2016 Fiat Tipo hatchback and estate revealed

Full details – including the UK price and specification – of the new Fiat Tipo family car have been revealed ahead of the car going on sale here in September. Fiat says the car aims to “offer exceptional space, equipment and efficiency in a remarkably good-value package”.

The Tipo will be a rival for the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Renault Megane, among others.

Fiat Tipo Styling

The Tipo looks quite different to Fiat’s current UK line-up. Instead of the retro lines of the Fiat 500 or the rounded edges of the Fiat Panda, the new car instead boasts bold bodywork creases, a distinctive front end and more pronounced detailing. Both the hatchback and estate feature slim, L-shaped rear lights and a fairly small rear windscreen.

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Interior & equipment

Inside, twin central air vents dominate the dash and there are elements of Fiat’s ‘squircle’ (a square with rounded-off corners) motif in the shape of the infotainment screen and steering wheel hub. Conventional instrument dials sit behind the decent-sized steering wheel, while on some models, a silver plastic line runs the width of the dashboard.

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The Tipo Estate can also carry loads up to 1.8 metres long thanks to its 60:40 split-folding seats. the Fiat Tipo is said to focus on practicality and spaciousness, with Fiat claiming best-in-class rear legroom and outstanding headroom. The company claims that three six-foot adults will be able to sit comfortably across the rear seats

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Hatchback versions get 440 litres of space in the boot, while the SW estate adds an extra 110 litre to that figure, totalling 550 litres. This is augmented by an additional 12 litres of storage space in the interior, with various cubby holes and door bins dotted around the passenger compartment.

Its boot floor can be lowered to maximise capacity and locked at a 40-degree angle to load the space underneath, while there are also and side panels for holding small items, which can be removed to further increase the width of the luggage compartment. Two lights, two bag hooks and four load-retaining hooks in the floor also features.

In the UK, both the hatchback and estate will be offered in three trim levels, each of which will cost £1,000 more then the preceding model in the range, thereby simplifying the pricing structure. The entry-level version will get air-conditioning, remote central locking, electric windows (front in the hatchback, front and rear in the estate), electric mirrors, six airbags, DAB radio and Bluetooth connectivity.

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Step up to the mid-level trim and you get a five-inch touchscreen to control the Uconnect infotainment system, 16-inch alloy wheels, front foglights, LED daytime running lights, rear parking sensors and cruise control.

You also get access to Fiat’s Uconnect LIVE service, which connects to a smartphone app to access music streaming services like Deezer and TuneIn, news updates from Reuters, as well as Facebook and Twitter. This system also allows you to track info about your car, including its efficiency, performance and maintenance schedule.

The top-spec Tipo adds sat nav with traffic updates, climate control, 17-inch alloys and a reversing camera, as well as automatic lights and wipers. You also get lumbar support for the driver’s seat and the chrome styling pack as standard. You’ll be able to add heated leather seats and a couple of safety packs (A and B) as optional extras.

Engines & performance

The diesel engine range will comprise two turbodiesels – a 1.3-litre MultiJet with 94bhp and a 1.6-litre MultiJet with 118bhp (the latter offered with six-speed manual or six-speed TCT twin-clutch transmission). There’ll also be three petrol engines on offer: a 1.4-litre producing 94bhp, a 1.4-litre turbo with 118bhp and a 1.6-litre ‘e-TorQ’ producing 109bhp. The latter will come with a regular six-speed automatic transmission only.

Fiat is claiming 76.3mpg fuel economy and 98g/km CO2 emissions for the 1.6-litre 120hp diesel, so this version will be free from road tax, as will the less powerful 1.3-litre diesel, thanks to CO2 emissions of 99g/km.

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The most efficient petrol engine is the 94bhp 1.4-litre naturally aspirated version. This will return around 49mpg on the combined cycle, while CO2 emissions of 132g/km means an annual tax bill of £130. Next up is the turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol, which will return around 47mpg and has CO2 emissions of 139g/km, meaning it’ll cost the same as the less powerful non-turbo engine to tax.

It’s the auto-only 1.6-litre petrol that will cost the most to run, managing less than 45mpg on average and emitting 147g/km of CO2. This means you’ll have to pay £145 a year in road tax.

In terms of performance, the quickest model is the 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol hatchback, which will do 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds (9.8 for the estate) while the 1.6-litre is the quickest of the diesels, doing 0-62mph in 9.8 seconds (10.1 for the estate).

It’s the naturally aspirated 1.4 petrol estate that’s the slowest, however, taking a full 12.3 seconds to get from 0-62mph, while the hatch is slightly quicker, taking 12.1 seconds. The 1.6-litre petrol isn’t far ahead, however, reaching the benchmark in a leisurely 11.5 seconds (11.7 for the estate).

Prices and release date

When the Tipo goes on sale in September, the entry-level model will be priced from £12,995 (for the hatchback) and £13,995 (for the estate). Going further up the trim levels adds an extra £1,000 each, so a mid-range Tipo hatchback will cost from £13,995 and the estate from £14,995. The top-of the range hatchback starts at £14,995, while the most expensive estate will start at £15,995. These prices significantly undercut many of the Tipo’s main rivals.