- by Trish Whelan
Stilo wagon start of 'new' Fiat
18 February 2003: Although Fiat Auto Ireland only expects to sell around 285 copies of its new Stilo Multi Wagon in Ireland this year, or around 10 per cent of total Stilo sales, the company believes it represents the new way forward for a Fiat that will return to being a force in the market.
Managing director Michael Howe told motoring journalists yesterday that the company will be launching a total of 20 new models over the next two years, beginning with an MPV based on the Punto which - as revealed last year on IrishCar.Com - will be given its first public showing in two weeks’ time at the Geneva Motor Show.
The new Stilo Multi Wagon is more than just an estate in a segment where the lines divisions have become blurred, and the car also has MPV ccaracteristics. It is competing with both estate derivatives of cars like the Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla as well as the Peugeot Sky Wagon.
And pricewise, with an entry level of W19,570 for the 1.6-litre Multi Wagon, it is clearly competitive against the equivalent Focus at E21,610, the Corolla at E23,795 and the Peugeot SW at E23,375 (the prices given of the competitors include delivery, as Fiat prices in Ireland are always ‘on the road’ figures).
“We’re offering a strong design, with versatility and value for money,” Michael Howe says, highlighting the low load floor and the exceptional length, and a separate ‘flip-up’ rear window in the higher specification models.
“Where once there were just station wagons we now have MPVs and SUVs, FWDs and even AWDs. This development shows how people now expect a car to be much more than just a basic form of transport, how the demand for multi-function/multi-role vehicles is growing.”
The Stilo Multi Wagon range offers a choice of three engines - 1.6 petrol (103bhp) and two 1.9 JTD Common Rail turbo diesel units, one producing 80 bhp and the other 115bhp. There is a choice of Standard, Active and Dynamic specification levels.
The newcomer is both longer and higher - 4.51m x 1.75m compared to 4.25m x 1.52m for the saloon creating the base for an extremely spacious station wagon. With a full 5-passenger seating layout in operation the luggage capacity is 510 litres compared with 370 litres for the 5dr. saloon.
In ‘Dynamic’ versions the rear seat can be moved forward and backwards to increase load space or legroom as required. With the rear seat down, Multi Wagon’s load capacity increases to a huge 1480 lts, a record figure for the segment. On ‘Dynamic’ versions the rear seat is split 70/30, each side can move forwards and backwards independently and even fold down independently The front passenger seat also folds down to create a space for items measuring up to 2.5m / 8ft 3in.long!
As a five-seat family-friendly MPV the Stilo Multi Wagon was subjected to an exceptional level of safety testing including 120 crash tests, 200 tests on components and subsystems, 100 simulations using the HyGe slide and 15,000 hours of computer aided design.
There will six versions of the new Stilo Multi Wagon available from launch and the prices quoted are ‘Open Book’ on the road recommended retail prices including all delivery and related costs.
1.6 16v. Petrol
-103bhp- E19,570;
-103bhp Active- E20,570;
-103bhp Dynamic- E21,825.
1.9 JTD (Common Rail diesel)
- 80bhp- E22,945;
- 80bhp Active- E23,945;
-115 bhp Dynamic- E26,450.
©2003 irishcar.com