Weekly View: Fiat’s way to the top (again)
One of the oldest car manufacturers on the planet has had its ups and downs, although most of you would say that the down part was prevalent. And you would be right, because in the past two decades, Fiat’s fortune was soap-opera dramatic; from making widely acclaimed cars such as the Mk I Punto and Tipo, to poor interpretations of older designs like Bravo, Brava and Marea. Without a doubt, the 90’s weren’t exactly Fiat’s finest hour: due to rising costs, Alfa Romeo abandoned rear-wheel drive, Lancia had lost it’s sports-luxury image and Fiat was less funky and cheerful. In short, the whole group was going trough an identity crisis.
But things are looking good recently; Italian design has made it’s comeback with the adorable Fiat 500 and the cool Grande Punto (I mean, putting a face of a Maserati on a city car is the best idea ever) while the sexy Alfa Romeo Brera, the distinctive 159 and the extravagant Lancia Delta are turning heads for the right reasons.
However, something is still missing because Italian cars weren’t exactly all beauty and no brains. In fact, the majority of all new cars in Europe are equipped with Fiat-invented technology. To scare you more, Fiat has actually sold some of its developments to Germans.
Let’s start with the most common one. Now, the majority of new cars in Europe are equipped with turbo diesel engines and it’s easy to see why; modern diesels are quick, torquey, frugal and cheap to run. While it is obvious that BMW’s diesel engines are the envy of the industry (just compare the stats and you’ll see what I mean) some think that Volkswagen Group’s engines are the last word in the mainstream market. Actually, they aren’t. And they weren’t ten years ago, or ever, for that matter. To be even more honest, even BMW’s diesels wouldn’t be what they are now if it wasn’t for Fiat.
Fiat has recognized the full potential of diesel engines back in the middle of the 1980’s, when all European manufacturers started releasing diesel-powered cars. However, the 1986 Fiat Croma was the first car in the world to have a direct-injection diesel engine.
But the true revolution started just with the boom of diesel cars in the late 90’s and with the system that can be found in all modern diesels – common rail.
Fiat began experimenting with common rail during the 1990s and has built several prototypes during that time. However, as the millennium approached, the company was going into deep financial trouble and had no other option but to sell the technology to Bosch, which was a tactical mistake, as the system later proved to be the base for all modern turbo diesels.
The first car in the world to feature the new technology was the Alfa Romeo 156 in 1997.
Just for comparison, Volkswagen diesel engines at the time were having outdated Bosch-pump systems, while the company was developing a new system to rival common rail engines. Dubbed “pumpe-düse”, the new technology was supposed to set new standards in performance and emissions for their category. Meanwhile, Fiat redesigned the system which has changed its name from JTD to Multijet, and has won the prestigious Engine Of The Year award for the smallest in the range, the 1.3 Multijet. Ironically, Multijet engines can be found in newer Opel models, as Fiat made a deal with GM (now defunct).
In 2005, Volkswagen announced that it would stop developing PD technology and switch to common rail. It is obvious why, because the PD engines were unacceptably noisy, not exactly frugal and were having a nonlinear power delivery. Having a Golf V 2.0 TDI (140 PS) for a year only supports this claims.
Few weeks ago, Fiat announced the next generation of diesel engines, the Multijet II.
New engines are using a new common rail injection process with up to eight individual cycles for being exceptionally quiet, free revving while maintaining diesel-typical mid-range poke. This last feature received lots of praise because most diesels are lethargic in the higher RPM range.
Although Fiat has pushed diesel technology more than any other mainstream manufacturer, their petrol engines aren’t exactly neglected.
These days, the term “downsizing” is used and abused, but again, Fiat has made a hot version of the Mk I Punto in 1994 having a 136 PS turbo 1.4 engine.
But the true stars of the petrol range are upcoming MultiAir engines, which are as revolutionary as the common-rail system was a decade ago.
MultiAir features hydraulically-actuated variable valve timing which offers a more controllable flow of air during the combustion cycle in comparison with mechanical VVT systems. Its benefits are obvious: MultiAir engines will increase power (up to 10%) and torque (up to 15%), as well as a considerable reduction in consumption levels (up to 10%) and CO2 emissions (up to 10%), of particulates (up to 40%) and NOx (up to 60%) when compared to a traditional petrol engine. The system also provides smoother cold weather operation, more even torque delivery, and no engine shake at shut-off.
What is even better, the technology is even more effective when used with a supercharger or a diesel engine and can be fitted to larger engines as well.
Fiat won’t be selling MultiAir technology, but is considering licensing it to other manufacturers.
It seems that Fiat can’t go wrong lately, it was one of the few lucky manufacturers whose sales were unaffected by the crisis (and is going to USA next year) while it’s technology is again setting new standards. And would you rather have a tasty pizza or a plain wurst?
About the author:
At the age of two, my parents started to teach me how to read and coincidentally, my first words (if you don’t count “mum” and “dad”) were car brand names. I’m not sure if that was the reason, but ever since I’ve been a true car enthusiast. For me, cars aren’t German and Japanese, girly and butch, cool and lame, they are either good or bad.
A good car must be honest, involving, fun and balanced – it simply has to communicate with the driver and have the capability to make you rediscover your usual route every day.
Badges are not my concern either; I have some favorites, but again, cars are either good or bad.
I’m no fan of electronics, 4×4 systems and heavy, overpowered cars; to me these things are driving simulators for mediocre drivers to impress other mediocre drivers.
A small coupe or a roadster with the front-engine, rear-drive configuration (as God intended) or a sports sedan, maybe a hot hatch would be my dream car.
In the end, it’s all a matter of taste, but I prefer the old-school approach: driving for the sake of it. The man and the machine, nothing between them.
The rest don’t know what they are missing.
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