia vRS's on here. Have a look in the Polo GTI section and you will get the answers.

[Martin]

^ thats because theres not many people with Fabia vRS's on here.

I was going to say exactly the same thing...

A number of my friends have checked out my Octavia and decided not to buy one because it's too small
It certainly is a small wagon, and that's it ace, it's a wagon for people that don't need a big full time wagon but is still an easy size to use/park etc

It's both nice/comfortable and fun to drive - the vRS is very well equiped (not sure about the 118TSI)

[BrashDaniels]

Either way you're going to be facing the high potential of multiple clutch replacements, extreme oil consumption and mechatronic unit failures with either car, if it was me, I'd be negotiating for any other model that doesn't have either the twincharged 1.4 motor or the 7spd dry clutch dsg.

Thanks for throwing the wet blanket in on a fun thread.

SKODA are generally assembled in the Czech Republic, not
China, South Africa, Mexico, or Germany.

It has been well documented in many countries that SKODA simply isn't suffering the
volume of issues the VW's are.

The assertion is that QC at the SKODA assembly plant catches more (not all of course) problems before they reach the consumer.

I grant that many Australian SKODA haven't got big miles on them yet, but Euro and UK vehicles do, where the Yeti, Octavia, and Superb sell like hot cakes.

People ARE having problems, but not as many, and SKODA, both in the UK and Australia, are documented (not anecdoted) as being more invested in customer satisfaction.

For the record, my 1.4 stopped using excess oil at 8000 Km. I couldn't be happier. Ask anyone at happy laps how hard the Fabia goes.

Stay positive people,

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk HD

[gavs]

Thanks for throwing the wet blanket in on a fun thread.

SKODA are generally assembled in the Czech Republic, not
China, South Africa, Mexico, or Germany.

It has been well documented in many countries that SKODA simply isn't suffering the
volume of issues the VW's are.

The assertion is that QC at the SKODA assembly plant catches more (not all of course) problems before they reach the consumer.

I grant that many Australian SKODA haven't got big miles on them yet, but Euro and UK vehicles do, where the Yeti, Octavia, and Superb sell like hot cakes.

People ARE having problems, but not as many, and SKODA, both in the UK and Australia, are documented (not anecdoted) as being more invested in customer satisfaction.

For the record, my 1.4 stopped using excess oil at 8000 Km. I couldn't be happier. Ask anyone at happy laps how hard the Fabia goes.

Stay positive people,

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk HD

You're welcome but I think that if you dig further you will find that there exactly the same issues, they're just not as prevalent due to volume of vehicle sales. The engines and gearboxes all come the same plants so quality control relating to them is null. HOWEVER, I do personally believe that VAG have been smarter about engine choices in the Skoda range. The 1.8T motor is a gem and its only downfall is the horrible gearbox bolted to it. My pick out of Fabia RS or Octavia 118 would be the Octavia with a manual. If you can't stump up to the Octavia RS then the 118 with manual is a bloody good alternative. My advice an that of many industry experts is to steer away from anything with the DQ200 dsg in it, it's not a question of if, but when the issues will arise. If you don't mind the voided warranty aspect, get the dq200 but give Harding Performance a call and get their dsg software installed. It is proven to extend the life of the gearbox and especially clutch packs exponentially.

[BluChris]

"SKODA, both in the UK and Australia, are documented (not anecdoted) as being more invested in customer satisfaction." Ah, no. One out of two. Skoda Aus, pretty average just like VW. We can only dream of the UK service experience.

As for the car, like gavs said get a 118 manual. Otherwise if you must have DSG then you really should take the diesel for a drive because it is the more robust wet clutch 6 speed DSG. Stay away from the DQ200.

Likewise, the idea that it's a lease car so problems don't matter amazes me. Lease or not, life is too short for chronic, repeating problems with a sick car and multiple trips to the dealer to maybe fix or not. Go for the models with the most proven drivetrain. Will give you more satisfaction and end up in better resale value. See the Polo 6R class action thread - a dealer just offered 6K trade on a GTI because he knew about the issues and didn't want a bar of it.

[Martin]

SKODA are generally assembled in the Czech Republic, not
China, South Africa, Mexico, or Germany.

That's a common misconception
Have a look at the manufacturing and assembly locations detailed on Wikipedia

Skoda have maufacturing facilties in:

• China
• Czech Republic
• India
• Kazakhstan
• Russia
• Slovakia
• Ukraine
• Bulgaria

Octavia manufacturing history:

• 1996–2010 Czech Republic
• 2001–2011 Ukraine
• 2002–2010 India
• 2005–2011 Kazakhstan

Octavia Assembly:

• Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic
• Vrchlabi, Czech Republic
• Kaluga, Russia
• Bratislava, Slovakia
• Anting, China (SWV)
• Solomonovo, Ukraine
• Aurangabad, India (Škoda India)
• Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan[3]
• Luanda, Angola (Ancar)

Skoda Fabia Assembly 2007 to present:

• Mladá Boleslav,
• Czech Republic Aurangabad
• India (Škoda India)(CKD)
• Oskemen, Kazakhstan (Azia Avto)
• Anting, China (SVW)
• Solomonovo, Ukraine (Eurocar)