Boasting up to nine airbags, the new ŠKODA Fabia is one of the safest small cars on the market. As a result of the Fabia now being built on the modular MQB‑A0 platform, its active and passive safety features have been further improved, including by assistance systems that were previously reserved exclusively for higher-tier vehicles. Travel Assist and Park Assist, for example, make their Fabia debut.
The carmaker is fully exploiting the possibilities Volkswagen Group’s modular MQB-A0 platform has to offer, and has further optimised the small car in terms of active and passive safety. A robust body structure with high degree of torsional stiffness provides the technical basis. A high proportion of high-strength, ultra-high-strength or specially hardened hot-formed steels ensures great stability. In addition, the MQB-A0 makes it possible to use advanced assistance systems from higher-tier vehicles.
This is the first Fabia that can be equipped with Travel Assist, which provides automatic support with longitudinal and lateral steering. This can be activated at the touch of a button and combines several assistance systems at the same time. Up to 210 km/h, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) automatically adjusts the speed of the car to that of vehicles ahead. Lane Assist, as the name suggests, helps to keep the Fabia in lane by performing corrective steering inputs if needed. Using Hands-on Detect, Travel Assist checks whether the driver touches the steering wheel consistently. The improved Blind Spot Detect (Side Assist) is another option. This warns the driver of vehicles that are up to 70 m away and wanting to overtake or that are in the car’s blind spot. The Fabia can now also lend the driver a hand when parking: Park Assist works at speeds of up to 40 km/h displaying suitable parallel and bay parking spaces and, if desired, taking over the driver’s steering work when parking. Manoeuvre Assist uses sensors to detect an obstacle in front of or behind the car during parking and applies the brakes automatically. Traffic Sign Recognition and Front Assist with Predictive Pedestrian and Cyclist Protection are also new features for the Fabia.
The new Fabia comes with airbags for the driver and front passenger, curtain airbags, and front side airbags as standard. A knee airbag for the driver and rear side airbags are optional extras to further enhance safety. ISOFIX anchors and top tether anchor points on the back seats are part of the standard equipment and are optional on the front passenger seat. The top tether eyelets on the front passenger’s backrest and on the outer seats in the rear mean that the Fabia can accommodate three securely fastened child seats.