Test drive Fiat Ulysse 2002 - 2007 Minivan
Odyssey continues
The Fiat concern, apparently, is counting on the long and glorious path of his mini-wen Ulysse. Still, the name obliges - the legendary hero of Ulysses (Odysseus) wandered for many years, with honor withstood all the trials, which he became famous. Mini-wen, as you know, is also a traveler. Let's see if Ulysse will justify the Creators, because this time he was brought to Russia. The body shape of this mini-wen does not affect the novelty or unusual stylistic solution. Traditional European design, solid, but without charm. Fiat Ulysse is one of the versions of the unified family of Italo-French mini-wen. The gamma of four cars was jointly developed by PSA and FIAT. In addition to Ulysse, it includes Lancia Z, Citroen Evasion and Peugeot 806. Outwardly, they are distinguished by the design of the front, moldings and rear lights. French models are equipped with PSA power units, and Italian - Fiat concern.
The car has a very nice front. But the designers, perhaps, were too carried away by horizontal slots, there are three of them on the facade: a radiator grille, the cracks between the body and the bumper and on the lower spoiler. Because of this, the car looks like built-in.
On the side, the car looks more solid. Clean, straight lines, licked ribs and mowed corners. Useful innovation is a sliding door for passengers on the left side. The front doors are swinging, open easily and widely, you can enter the huge opening, only slightly bent. The thresholds are very low, which makes the landing in the car even more convenient.
The large area of \u200b\u200bglazing and properly located mirrors provide an excellent review of 360 degrees, and quite wide roof racks are designed so well that they do not create dead zones. The driver’s chair has two standard adjustments. They are enough in order to conveniently sit behind the wheel. The seat is moderately elastic, covered with solid material with a slightly fiber surface, this is combined with a small side support on the back allows you to feel confident even when you enter steep turns.
The steering column is adjustable in height in a very large range - the designers have provided maximum comfort for people of different growth. The trunk itself with a airbag has a comfortable cross -section, does not cause the optimal diameter and complaints. The pedals are quite large and installed at a considerable distance from each other. For a mini -wen, this is a normal phenomenon. The devices are located very well. A large speedometer and watches occupy the middle part of the panel. The indicators of the fuel level and the temperature of the coolant - to the right and left of them. The remaining parameters can be considered from indicators located in the lower part. Light control, turn signals and sound signal is carried out from the left steering wheel switch, and the wiper with the right. In the center of the front panel is a very original pocket for audio equipment. It is covered with a curtain that makes the installed radio almost invisible. At the request of the buyer, the Philips audio system, designed specifically for Fiat, can be installed on the car. Opposite the front passenger’s chair there are as many as two glove boxes, but both are very small.
The gearbox resembling a joystick is very interesting. It is located in the middle of the front panel and, since the box is controlled through the system of cables, does not have a traditional hard thrust. This made it possible to make the floor absolutely even. From the habit, when the first gear is turned on, the right hand hurts several times by the switch of the wipers - the gearch handle is very close to it.
We got the test option with ordinary seats, but in more expensive trim levels it is possible to turn the front seats 180 degrees, facing the cabin, and in this case the absence of a traditional tunnel is crucial. To complete the impressions - to evaluate the car from the point of view of passengers - they tried to enter the shift door. With the help of a large vertical handle, it easily moves, as if inviting us inside. Planting is simply automatically. One step, and you are already in the cabin. A trifle sofa is quite wide. The distance to the backs of the front seats is also decent. To increase the cargo compartment, you can move the sofa by 10-15 cm forward, but still there is a place to put the knees.
In general, the salon makes a very good impression. It is finished with the same material as the seats. In the side walls of the body, audio columns, ashtrays and boxes for trifles and tools are installed. The main sensations are light and space. The back door with gas springs without effort rises up. The luggage compartment is simply huge. The loading platform is low, which, in combination with the ability to raise the door, is almost vertically designed to facilitate the loading and unloading of large objects as much as possible. However, it's time to go behind the wheel and test the car on the go. According to the avenues and catalogs, four engines are offered for Ulysse. All four -cylinder. Two gasoline - 2.0 liters (121 pp.), 2.0 l -turbo (147 hp) and two diesel - 1.9 and 2.1 liters, both turbocharged, 92 and 109 liters. With. respectively. However, on the car provided to us, a 1.8 liter gasoline engine was installed, with a distributed injection, a capacity of 117 liters. With. Such equipment turned out to be unexpected even for the dealer, and the engine could not be obtained detailed characteristics. It is only known that it is a completely new one, a 1997 model, and we, one of the first in Russia, were lucky to test it.
Let's see how Ulysse will behave. It starts instantly and at idle works with a pleasant bass sound. With a closed door in the cabin, it is almost inaudible. The car is touching smoothly, but accelerates very confidently, and if desired, it can be stiffen, slightly pressing the accelerator. The jerk at this moment is very tangible. To a speed of 80 km/h, the car accelerates quickly enough, seconds in 10. Next, the dynamics worsens slightly, and after 130 km/h on the 5th power transmission, only to maintain a given speed, for jerking and overtaking, you have to switch to the 4th. However, we are not experiencing a racing machine, the engineering and elasticity of the engine are much more important here, and they were on top. The gearbox on all models is installed only by a mechanical 5-speed one. The programs are selected quite successfully: the first, it seems, is needed to start with full loading, the second and the third - very long, for city modes, the remaining two will allow you to ride a good highway with a breeze.
Perhaps, only a too large move of the lever of the checkpoint at first causes inconvenience, although in general the work of the box does not cause complaints: the programs are found exactly where you are waiting, and the handle is as if fixed on each. The position of the reverse, or rather, was not the position itself, but the direction of inclusion - to the right, but diagonally, turned out to be unusual. At all modes, the car moves smoothly, the suspension perfectly processes all the bumps of the road, simply swallowing bumps and pit. A long base and successfully selected shock absorbers affect. When the car enters the body, the body is practically not tapped. Ulysse is sensitive to the actions of the steering wheel, and the hydraulic booster with a variable characteristic allows you to accurately dose the force. On a wet road at high speed, the car showed insufficient rotation, but as soon as the gas was a little and slightly move the steering wheel, as it returned to the desired trajectory.
Absolutely predicted behavior of an obedient front -wheel drive machine. The rotation angle is very large, the diameter of the turn is only 11.5 m, which is an excellent indicator for such a large machine. This is especially evident when parking in crowded. The brake system is beyond praise. A clear and informative pedal allows you to accurately calculate the force required to stop in the intended place. ABS is in no hurry to intervene, but it is worth a hint of skidding how it turns on. In this case, there is a barely noticeable vibration on the pedals, however, not creating discomfort for the driver.
The new Fiat met our expectations, we received a lot of positive emotions. This is a truly high-quality, convenient car designed for a very wide circle of consumers. The ability to redraw the salon to its liking makes it suitable for a large family. It can also be used as a working machine. The proposed gamut of engines, various options for coloring and decoration of the salon, as well as a large number of options will allow each consumer to choose a car to their liking. Such cars in our country have not yet reached the peak of popularity, but more and more people are inclined to the idea of \u200b\u200bacquiring a mini-wen, so we consider the appearance on the market of this model very timely.
Source: Motor magazine [No. 4/1997]
