Fiat has been years without a military in the C segment. And this is an issue that you cannot afford in a market like the European one. To occupy that long-awaited place, the new Fiat Tipo 2016, a compact that will soon enjoy more bodywork, but for now it comes in sedan format to stand up to its rivals with a more than juicy quality/price ratio. we put it testing in your presentation.
The Type resorts to an old denomination that does not pretend more than to announce the return to the compact segment. In just a few months we will already know the 5-door Type, but at the end of the year there will also be a family Type. The range will be more than complete and ready to take over from a now defunct Bravo. At the moment there are two engines available, but in the conventional range, which will begin to be distributed in a few weeks, there will be three engines, two diesel and one gasoline, in the same way that a GLP version is expected later.
Attractive
Fiat told us that with the Type it wanted to mix two of its attributes, reason and passion. For this reason, it is built on new group platform, which will give rise to more models in the future, but which also allows it, with more than acceptable dimensions, to declare itself as a true C-segment. It measures 4,53 meters long, 1,79 meters wide and 1,49 meters high. They are three volumes and four doors.
The design, while not being exceptionally passionate, does put on the market an affordable car that looks tempting. There are many surprising details in a car of its class, such as the grill with small floating specks or the perfect integration of the third volume, which creates a more attractive car for the customer. Without going any further, the standard equipment from the most basic finish already includes 16 inch alloy wheels.
It is clear that Fiat's work has focused not only on creating a logical car, but also an attractive one. We must not stay with the Type being appealing, but that the extended range will also be. That is, the Fiat Tipo 5-door will be based on this and it will play in a wide market of compacts with greater guarantees. At the moment the brand assures that in Italy it has been a complete success and in Spain it is expected to sell some 2.500-3.000 units this year. Arguments are not lacking.
amazing inside
Probably one of the most striking things about the new Fiat Tipo is the interior. Despite playing with the reduced price, the Type presents an interior that is not only attractive in design, but also in finishes. It is not the paradigm of quality, but surprisingly it employs soft material for the upper part of the dashboard, in the same way that the controls enjoy a fairly high perceived quality. The upper part of the doors is, without a doubt, the least achieved point. It is a solid set at first glance.
Use one 5 inch touch screen placed in a good position, although completely flat and not facing the driver. It is somewhat small, although it responds frankly well to the driver's orders. The most equipped version with the U-Connect It offers a range of possibilities that we would not think possible in a car of its price. The dashboard, very simple, is easy to read due to the size of the digits, although we miss a greater precision in the odometer needle that lacks, for example, the 120 km/h mark.
The visual result is pleasant and attractive, with details such as the central line that divides the dashboard in two. It seems metallic, although it is plastic, but the finish is very apparent. There is also a good amount of storage compartments, without forgetting a hole in the central console where you can quickly place your mobile or wallet.
Spacious
One of the fundamental pillars of a car like the Fiat Tipo must be is interior space. He plays with a 5-seater cabin with two spacious and comfortable front seats, where greater lateral grip is missing. The driving position, at least for those of us with short legs, is somewhat strange, since the clutch has a lot of bottom and, however, the brake pedal is very advanced.
The rear seats, Fiat tells us, are the segment reference in terms of space. It is true that there are more than enough heights for passengers who are around 1,80 meters without too many difficulties. Despite being a wide car, more than its rivals, the rear center seat is still cramped and three people will end up wishing for a higher dimension. Not so when it comes to legroom or headroom.
Another of its assets is the trunk. Cubic 520 liters and plays with the advantage of being more than 1 meter deep, but also 1 meter wide. Their shapes are very regular, so the load distribution is more efficient. There is no large gate at the back, which limits the entry of objects, but it does have the advantage that opens remotely from the key or from the inside vehicle.
three engines
The new Fiat Tipo is offered with three engines, although in this first launch phase it is only available with two, in the Opening Edition. there is a block 1.4 petrol with 94 horsepower and 127 Nm of torque. Announces an average consumption of 5,7 l/100 km. The second is a block 1.6 Multijet diesel with 120 horsepower and 320 Nm of torque. This approves an average consumption of 4,2 l/100 km. In the conventional range there will be a 1.3 Multijet with 95 hp and 200 Nm of torque with an average consumption of 4,1 l/100 km. Turbocharged gasoline engines are not planned, but an automatic transmission is.
We were able to test the engine 120 horsepower diesel, a very rational option for response, performance and consumption. It is very willing, with a very useful area between approximately 1.600 and 3.000 laps. In addition it is downright quiet and refined for a car of its price, reinforcing the opinion that we previously launched about Fiat's tremendous effort to launch a car with successful arguments.
Once on the road, the engine goes unnoticed, although the aerodynamic noise and rolling noise are more noticeable, always within more than acceptable limits. The easy to carry and transmit poise at high speed, advantages that derive from using a platform conceived as a C-segment and not an evolution of smaller platforms as occurs with some competitors.
It's comfortable, yet surprisingly balanced. Manages to filter irregularities well, and frankly I haven't seen a dry or unrefined result. At the same time, it turns quite flat, once again surprising given the starting price we are driving. It transmits confidence in twisty areas, it is light in motion, although the direction is completely away from the concept of informative. It has a nice weight to it but we don't really know what the wheels are doing, which is already typical of modern headsets. The City mode increases assistance to aid in parking manoeuvres.
Although in a test like this, consumption is something not to take into account, it is worth taking a look at. After a route in which we traveled on the motorway with some stretch of retention and a small entrance to a mountain road, the on-board computer launched a average consumption of 5,9 l/100 km. It is not even close to the declared average, but surely it can be reduced a few tenths in more everyday driving.
Conclusions
The Fiat Tipo is probably a bit late on the market, a market eager to affordable cars, but perhaps without the intention of giving up careful design or complete equipment. In that case the Type completely fills that gap. And beware, because at the moment it is filled with the 4-door sedan version. This year the 5 doors and the family will arrive. If they maintain a similar price, it will be a range to take into account.
The value of Tipo is that it doesn't look like an affordable car, either by look or feel. It's frankly well done and gets a market leading quality/price ratio. There is also a lot of space, a family atmosphere signed by a 520-liter capacity trunk and rear seats with a lot of space.
The best of all is that does not give up a complete equipment. The Opening Edition versions are limited (450 units) but offer a very complete car for a very advantageous price. Best of all, by the time the current versions arrive, with two finishes, Easy and Lounge, they will also have a complete equipment and a reduced price. You just have to see that the most affordable part with all promotions of less than 10.000 euros with elements such as 16-inch alloy wheels or air conditioning. And it's a compact.
The range of engines is scarce, and it will continue to be so because none more is expected to arrive except gasoline with LPG. The diesel range is attractive with up to 120 horsepower, just like the diesel range with a higher power starting point than its rivals. But we miss some mechanics between 110 and 120 horses. Or at least a supercharged mechanic. We will see if the 5-door type, called to replace the Bravo, arrives with a more complete mechanical range.
It seems to me a nice car and from behind it is similar in design to the Citroen C5……..with the Fluence and the Hyundai Elantra, one of the best for my taste, Fiat has a San Benito surely not very justified in terms of reliability. Is this 1.6 mechanically reliable...? Has it been on sale in Italy for a long time or is it new too? ..it seems very bad to me that a "solvent" gasoline mechanic is not being considered, and for those of us who do not reach 15.000 km/year, do we have to buy an engine with so little 1.4 gasoline bellows? It seems ridiculous to me... good article and proof, continue like this, greetings.
I don't think this car replaces the aforementioned bravo. In any case, due to size and class, it replaces the tide. I have one when I am 16 years old.