In terms of the level of equipment provided, Fiat have taken their cue from vehicles in the luxury end of the market with their first world car of the third Millennium.

And they are ready to go to war against all the big players in the ultra competitive compact medium size car segment.

Invariably car companies lay it on thick about their new products. Rarely, however, has a company been so upbeat and absolutely positive about what it expects from a vehicle than Fiat were when showing off the new Stilo at the international launch.

The car will go on general sale in these parts from January 5 next, although the first arrivals should be here around late November or early December for promotional purposes and viewing by fleet buyers.
With hi-tech features like radar cruise control and computer centre incorporating telephone, stereo and navigation systems on offer and breaking new ground in the segment, Fiat had a lot to shout about. Beautiful

"Stilo is a beautiful car, sturdily built and abounding in personality", insisted Roberto Testore, CEO Fiat Auto. "The Stilo emerged out of industrial complexity into the simplicity of a final product that required us to make profound changes in the way we design and build cars".

So Fiat went and created a new flexible, modular floorpan and comprehensively restructurd their Cassino production facility. In all, 900 million Euros were invested in the development and production of Stilo. Like the Fiat Bravo/Brava before it, the Stilo will come as two very different cars, in 3 and 5-door format. There will be only one name....Stilo.

The two versions are different from one another in style, character and even in size, but above all in height, which is a key structural factor as far as interior space is concerned. The bonnet is the only part common to both cars.

The 5-door version is 4.25 metres long, 1.76 wide, 1.52 high and offers a wheelbase of 2.60 metres. The 3-door is 4.18 metres long, 1.78 wide and 1.47 metres high.

Significant The five centimetres height difference actually determines a very significant change in driving configuration because the driver's seating plane in relation to the road (H point) is changed.

The point is lower on the 3-door, as befits a car with dynamic style and vigorous character. It is higher on the 5-door to benefit ease of access, passenger room and mastery of the road.

The character of the 3-door is geared for individualism, performance and driving satisfaction. The 5-door version offers interior comfort, roominess, safety and versatility of use.

The 5-door, for instance, would have appeal for customers with leanings towarads an MPV because of the amount of interior space it offers. Fiat Ireland will offer the Stilo with the following petrol engine line-up - 1.2 litre, 1.6 and 2.4 20V with Selespeed gearbox - plus a 1.9 JTD (115 bhp) common rail diesel.

No prices have been agreed for the Irish market. Fiat public relations chief here, Joe Gantly suggested: "Because of the equipment level, the Stilo will be priced closer to the opposition than some of our other cars".

Stilo will be in the C-segment against such notable adversaries as the Ford Focus, Opel Astra and VW Golf.

In terms of equipment provided and interior comfort, Stilo would blow the VW out of the water, and it would have the edge in certain sectors on the Focus as well.

It has been a while since we drove a Focus, but memories of its good handling are strong. The run in the Stilo was short, so a direct comparison of the driving dynamics is difficult to make. However, one can attest to the sturdy build, spaciousness and strong equipment level of the Stilo. If it all came down to equipment levels, the Fiat would give best to no one.

There are three levels of specification - Active, Dynamic and Abarth - and 17 body colours, each with an interior trim in different shades and fabrics.

The Active specification comes with ABS plus EBD and brake assist, six airbags, a Fiat Code 11 anti-theft system, head restraints and three-point seat belts on all seats, ISOFIX attachments for child seats and a pretensioner and load limiter for the front seats.

The standard package also includes dual drive electric power steering, fog lamps built into the headlamps, radio, steering wheel with height and axial adjustment and driver's seat height and lumbar adjustment, central locking with deadlock and superlock functions, front windows with an obstruction sensor and electric door mirrors.

The Abarth specification, which is reserved for the 2.4 litre engine version, offers Connect Nav+ (an innovative on-line system), dual zone climate control system and an Electronic Stability Programme system. Fiat placed a lot of emphasis on build quality with the Stilo, and a new quality culture was introduced in the company.

Every technician working on the car received 150 hours special training, and every unit passed through 235 quality control tests.

The ever cautious German insurers have put the Stilo in Class 12, which is very, very good, seeing that their ratings encompass safety, reliability and such things as whole life costs.

If you are a potential buyer in this sector, remember the name - Fiat Stilo. Do yourself a favour, check it out!

PS - Fiat chose the name Stilo because it can be pronounced fluently and easily in all languages, yet it sounds unmistakably Italian. It evokes the concept of style - stile in Italian, style in French, stil in German and estilo in Spanish and Portugese. Clever.