Fiat Multipla Eleganza JTD review
by Ross Finlay (6 December 2004)
Regardless of the number of media awards the original Multipla scooped up - and there were plenty of them - nothing could hide the fact that it was just about the plug-ugliest car on the market. Many observers applauded it as one of the roomiest mid-sized MPVs, while regarding the front-end design as all but unspeakable.
As Fiat began to concentrate in other model ranges on offering attractive front styling - something it has done rather well - the Multipla began to stand out like an even sorer thumb. That's all finished now, because the latest model has a conventional front-end appearance, and the Multipla no longer seems like suitable transport for the baddies in a Harry Potter story.
Behind the A-pillars the bodyshell remains much as before, wide enough for three full-size seats in each of the two rows, and with that minimal tumble-home which means that the Multipla has more shoulder space than some other MPVs are able to offer. There are only detail changes to the rear styling, and the colossal all-round glass area is preserved.
The three trim and equipment levels are now Dynamic, Dynamic Plus and Eleganza, and while Fiat is rather pushing its luck by using the word Eleganza, this top-rated specification is certainly well kitted out. It takes in features like 15" alloy wheels, additional window airbags, a leather-trimmed steering wheel with audio controls, reverse park sensors, lumbar adjustment for the driver's seat, and rear seats which slide and fold, and can be removed altogether. They're lightly built to make that easier.
A wide range of options includes, for £250, a fridge fitted in place of the middle front seat - a dual-purpose affair actually, since it keeps warm contents warm as well as cold contents chilled. Twin sunroofs as on our test car come at another £650.
This is no longer the only three-plus-three seater on the market, but what sets the Multipla apart from its rivals is that all six seats are full-sized affairs for adults. To avoid cramping the driver, and its own occupant, the middle seat in the front row sits a little back from the ones on either side. It can also be folded down to make a table or, as mentioned above, omitted at the factory in cars with the fridge option, which it's worth mentioning can't be removed from the car once it's installed.
Fiat hasn't done much to change the interior, which still features the oddest-looking console and door-handle units imaginable. Another very unusual feature is that a great deal of the fascia is covered in cloth trim which matches the upholstery - in the Eleganza there are new ones called Doria Blue and Doria (not Dorian) Grey. Personally, I'm not wild about that. The Multipla has yet another claim to special notice, because it has no fewer than five rear-view mirrors, one inside and twin lenses in each of the front door mirrors.
These various curiosities aside, the interior is well planned and practical, with a console-mounted gear lever and a handbrake tucked out of the way, to the right of the driver's seat.
There's no getting away from the fact that this is an unusually wide car, and you soon get used to the fact that, unless you position the Multipla accurately on winding B-class or minor country roads, any hedges or bushes are likely to whip along the nearside. Passengers soon get fed up with that and make their irritation known.
The unusual stance of the Multipla doesn't mean that it handles in a clumsy way. It can be hustled along pretty smartly. And although there's a 1.6-litre petrol version, it's difficult to see past the 1.9-litre JTD turbo diesel with its 149lb/ft of torque right down at 1500rpm.
The Fiat Group developed the JTD unit - for the Alfa Romeo 156, in the first place - as one of the first common-rail turbo diesels, engineered away from the Franco-German mainstream but none the worse for that, and in its latest Multijet specification a pretty strong performer in a vehicle of considerable bulk.
Fiat hasn't finished with the Multipla, because in 2005 it will be fitted up to use Bluetooth equipment and the Connect Nav operator-linked communications system. This car will obviously be with us for a while yet.
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