Fiat Multipla

Quirky but brilliant.

2003 (53)

This is one fantastic car. It is weird, and odd, at times, but it is fantastic.

I looked great. I loved the double chin - it made it ugly, but gorgeous. The multipla looks nothing now the chin has gone. I also liked the size, although in the end we got rid of it because it is six inches wider than a normal car, and was too tight for our drive.


Inside there are weakness. For example the boot isn't very big. However I loved the general design. I loved the 3 seat front and back - it meant that however many people you were carrying no-one ever had to sit in the back on it's own. I also loved the level floor going in - no seat well - and it certainly made it a lot easier for my disabled mother to get in and out.


I loved the gear stick put onto the dashboard. I loved the consul put to the side rather that the "right across" dashboard of most cars. Somehow - right to the door handles - it felt different but good. It felt like someone had gone right back to scratch to design the car, and had come up with new ideas, good ideas which made driving it real fun.


So the strangeness? The width was a problem, and could make parking a problem. It could also make passing parked cars tricky, because you had to drive wider than your instincts tell you to. There were also things they clearly didn't think about when designing it and sorted out later. For example why put the door mirror controls by the ceiling lights? But that added to the character.


Performance wise it was surprisingly good, considering the size, as was consumption. It was a fabulous car to drive. And no slouch - it may have been the size of a van but certainly didn't perform like a van!


Appearance wise you love it or hate it. I loved it. But underneath the appearance is a great car, and a car with real character.


Mr L Ireland