New Multipla               Doblò

"Company car drivers are becoming more diverse in their choice of vehicles and that is where Fiat is scoring"

Fiat has always been synonymous with producing small cars, but the Italian manufacturer now offers a diverse portfolio of vehicles, including four people carriers embracing the petite Idea, super-practical Doblò, innovative and newly-revised Multipla and the more luxurious Ulysse. However, underlining Fiat’s historical small car focus is the fact that the Panda, the marque’s smallest model, is the current European Car of the Year. But fleet operations manager Tony Dittli is anxious that fleets appreciate that the company offers significantly more models than simply small cars and believes Fiat’s range of MPVs is second to none in the marketplace.

He says: “Company car drivers, particularly user-choosers, are becoming more diverse in their choice of vehicles and that is where Fiat is scoring. “The new Multipla, which has recently entered showrooms, with its two rows of three seats and plenty of space, will, we believe, be very successful in the corporate market, particularly with user-choosers.” When launched, the Multipla won either “love it” or “hate it” comments for its radical styling.

The new model features “toned down” exterior looks and, says Mr Dittli, will secure business in the corporate sector as companies compile increasingly wider vehicle choice lists. He adds: “We intend to make significant inroads into the corporate market. Fleets account for around 50% of new car sales and there are deals with small businesses to be won as well. This year, Fiat’s fleet sales will account for 35-38% of our total UK business and we believe that can increase.

“The volume growth will be based around our diverse and extensive line-up, not least our MPVs, which means we have a vehicle suitable for allcomers.” The new Multipla range features an enlarged, six model line-up costing £13,295-£16,495 on the road and, apart from new exterior styling, there are revised interior trims, new colours and enhanced equipment. Allied to powerful, ventilated front and rear disc brakes, every version of the new Multipla is fitted as standard with ABS anti-lock braking complete with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution.

On board, the fitting of up to six airbags, including Smart 2 front airbags and window bags, three front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters, three inertia reel safety belts in the rear, six full-sized head restraints, ISOFIX child seat attachments and a fire prevention system, further contributes to making the new Multipla one of the safest MPVs available today. Many road traffic accidents are caused because drivers of vehicles such as MPVs and 4x4s are not used to their different handling characteristics when compared to cars. However, one of Fiat’s key design objectives for the Multipla was to produce a mid-range MPV that would handle as well as an equivalent saloon.

As a result, in a class of competitors that often tend to be larger-bodied versions of existing hatchbacks, whose suspension is inevitably compromised by existing dynamics, the purpose-built, spaceframe chassis, wide track and comparatively long wheelbase of the new Multipla combine with independent MacPherson strut front and trailing arm rear suspension to offer superior high-speed stability, class-leading roadholding, and handling of a tenacity more usually associated with a hatchback. The spaceframe construction – benefiting from the use of high-strength steels that this system permits – makes it exceptionally strong and rigid. In conjunction with a body of remarkable torsional rigidity, the vehicle offers excellent levels of passive safety. Crash tests carried out at the Fiat Safety Centre have produced outstanding results.

“Taxi operators recognise the top-notch safety standards that go into our vehicle line-up”

It meets preventive safety needs with an adjustable cockpit that adapts to drivers of any size. User-friendly ergonomics allow drivers to operate all instruments and controls without taking their eyes off the road. The combination of a raised driving position, an enormous glass area and split door mirrors provides excellent all-round visibility, further enhanced by the standard parking sensors on the Eleganza version. In profile, the high roofline, eight-inches taller than a conventional saloon, emphasises the Multipla’s extensive glazing, which makes up 50% of the vehicle’s sides, thus providing exceptional visibility.

The majority of the safety-related features in the Multipla are available in the six-model Doblò line-up, which was also revised earlier this year and now includes a new Family version, which is billed as the most affordable seven-seater MPV on the market. The Family version features a third row of passenger accommodation in the form of a movable and foldable bench seat. The Family model costs £10,595 on the road with the remainder of the line-up priced from £9,095-£11,295 and said to undercut rivals by up to more than £2,000. Fiat says the Doblò can seat five people – the Family derivative can obviously seat up to seven – in comfort, and two large, sliding side doors allied to raised seating positions make it particularly easy for passengers to climb in and out.

In addition, there is a class-leading 750 litres of luggage space to parcel-shelf level. The back seat can also be folded down to create a massive 3,000 litres of load space, which means that the vehicle can carry bulky sports or leisure equipment when used for recreation, or large quantities of merchandise when used on business. This year has been a hectic one for Fiat with the manufacturer also launching its revised lower medium sector Stilo range comprising three-door and five-door hatchbacks and estate early in 2004, simultaneously with the mini-MPV Idea (See Roadsafe summer 2004).

Justin LaFrenais (corporate sales manager, Fiat Auto UK), hands over the first of Blueback’s Fiat Multipla private hire vehicles to the company’s founders. PJ Darling (centre), and Scott Pielsticker (right) Taking on the taxis Fiat is establishing a niche for itself in the UK’s hugely-fragmented private hire vehicle (or mini cab) market. Established last year, Blueback is aiming to transform London’s fragmented £850m private hire market and is using Fiat’s innovative Multipla six-seater mini-MPV as its figurehead vehicle in the venture. In mid-2003, Blueback signed a three-year agreement with Fiat with an initial supply of up to 60 vehicles. The company expects to be operating over 1,000 vehicles within the next five years. Meanwhile, Fiat has been a leading supplier of Ulysse models to the capital’s leading, independent private hire vehicle company. Fiat fleet operations manager Tony Dittli says: “Fiat is performing extremely well in winning business in the UK taxi market. The reliability and wholelife costs for our vehicles make their operation cost-effective and efficient. “We now offer fleet operators a choice of four MPV-style vehicles – Idea, Doblò, Multipla and Ulysse – which is more than any other vehicle manufacturer. They are ideal for transporting a number of people in style, comfort and safety. “Obviously, safety is on every taxi company’s list of priorities because they are transporting people, and the fact that we have been able to carve out a significant niche in the taxi sector means that taxi operators recognise the top-notch safety standards and related features that go into our vehicle line-up.” In addition to highly recognisable vehicle branding, Blueback’s Multipla fleet boast refrigerators stocked with cold drinks, newspapers and mobile phone chargers, as well as a number of unique service features. Blueback co-founder, PJ Darling, says: “The decision to select the Fiat Multipla was based on a number of factors, including its unique ability to take five passengers comfortably, which puts us on a par with black cabs, its unique and innovative design – which differentiates us from competitors – the spaciousness, flexibility and practicality of its interior, and its proven track record of operating as a taxi in Italy.” Meanwhile, Eurotaxis, a well-established private hire company based in the Bristol area, has added 10 Ulysses to its growing fleet. Juan Sanzo, managing director of Eurotaxis says: “We chose the Fiat Ulysse for a combination of reasons, including its spacious interior, the competitiveness of its maintenance costs, and its economical fuel consumption figures. “But we were also swayed by the Ulysse’s proven and high-profile presence within the fleet marketplace, and the fact that it has proved to be a highly successful vehicle for our type of business.”