Skoda Fabia wagon

shelleigh, Nov 21, 12:52am
Am looking at buying a Mk5 Golf wagon early next year but have just spotted one of these Skoda wagons. Have read a few online reviews and am interested to hear what anyone on here who has driven and/or worked on them think about them.
Thanks :)

trogedon, Nov 21, 1:04am
I'd be scared someone would replace the F on the Fabia badge with an L.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 21, 1:22am
There is no MK5 Golf wagon, only Mk6.
The Skoda is a nice enough car but no match for the MK5 Golf. Its an old design (not much newer than a MK4 Golf) They also tend to run the old MK4 Golf engines.
If you want a wagon with the good stuff from the Golf for a good price go for the Skoda Octavia wagon or the Passat wagon. The Octavia was renewedthe same time as the MK5 Golf and benefits from the new generation of technology. Its much more car for the money than the Fabia which I think you will find disappointing.

trogedon, Nov 21, 1:32am
What's the "Electronic Stagility Control"!!

shelleigh, Nov 21, 1:36am
Naughty Trogedon - I definitely would not want that happening!

Jazz the Mk5 Golf wagon went from 2007-2009 :)

thejazzpianoma, Nov 21, 1:36am
Technically you are right in your correction, good spotting!. There were some MK5 Facelift ones from 2007 onwards but they are fairly rare and I don't know if we officially got any here (we may have!).
Generally though Mk6 was where the wagons started again.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 21, 1:37am
Snap! Good work you have done better research than me. I didn't think we actually got any of the Mk5 facelifts even imports. until now!

thejazzpianoma, Nov 21, 1:40am
Here is another one for you to check up on. With the Skoda Octavia I notice there are some 1.8 litre versions around. I am not sure if those are the old 1.8T engines or a variation on the FSI.
I have seen them refered to both as the old engine and a new FSI depending on where you look. If it is the old 1.8T as good as that motor is I would say get an FSI one (or diesel) as its a better engine again.

shelleigh, Nov 21, 1:42am
Jazz I don't know if we got that model in NZ. I just wish the Golf wagons had the same rear lights as the Passat. The Golf ones just look chunky.

carmedic, Nov 21, 1:53am
Even some of the late Skoda Fabia run engines originally utilized in rear engined Skoda 100 range in the cold war Soviet Union of the seventies. Tread with care they're not ALL VW parts.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 21, 1:58am
That was the case with the Fabia but only two engines from memory. The Octavia is another story though and its just a re-package of the VW stuff with a different shell from the floorpan up. Just like they do with Audi.

shelleigh, Nov 21, 2:05am
Jazz that could be my Corolla wagon's upmarket twin! Same nicely rounded rear end which funnily enough I didn't like at first on the 'rolla!
The Passat wagons are nice enough but I don't want that long a wagon.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 21, 2:12am
You are a fussy one arn't you!
Because you want a wagon it does get pretty tricky. Hopefully you might fluke a MK5 Wagon for a sensible price.
The Fabia as explained is a waste of time in my opinion, and I think the Audi A3 sportsback is really likely still too much of a hatch for you. The Touran is a possibility but I don't see you going for the styling.

The key thing if at all possible is to get into the FSI/DSG stuff as its just so much better than anything else.

shelleigh, Nov 21, 2:21am
Fussy lol definitely has to be a wagon a similar size to the 'rolla. It's a good size for parallel parking.
Although after learning to drive in a VC Valiant most vehicles are lol
I actually like the look of the A3. Saw one in Dunedin a while ago.
As for the Tourans, they are a nice looking SUV but I don't need a 7 seater. I'd be more likely to get a Tiguan.
Definitely keen on the FSI/DSG.

I

thejazzpianoma, Nov 21, 2:22am
Here's a thought. you wanted a wagon for skiing etc didn't you!

What about an Octavia sedan, as it dosn't seem as long and you can sit 4 very comfortably with your ski's through the ski hatch (pretty sure they have a good sized ski hatch like the Audi's).

You can pick up a Diesel Octavia sedan so reasonable its easily the best bang for your buck and the running costs are even better than a 2.0 FSI Golf.You won't be short on power either.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 21, 2:23am
Hang, if the budget stretches to a Tiguan the world is your oyster. That puts the Golf wagon back on the table too even if you have to go MK6.

The A3 is a lovely car (just picked one up for the Father in law the other day) but really its no better than a Golf hatch for usable boot space. You also have to keep an eye on what features each one gets. The Golf is generally sold in "packages" so is usually well specced but the Audi you had to tick the individual box's to select what options you wanted. That means there are plenty of low spec A3's around.

shelleigh, Nov 21, 2:29am
Definitely going skiing more often Jazz :)
No thanks to a sedan or diesel though. I will be able to afford to buy a Tiguan but am not wanting to spend much more than $20k.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 21, 3:21am
Know me before you judge me. that applies to modern Euro diesels too.

If you havn't please please drive one before deciding, it would be a shame if the perfect car came up and you avoided it because it was Diesel only to find out later you would have loved it.

While I do really like the FSI a LOT if I was driving up to ski areas etc I would take the torque of the diesel every time. Of course its cheaper to run but it suits the DSG even better and also works better with the cruise control in my opinion.

That said, I wouldn't pay a premium for the Diesel but I would have one for the same price!

shelleigh, Nov 21, 3:30am
Jazz I'm not being judgemental about diesels - it's just a personal preference.
Have only driven one vehicle with cruise control and I hated it! Probably be a different story though if we had a lot of long straights.

craig04, Nov 21, 4:15am
I think you'll find the Tiguans are diesel only here.

shelleigh, Nov 21, 9:06pm
Craig I'm pretty sure the the new Tiguans are only diesel but there are petrol ones in NZ. Several for sale on here :)

I have to be careful size wize as my garage isn't very big. There's not much room either end of my Corolla wagon once it's in there. And I recently discovered the garage door is too low for me to have kayak stands on the roof rack!
So that would probably mean a Tiguan or a Passat wouldn't fit.

craig04, Nov 22, 3:42am
I'll rephrase. The Tiguan was only sold new in NZ as diesel.There is one petrol Tiguan for sale on here at the moment and it was a private import.

shelleigh, Nov 22, 3:53am
I won't be buying an Asian import.
I'll certainly be able to afford one early next year but am not wanting to spend much more than $20k on a vehicle for now.

craig04, Apr 1, 6:47pm
I'll rephrase. The Tiguan was only sold new in NZ as diesel.There is one petrol Tiguan for sale on here at the moment and it was a private import.Since it's not from Singapore it's not a bad option if you can afford it.
They're not a bad package. Pity it's too tall for your garage.