... Sweet Sixteen FIAT S New Sedici 4 4 SUV ...

• Sweet Sixteen: FIAT-S New Sedici 4×4 SUV »»

 

Fiat Auto Ireland has launched a new 4×4 SUV range in Ireland. The Fiat Sedici was launched earlier this year in continental and UK markets and has been a big success for Fiat, contributing to the Company’s dramatically increased sales.

Sedici means sixteen in Italian. The name is inspired by the idea of the ‘4×4’ identification given to all four-wheel drive vehicle: 4×4=16. The new range moves into a rapidly expanding and highly competitive sector of the market where style, space, comfort, ease of driving and price are important. Sedici is available initially with a 1.6 litre 16v petrol engine delivering 107 bhp and a 1.9 Multijet 120 bhp turbo diesel is due here for December.

Fiat has paid particular attention to the purchase cost and also to the running costs of the newcomer, with special emphasis on fuel economy. The petrol engine is one of the most fuel-efficient units currently available and the urban /extra-urban combined fuel consumption result is just 7.1 litres to cover 100 km. As you might expect from the company that pioneered common-rail turbo diesel technology the 1.9 version offers unbeatable economy, requiring just 5.7 litres to cover 100 km on the open road and the urban /extra-urban combined consumption average is merely 6.6 litres per 100km.

Sedici comes in two trim levels, Dynamic and Emotion. Recommended retail prices for the 1.6 versions, are €22,400 and €23,400 respectively, excluding delivery and related items. The 1.9 Multijet 4×4 Dynamic will retail at €26,400.These are all very competitive prices compared with competitors, indeed the nearest competitor to the Sedici 1.9 is priced at €34,000.

Space for driver and passengers in any car is dictated not just by the length, width and height of a car, but also how well the designers and engineers work to make the available space as comfortable, as safe, as user friendly as possible. Measuring 4.115 metres long, 1,775 m. wide and 1,620m.high, Sedici falls at mid-point in terms of dimensions but is very spacious inside. Six-footers will have no problem in the back seats. Those compact dimensions mean that it can be parked easily in a standard parking bay and isn’t at risk by being too wide and too long.

The Sedici comes with a unique electronic control system for the choice of three driving modes, any of which can be selected easily to match the surface conditions:

2WD. The car can be driven as a normal front-wheel drive car with all the torque (power) going through the front wheels.
Auto. The ‘Auto’ setting is used whenever road conditions look likely to deteriorate. This mode allows torque to be split 50:50 between front and rear wheels, as conditions require. On a dry road the torque would all be to the front, but if you encounter slippery conditions the torque will then be distributed equally between front and rear wheels, to improve grip and traction. This changeover is controlled by the computers, which monitor the grip of all four tyres.
Lock. There is also the ‘permanent’ 4×4 or All Wheel Drive setting, engaged whenever the driver is experiencing really poor road surfaces such as ice, snow mud or on sand. Driving Sedici in all conditions is therefore quite easy and less stressful than in a normal two wheel drive family saloon.

The Sedici is a genuine 4×4,which can be taken off-road when the need or desire is present. But on the road it offers the handling, the performance and the fuel economy of a normal C segment family saloon. Sedici resembles a luxurious mid-size family saloon in the very high levels of equipment it offers. Even versions with ‘Dynamic’ specification come with air con, radio CD player, 4 speaker sound, 16” alloy wheels, roof bars, tinted windows, electrically operated door-mirrors, electrically operated front windows and deadlocks on all doors, ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, driver and front passenger airbags, side airbags and isofix fittings on the rear seats.

Sedici is a family car and also a practical workhorse. For those who need to move small amount of work-related items from time to time, it can be a valuable, low-cost business partner. With the rear seats in the normal upright position the boot accommodates 270 litres, but with the rear seats folded down the load space increases to 670 litres.

Like all new Fiats the Sedici comes with the Company’s unique four-year manufacturer’s warranty and four year AA membership. In addition anyone buying now can also take part in the Fiat Advanced Driving Programme, free of charge. This course not only makes you a better driver, less likely to be involved in an accident, it can also reduce your annual insurance premium by up to 30%.

Fiat brought the Sedici to market as the 4×4 SUV for people who enjoy life in both the city and the country, people with busy lives and expanding horizons, where flexibility of lifestyle must be matched by an easily adaptable car. Sedici meets those needs, more stylishly and far more affordably than most.

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