17.09.2004 In another bold step in the continually evolving history of the Fiat brand in South Africa, the Stilo Abarth 2.4 20v has arrived this month to take pride of place in an ever burgeoning range

Fiat Stilo AbarthIn another bold step in the continually evolving history of the Fiat brand in South Africa, Fiat has marked its return to performance with the arrival this month of a new flagship for the Stilo range, the Abarth 2.4 20v.

Abarth and Fiat have an illustrious performance heritage dating back to 1955 when the tuning wizard, Carlo Abarth modified his first Fiat 600. Fiat Auto was so taken by the Austrian’s genius they bought his company in 1971.

Abarth cars would go on to win six Manufacturer’s World Championships including three World Rally titles with the Fiat Abarth 131 Rally.

Fiat Auto is set on becoming a full-liner manufacturer determined to play a leading role in each of the segments within which the brand competes.

That path means offering today everything that rival cars will not be able to offer until tomorrow, to offer innovative ideas and high quality standards to one very specific end: to become the new benchmark within the compact medium-sized car market.

The result was the Fiat Stilo, a car with a wealth of personality. A solid, stylish car with all the attributes and benefits inherent in any Fiat: innovative design, cutting-edge technology available to all and clever solutions to make life simpler and better.

Now Fiat can add top performance to that parcel of characteristics: Abarth stands for performance in the Fiat stable and the new car is set to rival the best the hot hatch market can throw at it. And with it comes a host of exclusive equipment.

While the three-door Fiat Stilo is starting to establish itself on the SA market, the Abarth 2.4 brings new levels of standard equipment and most importantly performance to the Stilo range.

Talking point of the Stilo Abarth is its engine, the first five-cylinder power plant in the premium hatch market. This engine tops the Stilo range in terms of power and performance. A development of the five cylinder engine family, this 2 446cc power unit packs a punch of 125kW at 6 000 r/min and maximum torque of 221Nm at just 3 500 r/min.

The five-cylinder engine features twin overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. The power unit enjoys excellent flexibility thanks to a variable inlet manifold controlled by an electronic management system that also improves responsiveness. It not only helps endow the Stilo Abarth with impressive performance, it makes it one of the most efficient cars in its class returning a combined consumption figure of 9,7 litres per 100km.  

The 20-valve engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and clocks the stopwatches at just 8,5 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint and marches on to a top speed of 215km/h.

To keep the Stilo’s newfound performance on the road, the suspension is based around McPherson struts at the front with newly designed coil springs and lower wishbones. Enjoying a return to favour thanks to the latest technologies is a semi-independent torsion beam rear axle that offers compact packaging while delivering standard comfort and handling once obtainable only with very sophisticated suspension systems.

Brakes are ventilated discs at the front, solid discs at the rear with BOSCH 5.7 ABS as standard. The advanced system features four active sensors, four channels and contains an electronic brakeforce distributor (EBD). The Fiat Stilo Abarth is fitted as standard with an emergency Brake Assist device and an Electronic Stability Program (ESP).

In addition to ESP, the Stilo Abarth is also fitted with a very sophisticated automatic traction control device to restrict drive wheel slip in the case of reduced road grip known as ASR (Anti Slip Regulation). ASR works at any speed and prevents the drive wheels from slipping by adjusting torque according to the grip coefficient detected at the time of slip. A switch on the dashboard can switch off the system. The MSR (Motor Schleppmoment Regelung) cuts in when the gear is shifted down abruptly under conditions of low grip. This device restores torque to the engine to prevent the wheel skidding as a result of lock.

When it comes to safety, the Stilo Abarth is among the safest cars in its segment. Dual front, side and window airbags are standard on the Abarth 2.4. The Fiat Stilo is also fitted with three rear three point seat belts and ISOFIX attachments to encourage the continuous, correct use of child seats and ensure that the smallest passengers are transported in maximum safety. The Fiat Stilo is also equipped with an obstruction sensor for the electric front windows.

A Fiat CODE II immobiliser that changes the access code each time the Stilo Abarth is started maintains security. Selective central locking by remote is also standard and the doors lock automatically at speeds above 20km/h. If the doors are not opened within 30 seconds of being unlocked by remote, they will lock again automatically.

The Fiat Stilo is easy to customize with the MY CAR configuration. All operations can be carried out via the panel to the left of the steering wheel and a button on top of the right steering wheel stalk.

Front cup holders, refrigerated glove compartment, front arm rest with oddments compartment, follow-me-home headlights, drivers seat lumbar adjustment electric power steering with the city function, radio with CD front loader and radio controls on the steering wheel as well as cruise control are all standard on the Stilo Abarth. 

Customers can also choose park distance control, leather interior and Easy Go keyless entry to customize their Stilo Abarth.