New car opinions - Fabia RS or Octavia 118

[brenw]

Hey guys, getting a new company car in a month or 2, and (sadly) the boss rejected the idea of an Octavia RS! But got the OK for an Octavia 118, or possibly a Fabia RS. Just wanted to get opinions from people that own them, or just peoples opinions in general.
Will be a wagon either way cause I need the space; but torn between getting the bigger, more practical, better spec'd Octavia, and the slightly smaller but probably much more fun Fabia RS.
Either way, both would be a better drive than my current Hyundai Tucson!

[Rubbadub]

Probably the Octavia is the more "sensible" solution. Your boss obviously doesn't realise the Fabia RS is quicker than the Octavia RS, so you might enjoy sneaking it past him/her. :banana:

[BrashDaniels]

What about the 125TDI? Not a choice for us, but for business? Could be a nice compromise?

Otherwise, we found the Fabia cheaper, lighter, faster, and more economical. Street pricing rather than list prices helped IE: If you order a car, you will pay more making an Octavia just as good, but if you take a Fabia off the floor, you'll get a real bargain.

There are interior and exterior options you could put on your Octavia to make it FEEL like an RS :) IE: cloth, alloys etc.

The Octavia wagon has more room, but the Fabia just goes so well, and the seats fold up really easily into a very usable cargo area.

If space is more important, get the Octy. If you'd rather have something to combine work and play - get the Fabia.

Get Race Blue /White Roof and White Gigaros
Rallye Green with a White Roof, and White Gigaros
or Silver with Black roof, and Anthracite Gigaros

I got all white - but that's me.

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[BrashDaniels]

Probably the Octavia is the more "sensible" solution. Your boss obviously doesn't realise the Fabia RS is quicker than the Octavia RS, so you might enjoy sneaking it past him/her. :banana:

Yeah...I love "sneaking" off ANYWHERE in my Farrrrbiaaaaa,aaaaa,aaaaa whooosh.


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[brenw]

Thanks for your thoughts guys,
Yes the Octavia is the more "sensible" option, but part of me doesn't want to be sensible now that I've been given a choice!
The boss probably realises the Fabia is as quick or quicker than the Octy RS, but he's looking more at the price point ... Octy RS was just a wee bit too much :(
Not too keen on getting a diesel, and the 118TSI is pretty good .. has way more guts than what I've got now! Wouldn't be able to get the different colour roof on a Fabia cause I'd be getting a wagon. We'd probably get whatever colour the dealer has in stock (or can easily get), easier to negotaite a price that way I'd reckon too. Though silver or grey would be my pick.
Going to go car shopping tomorrow, so I'll see which one feels best.

[gavs]

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.

[Lucas_R]

If you get an Octavia id get the 90TSI in manual. Great engine and gearbox combo.

The 1.4 twincharge engines have a lot of problems and to be honest i would advise against getting a car with this engine.

Either way, my brother Mitchell is the manager at Newcastle Skoda so he will look after you on whatever you choose to get.

[VW Convert]

The 1.4 twincharge engines have a lot of problems and to be honest i would advise against getting a car with this engine.

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

Cheers

George

[Jake02]

Brenw I'd get the Octavia, much higher quality and comes with a lot more than the Fabia. It's a lot more car in my opinion!

[mmmRacer]

As Fabia RS wagon owner I have to say it is a great car. I took the Octavia 90tsi for a test drive first and really once I got used to it the only thing that I found disappointing was the power. As a work car I would go for the extra space if you carry tools around. The 118tsi should have enough power and then at least you have a option to go manual.

On the other hand if you only need a sporty hatchback with a bit more space, then the Fabia RS will surprise you with its performance. It is faster then you would expect and handles well up to a point. Sorry but I come from driving a Silvia and even though I like the Fabia's basic handing, it is no sports car. Bluetooth is handy and the interior is well done. After 2 months with the Fabia I still really enjoy driving the car to work. The DSG is great on fuel but not very happy in traffic. In stop start traffic I normally put it into the manual mode to stop it from changing into the wrong gear at the wrong time.

If you take both for a test drive I know which you would wish you could have.

[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,

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[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,

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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)

[brenw]

If you get an Octavia id get the 90TSI in manual. Great engine and gearbox combo.

The 1.4 twincharge engines have a lot of problems and to be honest i would advise against getting a car with this engine.

Either way, my brother Mitchell is the manager at Newcastle Skoda so he will look after you on whatever you choose to get.

Went to see Mitchell today, he was very helpful. Took both for a drive, and decided on the Octavia 118 (gotta get a DSG, as there doesn't seem to be any manuals around, which I would have preffered). There were a few things in the Fabia that would annoy me after a while I think, so the extra space and better spec of the Octavia won me over; and they've dropped in price, so the boss will be happy! But the Fabia was great fun to drive!!

Thanks for all the feedback guys ... hopefully it won't be too long before I can get it.

[Lucas_R]

^ good choice. The 1.8T in the Octy is a good motor.

[Martin]

gotta get a DSG, as there doesn't seem to be any manuals around, which I would have preffered

You can drive it in almost full manual mode - just no manual clutch

[muli]

Surely a lease car you would get decent price on a Octavia RS, we looked at demo but it sold. Dealer rang back 38k driveaway for a new one.
But bit too much coin for something that'll get little use so looked at a fabia rs wagon but bit scared now after seeing the polo gti thread and on british skoda forums there is people with new engines and still suffering.