Presented at the Geneva Motor Show three years ago in
production form, Lancia’s Delta is set to get some model
year improvements in time for this year’s edition,
including the new Chrysler-derived ‘family’ grille, some
trim level changes, and the 105 HP 1.6 Multijet engine.
The new Delta MY will
go on sale from mid-March across key European markets
and then from June under the Chrysler badge in Great
Britain and Ireland. Lancia will be hoping that the
latest changes will help kick-start stalling sales. The
Delta has never appealed to buyers outside of Italy and
in its domestic market it shifted just 16,846 units in
total last year, itself well down from 20,293 units for
the full year of 2009. This compares unfavourably to its
initial sales targets of 60,000 units per year and is
less than half the break-even point of around 45,000
units a year. Based on the C-segment Fiat Bravo (which
itself only managed 24,997 sales in Italy last year),
the Delta is hampered in particular in the showrooms by
being overpriced and with a final finish that doesn’t
live up to its premium market positioning.
Slightly rejigged specification levels are being
introduced to the Delta MY, mainly with new names to
replace the current specifications as well as a new
fabric material. Starting from the new Steel trim level,
which proposes seats upholstered in ‘high-tech’ fabric,
the range is completed with the Argento, Oro and Platino
trim levels. The Argento version introduces a
combination of leather and new ‘Chevron’ fabric,
available in beige and grey/black, while the Oro trim
level features the combination of leather and Alcantara
as standard, a characteristic that makes Delta the only
car in its class to offer such a leather in three
colours (available in blue, beige or black) as standard.
Lastly, the Platino trim level includes Poltrona Frau
full grain leather upholstery as standard, plus a
leather-clad dashboard with hand-worked top stitching.
The Delta is the only car in its segment to offer luxury
upholstery in Poltrona Frau leather, available in black,
blue and beige with contrasting piping.
The
Delta's niche Black and Hard Black Packs are being
carried over to the new model. Notably, the Black Pack
comprises 18” matt black alloy wheels, chrome-plated
mirror fairings and twin exhaust, and "Eclissi" black
non-standard pastel paint. The Hard Black pack proposes
the design concept of the Special Series of the same
name introduced in 2010, characterised by a distinctive
matt black body treatment: the Delta was the first car
not produced in a limited series to sport this exclusive
paint finish – called “Cosmo Black” – which requires a
long painting process (over 4 hours per car).
All the Delta's engines, petrol and diesel, feature
turbocharging and are combined with 6-speed gearboxes
(manual, robotised or automatic). There are seven in the
new range: petrol, 120 HP 1.4 TurboJet (also dual fuel
petrol/LPG), 140 HP 1.4 MultiAir and the 200 HP 1.8 Di
TurboJet in conjunction with the Sportronic 6-speed
automatic gearbox; and for diesel, the new-to-the-Delta
105 HP 1.6 MultiJet, the 120 HP 1.6 MultiJet (also with
Selectronic robotised gearbox), 165 HP 2.0 MultiJet and
the 190 HP 1.9 Twin Turbo MultiJet.
The Euro 5-compliant 105 HP 1.6 MultiJet, already found
under the bonnet of many Fiat Group Automobiles models,
combines the features of MultiJet turbodiesel engines
with the tax breaks and other advantages deriving from
the “downsizing” design philosophy. It therefore hopes
to be a solution for consumers seeking an effective
compromise between respect for the environment and low
running costs, without sacrificing too much power and
flexibility. In particular, like the 120 HP version, the
105 HP 1.6 MultiJet offers useful torque delivery in
absolute terms, which is all the more impressive when
one considers the cylinder capacity: a torque of 300 Nm
at 1,500 rpm makes this engine a performance leader
amongst power units with capacities less than or equal
to 1.8 litres. In the Delta 1.6 Multijet application
acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 10.7 seconds and
the top speed is 186 km/h while CO2 emissions come in at
120 g/km in the combined cycle.
