Photo: Guido Ten Brink/SB-Medien
With 500,000 units manufactured going on 600,000, the third-generation Fabia is one of the most important models for Skoda in the Old Continent. Now in its fourth year of production, the Czech supermini is much obliged to sweeten the deal with lots of small upgrades and new features, all bundled up in a facelift that went official in the flesh at Geneva.
The red-painted show car with a contrasting gloss-black roof is equipped with the nicest wheel design available for the 2018 Skoda Fabia, but the devil is in the details. In addition to the roof, notice that the side mirrors, side skirts, and both the front and rear aprons are finished in gloss black? For a value-minded subcompact hatchback, that’s not bad at all considering the Fabia is the Polo’s lesser brother.
Underpinned by the PQ26 platform of the previous Volkswagen Polo with facelift, the Fabia further boasts LED headlamps and taillights. Hopping in the driver’s seat, the first detail that catches one’s attention is the overhauled instrument cluster and the two-tone finish of the seats. New trim strips on the dashboard are also present.
From a technological standpoint, the big news is the 6.5-inch display of the Swing infotainment system. When equipped with the Amundsen navigation module, real-time traffic information is offered, alongside SmartLink+ technology. The latter is Skoda’s way of saying Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are on the menu.
Then there’s driver assistance, with the Fabia now available with Blind Spot Detection and Rear Traffic Alert. The latter of the two system is designed to monitor what’s happening behind the car, warning the driver of a risk of collision when reversing. It’s not revolutionary by any means, but welcomed nonetheless.
As for the biggest change brought by the facelift, the Fabia dropped every diesel and four-cylinder engine from the range. Customers can choose from the 1.0-liter MPI (60 and 75 PS) and 1.0-liter TSI (95 and 110 PS), with the TSI powerplants boasting gasoline particulate filter technology to meet the latest emissions standard.
Underpinned by the PQ26 platform of the previous Volkswagen Polo with facelift, the Fabia further boasts LED headlamps and taillights. Hopping in the driver’s seat, the first detail that catches one’s attention is the overhauled instrument cluster and the two-tone finish of the seats. New trim strips on the dashboard are also present.
From a technological standpoint, the big news is the 6.5-inch display of the Swing infotainment system. When equipped with the Amundsen navigation module, real-time traffic information is offered, alongside SmartLink+ technology. The latter is Skoda’s way of saying Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are on the menu.
Then there’s driver assistance, with the Fabia now available with Blind Spot Detection and Rear Traffic Alert. The latter of the two system is designed to monitor what’s happening behind the car, warning the driver of a risk of collision when reversing. It’s not revolutionary by any means, but welcomed nonetheless.
As for the biggest change brought by the facelift, the Fabia dropped every diesel and four-cylinder engine from the range. Customers can choose from the 1.0-liter MPI (60 and 75 PS) and 1.0-liter TSI (95 and 110 PS), with the TSI powerplants boasting gasoline particulate filter technology to meet the latest emissions standard.
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