Fiat Stilo
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The Fiat Stilo was released by Fiat in 2001 to replace the aging Brava and Bravo lines.
The car is sold in both three and five door versions, with a variaty of petrol and diesel engines, including Fiat's revolutionary Common Rail Diesel engine. The car is also available with an automatic or manual gearbox.
Originally, its petrol engines were the 1242 cc DOHC 16 valve engine also powering the Punto and Lancia Y with an output of 80 bhp (60 kW) combined with a 6 speed manual gearbox, a 103 bhp (77 kW), 1.6 L with a 5 speed manual gearbox, a 130 bhp (97 kW), 1.8 L, again with a 5 speed manual gearbox and a 170 bhp (127 kW), 5 cylinder, 2.4 L engine combined with Fiat's Selespeed 5 speed semi-automatic gearbox, also used on the Alfa Romeo. The 2.4 L engine was reserved for the 3 door hatchback version.
While it proved to be a rather reliable, well-built and safe vehicle with very good grip (aided by the somewhat excessively wide tires used on even its lowest-powered guises) and wonderful brakes, it was mauled by the Press for its excessive weight, its semi-rigid rear axle (which was a step backwards from the set-up so successfully used in the Brava and Bravo, which resulted in a Golf-like handling, i.e. perfectly safe, but utterly uninspiring and uninvolving, the tremendously (or, we should say, dangerously) low performance given by the 1242 cc engine, the mediocre performance of the 1.6 L motor and the insufficient fuel economy, which was a result of the car's heavy weight and the transmission, whose ratio was far too long-legged. Another point of criticism was the Selespeed gearbox, which was too slow in its reactions and did not fit the image of the high-powered Abarth version; in the eyes of the automotive Press and Fiat fans everywhere, cars bearing the Abarth moniker should offer blistering performance and crisp, razor-sharp handling. The steering was also considered to be far too light, offering very little (at best) feedback and feel. The ESP's presence was also found to be too restrictive.
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Even an extensive advertising campaign using Formula 1 stars Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello did little to aid the car's sales. Finally, the 1242 cc engine was thankfully dropped in favour of the Punto's 1.4 L unit, giving a far healthier (but still not precisely adequate) 95 bhp (71 kW), again combined with the 6 speed gearbox. Also, the tail-lights were changed and the Abarth version gained a manual gearbox that reclaimed some of the missing performance.