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04 Sep 2001
Fiat Stilo
The model in brief
The Fiat Stilo in Fiat Auto's overall strategy
Offer today everything that rival cars will not be able to offer until tomorrow: this is forward thinking, the spirit of the Fiat Stilo. The new car is playing the high-tech card and offers highly innovative ideas and high quality standards to one very specific end: to become the new benchmark within the compact medium-sized car band.
Fiat Auto is aware that this is an ambitious challenge. It arises out of a will to make the Fiat Stilo into the official challenger, the car to beat within the most important market segment in Europe. The segment is important in terms of size (it is worth just under four million cars per year) and also because all the main manufacturers are present in the sector.
In any case, Fiat has no choice but to compete in this arena. The brand renewal strategy that seeks to turn Fiat into a full-liner determined to play a leading role in each of the segments within which it is present means that we must continue into this market band now that the Punto has been successful in the lower segment. And we must face up to the difficult challenge of creating a car with a view to the bigger picture.
We aim to do this firstly by sweeping aside traditional category canons. And secondly by transcending industrial constraints (the Stilo is created on a brand new modular floorpan), not resorting to compromise (the new model offers equipment that was not available as a package even on range leaders until two years ago) and enjoying the greatest freedom to innovate, make suggestions and choose other cars as inspiration.
Only by following this new and - some would say - bold path was it possible to plan and build a model able to attract the attention of the able, rather sceptical and spoilt consumers we have all become.
The result was a car with a wealth of personality. A solid, good-looking car with all the attributes and benefits inherent in any Fiat: innovative design, cutting-edge technology available to all and clever solutions to make life simpler and better.
Manufacturing the car was a demanding task that involved Fiat's best resources and demanded deep-seated changes in the way a product is designed and built. The process was born out of industrial complexity yet resulted in the simplicity of the Fiat Stilo.
The car was simple to design once the correct modular floorpan had been brought into being. Simple to build: after a radical reorganisation of the Cassino factory and its workstations. Simple to use: once the engineers had added an immediate and intuitive interface to the complicated and costly technology we use to ensure motorists gain more enjoyment out of an everyday action.
The Stilo is therefore a very important car for Fiat. It is also an important car for customers, because of its forward-thinking, forward-acting approach. It goes beyond common assumptions. Beyond dictates built around the limited possibilities so far imposed on this car category. It goes beyond the norm. And fast-forwards to the compact medium-sized world of tomorrow.
All the attributes of the new model
If you were to come up with a slogan for the Fiat Stilo, seven words would suffice: it has a lot, it has everything. We had to write the tome you are reading to describe it in full. In conventional terms, you could say that the car was created with a single character and two personalities, two 3 and 5-doored cars that are very different from one another: in style, character and even in size, above all in height, which is a key structural factor as far as interior space is concerned.
The 5-door version is 4.25 metres long, 1.76 wide, 1.52 high and offers a wheelbase of 2.60 metres. The 3-door, on the other hand, is 4.18 metres long, 1.78 wide and 1.47 meters high. The 5 centimetre height difference may seem insignificant, but it actually determines a very significant change in driving configuration because the driver's seating plane in relation to the road (H point) is changed: the point is lower on the 3-door version, as befits a car with dynamic style and vigorous character; higher on the 5-door version to benefit the ease of access, passenger room and mastery of the road one expects from a car of unique personality.
Now it is easier to understand why both cars are one and the same model yet display different traits. The character of the 3-door version is geared for individualism, performance and driving satisfaction. The 5-door version offers interior comfort, roominess, safety, versatility of use and rationality that translates into one of the most competitive overall running costs within the segment and the market as a whole.
The Fiat Stilo can meet the needs of customers within its segment across the board.
The new 5-door model, for example, will be a great temptation for customers who are interested in the MPV subsegment that has recently emerged in this market band. Because the Fiat Stilo adds the typical advantages of an MPV to the conventional compact car formula: it is easy to get in and out of, there is plenty of room inside and it is driven from a high position that ensures a sense of greater control. The interior can be modulated to adjust to changing individual needs because the front seat tilts forward and the rear seats slide and tilt independently.
The name
The new car's name can be pronounced fluently and easily in all languages yet sounds unmistakably Italian. It immediately suggests something that is fashionable and trend-setting. Because it evokes the concept of style: stilo in Italian, style in French, stil in German and estilo in Spanish and Portuguese. The word Stilo is also associated with the idea of emotion, as befits a car that is fun and entertaining to drive, compact, up-to-date and high-tech. Lastly, it is not a completely fanciful name because it also reminds us of tangible items such as a stylograph or stylistic creations. And it also lends itself to associations with different definitions, e.g. the various versions of an entire car family.
Styling
The 3-door version is a sporty car with taut surfaces and architectural lines. The basic shape is made up of two overlying parallelepipeds that join at the waistline where a strong muscle underscores the prevalence of metal over glass.
The car is projected aggressively forward by a rear end that apparently extends from the upper body, which looks as though it has been set into the lower body and then pushed toward the front of the car. This styling cue creates in an ultra-modern looking boot that sits ahead of the car's rear profile.
Other traits complement the basic features of the Fiat Stilo's physiognomy and make the car immediately recognisable: a dynamic, high front end with big air intakes and light clusters. Two brighter points that stand out like gemstones against the diamond-faceted headlamp overlay the front lights. The tail-lights, on the other hand, are easily identifiable by day, even from afar, by a red central column. By night they look like an arrow pointing the way ahead.
The Fiat Stilo 5-door is even more sturdy and solid in appearance. The front, for example, is broad and features a wide, protective bumper able to convey a sensation of prestige and safety. The same impression is conjured up by a muscular waistline that does not drop down to the front and rear bumpers after running along the side of the car, but hugs the entire car in a hoop-like embrace.
The windows are big and upright. The luggage compartment gains visibly in width. The handle is at waist level to make it easier and more instinctive to grasp.
Engines
The new model offers a broad and diverse gamut of power units. The array includes four petrol engines and two Common Rail turbodiesel engines that range from 59 to 125 kW (80 - 170 bhp) and display different attributes. These are exploited to the full by combining the units with 5- or 6-speed gearboxes and - in the case of the range-leader - a Selespeed sequential gearbox.
The various benefits of these many engines include generosity, sparkling performance, high performance and sophisticated technology. All engines share common traits of great reliability and respect for the environment.
Let's take a look in detail:
The 1.2 16v power unit develops 59 kW (80 bhp) at 5000 rpm. Maximum torque is 114 Nm at 4000 rpm. Top speed touches 172 km/h (170 km/h in the case of the 5-door). Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes place in 13.4 seconds (13.8 in the case of the 5-door). Over a combined cycle, fuel consumption is 6.3 l/100 km for the 3-door and 6.5 l/100 km for the 5-door.
The 76 kW (103 bhp) 1.6 16v develops its maximum power output at 5750 rpm and the maximum torque (145 Nm) at 4000 rpm. When fitted with this engine, the Fiat Stilo 3-door can reach 185 km/h (183 for the 5-door). Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes place in 10.5 seconds (10.9 in the case of the 5-door). The power unit consumes 7.3 l/100 km over a combined cycle (7.4 for the 5-door).
The 1.8 16v develops a maximum power output of 98 kW (133 bhp) available at 6400 rpm and a torque of 162 Nm at 3500 rpm. This engine propels the Fiat Stilo 3-door version at 202 km/h (200 km/h for the 5-door) and allows the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.9 seconds (10.3 for the 5-door). Over a combined cycle, fuel consumption is 8.0 l/100 km for the 3-door and 8.1 l/100 km for the 5-door.
The 2.4 20v with Selespeed gearbox tops the Fiat Stilo range. A development of the five cylinder engine family, this power unit packs a punch of 125 kW (170 bhp) at 6000 and a torque of 221 Nm at just 3500 rpm. Top speed is 215 km/h for the 3-door version (213 km/h for the 5-door version) and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes place in 8.5 seconds (8.9 seconds for the 5-door version). Fuel consumption over a combined cycle is 9.7 l/100 km (9.8 for the 5-door version).
The 80 bhp 1.9 JTD delivers 59 kW, available at just 4000 rpm, and a torque of 196 Nm at 1500 rpm. A Fiat Stilo three-door equipped with this engine touches 172 km/h (170 km/h with the 5-door version), accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.9 seconds (13.3 for the 5-door version) and consumes 5.4 l/100 km over a combined cycle (5.5 for the 5-door).
The 115 bhp 1.9 JTD differs from the 80 bhp version in the presence of an intercooler and variable geometry turbine. It delivers a maximum power output of 85 kW at 4000 rpm and offers a maximum torque of 255 Nm at 2000 rpm. A Fiat Stilo three-door equipped with this engine touches 192 km/h (190 km/h with the 5-door version), accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.3 seconds (10.7 for the 5-door version) and consumes 5.3 l/100 km over a combined cycle (5.4 for the 5-door).
Suspension
One of the briefs given to the designers allocated to the Fiat Stilo project was to create a suspension system capable of higher-category performance levels. The system had to ensure great driving ease and precision, outstanding roadholding and the best possible passenger comfort. Hence the choice of two efficient, tried and tested layouts that work very effectively due to the attributes of the new chassis.
The front features an independent MacPherson strut configuration refined through the adoption of numerous improvements. The rear configuration is an interconnected wheel (semi-independent) suspension with a torsion beam, a solution already adopted on higher category cars. This configuration offers passengers the following:
- great comfort because less noise and vibration is allowed into the passenger compartment;
- outstanding handling achieved by means of a folded sheet steel torsion beam that ensures ideal torsional rigidity for the suspension - plus an antiroll bar that is very light due to a hollow cross-section;
- excellent driving stability because hydraulic bushes attach the axle to the body and create a toe-in effect on bends.
Technology
Two cars with 3 and 5-doors but a single model in terms of its wealth of features and hi-tech specification. A model that sets new standards in its own market band and sometimes even within higher segments.
Our brief was to exceed our customers' desires. This is why the Fiat Stilo is a substantial car in every aspect and never resorts to compromise.
The Fiat Stilo is two very different cars when it comes to meeting the different requirements of 3 and 5-door customers. But absolutely identical in those areas where both sets of customers demand exactly the same thing: i.e. substance. The substance of a car that is able to give much more than any rival within its category and exceed its customers desires.
This is why the Fiat Stilo is a substantial car in every aspect and never resorts to compromise.
In the Fiat Stilo 5-door version, the rear of the passenger compartment can be adapted to alter leg-room and backrest position for maximum occupant comfort. These assets are complemented by a ski tunnel, various storage compartments with flaps, a child seat built into the rear seat and a front seat that folds down to form a table to accommodate long loads or act as a work surface.
A simple description of the passenger compartment cannot fully convey, however, exactly how much this car will benefit customers day-to-day. Some examples are required.
We have all had to carry very long items that are not particularly heavy. And we can all remember how much time we wasted trying (with little success) to load them into our car. With the Fiat Stilo, all you have to do is fold down one of the back seats and the front seat and the problem is solved. Items can be stowed safely in a few minutes while leaving plenty of room for the driver and passengers.
How many times have you said that the ideal solution would be to have two cars: one for everyday use and the other for long trips when the family is all together and suddenly there is luggage all over the place. Well, the Fiat Stilo 5-door version is two cars in one. When the back seats are pushed right back, the resulting luggage compartment is one of the roomiest in its category. If you want, all you have to do is push the seats forward to obtain an enormous amount of space for bags and luggage.
When you get back to normal everyday life, all you have to do is move the back seats fully backward and tilt the squab to accommodate four people in the greatest comfort: stretched out as though you were in a higher segment car with all conveniences at hand: armrest, glass-holder and holders for wallets, mobile phones or spectacles.
An airline-type folding table pulls down from the front seat squab so that children can draw or adult passengers can write or work on a laptop.
If you want to relax, all you have to do is sit in the back, recline your backrest and fold the front seat down to stretch out and relax as though you were on a chaise lounge.
These Next Generation Interior features are complemented by oceans of room for stowing everything you need to take with you. Not one but three roomy closed compartments on the facia (the upper one is cooled on cars when an air conditioning/climate control system is fitted). Front and rear armrests with interior compartments, a roomy container under both front seats (if mechanically adjusted), generous pouches and five glass-holders.
The range
Customer requirements are becoming increasingly diverse and cultural changes mean that society now has new expectations of the car, a possession that plays an iconic role in the lives of individuals and the community as a whole. All these requirements have been satisfied by an equal number of responses. The Fiat Stilo offers no fewer than 19, i.e. the number of versions proposed by the new model.
These have been created by putting together different combinations of one of the most extensive and diverse ranges in the segment that comprises: two cars with very different styles (3 and 5-doors), six engines (1.2 16v - 1.6 16v - 1.8 16v - 2.4 20v - 1.9 JTD 80 bhp - 1.9 JTD 115 bhp), five gearboxes (four manual and a Selespeed), three specification levels (Active, Dynamic and Abarth) and 17 body colours, each with an interior trim in different shades and fabrics.
A range that allows everyone to find their very own Fiat Stilo and equip it with all the devices currently available on the market. Even those that were, until recently, reserved for cars of higher segments. The Fiat Stilo is truly a European-spirited car that knows no boundaries and is able to adapt to more than 50 target markets.
More specifically, the Active specification comes as standard with ABS + EBD with ASR/MSR and Brake Assistant, six airbags (the front bags are Multistage with an OCS sensor), a Fiat CODE II antitheft system, head-restraints and three-point seat-belts on all seats, ISOFIX attachments for child seats and a pretensioner and load limiter for the front seats. The standard equipment list also includes a Dualdrive electric power steering system, fog lamps built into the headlamps, a car radio, My Car (car customisation) and a trip computer, a steering wheel with height and axial adjustment and driver's seat height and lumbar adjustment. Plus a cooled and heated facia compartment (when an air conditioning system is fitted), oddments compartment beneath the driver's seat, central locking with deadlock and superlock functions, front windows with an obstruction sensor and electric door mirrors. The latter are painted the same shade as the body and are heated.
The Dynamic specification offers all the above plus: air conditioner, remote control, lighted courtesy mirrors, oddments compartment beneath the passenger seat, glass-holder built into the rear armrest that, like the front armrest, comes with a convenient compartment. The Dynamic package also offers the following as standard - according to whether the car is 3 or 5-doored and its destination country: sports seats, leather-trimmed gear knob and gaiter and Next Generation Interior seats.
The Fiat Stilo range concludes with the Abarth specification reserved for the 2.4 engine version. This exclusive equipment package includes the following standard features: CONNECT Nav+, dual zone climate control system, Cruise Control, multifunction, reconfigurable active matrix display and the sophisticated ESP (Electronic Stability Program) system. Other standard features include rain, parking and dusk sensors, electrically-operated rear windows, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear lever gaiter, steering wheel controls (11 keys), tinted inserts in the facia panels, body-coloured protective side strips and handles, height-adjustable front seats and 16" alloys. The three-door version also comes with a sporty spoiler as standard.
Though these three specifications already offer a wealth of standard features, they can be further enhanced by a wide range of exclusive options: these include Easy go, an electric segmented sunroof (Sky Window), CONNECT and a dual zone climate control system.
The factory
Fiat cannot help being ahead of its time when it comes to manufacturing technologies and work organisation. Fiat Auto has always managed and modified its production organisation to make its plants more competitive and more ready to respond to market needs.
This was true at the beginning of the Nineties, when it abandoned traditional methods of organisation in favour of an Integrated Factory approach. And the same thing happened again in 1993 when the Melfi plant was set up to build the Punto. Two milestones in the history of car construction. Now the creation of the Fiat Stilo marks another important milestone: the modular integrated Factory set up in the Cassino plant.
The modular integrated factory philosophy came about due to a need to meet product and market requirements and as a result of changes to the previous form of work organisation. The new system focuses on full involvement by service and subunit suppliers. It also makes much more of Man's role within the team. It makes so much use of cutting-edge computerised technologies that Digital Factory is probably a more appropriate name. But there is more. The Fiat Auto engineers took these ideas one stage further and broke down the production process into its component parts. This enabled them to redesign flows, work stations and equipment. They introduced the most sophisticated technologies - and these are particularly evident in the Panel and Paint shops. They bought in Platform engineers, who came down onto the shop floor to monitor production start-up, step by step. We made changes that affect process organisation and involve technologies, work flow and staff training to make the product customers want. Everything has been reviewed, streamlined and computerised through a radical process of transformation that has affected every one of the 4500 people who work at Cassino in one way or another.
IMAGES FIAT STILO