We haven’t had a Fiat Tipo in South Africa before, but the name was first used in 1988. Re-introduced in 2015, it succeeds the Bravo hatchback and Linea sedan. And now it’s headed to our shores, due to arrive around June 2016.
The Tipo recently won an award from Autobest as the “Best Buy Car” of 2016, with the judges citing its favourable combination of design, quality, comfort, space and value for money. It managed to pip runners-up Opel Astra and Hyundai Tucson by a few points. It was designed in-house by Centro Stile Fiat and is manufactured at the Tofas plant in Turkey.
This plant produces 400 000 vehicles per year and has achieved gold status from the World-class Manufacturing programme. Incidentally, this same plant manufactured Fiat 124 and 131 models back in the 1960s and ’70s.
Fairly bold styling up front
The new Tipo’s styling is bold, especially the front end, which uses the new Fiat-style signature grille, integrated headlamps and an aggressive-looking lower air-dam. Fog-lamps are housed in Ferrari-like cut-outs that flank the air-dam. The sides have two strong crease lines: one sloping down to the tail-lamps, the other up to the lower bumper. A lip is built into the boot-lid and a chrome strip adds some sparkle to complement the chrome-finished door handles. The drag coefficient, meanwhile, is 0,29.
Seating is well-designed with particular attention being paid to the upholstery material. Instead of one cloth type, the seats are stitched out of different textures, with different colours, too. Comfort from the contoured driver’s seat is good and the rear accommodation also has some useful shape to it. Apart from this, the passenger space in the back seat is also superior to most rivals.
There is an armrest up front and a fold-down armrest at the rear. I noticed that the boot is especially capacious. The claim is 520 dm3, but we will see what our ISO blocks add up to once we have the Tipo on test. My guess is just over 400 dm3. Rear seats split 60:40 for utility space, while the suspension setup is the familiar McPherson strut up front and a torsion beam at the rear.
What is particularly impressive about these cars from Fiat is the level of interior spec. This was something that I noticed over a year of experience with a long-term Bravo. I kept discovering features that were not included in the marketing blurb. Such as the one-touch driver’s window function and the ability to operate all windows for a while after ignition is switched off. The multifunction central display is also handy, with readouts on tyre pressure, oil temperature, oil life, etc. The five-inch touchscreen with U-Connect includes voice recognition and hands-free Bluetooth, while a seven-inch screen with pinch ability is optional.
Tipo rivals in South Africa
In South Africa, the Fiat Tipo will compete with the likes of the Toyota Corolla (and Quest), Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze. The two variants on offer will be down to engine choices: a 1,3 Multijet II turbodiesel and a 1,4 Fire petrol (Euro 5 for the diesel and Euro 4 for the petrol). A 1,6-litre automatic diesel, meanwhile, may follow later.
The 1,4 petrol engine produces 70 kW and 127 N.m, while the diesel has the same power output with 200 N.m available at 1 500 r/min. Both engines are impressively supple and frugal, with a claimed combined cycle of 6,0 L/100 km for petrol and 4,2 L/100 km for the diesel. Gearboxes are six-speed manual for the petrol and five-speed manual for the diesel.
The gear lever is shortish and cog-swaps are fuss-free. The steering is well-weighted and has a “City” mode that adds assistance for parking – not really necessary unless your arms are very weak. Service intervals are a lengthy 30 000 km for the petrol, but the diesel may well be shorter, especially in dusty SA.
So, everything seems good with the Tipo. All Fiat has to do is get the pricing right and do the marketing bit. The company is ticking over nicely with the 500, which is a car that is both funky and has good quality, so it may well persuade satisfied 500 owners to upgrade to something more spacious.
