The main innovations introduced by the mid-cycle refresh include 18-inch wheels, LED lights and additional safety technology.
Skoda presented the Fabia mildly redesigned back in March at Geneva Motor Show. But now, we have a complete photo gallery of both the supermini and its more practical sibling, the wagon. You can also see the new videos that highlight the changes, but you will need to use the magnifying glasses to see the inside.
It will be a delight to learn that the 2018 Fabia will come with standard LED daytime running lights in EU countries. You can get LED technology for both the low and high beams, as well as the cornering light. However, you will still need to use the bulbs for turn signals. The revised Fabia doesn’t yet have fully-LED headlights. Only the brake light at the rear is LED. All others are old-fashioned bulbs.
Skoda has not made any changes to its front or rear bumpers. Although larger 18-inch alloy wheels will be available for the five-door hatchback, they are not available for the five-door hatchback. ColorConcept is available for customers who want to personalize their Fabia. It offers black, white and silver options for side mirror caps, Apillars and alloy wheels.
It’s the same Fabia inside, but Skoda took the time to update the instrument cluster with round instruments that are more easily read. The Czech marque claims they have improved the quality of the materials and added new decorations. The visual changes include fabric covers, decorative stitching, and two-tone microfibre (Suedia).
Two new USB ports are located in the back of the vehicle, and there is also a wagon-only LED torch that can be found in the trunk. This makes the interior a little more practical. The Skoda fan-favorite ice scraper, located in the fuel filler lid, now has a built-in gauge to measure the tire tread depth. This is simply genius!
The 2018 Fabia features a wider range of safety tech including new Rear Traffic Alert, Blind Spot and Light Assist functions. Technology is in the forefront of our minds. The Swing infotainment screen now measures 6.5 inches. You can also upgrade to the Amundsen navigation software, which provides real-time traffic information and supports Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink.
Skoda has discontinued the 1.4 TDI engine, so the Fabia is now only sold with gasoline engines. All of these units have three cylinders. The naturally-aspirated 1.0 MPI has a five-speed manual transmission and produces 60 horsepower (44 kilowatts), and 95 Newton-meters of torque. You can get it in a higher power setting with 75 horsepower (55 kW), and the same 95 Nm. You can upgrade to the turbocharged 1.0 liter TSI and Skoda will give you 95 hp (70 kW), and 160 Nm if you choose the five speed manual gearbox. You can choose between the six-speed manual and seven-speed DSG, and the output will rise to 110 HP (81 kW) or 200 Nm.
Manual 1.0 TSI is the fastest and most efficient of all the turbocharged engines. It takes 9.6 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h), and then reaches 121 mph (295 kph). Side note: Both turbocharged engines come standard with a gasoline particulate filters.
Skoda already sells the Fabia facelift to many European countries.