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By
EWAN KENNEDY
7 July 2008
Our
Italian mates tell us that Ritmo is Italian for rhythm, which sums
up the feel of this new hatchback from Fiat extremely well. Get
this car on a good road and put it to the test and the flowing
rhythm with which it handles the situation is sure to bring a
smile to the face of any keen driver.
Which
wouldn’t have been a big deal if this was a sporting coupe, but
it’s not, because this latest Fiat in Australia is a five-door
family hatch. Seems as though the Italians just can’t help
themselves.
Mind
you, there are drawbacks. Because the back seat is more coupe like
than hatch in its size. If you’re aiming to use a Ritmo to cart
around children you will find it does the job well. But if your
offspring have reached the hulking teenager stage they won’t
thank you for cramming them into a back seat that really should
provide a lot more space for a car in this class.
Ritmo's
boot space is fine, certainly not cramped in a sports coupe
manner. There's plenty of depth and bulky suitcases will fit with
ease.
Head
and legroom is fine in the front seats and we found the seats in
the Sport variant we tested provided good support for medium- to
high-level sports driving. There are good stowage areas for the
little knick-knacks of life and we found Ritmo to be pleasantly
easy to live with on a day-to-day basis.
The
Fiat's styling is great. Again following the coupe theme, with a
low nose that sweeps up to a tall tail in a delightful manner
that’s complemented by curvaceous details that please the eye.
But check that the kids can see out OK, as the attractive high
waistline may rob the shorter ones of too much of their view of
the outside world.
But
forget the practical stuff, let's look at the Ritmo in its natural
habitat – on the road. The handling is brilliant, with a
willingness to turn in that shows its Italian heritage. Road grip
is tenacious and the Fiat remains well balanced with no real
feeling that it’s got the inherent weight-forward mass of any
front-drive car. Some full-on enthusiasts may find the steering is
on the light side for their tastes, but those doing a lot of heavy
duty traffic work, that is most of us, will appreciate the heft
through the wheel.
The
turbo-petrol engine in our test car was a work of sheer genius.
Despite its apparently small capacity of just 1.4 litres, the
four-cylinder powerplant gives very willing performance with fast
response to the throttle. It sings its way along and is most happy
when sending the tacho needle towards the redline. But is willing
enough to slug along at lower revs should that suit your mood at
the moment.
The
1.4 engine is turbocharged, thus bringing its capacity up to a
theoretical 2.4 litres if you use the race-engine equivalency
factor of multiplying by 1.7. This explains the punch you get in a
car that weighs in at just 1275 kg.
It
comes as no surprise that the consumption from the efficient
turbo-petrol engine is pleasingly low. We typically found the car
using about six to seven litres per hundred kilometres on
motorways and level country roads. This increased to a still
reasonably eight to nine litres per hundred when in traffic, and
climbed as high as ten to eleven litres when the car was thumped
along to get the best of driving enjoyment from it.
Build
quality was generally good. While not to the very high standard of
Japanese vehicles in this class, the Ritmo we tested was screwed
together in such a fashion that we wouldn’t expect any trouble
from it. But, while the Japanese give us cars with near-immaculate
finish they really don’t understand the passion and excitement
that can be such an enjoyable factor in owning an Italian machine.
Even an Italian like the Ritmo that is, theoretically at least, a
family hatchback.
As
an alternative to the often bland offerings from the Asian car
makers, Fiat's Ritmo is a most pleasant change. We feel it should
sit somewhere on the short list of anyone shopping in this class,
though you will need at least $29,990 to become involved as it’s
not the most economical car on the block in the recommended retail
stakes. To counter that, Ritmo is well equipped, so make sure
you’re comparing apples with apples when you do the shopping
around for features to match your specific requirements.
AT
A GLANCE
MODEL
RANGE
Emotion T-Jet 1.4-litre turbo petrol five-door hatch - $29,990
Emotion Multijet 1.9-litre turbo diesel five-door hatch - $33,490
Sport T-Jet 1.4-litre turbo petrol five-door hatch - $32,990
Sport Multijet 1.9-litre turbo diesel five-door hatch - $36,490
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Not offered
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Not Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS
(Fiat Ritmo T-Jet Emotion 1.4-litre turbo five-door hatch)
ENGINE:
Engine Capacity: 1.368 litres
Configuration: Transverse, four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 9.8:1
Bore/Stroke: 72.0 mm x 84.0 mm
Maximum Power: 150 kW @ 5500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 206 Nm @ 24250 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Not offered
Final Drive Ratio: N/A
DIMENSIONS,
WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4336 mm
Wheelbase: 2600 mm
Width: 1792 mm
Height: 1498 mm
Turning Circle: 10.4 metres
Kerb Mass: 1275 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 58 litres
Towing Ability: 1300 kg with braked trailer
SUSPENSION
AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, dual rate
telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Torsion beam, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 8.5 seconds
FUEL
CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 95RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 6.7 L/100km
GREEN
VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 7.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 8.5/10
STANDARD
WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km
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Marque Publishing Company
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