Fiat Croma review
by David Finlay (9 August 2005)
The boundary between the medium-sized family car and compact MPV market sectors has become increasingly blurred in the last few years, and with the Croma - which goes on sale in this country on August 20 - Fiat has confused the issue still further. It's a crossover car which Fiat sees as a direct rival to both the Mondeo and the C-MAX, or to the Laguna and the Grand Scenic, or the Vectra and the Zafira.
Despite a fine effort by designer Giorgetto Giugiaro to combine elements of both types of vehicle in the same shape, the Croma looks more like a compact MPV than a more traditional saloon (perhaps more so in the metal than in photographs), and it certainly feels that way from the inside. This is good news in terms of visibility; the driver's eyeline is high, and the large glass area means you can easily see out in every direction.
There is one slight anomaly here, though it will affect you only if you like to sit low in saloon cars. The driver's seat of the Croma allows you to do this, but the steering wheel does not adjust far enough downwards to suit, and in order to reach it comfortably I found that I had to raise the seat again. The high eyeline is therefore pretty much compulsory.
This is the only complaint I can muster about the interior. There is a fantastic amount of passenger room both front and rear (probably because the Croma has a longer wheelbase than any of its compact MPV rivals), and despite past concerns about Fiat build quality the Croma feels as well put together as anything you might buy instead. Whether or not they're German.
It even sounds well-built. A lot of work has gone into reducing noise levels, and the team members who devoted a proportion of their working lives to this issue deserve handsome pay rises. They have achieved an extraordinary degree of refinement, successfully reducing the sound of even the diesel engines to a distant hum.
Luggage space is impressive at 500 litres with the rear seats in position, or up to 1610 litres if you fold them down. Standard on the more expensive models, and optional on the others, is a modular floor in the luggage compartment which can be mounted right at the bottom or up at the level of the rear bumper. In the latter position it acts as the roof of a concealed, 160mm deep storage space which can house valuable equipment out of public view.
The lowest of the three equipment levels is called Dynamic, and it's already generous, including (among other items) seven airbags, ABS, EBD, electro-hydraulic power steering, air-conditioning, remote tailgate opening, a cool box in the centre console and - optional on the least powerful diesel model but standard on the others - a variety of electronic safety aids such as traction control and a hill holder.
Dynamic cars have 16" alloys, and these are upgraded to 17" on the mid-range Eleganza, which also gets foglights, cruise control, parking sensors, velour upholstery and leather steering wheel and gearknob. Move the final step to Prestigio and the wheels increase in size again to 18", while the equipment level encompasses tinted rear windows with blinds, tilting front seats, an in-dash CD changer and the SkyDome sunroof which consists of two glazed panels, one fixed and one which can be opened.
At launch, the engine choice will consists of a 147bhp 2.2-litre petrol engine and two versions of the 1.9-litre MultiJet turbo diesel, an 8-valve 120bhp version and one with 16 valves and 150bhp. I've driven cars fitted with the petrol unit and the more powerful MultiJet, and as is increasingly the case these days the diesel wins hands down. It is outstandingly faster, vastly more economical and - thanks to the superb noise suppression mentioned earlier - hardly any louder than the petrol version.
It handles better, too. In general the Croma has a lot of body movement, and although it's well-controlled it does lead to a a slight amount of directional uncertainty every now and then. Less so in diesel form, though. I'd guess that the harder springs required to carry the heavier engine have led to other benefits, but the actual reason doesn't matter. The effect, which is more important, is that the 2.2 feels more like an MPV than the MultiJet, which feels more like a saloon car than the 2.2.
For most Croma owners, the least important advantage of the MultiJet will probably be the extra performance, so there's a lot to be said for choosing the cheaper 120bhp version. According to official EU figures it's not significantly more economical, but in real life I suspect you'd soon notice a difference.
On the other hand, you might want the extra acceleration after all. If so, it's worth hanging on until later in the year for yet another MultiJet. This is the thundering 200bhp 2.4-litre version which gives the Croma a top speed of 134mph and 0-62mph acceleration of 8.5 seconds, along with slightly better fuel economy than the 2.2 petrol engine.
Early in 2006 a 1.8-litre petrol unit will be added to the range, but to me this seems the least attractive option. It produces very nearly as much power as the 2.2 (140bhp versus 147bhp), and to do that it will have to rev - I've heard that the red line will be up at 7500rpm. Fine if you like that sort of thing, but in a car like the Croma I think I'd rather make progress thanks to mid-range power rather than a full-throttle scream.
Prices start at £15,745 for the 2.2 Dynamic and rise to £20,345 for the 150bhp MultiJet Prestigio with automatic transmission. Expect the 1.8 to come in at under £15,000 and the 2.4 MultiJet to be significantly the most expensive model when it arrives.
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