Published:
21 April 2012Although wearing the same quirky, beak-like face as the Skoda Roomster, the Fabia treads a more conventional styling path. From some angles it references the original Fabia; from others it is reminiscent of the Suzuki Swift or even the Mini, particularly the black window pillars that give the appearance of a separate, blade-like roofline.
Despite its inherited underpinnings and identical wheelbase, the new Fabia’s basic dimensions differ considerably from the outgoing model's. Although it's narrower, taller and longer, the overall effect is of a smaller, nimbler car. This is a clever visual trick, because the new Fabia is more spacious in every respect. The greatest gain comes in the 47mm increase in height, bringing objective benefits in extra headroom and subjective benefits in perceived spaciousness. Rear-seat passengers are the greatest beneficiaries of this; there’s now enough headroom and legroom to accommodate 6ft adults.
