Class-beating space and roominess
 

The Nuova Croma can boast an incomparable amount of interior roominess and space at the top of its class. The lines that run inside the passenger compartment are harmonious, and together with the generous glazed area of 3.5 m2, they create a friendly, luminous cabin, which provides plenty of room and a higher level of comfort than you would expect from a conventional Station Wagon in terms of ergonomics and space for the driver and passengers. The term ‘comfort’ applied to a car indicates a light, luminous environment which guarantees both excellent domination of the road for those in the front seats, and a perfect view for rear seat passengers. Total immersion in nature, which the new model guarantees unreservedly; in fact, it amplifies this effect thanks to the large double opening sunroof. With this sunroof, the glazed area reaches an amazing 5 m2, or 75% of the entire surface area above the waistline. That is not all, the concept of ‘comfort’ also means being seated with plenty of space all around in a comfortable, quiet environment.

Excellent ergonomic values for diffused well-being on board

So the Nuova Croma is a car in which to experience relaxing moments and comfortable journeys, enjoying a concrete, diffused sense of well-being. To achieve this goal, from the early stages of its development, the engineers adopted the latest ergonomic criteria to define the parameters that measure a car’s ability to provide well-being and comfort on board. The end result is the excellent values achieved by the Fiat Croma for the basic ergonomic functions: roominess, driving posture, access, visibility and reconfigurable space.

These have always been winning qualities and they are even more important today, when we spend more time in our cars, there is a growing trend towards higher (and thus roomier) segments, and the average height of the population is increasing. This is why the Nuova Croma offers a comfortable environment to people of all shapes and sizes.

The new model represents an innovative type of extremely comfortable saloon, a new formula that is born from the position of the second row of seats, which are at an optimal height with respect to the ground, allowing passengers comfortable access; they do not have to climb up or down, but simply move over horizontally, helped by the fact that the sill is lower, almost level with the floor at that point, providing plenty of foot room between the seat and the door pillar. In the front, the driver can raise or lower his seat and adjust the height and rake of the steering wheel to obtain an excellent roominess coefficient and an ideal driving position (catering for drivers from 1.50 metres to about 2 metres tall). And even if the driver is very tall, there is still plenty of room for an equally large passenger to sit comfortably behind him. The width at shoulder height on the front seats is 1,425 mm, and 1,400 mm at the rear (both values are the best in this category). The coefficient of roominess is one of the best in the segment at 97.6 percentile, a value that refers to both the front and the rear seats.

A passenger compartment to enjoy

In line with the exterior styling, the Nuova Croma proposes classical, truly comfortable elements with updated dimensions that increase luminosity. The materials used to upholster the facia and door panels come in a choice of treatments, from shiny to an original Wenghe finish, depending on the specification. The door panels with their large armrests, controls and services, are identical at the front and rear, which underlines the attention paid to passengers on the second row.
 

The rear of the passenger compartment offers outstanding comfort where both legroom and squab position are concerned. There are numerous closed storage compartments and the front seat folds down into a table to carry large loads or to act as a work surface (standard on the top-of-the-range version).

There is a generous unit between the 2 front seats with numerous storage compartments; it incorporates a 3-litre ‘cold-box’, which can be cooled with air from the climate system. Other storage compartments have been created in the front and rear door panels, bringing the total volume of storage space to about 24 litres. And finally, on the Emotion and Must versions, there is a large armrest on the rear seats, which includes 2 extractable glass holders, the rear door panels are fitted with privacy curtains and all the windows in the rear of the car fit tinted glass.

Comfort is also assured by the numerous interior customisation alternatives: both front seats adjust for height; the position of the steering wheel, (which adjusts for height and reach) and of the pedals, positioned centrally in front of the driver’s seat; the gearshift on the facia where it is easier for the driver to manoeuvre; the instruments are practical, precise and easy to read; the multifunction display provides access to various menus (and submenus) that speak the motorist’s language and offer a host of functions plus a trip computer; a climate control system with dual-zone control of the temperature and air distribution makes a significant contribution to well-being on board; lastly, a radio with CD player (and an MP3 player as an option) provides an excellent sound system tailored to the vehicle, with six or eight speakers (Hi-Fi with SRS function).

Seats and facia designed for maximum comfort

The large facia has a generous console at the centre that groups together the main infotainment, climate system and gearshift controls. The facia also contains a large closed 11-litre glove compartment. The front and rear seats on the Nuova Croma were designed to guarantee the highest level of comfort for every passenger percentile. This was made possible by working closely with the best Italian specialists in ergonomics and sports medicine. And on all versions of the Fiat Croma, the seats have 4 settings as standard: longitudinal, squab rake, vertical, and lumbar for the driver. The most lavishly equipped outfit offers 2 more settings: one tilts the whole seat, while the second folds the squab of the front passenger seat down into a horizontal position to produce a flat surface 2.7 metres long from the luggage compartment to the facia.

A large, practical luggage compartment

The Nuova Croma has a capacious luggage compartment that can be expanded from 500 litres with the boot closed, to 1610 litres up to the ceiling with the rear seats folded down (they can be folded separately, 40-60%). The luggage compartment also has an extremely regular shape: a great deal of attention was focused on it at the design stage to optimise the space in the boot without penalising the suspension geometry, allowing the motorist to exploit the interior space better and making it more versatile. The contents of the luggage compartment are also protected from prying eyes by a tonneau cover that slides level with the bottom of the windows.

The loading floor of the car can be set at two different levels, making the luggage compartment even more practical. In the higher position, the boot is divided into 2 areas, the lower being 16 cm high for more fragile, smaller items, while the upper area, level with the bumper ledge, serves for larger items. With a simple manoeuvre, the shelf can be repositioned on the bottom of the luggage compartment to produce a single loading area.