In the middle of the world financial crisis, Skoda had to refresh the Fabia lineup and kept its engine running while other big brands were collapsing.
Even though it wasn’t the best time to invest in upgrades, the Czech carmaker had to refresh the Fabia lineup and bring it up to Euro 5 emission standards, which were due to enter in January 2009. The station-wagon version, named combi, offered a right balance between the car length, the trunk space, and the overall price. It was a smart choice for young families.

The facelifted model featured new headlights with a swept-back design. For the upper trim levels, they featured standard xenon headlights. Its new grille design with vertical slats and a chromed bar on top sported the green Skoda badge. Skoda installed extended rear quarter panels for the station-wagon version than those from the hatchback and mounted a roof-spoiler on top of the liftgate.

Inside, the carmaker changed the dials’ design with new lettering, and the center stack featured a new sound system. Like the non-facelifted version, the Fabia Combi featured two seats at the front and a split-folding bench in the back. The users could have expanded the trunk size from a decent 480 liters (16.9 cu-ft) to 1226 liters (43.3 cu-ft). That was more than most hatchbacks could offer.

Skoda changed the older 1.4 and 1.6-liter engines under the hood with a new, 1.2-liter turbocharged unit developed to comply with the Euro 5 emission standards. Skoda also replaced the older 6-speed automatic gearbox supplied by Aisin with a new 7-speed automatic (dual-clutch) gearbox from Volkswagen Group.