Test drive fiat albea (siena) since 2005 sedan

The people want to figure it out

In Russia, they began assembly by another relatively inexpensive car.
Fiat albea
The debut of the so -called World Fiat car took place in 1996. Cars were sold under the stamps of Siena, Palio. The Turkish assembly sedans received the name Albea. Since December 2006, they have been released in Russia in Naberezhnye Chelny.
Engines: gasoline 1.4 liters (77 hp).
Gearbox: 5-speed mechanical.
Complete: Base, Classic, Comfort.
Price: 315 368 thousand rubles. ($ 12,00014,000).
Test vehicle: Comfort, radio, 376 thousand rubles. ($ 14 300).

My dear one does not shine with beauty, nor the flexibility of the camp, nor a blossom with a braid with an unpretentious student song scroll through memory over and over again. If not for a large and generally respected emblem on the false radiator grille, perhaps, would not have guessed that it was a fiat. Here is Panda, Punto, Brava or Krom embodied the family style, regardless of folk prices and not very. And the car, standing in front of me, is still a flabby, although it is solidly and neatly assembled by Turkish workers. This is the folk car of the Italian brand, which again declares itself in Russia after several years of almost complete oblivion. It seems that machines of this kind of deprived sex and model age in the country will soon be even excess. And now there are barely enough fingers on your hands when you sort out possible competitors.

The hotel is two stars
Even in one of the most expensive configurations, the interior of Albea looks gray and discreet. Only bright orange round circle combinations and the radio screen of the radio revive the salon slightly. Oh yes! There is still a chubby pretty steering wheel, as if coming here from another car. You grab onto his rough rim, like a saving straw that allows you to get out of the world of synthetic simplicity.

It even seemed that ingenuous seats were more convenient. Although he just annoyed: no matter what adjustment, sitting is still uncomfortable. A frankly narrow salon suddenly seemed to add several tens of millimeters, and the neighbor’s hand on the right stopped hanging over the gear lever. In general, I’ll try to moderate foreign demands and look at the car more peacefully and what? Air conditioning, roomy, also transformed trunk, rear sofa, quite acceptable for two passengers. Of course, without chic, but this is the concept of most inexpensive cars: he will fall in love.

It seems that the 1.4-liter 77-horsepower motor, as it can, fights my pessimism. He seeks to show his cheerful character, as soon as the tachometer arrow will exceed a two thousandth mark. Of course, it is not God the news that, but thanks to the rather close programs of Albea you feel quite frisky. Eh, if at the same time the engine was smaller! There is nothing in the city, but on the highway from an annoying rumble you quickly begin to ask for mercy.

The nature of the suspensions is not easy. It's nice that you are protected by almost all -terrain elasticity and impenetration. Having believed in this by no means silicone muscles, you can jump even at a time even pot -bellied bedchairs at the same time, the car will not call in anything, will not blur. But having hit the familiar and seemingly even highway, you are cursed: it shakes on every seam of the asphalt. In a word, with pendants, they clearly overdoed it, having worsened the manageability.

At first, the scouring of fiat from side to side is written off on the winter tires and on the ruts in the asphalt. But the coating changes, speed mode, and the car still walks along the road. A sharp movement of the steering wheel and Albea threateningly falls on the side, frighten. Of course, this is not as dangerous as it seems, but enough to stop experiments, especially on public road.

Angrily, but not cheap
Maybe when the Fiat albea begins to produce in large quantities in Russia, the price will change? So far, the minimum 315 thousand rubles look, to put it mildly, somewhat high. Agree, today in the range up to fifteen has something to choose. Moreover, among such fiat two -star middle peasants, you can find a cheaper model. Or maybe I'm too strict? After all, Fiat-albea is original and surprisingly well adapted to the roads of the Russian hinterland ...
Fiat albea appeared a model a few years earlier, would almost certainly be successful. Now she is only one of many
+ A spacious and transformable trunk, energy -intensive pendants, comfortable brakes.
- mediocre smoothness, noisy engine, narrow interior.

For the same money
Renault Symbol
$ 11 99915 399
He is close to Albea not only in size, but also by ideology. However, unlike Fiat, Renault managed to prove himself well in our market. In addition, for this model there is a choice of engines and gearboxes.
ZR, 2006, No. 11
Hyundai Accent
$ 11 99014 320
The Taganrog accent is rightfully reliable and unpretentious. Against the background of competitors, it stands out by a brisk 102-horsepower engine and an automatic box in expensive trim levels.
ZR, 2006, No. 6
 
 
 

Sergey Voskresensky
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"