MOTORING
FIAT IS BACK by
F
or quite a while now Fiat has been pretty quiet when it comes to new cars . They have relied on the hugely successful Fiat 500 . They have added many different variants of the 500 in much the same way BMW has with the Mini but it has been the 500 that has been most successful .
The new Fiat Tipo has just entered the Hatchback market ; it lines up against the Ford Focus , The Vauxhall Astra that size of a car and that market . A brave decision in my opinion .
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The Tipo is inoffensively styled , something made more obvious by the ultrachic looks of the smaller 500 family that we ’ ve come to know and love .
It sits firmly within Fiat ’ s pragmatic lineup alongside the Panda , so it ’ s more about interior space and low running costs than eyecatching looks . I liked its boxy look and the curves in the roof added some style . The Tipo is a good looking car and it ’ s different to its competitors .
The Tipo with a 1.6 118hp diesel engine and
Happy Suzuki Ignis
he new Suzuki Ignis is just that : Happy . It looks happy as soon as you see it .
TTechnically , the Ignis is a small crossover , available with a 1.2litre fourcylinder petrol engine , the possibility of a very mild hybrid allied to the same motor , and either two or fourwheel drive .
If you think crossovers tend to be on the larger side though , the Ignis will surprise it ’ s tiny . More like a Fiat Panda .
It is completely new from the ground up . Its tall , has funlooking bulky arches that shroud surprisingly skinny wheels and tyres pushed right out into the corners and some decently perky design touches .
Suzuki has covered all bases throughout the model range Available in SZ3 , SZT and SZ5 grades ; priced from £ 9,999 for SZ3 , £ 11,499 for SZT and £ 12,999 for SZ5 with two wheel drive . A 90hp 1.2litre four cylinder Dualjet Petrol engine offers CO2 emissions of 104g / km and combined fuel consumption of 61.4mpg .
The engine is the same across the range and a perfect fit as well , it is a sweet free revving engine that offers plenty of fun and feels a lot livelier than the figures suggest .
Available with Suzuki ’ s SHVS mild hybrid
Ian Beasant , BUSINESSFIRSTMAGAZINE motoring correspondent
system ( Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki ) offering latest technology with CO2 emissions of 97g / km is the model I drove as with exterior the interior is quirky and fun .
The round shape of its airconditioning system ’ s panel and the advanced feel of its distinctive instrument cluster design combine to give the cabin environment a futuristic look . Six airbags , Air conditioning , DAB Radio and Bluetooth fitted as standard on all IGNIS models .
SZT adds sliding rear seats , which are a sixspeed manual gearbox was the car of choice for me . The engine is a bit rattily when cold but it does settle down . The Tipo is economical averaging over 60miles per gallon , it is not that sharp taking nearly 10 seconds to hit 60 mph ; but really it ’ s not made for performance . The Tipo chassis is a beauty and great fun as it handles as if it is stuck to the road – even over a bumpy , twisty B road it is very hard to upset the poise of the Tipo . Inside you get a lot of standard kit , including aircon , DAB radio , Bluetooth , steering wheel audio controls , electrically adjustable door mirrors and remote central locking .
Climb the £ 1000 steps to the rangetopping Lounge trim , like my test car , and you get things like 17inch alloys , rear parking sensors and camera , climate control and satnav on a fiveinch touchscreen . It feels wellbuilt and is the dash is well laid out . The driving position is comfortable and there is generous space for five people with room in the back for shopping trip .
The days of Fiat and badly built cars are long gone if this new Tipo is anything to go by as it is a welldesigned family hatch back built to as good a level of quality as its rivals and it does offer a different face on the road which is good . If I was in the market for a practical car of this size that won ’ t let you down you could do a lot worse than choose a Fiat Tipo .
great and offer rear extra rear passenger room , the only pay off for this is you lose a little boot space . Then again this is one of the smallest , if not the smallest crossover on the road . Satellite navigation , rear view camera , wheel arch extensions , side mouldings and roof rails and 16inch alloy wheels all come as standard with SZT . Move up to the SZ5 and you get even more auto air conditioning , LED headlights with LED DRL , Dual Camera Brake Support and Cruise Control .