Fiat Stilo (2004) review
by Mike Grundon (16 March 2004)
I remember when I first saw the Fiat Stilo. It was on the opening day of the Frankfurt Motor Show, before the original launch. That, in itself, is quite amazing, because anyone who's ever been to this glamour and glitz event will know it as a sensory-overload situation. The show is the biggest of its kind in the world, set in the financial heart of one of the most powerful countries in Europe, and it's packed with the brightest and best from the top manufacturers. Yet this mainstream C-segment car looked outstanding.
Stilo means style in Italian and that it has in bucketloads, particularly in three-door guise, looking as if it's hewn from a solid block of metal with strong, clean lines from nose to tail. But style isn't enough, it seems. When it was launched onto the UK market two years ago the Stilo went in against some very strong contenders like Ford's Focus and Toyota's Corolla.
While it may have been the best-selling car in its class in Italy, it failed to set the UK market alight. Last year, large discounts were said to be available as Fiat tried to shift more cars, and despite always being well-equipped they had poor residual value.
With that in mind it's understandable that this year Fiat very much wants to boost its fortunes - hence the re-launch with slightly tweaked styling, a new entry-level engine and some slight refinements to the other engines in the range. On top of that there's a small price reduction of around 3.5% (£400 to £500 average in the UK).
So what's now available in the range? Well the engine line-up is slightly different, for a start. The old 1.2-litre entry-level model has been done away with, and replaced with an all-new 1.4-litre unit that turns out 95bhp and 94lb/ft of torque. Next up is the established and most popular 1.6-litre petrol unit now whittled and tickled to be a little lighter, a little more efficient and turning out a little more torque. It has 103bhp and 107 lb/ft. of torque on tap.
The 1.8-litre engine has had a few minor adjustments to make it a bit smoother, a bit lighter and a bit quieter. It turns out a useful 133bhp and 119lb/ft of torque. At the top of the petrol engine tree, the 2.4-litre is again a bit lighter, smoother and quieter. There's a diesel engine too, a 1.9-litre unit that has 115bhp and 188 lb/ft of torque available while still returning an average of over 50 miles per gallon - 53.5 in the case of the three-door.
There are twenty models in all, including three-door, five-door and Multi Wagon estate configurations. There are six trim and equipment levels for the three-door, five levels for the five-door and two for the estate. Prices range from just under £10,000 to just over £16,000.
As before, all versions are well-equipped with even the base-level Active models coming with remote central locking, front and side airbags, speed-sensitive power steering, height- and reach-adjustable steering, ABS and EBD brakes, front foglights and Isofix child seat attachment points. Another interesting feature across the range is a car tailoring system known as "My Car". It's an electronic system where the driver can set things like speed limit warning buzzers, programmes for the door locking system, even speed-related volume control on the stereo.
Moving up through the ranges you can get, depending on whether or not it's available with your bodyshell, air conditioning, sporty body trim kits, bigger and posher wheels, better sound systems that can play not only CDs but MP3 files as well, better seats with posher fabric and leather, built-in fridges, stability control, climate control, more instruments, parking sensors, rain sensors a dusk sensor, and cruise control.
The bells and whistles on the new CONNECT NAV+ system are worthy of mention. Available as standard on the range- topping three-door and five-door models, or as options on other upper-end models, it gives you not only satellite navigation but also a telephone line to a call centre that can help you with all sorts of things, including calling out a recovery vehicle if you get into trouble, and updating you on things like traffic and weather conditions.
Beyond that it's described as being like having a personal assistant, with operators helping you find a bank, book a hotel or even book airline tickets. We're told it'll even remind you of diary appointments or anniversaries.
At the rather truncated launch event I was reminded of why I was so taken with the looks of the Stilo, particularly the three-door model. The 2.4-litre Abarth, with a small tailgate spoiler, wide haunches over the tail lights, sculpted side-skirts and gaping air intakes along the front, looked just stunning as I approached it - even in the rain.
This model had the "Easygo" keyless lock and ignition system which isn't currently available in the UK, but is being considered for here. It works similarly to the Renault system, but the drawback is that by comparison it's extremely bulky. Where the Renault system is based on a slim credit-card sized unit you can slip easily in your pocket or even wallet, the Fiat version is fat and round. Easy to use, though - just pull the doorhandle to open it, just walk away to lock it. The engine is started by stabbing a button on the dash.
Out on the road, the car was not outstanding, but it was enjoyable. Figures suggest the new 2.4 should sprint to 62mph in 8.5 seconds and run on up to a 136mph top speed. On the road the acceleration was smooth and without any apparent squirm from the driven front wheels.
Sadly, though, the performance comes at a price. The official average fuel consumption is a disappointing 29.1mpg, the sort of figure you might expect from a mainstream performance hatch turning out over 200bhp and with a two-second advantage on the sprint.
There is a paddle or gearstick-operated Selespeed sequential gearbox available, but this car had the standard five-speed manual unit, which clicks up and down very precisely. The steering, too, was taut and precise. The suspension was firm on the straight, giving a fair amount of feedback from the road, and it was confidence-inspiring when giving it a moose-test-like wiggle at speed, recovering its composure almost immediately. One niggling omission spoiled the drive slightly - the lack of a rest for the clutch foot.
So is the re-launch going to turn the Stilo's fortunes around? Personally, I doubt it. The car is well-equipped and good-looking, it can be fun to drive and it has a bit more individuality than the main competitors, but the overall impression is still that it's an adequate car rather than an exceptional one.
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