How to distinguish between the first, second, and third generations of Familia?

[Cassidy]

The first generation Familia has square front fog lights and the rear of the car is labeled with 323. The second generation Familia has round front fog lights and the rear of the car is labeled with FAMILY. The third generation Familia is completely different from the previous versions.

[DelAsher]

I've driven the second-generation Familia, so I'm quite familiar with it. The first generation had the earliest rounded design, with headlights that looked like two big, particularly round eyes, and the taillights were slender vertical strips. After the 2006 facelift to the second generation, the whole car became sharper—the headlights turned into slanted triangles with pointed corners, the grille was also downsized, and the taillights were changed to horizontal L-shapes with the reverse lights integrated into them. By the 2010 third generation, the changes were even more noticeable: the front grille became a hexagonal chrome 'big mouth,' the headlights had upward-slanting corners resembling phoenix eyes, and the fog lights were repositioned to the lower sides of the bumper. The body side profile of the third generation featured sharper character lines, whereas the older models were more rounded. Checking the tire sizes is straightforward too: the first generation used 195/55R15, while the third generation switched to wider 205/55R16 tires, and the wheel designs became more sporty.

[MacAlexa]

Checking the 10th digit of the VIN is the most accurate method: L corresponds to the starting year 2010 of the third generation, while JKL codes before that indicate the second generation. There's an easily overlooked exterior detail: the first-generation rearview mirrors were positioned at the triangular window, whereas the second and third generations relocated them to the door panels with integrated turn signals. Early 1.8L engine hoods featured two raised ridges, while the 1.6L versions were smooth. The 2012 facelift added a shark fin antenna, replacing the whip-style antenna of older models. Inspecting the spare tire provides a more direct clue: first-generation models had full-size spare tires stored in a recessed compartment in the trunk, while the third generation switched to a space-saving underbody-mounted design.