Loved my 24000miles in old model 1.9 Fabia Ambiente- hate the hard ride of the new one.
Anyone else think the ride is uncomfortable? Factory tell me 15" wheels and 50 section tyres (old one had 14" and 60 section- much more compliant), due to bigger front discs -- stiffer suspension because car is slightly higher. Seems to me they have spoiled it to suit drivers who want"handling", whereas many Skoda drivers were older (don't forget we now have the money), and just want comfort, economy and reliability.
Rcflyer
|
|
Can't live with it-sold it back to the dealer for some loss after only 2800 miles. I spoke with someone who drives all the range - confirmed that they are all sprung more stiffly, plus the low-profile tyres - so it wasn't just the 1.9 diesel. a great pity - my mistake,- I did not test drive it before buying-thought it would just be a better version of the much loved earlier model. Skoda still make excellent cars, good value, but the Fabia has moved away from an owner like me- elderly, seeking comfort and economy, towards more spirited drivers who no doubt want "handling" "involvement" etc. just as our roads get busier, bumpier, and less able to offer safe chances to appreciate these "virtues". Still, I'm just a boring old f-ellow!
|
Rcflyer
With the state of many British city / town roads, having too many hard riding cars is in my opinion a mistake.
Anyone with kids, elderly people and anyone not interested in cornering without braking, will agree with you.
I also agree that the fabia is a favourite with many older drivers ( ones I have seen on the road).
The problem is that many new cars are not designed specfically for British roads. It is said that Ford give a good ride on British roads and probably some other makers, but the
reliability is not up to Skoda standards. Some models from many makers have 2 or 3 different suspension set-ups from moderate to firm, depending on which trim level you buy.
Maybe a car with gas suspension or adjustable dampers might be a good idea, but these will be dearer.
|
|
|
Empathise with this entirely rcflyer - why even the most 'sensible' cars need to have handling designed to titillate the track-day fantasies of road testers is beyond me. When the Fabia 2 was first shown, I noticed immediately that the tyre profile ratio had decreased on the higher spec. version - why is that always so? Almost every model range these days seems to equate higher spec with larger alloys (and subsequently less rubber, at least in the vertical sense).
I bought a Skoda Superb elegance a few years ago - a very nicely spec'ed car - except for the daft (although I was dafter buying it before a comprehensive test drive) 17 inch alloys with 225x45 section tyres with no 'bulge'. Even more ridiculous since the basic suspension was soft & forgiving - I should have bought the lower spec. Comfort model.
Please car makers can we have, at least in one variation of the model line-up, a car that absorbs bumps & doesn't have to pass the 'Tiff-Test' for handling. My 3 most comfortable cars have been: Renault 6, Jaguar XJ6 S111 & a W124 Mercedes coupe - all of which gave excellent ride over all surfaces & provided enough 'entertainment' when needed.
|
|
woodbines - It's funny you mention the Mercedes W124 Coupe as I recently acquired a '94 model and one of the striking things about driving it compared to modern cars (apart from the vague steering) is the incredibly supple ride on its 65 section tyres. By comparison, the Peugeot 308 rental car I just gave back felt like it had been fitted with square wheels.
|
yes BP - nice 15inch 195x65 wheel/tyre combo on mine too (I had E220 coupe on an M-plate)
My 'test' of a car suspension (for suppleness that is) is whether you can press the rear wing down with one hand & get a nice movement & gently damped return. The steering was the old fashioned recirculating-ball type - a bit vague as you say, but it cushioned the steering against shocks, rather than having all that (absolutely vital it seems!) ) 'feel' you get with rack & pinion. I hope you enjoy yours!
|
|
you want a hard ride, take a spin in my panda 100hp, swmbo has lost her false teeth a couple of times !
|
|
Back to the OP - I've just got the 1.4 old style Fabia in Bohemia spec with 15" low profile tyres and am seriously thinking of ditching them for the 14" steel ones I had on the old 1.9 - when I commented on it to the dealer, they said that it aided the handling - my response was that the handling was fine before and it has now ruined the very good ride comfort..... not sure it its an option on the new one for 14" wheels with "higher" profile tyres?
|
|
|
|
At last, some confirmation of the hard ride of the Fabia 2! I think we could start another string on this subject. I am now in the market for the following:-
Compact dimensions-like the Fabia - to fit my garage
1oo+hp to occasionally pull my caravan
economy when driven to speed limits-diesel (obviously)
quiet cruising
smooth ride on high profile tyres
This is all proving very difficult, because as soon as I consider the engine size, I have to have alloys,low profile 55 section tyres and "sport" suspension.
Ford Focus-Zetec is hard ride- Toyota D4D 2.0 comes with low profiles.
However-- I have found three Dealers who would change the wheels on the "up-market" version to the 195/65 tyres fitted to the "Base" version. I am not asking for the cost of the alloys to be deducted- I just want a soft ride. Road testing the base models (on a Kia Cee'd- very nice) clearly showed that the base model had a smoother ride over sunken manhole covers, and less Motorway road noise. So it is worth asking, and if necessary, insisting. I think more Manufacturers should offer "delete" options where buyers may not want things like Alloys. It is only personal, but I think they look like Roman chariot wheels!
|
The ride on our 1.9 TDi (105 BHP) Roomster2 is good. I believe it is based on a combination of Fabia 2 and Octavia 1 mechanicals, but has a significantly longer wheelbase than the Fabia 2 (2617mm vs 2462mm). It is certainly somewhat softer than my old Mk1 Octavia, but is equally comfortable around town, or at high speed on the motorway.
The tyres fitted to mine are 195/55/15's.
|
|
|
It is only personal but I think they look like Roman chariot wheels!
:-)
I always thought alloys made cars look like they had push-bike wheels.
|
I always thought alloys made cars look like they had push-bike wheels.
Whoops - I meant low profiles rather than alloys.
|
|
|
|
|
|
sold it back to the dealer for some loss after only 2800miles
If it isn't a rude question, what % of the purchase price did you get? I was offered only 75% after 6 months/2000 miles in px for a new Pug 207 on my Fabia 2 1.2. I agree about the hard ride and would add the sloppy, long-throw gearchange and rather poor brakes. The car is however roomy for the class and should be good for a decade or two of use, since it is built like a brick chicken house.
|
|
Now had an offer from the dealer who sold it to me, only 77% of what he charged me. Not unusual of course, since most cars seem to shed 25% in the first year. He said one reason for the low valuation was that Skoda were now offering 0% finance on new ones so obviously the message from the market has got to them.
|
If you think a Fabia is bad you shoud try an Ibiza on the same platform- really harsh. I know mine is.
|
Do you know if the ride is the same on the Cordoba ??
Thanks
|
|
No, it's not a rude question,- The original dealer gave me 75% of the price, and while sorry to lose so much due to my own mistake, I was glad to see it go. Now starting all over again, with the usual difficulty of finding something smooth with sensible wheels. However, the response from Seant on this Forum about the Roomster, has got me thinking about trying one. I had ruled it out because I thought it was likely to be as bad as the Fabia, but Seant is the second source of a suggestion that the Roomster floorpan is a mixture of Fabia and Octavia-- so there could have been some different thinking in Skoda's suspension section? Before ruling out Skoda completely( because I still have some faith in the Marque)- I will try a 1.9 Roomster 2-at the moment on a £1000 off offer.
|
|
rcflyer - have you tried the new Corsa? 'Excellent ride' according to Autocar 'refined, with big-car feel'.
|
No-because the local Dealer can't offer me a road test in anything other than an up-spec'ed three door petrol! (with massive alloys-I might add!) also, to pull my caravan-weighs around 1000kg- Idon't think the diesel available would offer enough torque. I was OK with the 105 hp VW 1.9, but wouldn't want any less. Having the same trouble finding an Astra 5-door 1.9diesel to drive- this is reported to have a comfortable ride, but such opinions are very subjective.
But thanks for the suggestion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
