Skoda Fabia first interior pictures
New Skoda supermini shows its bigger than ever cabin for the first time
After the exterior of the new Skoda Fabia was revealed last week, here is the first shot of the new supermini’s cabin. Skoda is boasting that the new car is the most spacious Fabia yet, with seating for five, a class-leading 330-litre boot, and a suite of new tech features including a smartphone-syncing service called MirrorLink.
Despite shrinking 8mm in length versus the old Fabia, the new car is said to offer an extra 8mm of cabin length, plus a 21mm elbow room improvement up front and a meagre extra 2mm in the rear seats. Headroom is also improved, thanks to a more efficient use of the Fabia’s typically boxy profile, and the boot is 15 litres bigger than before. The cargo area is now accessed via a boot opening 200mm wider than the old Fabia’s, while the loading sill is lower too.
Inside, occupants get a typically logical Skoda dashboard layout, with the only odd detail appearing to be the start-stop engine button located on the steering column, where the ignition barrel sits on lesser-specced cars.
The usual VW Group infotainment centre is flanked by shortcut buttons, but this is the first Skoda to be available with MirrorLink, a phone-sync system which displays smartphone apps directly on the car’s touchscreen. Connectable via USB or Bluetooth, it allows the Fabia’s occupants to operate apps like music or sat-nav without illegally operating their phone handset while driving.
Other detail touches include a hi-vis jacket storage bin in the driver’s door, an ice scraper integrated into the fuel filler cap, and more space for bottles in the door bins. In fact, Skoda proudly claims the Fabia will house seven bottles – which should be plenty for a maximum of five thirsty occupants. The range-topping Fabia in the dashboard shot also offers heated front seats, climate control, and automatic lights – though it must be said the design looks rather dour compared with funky rivals like the Mini Cooper five-door and Renault Clio.
The new Fabia goes on sale in early 2015, but we’ll get our first hands-on look at the car’s new practicality and gadget features much sooner, at the Paris Motor Show in October 2015. Due to the plusher cabin, buyers can expect a small price rise from the outgoing car’s £9,945 ask when the VW Polo-based ‘mini arrives in UK dealerships next spring.
