2003 Skoda Fabia vRS review from UK and Ireland

Other than a slight rattle from the passenger door trim which disappears once the cabin has warmed up I have had no issues with the car.

This is my third Fabia, I started with the 1.4 MPi 8v, which I have commented on in this forum, I then moved on to a 2.0l and now the vRS. If I hadn't the vRS hadn't have come along I would still be happy with the 2.0l. As a motorway car in some ways the 2.0l was more relaxed as the suspension was softer and the engine would pull quite happily from just above 40 in fifth gear. Due to the close ratio box of the vRS I have found the need to change down more especially as in sixth at 70 the car is only doing around 1700 rpm!The overall package of the vRS is excellent as whilst the 2.0l was better than the 1.4l I still found it rather soft especially when cornering enthusiastically whilst the seats didn't offer enough support in those circumstances either. The vRS offers performance, handling and also excellent economy for an absolute bargain price. Compared to the 2.0l it's cheaper, the road tax is less and even my insurance came down!