Review: Fiat Tipo

Fiat now has a contender in the compact hatch and saloon segment that in my estimation is as good as you'll get there, writes Brian Byrne.

The new Tipo immediately impressed last year on a route in northern Italy that included some very indifferent road surfaces as well as nice fast motorway and intricate mountain twists. I quickly got the sense of a car designed to be used without mollycoddling, and that rattles and squeaks were forbidden.

Here in Ireland a testing piece of back road near my home has confirmed that the new Tipo has been thoroughly developed to survive off the beaten track.


My review car was the hatchback variant. Thrown into arguably the most competitive segment, challenging Ford's Focus, VW's Golf, Kia's cee'd and Opel's Astra to a few contenders for buyer wallets.

Tipo isn't particularly beautiful or sexy, having a pleasant face and a body styled for practicality more than stand-out looks. It won't especially turn heads, but will attract those looking for comfort and space.

Inside there's a certain softness to the style, without compromising on quality or toughness of materials. There are blessedly standard instruments, plus in the review car a touch-screen small enough to manage by fingertip rather than a hand being waved around. Instrument graphics are cheerful instead of being all digi-tech and complex.

The overall driving position was fine, but it took a while to get used to what seemed ever so slightly curtailed visibility. Likely the style of the windscreen, perhaps it's not as large as on some cars I've been driving. And I'd like bigger side mirrors.

The space is particularly good for rear passengers. Legroom is more than in typical competitors. The roofline easily accommodates six-footers plus.

The review car was powered by a 1.4 petrol engine, specifically requested as I'm currently interested particularly in options for an evident shift away from diesel in this class and below.

The car was lively, and pleasant to shift through an easy manual gearbox. I think Fiat's engines are under-sung these days, but the company has a long heritage in producing impressive and usually unburstable motors.

While set up to keep the car comfortable on even bad roads, the new Tipo's underpinnings are also very in tune with the fast and lively Italian way of driving. I suspect that somewhere in the car's future, there might be a power edition.

My opinion goes against the current attitude in Ireland to Fiat. The new Tipo is styled and built to a level that I would have no difficulty in recommending it to even close friends. With an adequate distribution network, it would be seriously putting pressure on some of the main players in its space.

And I haven't even mentioned the value ...

ENGINES: 95hp/120hp 1.4 petrol, 110hp 1.6 petrol automatic. Diesels 96hp 1.3 and a120hp 1.6, the latter available with automatic.

EQUIPMENT: Three grades, all include Bluetooth and aircon.

PRICES: From €17,995. Step up grade or engine power €1,250 extra. Price difference between petrol and diesel €1,750.

STAR RATING: 4/5