New Tipo could be a surprise success for Fiat

The original Tipo was voted European Car of the Year in 1989 a year after its launch and it was built with galvanised body panels to avoid rust and it enjoyed considerable success but production stopped in 1995.

Now Fiat has revived the Tipo name for the new car which has been designed in Italy and built in Turkey and has already won an award after being voted "Best Buy Car 2016" by a jury of international journalists.

There is also a saloon version but Fiat has decided not to sell this in the UK along with a budget model of the hatchback that will also not be appearing in Britain.

The new Tipo will be featured in the very competitive sector against the likes of the VW Golf, Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus but Fiat will be hoping that new Tipo enjoys some of the sales success experienced by the various 500 models.

If looks are anything to go by the Tipo should get off to a good start for both the hatchback and estate versions which start at £1000 above the hatchback price have attractive bodies especially up front where the distinctive grille looks good and provides the model with plenty of showroom appeal.

New Tipo which will be aimed at the private and business sectors will be available with five engines two diesel and three petrol with automatic and dual clutch transmission and there will be three trim levels. The entry model is equipped with air conditioning remote central locking front electric windows body coloured door mirrors with electric adjustment DAB radio along with USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

Fiat stress that Tipo has class leading passenger space and headroom and that the boot capacity is also best in class with the hatchback having 440 litres of boot space and the estate adding an additional 110 litres which can be increased by folding the rear seats for a completely flat load floor.

As an example of just how deceptively roomy the hatchback is they say it is capable of accommodating three six feet plus adult passengers in the rear thanks to the outstanding legroom and headroom! I consider that Tipo could well turn out to be a good seller for Fiat because it has quite a stylish body as a hatchback and also as an estate and the pricing structure is less than most of the competition for better equipped cars.

This would be good for Fiat because as mentioned earlier they need another successful model in their range as well as the big selling 500s.

FACT FILE:

Model: New Fiat Tipo hatchback and estate.

Engines: Two diesel three petrol.

Transmission: Manual and automatic.

Prices: From £12,995.