Fiat Tipo

Fiat was known for making affordable cars aside from the iconic 500 through the years such as the Siena, Bravo, Linea, Seicento, Cinquecento (not to be confused with the 500), Stilo, and Albea. Yes, they're all affordable but they don't give much of the "aha factor" as you take it for a spin. Now, there's a new low-cost Fiat called the Tipo that promises to be not just to be affordable but enjoyable for first-time buyers. Does it really live up to its promises?

2017 Fiat Tipo

Sourced from Turkey and available only in the EMEA region, Fiat's brand new Tipo is just another kind of commoner's car that you can expect to see one on the road and then another one a few seconds later. Reason why you can expect to see one after another is because the Fiat Tipo starts at 14,500 Euros for the saloon, 15,900 for the hatchback, and 17,300 for the station wagon, making it one of the most reasonably priced cars available in Italy. So, what do you get with that kind of pricing?

2017 Fiat Tipo

2017 Fiat Tipo 5-Door

2017 Fiat Tipo Station Wagon

First, let's take a glimpse on the exterior design. At first glance, the Tipo's striking design makes it look like you mistook it for a Dodge Dart but this ain't your commoner's Dodge at home. It's just a Fiat that doesn't feel as exciting as the other cars. Design-wise, the Tipo features a best-in-class aerodynamic, to ensure low fuel consumption and pretty much about it. There's nothing to excite about how it looks, even if it switch body styles, well, save it for the station wagon anyway, for which the side view kinda reminds me of a mashup between a BMW 3-Series and a Hyundai i40...in my mind.

2017 Fiat Tipo interior

Although nothing exciting about the interior design, the Tipo has everything you can expect in most cars. There's the steering wheel, a radio, an aircon, seats, radio, everything that a car should have. In terms of comfort, it's not half bad but it feels like a cabbie when you at least expect it or your dad's car that fetches you to school or a ride back home. Although not what you called luxurious, the Tipo's trunk has enough room to store your grocery shopping or if you go for the station wagon variant, that a lot of room to fill in aside from groceries and garage sale loots.

Anyway, what to see under the hood? Being an economy-class car rather than business-class, the Tipo offers three engine types such as a 1.4L petrol, 1.3L MultiJet diesel, and a 1.6L MultiJet diesel engine, which is the most powerful in this lineup with 120PS of power. All engines are mated with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

What about handling? Well, with turning radius of 11 meters, getting through roundabouts wasn't a pain in the arm because of its reliable suspension layout that Fiat claims, it's not so bad to drive at city centers or at subdivisions but don't get too excited because deep down, you know it can get too dreary to drive one, event at traffic.

So, thoughts about the new Tipo? Overall, the pricing is surprisingly what you called value for money and it drives rather well for an economy-class car. However, being an economy-class car, the Tipo is not exciting to drive at and the engines doesn't give you the oomph it deserves. To conclude, the Tipo is the ideal first-timer's car to start with. Although it lacks some character, this car is plain accessible to drive.

Photo: Fiat