FIAT Shows Off Its 2021 Fiat Tipo Lineup To The Public For The First Time:

Although the FIAT brand released details on its heavily revised 2021 Fiat Tipo lineup, the vehicle had yet to make a proper public introduction until yesterday. Since its original launch, the Tipo had become one of the most admired vehicles in its segment across Europe. FIAT has sold more than 670,000 units since its introduction, with sales continuing to grow each year with 2019 being Tipo’s best year yet. The Tipo continues to be an important part of the FIAT Europe lineup, with 70% of its sales coming from outside the Italian market.

The 2021 Fiat Tipo lineup gets a restyling refresh aimed at attracting a younger audience than the 2020 model. FIAT has even launched a new model – the Fiat Tipo Cross adds a more crossover-like take on the popular Tipo hatchback as the brand tries to bridge the gap of people leaving cars for crossovers and SUVs. 

Going into the new model year, the revised Fiat Tipo is the first vehicle to feature the new FIAT rebranded logo on its grille in the European market. The logo was first shown on the new electrified Fiat 500 on the vehicle’s hatch and has been showing up on the brand’s vehicles across its Latin American offerings.  Embraced by all-new headlamps that have been completely redesigned, the front and rear of the vehicle now embrace the character lines of the sculpted of the Tipo’s exterior thanks to new front and rear fascias as well.

A completely redesigned setup of 16-inch and 17-inch aluminum wheels are also new for 2021.

Inside, the passenger compartment has been completely revamped as well. The seats feature new fabrics with all-new designs. There is the popular 7-inch thin-film-transistor (TFT) digital cluster which we have grown to love from other FCA vehicles that has replaced the Tipo’s conventional analog cluster. Also the all-new 10.25-inch Uconnect touchscreen from the electrified Fiat 500 has made its way into the Tipo, ultizing the Uconnect 5 software.

The interior looks even more sporty with a new steering wheel which is more compact, to allow for better ergonomics and to offer perfect visibility to the new TFT cluster. The central control panel has had the air conditioning redone feature chrome and black accents.

The new Tipo lineup is of two themes consisting of three “Life” models (Tipo, Life, and City Life models) and the “Cross” theme with two models (City Cross and Cross). The Life models are available in three body variants which include a sedan, five-door hatchback, and station wagon. The Cross models are based on the five-door hatchback.

The FIAT team didn’t just stop at updating the styling of the exterior and interior, but have also added a ton of new technologies to the Tipo lineup. The Tipo lineup is now equipped with the latest Advance Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS):

• ‘Traffic Sign Recognition’, to identify the maximum speed permitted on the road they’re driving on
• ‘Intelligent Speed Assist’, which recommends the driver observe the speed limit
• ‘Lane Control’, to keep the car in lane, provided its markings can be correctly detected
• ‘Attention Assist’, a sensor that recommends the driver take a break when they’re too tired to continue their journey
• ‘Adaptive High Beam’, to ensure improved visibility when driving at night, by automatically turning on the high beams when the opposite carriageway is empty
• ‘Blind Spot Assist’, which uses ultrasonic sensors to monitor blind spots and warn of any obstacles with a triangular warning light on the wing mirror
• plus front parking sensors, ‘Keyless Entry/Go’ and a wireless charger to recharge your cellphone cable-free. A veritable rush of power: a 15-kW fast charger, with three times the power of the best-selling smartphones.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Mopar is offering its D-Fence package across the Tipo lineup. The package consists of three devices…

• A filter that stops impurities getting into the car from the outside, blocks particulates and practically 100% of allergens and reduces the formation of mold and bacteria by 98%
• A purifier for the air inside the passenger compartment, which filters out micro-particles such as pollen or bacteria
• A UV lamp to cleanse all the contact surfaces in the car such as the steering wheel, the gear shifter, and the seats

When it comes to infotainment, we already mentioned the addition of the new 10.25-inch Uconnect infotainment system. Developed with the idea of providing customers with a straightforward and convenient user experience in mind, FCA uses the easy, intuitive, and customizable Android Auto operating system.  Uconnect 5 with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto means you can use the features of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto cable-free on the radio touchscreen with customizable profiles and the option to store up to 5 configurations.

The new Uconnect 5 system also allows two phones to connect to the system via Bluetooth at the same time. For example, you can now use both your company and personal cellphones and handle incoming and outgoing calls simultaneously. No need to switch back and forth between the two between calls or text.

There is also a new white backlight for all the controls throughout the interior. This results in a more modern look to the interior. We should be seeing this technology coming to more vehicles in the FCA portfolio on both sides of the Atlantic. A new USB hub is located for the rear passengers to charge their electronics at a moments notice.

The Tipo and Tipo Cross models have also received an updated powertrain lineup going into the model year. There are both gasoline and diesel offerings for the European market. For gasoline buyers, there is the new 1.0-liter GSE-T3 (Global Small Engine – Turbocharged Three-Cylinder) that makes 100 horsepower and delivers peak torque as high as 190 Nm (or 140 ft.-lb.) of torque at only 1,500 rpm. The GME-T3 offers 5 horsepower and 63 Nm (or 47 ft.-lb.) of torque more than the outgoing 1.4-liter engine and at 3,000 less rpm. 

The 1.0-liter GSE-T3 is part of the FireFly turbo engine family, the most up-to-date engine for performance, paired with seriously lower consumption and emissions. The new engine ensures driving pleasure while providing low CO₂ emissions to meet the requirements throughout the European region. 

For diesel buyers, the Euro 6D Final-compliant Multijet diesel engines offer two power ratings for the Tipo lineup. There are 95 horsepower and 130 horsepower variants, with considerable improvement in performance and CO₂ values. FIAT says that the 130 horsepower 1.6-liter Multijet diesel is the ideal engine for commercial fleets.

 The globally popular compact is the basis for the popular Dodge Neon sedan in the Mexico and Middle East markets and has been competing against the likes of the Ford Focus since 2015. We can only hope to be seeing a revised version of that car soon as well.