A car review – the Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSI Monte Carlo
My Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSI Monte Carlo
After writing my blog post about Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear and fridge magnets, I thought I’d write a car review of my own. I have never written one before so I warn you, it may be a bit shit! But hey until I have a go, I’ll never know if motoring journalism should have been my calling instead of marketing management, or even 2011’s bout of house husbandry.
As much as I’d like to write about a flash motor of the kind appreciated by overpaid, often irresponsible, Cheshire based members of the football kicking fraternity (or Jeremy Clarkson for that matter); my review will instead be based upon something much closer to home.
In fact, this car couldn’t get much closer to home without being involved in some kind of ram raid – the motor in question sits on my drive every night and is my current daily transport to and from the office in glamorous Milton Keynes.
Before putting the ‘pedal to the metal’, indulge me for a moment if you will whilst I set the scene.
Prior to my redundancy lows of 2011, l was used to having a company car from the Vauxhall stable. I think that I had 15 different Vectras and Insignias over the years (as well as a Signum and one Astra). Whilst many would be embarrassed to admit it, I genuinely liked the cars and they proved sensible (insurance, MPG, BIK etc.) and reliable transportation for my daily dalliances with the M6.
In motoring journalism CV credentials, I realise the last paragraph could be the equivalent of retirement, or perhaps committing suicide; but having spent most of my career in the motor industry, I have driven plenty of more exotic automobiles (on and off road and on track). In fact I drove so many flash cars over the years that I stopped getting excited about them. A car is a car is a car and once you’ve driven anything for a while, you stop noticing it.
After being made redundant, a company car didn’t form part of my unemployment benefits package and so began a period of driving small, cheap and innocuous cars – all leased through the VW Group – an arrangement that just carried on once I started working again. I had a 1.4 Seat Ibiza Copa a 1.2 SE TSI Skoda Fabia, a 1.2 S Skoda Fabia and then the car that will be reviewed here – the 1.2 TSI Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo.
If you were wondering why you got the last three paragraphs of digression, I’ll now make it clear. This bright red Skoda with its gloss black roof, grill, finishing strips, rear diffuser and 17inch alloys is the best car I have had in the last few years and I really like it.
The Monte Carlo (MC) is a neat little package because it has some performance (thanks to some light turbo assistance), is economical (averaging over 40mpg), is cheap to insure and looks just like its VRS stable mate i.e. more eye catching and sporty than the average Fabia.
Aside from the paintjob, the sporting pretensions continue with sports seats, small leather package (featuring red stitching), a dark roof lining, chrome strips on the door sills and a slightly noisier exhaust note (which to be honest with you, I don’t like).
Practicality is good with five doors (essential when you have kids); a 60/40 split rear seat (necessary for the trips to IKEA); a reasonable sized boot (for all the Tesco shopping) and a removable parcel shelf. The storage bins in the front doors are good for about ten CDs and there’s the glove box and an additional storage box above that; there is also a centre console which is a good receptacle for sunglasses, phone and more CDs. There is an input socket for an iPod (other Mp3 players exist) or iPhone (although I prefer CDs).
The only thing that I am not so happy about is that there is no spare wheel, or even a space saver. If you get a puncture you have a pot of glue type gunk and a compressor to try and get home with.
The 1.2 105PS petrol engine helps the car accelerate at a decent enough pace and it means that overtaking is doable; it will still maintain a reasonable pace up hill; and pulling out of junctions, or on to roundabouts, does not mean one takes one’s life into one’s own hands (this couldn’t be said for the 1.2 S 69PS car I had before this one).
The handling is good too although I’ll admit that I haven’t smoked the tyres, tried the elk test, doughnuts or drift sliding. It’s a front wheel drive, leased car after all and I would rather avoid the maintenance bill or end of loan re-charges.
To be honest, the MC is still more ‘show than go’, and more ‘show than stop’ for that matter – drum brakes on the rear (this isn’t sports car territory). The five speed gear box would be better with six changeable forward cogs and a few more instrument dials wouldn’t go amiss. Still if I wanted a sports car, I’d have ordered the VRS instead.
The challenge with a ‘pretend’ sports car is that people may think; the driver is a young oik or has a small appendage occasionally known as Percy, or both! In this colourway, people may even think one supports Manchester United.
The thing is that I don’t care about any possible abuse because when I was driving the 69PS Fabia S, I felt like an old man who’d made some poor investment decisions with his pension fund or an eighteen year old girl with a car bought for them by their daddy.
When this car arrived, I smiled and have been smiling ever since. The MC is a good looking (slightly devilish in my colourway) and fun little car and is a genuine alternative to a Fiesta, Corsa, Fiat 500 or a Mini. And, if you don’t believe me, visit your local Skoda dealership and try one out for yourself.
And for anyone that still thinks that Skodas are crap - remember, Fabias are out there winning rallies (just in case you were wondering about the car’s name) and the skip jokes are as out of date as Jimmy Saville’s popularity.
I like this car so much that my next car will be exactly the same – it’s on order already.
Vital statistics
Price: £14,220
Insurance group: 13E
CO2: 124g/km
0-62: 10.1 seconds
17 inch black alloys with 205/40/17 tyres
Reviews Home
Home
As much as I’d like to write about a flash motor of the kind appreciated by overpaid, often irresponsible, Cheshire based members of the football kicking fraternity (or Jeremy Clarkson for that matter); my review will instead be based upon something much closer to home.
In fact, this car couldn’t get much closer to home without being involved in some kind of ram raid – the motor in question sits on my drive every night and is my current daily transport to and from the office in glamorous Milton Keynes.
Before putting the ‘pedal to the metal’, indulge me for a moment if you will whilst I set the scene.
Prior to my redundancy lows of 2011, l was used to having a company car from the Vauxhall stable. I think that I had 15 different Vectras and Insignias over the years (as well as a Signum and one Astra). Whilst many would be embarrassed to admit it, I genuinely liked the cars and they proved sensible (insurance, MPG, BIK etc.) and reliable transportation for my daily dalliances with the M6.
In motoring journalism CV credentials, I realise the last paragraph could be the equivalent of retirement, or perhaps committing suicide; but having spent most of my career in the motor industry, I have driven plenty of more exotic automobiles (on and off road and on track). In fact I drove so many flash cars over the years that I stopped getting excited about them. A car is a car is a car and once you’ve driven anything for a while, you stop noticing it.
After being made redundant, a company car didn’t form part of my unemployment benefits package and so began a period of driving small, cheap and innocuous cars – all leased through the VW Group – an arrangement that just carried on once I started working again. I had a 1.4 Seat Ibiza Copa a 1.2 SE TSI Skoda Fabia, a 1.2 S Skoda Fabia and then the car that will be reviewed here – the 1.2 TSI Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo.
If you were wondering why you got the last three paragraphs of digression, I’ll now make it clear. This bright red Skoda with its gloss black roof, grill, finishing strips, rear diffuser and 17inch alloys is the best car I have had in the last few years and I really like it.
The Monte Carlo (MC) is a neat little package because it has some performance (thanks to some light turbo assistance), is economical (averaging over 40mpg), is cheap to insure and looks just like its VRS stable mate i.e. more eye catching and sporty than the average Fabia.
Aside from the paintjob, the sporting pretensions continue with sports seats, small leather package (featuring red stitching), a dark roof lining, chrome strips on the door sills and a slightly noisier exhaust note (which to be honest with you, I don’t like).
Practicality is good with five doors (essential when you have kids); a 60/40 split rear seat (necessary for the trips to IKEA); a reasonable sized boot (for all the Tesco shopping) and a removable parcel shelf. The storage bins in the front doors are good for about ten CDs and there’s the glove box and an additional storage box above that; there is also a centre console which is a good receptacle for sunglasses, phone and more CDs. There is an input socket for an iPod (other Mp3 players exist) or iPhone (although I prefer CDs).
The only thing that I am not so happy about is that there is no spare wheel, or even a space saver. If you get a puncture you have a pot of glue type gunk and a compressor to try and get home with.
The 1.2 105PS petrol engine helps the car accelerate at a decent enough pace and it means that overtaking is doable; it will still maintain a reasonable pace up hill; and pulling out of junctions, or on to roundabouts, does not mean one takes one’s life into one’s own hands (this couldn’t be said for the 1.2 S 69PS car I had before this one).
The handling is good too although I’ll admit that I haven’t smoked the tyres, tried the elk test, doughnuts or drift sliding. It’s a front wheel drive, leased car after all and I would rather avoid the maintenance bill or end of loan re-charges.
To be honest, the MC is still more ‘show than go’, and more ‘show than stop’ for that matter – drum brakes on the rear (this isn’t sports car territory). The five speed gear box would be better with six changeable forward cogs and a few more instrument dials wouldn’t go amiss. Still if I wanted a sports car, I’d have ordered the VRS instead.
The challenge with a ‘pretend’ sports car is that people may think; the driver is a young oik or has a small appendage occasionally known as Percy, or both! In this colourway, people may even think one supports Manchester United.
The thing is that I don’t care about any possible abuse because when I was driving the 69PS Fabia S, I felt like an old man who’d made some poor investment decisions with his pension fund or an eighteen year old girl with a car bought for them by their daddy.
When this car arrived, I smiled and have been smiling ever since. The MC is a good looking (slightly devilish in my colourway) and fun little car and is a genuine alternative to a Fiesta, Corsa, Fiat 500 or a Mini. And, if you don’t believe me, visit your local Skoda dealership and try one out for yourself.
And for anyone that still thinks that Skodas are crap - remember, Fabias are out there winning rallies (just in case you were wondering about the car’s name) and the skip jokes are as out of date as Jimmy Saville’s popularity.
I like this car so much that my next car will be exactly the same – it’s on order already.
Vital statistics
Price: £14,220
Insurance group: 13E
CO2: 124g/km
0-62: 10.1 seconds
17 inch black alloys with 205/40/17 tyres
Reviews Home
Home
