Fiat Stilo on sale next Monday

3 January 2002: Fiat’s new Stilo officially goes on sale on Monday next in a price range from e17,460 to e28,885. There will be 12 versions in the range from start, in 3- and 5-door and with three specification levels - Active, Dynamic and Abarth.

Engines are 1.2-, 1.6- and 2.4-litre petrol and a 1.9-litre common-rail turbodiesel. All versions come with, as standard, aircon, six airbags, ABS with electronic braking distribution, an anti-slip regulation traction control system, disc brakes all round and Dualdrive power steering.

The Stilo 5-door is the most spacious in its class, and the Stilo also features slide-and-recline rear seats which provide a very wide variety of occupant and luggage flexibility. All cars have a drivers side under-the-seat tray.

A special ‘My Car’ customisation feature allows the owner to set preferences such as automatic door-locking, and speed limit reminders.

The 1.2-litre engine versions have six-speed gearboxes and a power output of 80bhp. The 1.6-litre outputs 103bhp, the 2.4-litre Abarth has 170bhp on tap and the 1.9-litre JTD develops 115bhp, rivalling many petrol engines of similar capacity.

Under an ‘Open Book Plus’ system, all prices are on-the-road, and a ‘stepped menu’ of extra level specifications make it easy for customers to select a vehicle with features they want for themselves. Eight of the 12 versions on sale are available within e3,492 of the entry-level price.

A 2-year full manufacturer’s warranty and eight-year anti-corrosion guarantee are part of the package.

Outlining the details of the full range last weekend, Fiat Auto Ireland marketing manager Jeff Culkin claimed it would cost e19,300 to get a Peugeot 307 with the same specification as the e17,460 entry-level Stilo. He suggested that en equally specified Ford Focus or VW Golf would cost customers 14-16% more than the Fiat.

January 2002