Be Stilo my heart: Fiat aims to regain European market share by bringing a new standard of content, performance and value to the C-segment

Automotive Industries, Nov, 2001 by Andrea Wielgat

"Stilo is a forward-thinking car for a forward-thinking audience," says Roberto Testore, chief executive of Fiat Auto. "Stilo truly is a turning point."

That turning point is the Italian automaker's latest offering in Europe's highly competitive C-segment. Going neck-to-neck with the Ford Focus, Opel Astra and Volkswagen Golf, the Stilo replaces the lackluster Bravo/Brava in a segment that sees about 4 million annual sales -- 25 percent of the Western European market -- each year. And Fiat is betting Stilo will reclaim some of the status the brand lost when the Bravo/Brava failed to live up to sales expectations, executives say.

With Stilo, Fiat combines high content, elevated quality and outstanding performance in a distinctly styled vehicle that's expected to sell for under $15,000. "We want to look to our customers and not our competitors," says Juan Jose Diaz-Riuz, Fiat vice president of marketing and sales.

The automaker, which designed and styled the vehicle in-house at its Gentro Stile facility, decided to meet that goal by developing two completely different cars. The 3-door version is sporty with a "touch of coupe" design, while the 5-door is taller and more practical, says Nevio Di Giusto, Fiat's vice president of product engineering. A station wagon version is planned for the end of 2002 and the company will eventually sell a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) built on the same platform.

The 3-door is aimed at young singles while its 5-door sibling will draw families looking for a larger vehicle with easy entry and exit. The two are similar in size:

        Length (ft.)  Width (ft.)  Height (ft.)

5-door  13.9(4.25 m)  5.8(1.76 m)  5.0(1.52 m)
3-door  13.7(4.18 m)  5.8(1.78 m)  4.8(1.47 m)

The biggest difference is in the driver's seating position, as the 3-door driver sits lower for a sportier feel.

Powering both Stilo models are six existing engines updated for the vehicle. The base 1.2L 16-valve gasoline unit produces 79 hp and 84.1 pounds-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. Midlevel gas engines include a 102 hp 1.6L and a 131 hp 1.8L. The powerhouse of the range is a 166 hp 2.4L 20-valve inline 5-cylinder. This engine, standard in the "tuned" Abrath version, is capable of propelling Stilo to atop speed of 133 mph. Zero to 60 mph acceleration takes a claimed 8.5 seconds.

Two turbodiesels a]so are available -- a 79 hp or a 114 hp 1.9L JTD (the J denotes Unijet, the common-rail direct injection system developed by Fiat and sourced from Robert Bosch GmbH) -- and feature a new-generation variable-geometry turbocharger from power-boosting specialist Garrett.

There are five gearbox options on Stilo, including a 6-speed manual for the 1.2L and a 5-speed for the 1.6L and 1.8L Anew compact, three-shaft Getrag und Zahnradfabrik-designed gearbox is used on the 114 hp 1.9L Stilo.

Additionally, Fiat's proven Selespeed gearbox is used with the 2.41 Stilo. The system allows the driver to manually shift gears or drive in an automatic mode. A clutch pedal is absent from the system, which uses either a joystick or two levers located on the steering wheel to shift gears.

Complimenting the engine and gearbox range is Stilo's Dualdrive power steering, which has two modes for either city or highway driving. The system is automatically set with a taut feel for out-of-town routes. But when the driver enters the city or attempts to park, they can depress a button which lightens up the steering wheel effort. Both modes offer the same assistance when traveling more than 43.5 mph.

Fiat began selling the Stilo in Italy, France, Spain and Germany last month and will continue to launch the vehicle throughout Europe during the remainder of the year. Right-hand-drive sales will begin early next year.

Even though competitors like the Focus and Golf continue to sell well in the U.S., Fiat maintains that it will not return to North America with Fiat-badged products.

Instead, the Italian automaker will continue to be represented by Ferrari, Maserati next year and Alfa Romeo in 2005.

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When it comes to feature cantent, Stilo may have the greatest bragging rights in the C-segment The vehicle is full of technology usually found in larger more expensive vehicles. The fun stuff includes:

* EasyGo, supplied by Delphi Automotive Systems, is Fiat's answer to keyless ignition. Seen so far only on high-end vehicles from Mercedes and Cadillac, the system allows keyless entry and driving using a customer identification device and radio waves.

* My Car allows the driver to easily customize the vehicle, including remote locks, headlamp sensitivity, radio information, trip computer, display language and volume of key beeps.

* CONNECT combines not only a radio and CO player but also an MP3 player, car phone, satellite navigation, operator assisted roadside assistance and medical, restaurant and hotel advice.

* Sky Window, supplied by Web as to AG, is a sunroof made up of five glass segments that when opened slide toward the back of the car.