Fabia V Yaris???Which one
I can\'t decide which one of these two supermini cars to buy. I am buying used and wondered if you could help me decide. I want the most mpg and space in a small car. Both of these cars have excellent reviews. Please help me decide, any comments from owners will be much appreciated.
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Well, I'm happy with my Fabia 1.9tdi after three years.Only problems have been a battery failure at 3 yrs 2 months(out of warranty!) and a power steering sensor cable, fixed under warranty. No rust, but I do live on the Costa del Sol!
Roger. (in Spain).
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Hi Malteser in Spain
The 1.9 tdi Fabia - how mpg do you get normally on small trips? Lucky you in Costa del Sol, I guess you have air con too..........?
I am leaning towards the Fabia as my next car - any regrets buying yours, wished you gone for something else?
J
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Yaris has sharper steering and firmer ride
(either or both of which you may or may not prefer)
Yaris has 3-door version. (ditto)
Fabia diesel will be more widely available second-hand
- diesel being the choice for mpg.
(Yaris diesel is "new").
Yaris speedo is not in direct line-of-sight
(of course, those that think speeding should not be a crime do not care about that).
Fabia has better seats.
Suggest you try both for yourself.
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'If' I opt for the Fabia, which engine is the best terms of mpg and pulling power
petrol or diesel?
i have read good reports about the 1.9 tdi fabia , would you agree?
J
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I have a Yaris diesel which is as good as Honest John says they are. however they are still expensive. A petrol Yaris would be available at all price ranges. The 1.0 is very frugal and quite good fun to drive.
Toyota dealers are excellent and its probably worth considering this car on that basis alone. The Fabia is very good but I think it lacks that extra sparkle that the Yaris has. They are both very reliable however the Yaris feels much bigger inside and has a great driving position.
Go to both dealers on the same day and try each car. Toyota will usually let you borrow a car for a few hours. Ofcourse you just pretend your a keen punter. Then walk away and look at autotrader. Your gut instinct will tell you which car you had the most fun driving. When i have been faced with a choice i usually depend upon my feelings on the test drive. you should feel I really want this car, then you will have a decision.
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The Yaris is very economical. My 1.3 gives a healthy 86 bhp, but returns 45-50 mpg. Diesel will be even better of course, though they are expensive. Regarding space, the Yaris is roomy and airy in the front, and pretty decent in the back. However the boot is tiny, even with the back seat slid forward.
One other thing is that the Yaris is very expensive used - you could probably buy a brand new Picanto or Charade for the same money as a two-year old Yaris. I've driven a Charade quite a bit, and it's not as good a car as the Yaris, but gets surprisingly close considering how much cheaper it is. It's roomy inside, though has an even smaller boot than the Yaris. Picanto looks even better value, though I haven't driven one.
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I've also been checking out these two models. As mentioned above, both petrol and diesel Yaris are highly respected, although the diesel is rare second-hand and sells for a premium. If you only do a low to average mileage, the Yaris diesel may not be worth the extra premium. However, the diesel Fabias appear to be preferred over the petrol Fabias - there's also lots about on the used market and many Fabias come with air con, rarer on a Yaris. Also, consider the ease of servicing, proximity of dealers etc. Toyota dealers charge top rate for used Yaris, worth shopping around supermarkets and independants as prices are lower.
Baz
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I had this choice to make last year. I test drove both on the same day and ended up choosing the Fabia. Both cars are very roomy for their size but I decided I wanted something a bit bigger than the Yaris. I also wanted a five door car and this would have been significantly more expensive with the Yaris. All Fabias are five door.
As others have said, the Yaris speedo is odd but not a problem: it's in your line of sight when you're looking at the road.
I didn't get the chance to test the Yaris as thoroughly as the Fabia, but reviews I read suggested it can be noisy at speed. I wanted something that would be comfortable for the occasional long journey. I can vouch for the fact that the Fabia is a very comfortable car, even if you're driving all day.
I haven't regretted my decision, although I I'd still agree that the decision is finely balanced, and wouldn't put you off considering both very seriously.
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All the comments here have been really helpful - thank you all, keep em coming, Im still undecided but Wellisorter has maybe done my homework, to be honest I have a Toyota now Rav 4 and I will seriously miss it when its gone (reasons for selling - too juicy and no air con, no boot space! its a 3 door!) and I wanted to stay with the same manufacturer because Ive had no probs with Rav at all, lovely to drive aswell, will also miss being up high in a vehicle. The heaviness and build of the Skoda seems more value for money and if they are neck and neck in terms of reliability and comfort I might go for a Fabia for a change. If anyone thinks this is bad move please let me know all your comments are seriously helping me choose! Thanks guys.
J
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You might be interested to know that www.whatcar.com/ has video reviews of both cars.
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You might want to look at www.toyotaownersclub.com and www.briskoda.com for owner comments on the yaris and fabia respectively.
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Make sure you take them for a longish test run. I can't get on with most Fabia seats, the seat base has a bolster at the front that dead legs me after 20 miles or so. The sports seats in the Fabia vRS 130bhp diesel are excellent though , good car with excellent prices from drivethedeal.
Can't comment on the Yaris as I dont fit, its me thats the wrong shape and size!
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Welliesorter
As you are a Fabia owner - what engine is the best, what did they advise you and what did you plump for when you bought? Also, how many mpg do you get with yours?
J
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Yes I've had my Fabia since April last year. It has the 1.4 8v engine which isn't the best* and is no longer available anyway. If you want a 1.4 petrol engine, the 16v is better as it's quicker and more economical. My choice of engine was an economic one: the others were much more expensive, and it would have taken a long time to recoup any advantages in fuel economy. Mine isn't the fastest car in the world but it keeps up with the traffic, even at motorway speeds, so that's good enough for me.
I got very little advice from my local dealer. I was just given the keys to a 1.2 model and allowed to drive off in it without showing a driving licence, or any other identification! The one being pushed at the time was the bottom-of-the-range 1.2, presumably because it had just been launched. I ended up doing my own research and getting a good discount by buying through a broker (see the links on this site).
I'm ashamed to say I don't know how many MPG I get as I've never quite got round to working it out. I tend to avoid using the car for very short journeys, and am lucky enough to live within a couple of miles of my workplace, so I don't spend a huge amount on fuel. The claimed 'combined' figure for mine is 39.2 MPG and most models in the range are better than this. If I did more miles, one of the turbo diesels would be a better option and these have plenty of devotees as the 1.9 TDis are pretty quick. The souped-up Vrs version is also a diesel. You may have seen Jeremy Clarkson racing it on Top Gear last night. I've read that the SDi diesels are to be avoided: they are slow without being terribly economical.
If you don't do a lot of motorway miles, one of the 1.2 litre petrol engines might be good enough. One is more powerful than the other though. It would be fine for town driving and would still just about keep up with traffic on the motorway.
Every so often, ?koda have a special edition called the Silverline. This is a Classic with a few worthwhile extras thrown in. Having said that, their current offer of free air conditioning is pretty good too. Mine doesn't have air conditioning but this isn't a problem on the open road as the ventilation is pretty good. Don't consider a Fabia without central locking. If it doesn't have this you can only open the boot by opening the driver's door and pulling a lever just by the sill. Models with central locking have a latch above the number plate so I never need to use the lever.
For further reading take a look at www.caranddriving.com/csma/docs.asp?maker=SKODA , which is a slightly bland site but it has fairly detailed reviews of the various Fabias. Also, consider joining the forums at www.briskoda.net , where you'll find a lot of knowledge.
If you have any detailed questions I can help with, please post here again or contact me using the address in my profile.
* Ducks while Mr Flat in Fifth leaps out and disagrees.
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Thanks Welliesorter
Damn I miss Top Gear!! that sounded like fun. I would like to buy a 1.9 td ideally but will have to search to get a good deal, I dont wan to spend more than #5,500 on a used one - even if its few years old. For this money I will probably get a 1.6v if it comes to it.
Happy Fabia driving!
J
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I've got a Yaris 1.4 diesel. I don't have any problems with the location of the speedo, it doesn't take that long to get used to it. I've had the car just about 1 year, done 24000 miles, and had no problems at all. Fuel consumption is excellent - overall average is 70mpg.
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If it's space you want I wouldn't choose the Yaris....have you seen the size of it's boot?? I had the Yaris and the Honda Jazz on my shortlist for a new car and the Jazz wins hands down...for a small car it's got a helluva lot of space and it is also a great car to drive...why not take a visit to the local Honda garage? Can't comment on the Skoda although by the looks of things it has more room than the Yaris.
FYI...The Yaris and the Jazz have both been Which? consumer magazine Best Buys in the supermini range.
--
If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished
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The Jazz is good but the reason its bigger inside is because its longer than the Yaris, its also much more expensive and the ride quality isn't great.
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Honda has/is on my shortlist but I think it has a lip on the boot where as Fabia clear loading bay so to speak,, also my budget wont stretch to a Jazz
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Just to throw in a further alternative: SWMBO was so impressed by the Mazda 2 she saw at the weekend she bought one! we noticed the price of 8118 (for the 1.25 S) advertised on saturday's site through new-car discount.com - but our local dealer is doing the same car for 7495! Hard to fault it at this price. Pick it up on friday.
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To be honest, I don't think you'll really go wrong with either car. I have a Fabia owning friend and a Yaris owning friend and both have been very happy with their purchases. There's no wrong decision here so buy which out of the two you really want.
Personally, I'd pick the Yaris, but I have a soft spot for Toyotas.
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We have a 1-litre Yaris GS 3 door that my wife gets to drive more than me. It's good fun to drive because the engine revs freely and the handling is sharp, so you really feel like you are getting a move on, even though you're often not going as fast as you think. The GS has wider tyres than the S and has a bit more grip as a result. The speedo position is no problem, in fact the instruments don't get blinded by bright sunlight because they're deep inset in the dash. Ours has been faultless (W reg, 43k miles) apart from a plastic connector in the rear hatch lid that came adrift, a 5 minute, no cost repair. It's really difficult to get the mpg below 50 on any sort of run! Don't buy one if you need a big boot, and some tyres produce a bit of road noise, but I can't think of any other drawbacks, except a certain lack of macho cred, if you're bothered by that sort of thing.
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julia, have you changed your name to tracy?
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Not quite - two different registrations, but one person.
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My wife and I have owned both of these cars; a Yaris SR for three years and a Fabia vRS for three months and two thousand miles. Both are excellent cars but, without a shadow of a doubt, the vRS is the better car. Better performance, better MPG, better seats, better gearbox (quite poor in both our Yaris's), better built and a better stereo system (by miles). The Yaris has better storage facility, and that is about it. The Yaris is a damn good car, the Fabia is better - or at least when comparing the vRS against a SR/T-Sport.
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Nearly forgot! The seats in the vRS are excellent. Just did a four hour trip in ours and we got out without so much as an ache, and I speak as a 6` 4" tall driver of a motorised armchair, a Volvo S80. The seats in the Yaris were satisfactory but more suited to short, local journeys than long distance runs - in my opinion, of course
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The seats in the Yaris were satisfactory but more suited to short, local journeys than long distance runs - in my opinion, of course
That's my experience too.
I have done a few long trips this year driving a Yaris, and have been a passenger (front & rear) for lots of shorter journeys.
The back seats appear to have oodles of leg room, but in practice a lot of it seems to have been achieved by shortening the seat cushion. I'm relatively tall and I find the back seats rapidly get uncomfortable because so much of my leg is unsupported. (Great for short journeys, though)
The front seats feel better, but the seat cushions are still too short. Beyond an hour or two, I wish the seats were larger and softer.
All the seats are too hard for my liking; no harder than a new Avensis, but I like softer than that. I think that Mr Toyota has been taking too many lessons from the German school of seat design :(
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Thanks Slender- this is great to know - someone who has had both!! - I have been studying (and Im not entirely sad just want to pick the right car which will serve me many years!) its been so difficult because they are both such great cars! I have a Toyota now - will miss it terribly but the Fabia seems to be winning me over but just one thing....i thought the Fabia had more boot space?? I know you can slide the back seats forward in the Yaris to get more space but when looking in the Fabia boot it seem much roomier but then you having used both would have had practical experience.
Jx
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Julia is my middle name and Im using it for a change because I posted here couple years ago i forgot and used my originall posting name tracey- sorry to confuse you - same person
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Tracey/Julia
The sliding seat of the Yaris is useful, but is only if real use if you do not carry rear seat passengers whilst you have it set for maximum boot space. The Fabia has a good size boot and you still carry four people in it at the same time with ease. I know because I did exactly that last Saturday! Four adults, loads of odds and sods in the boot and nobody was short of leg room or uncomfortable in the 40 or so miles we did - at a smidge over 60mpg.
Motorway driving at or around the legal limit will see a minimum of 54 mpg with ease. Slightly steadier driving will see you tip 60mpg. These are not manufacturers quoted figures I'm repeating here but actual fuel consumption figures we have achieved and have calculated manually following a refuel after a journey. Stop/start city driving gives around 40mpg.
We too were not anxious to come away from Toyota following dependable, reliable performance of our two Yaris's and reasonable dealer service - better the devil you know! However, we have absolutely no regrets doing so.
Good luck with your decision.
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