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INTRODUCTION
The Stilo M.Y. 2004, due to go on sale in January 2004, is
more evidence of Fiat's tireless commitment to giving motorists what they want.
This commitment has delivered a model packed with new style and features that is
as 'full of life' as its advertising slogan promises. The same slogan also
neatly encapsulates the spirit that typifies the entire Stilo family (3 or 5
door saloon and Multi Wagon) and describes the dynamic, forward-looking way many
customers use their car to enjoy their leisure or working time. All model
versions boast extraordinary attributes of practicality and versatility that
satisfy the will to travel in absolute freedom.
These winning features have allowed the Fiat Stilo to sell more than 350,000
units throughout Europe within the car's lifetime of two years. The 5 door
version, launched in September 2001, has sold 175,000 while the 3 door version
has sold 125,000. In 2003, the saloon (3 and 5 door versions) was overall the
best-selling car in segment C. These results were complemented by sales of
50,000 units for the Multi Wagon version that made its debut in November 2002.
These figures confirm the Fiat Stilo's success in carving out a significant
niche within its hard-fought market band. The Fiat Stilo has now been revised
through the addition of some new exterior features and two new engines to
reinforce and strengthen its position ahead of its numerous competitors.
Revised exterior styling and brighter interior
The most evident styling changes affect the rear end of the 5 door saloon. The
Fiat Style Centre designers have redesigned the tailgate to remove the bumper
grooves and the gem-like rear foglights from their current position near the
number plate (now they are integral with the rear lights, which also feature a
new interior design). Overall, these two improvements give the rear end of the
Stilo 5 door a more sophisticated and harmonious appearance while accentuating
its sense of solidity.
All the specification packages available for the 5 door version offer an extra
touch of elegance due to side and bumper mouldings that are now body coloured. A
circular logo is now set in the centre of the tailgate (3 and 5 door versions).
These styling details serve to emphasise the different model spirits still
further: a saloon with a single character and two personalities: two 3 and 5
door vehicles that are truly different from one another. The former is geared
for individualism, performance and driving satisfaction. It is a youthful,
hi-tech car with a strong sporty nature and aggressive shape: the ideal solution
for people seeking differentiation and originality. The basic shape consists of
two overlying parallelepipeds that join at the waistline where a strong muscle
underscores the prevalence of metal over glass.
Comfort is the watchword for the Fiat Stilo M.Y. 04 (5 door) because this car
adds all the benefits of the conventional hatchback formula to the advantages of
an MPV: the car is easy to get in and out of, there is plenty of room inside and
it is driven from a high position that ensures a sense of greater control. The
Fiat Stilo's design features and numerous smart solutions for interior space
management make it an ideal family car.
The same winning traits are evident on the Stilo Multi Wagon M.Y. 04, a name
born out of two very different motoring concepts that have found an ideal
balance and blend on this model. On the one hand, the stylistic flair and
handling of Station Wagon versions that have always been a byword for travelling
satisfaction and the quest for wide open spaces - on the other hand all the
versatility and modularity of an MPV that ensure room and comfort for all
passengers, both front and back: reconfigurable seats, opening rear window, a
particularly comfortable driving position and greater ease of access. The final
result was given even greater appeal by equipment and devices until recently
exclusive to cars from higher segments.
Engines and suspension
The new model offers a broad and diverse range of power units. This includes
three petrol engines and four Common Rail turbodiesels (one is a Multijet) with
different attributes. All their qualities are exploited to the full by combining
them with 5 or 6 speed gearboxes and, in the case of the 2.4 20v power unit,
also a sophisticated Selespeed robotised gearbox.
The various benefits of these many engines include generosity, sparkling
performance, high performance and sophisticated technology. All engines share
common traits of great reliability and respect for the environment.
In particular, the new Fiat Stilo M.Y. 04 range introduces the latest addition
to the Fire family: the 1.4 16v unit that develops a maximum power output of 70
kW (95 bhp) available at 5800 rpm and a torque of 128 Nm at 4500 rpm. Fiat Stilo
3 door versions equipped with this engine can reach a top speed of 180 km/h (178
for 5 doors and 176 for the Multi Wagon), accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 12
seconds and cover a kilometre from a standing start in 33.8 seconds). The fuel
consumption figures are amongst the best in the segment: 8.2 l/100 km over an
urban cycle, 5.5 l/100 km for an extraurban cycle and 6.5 l/100 km over mixed
routes. On the Multi Wagon version, the values are 8.7 l/100 km - 5.8 l/100 km -
6.8 l/100 km, while for the 5 door version they are 8.5 l/100 km - 5.7 l/100 km
- 6.7 l/100 km.
The second new arrival to the engine range is the powerful 140 bhp 1.9 Multijet,
the forerunner of the second generation of Common Rail power units (16 valve JTD
engines with Multijet technology) that the Fiat Group introduced to the world
for the first time in 2002. The turbodiesel develops a power output of 103 kW
(140 bhp) at 4000 rpm and a generous torque of 305 Nm at 2000 rpm. The Fiat
Stilo 1.9 Multijet 140 bhp (3 door) touches a top speed of 203 km/h (200 km/h
for the 5 door and Multi Wagon), accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.7 seconds
and covers a kilometre from a standing start in 30.9 seconds. Despite these
searing performance figures, the fuel consumption is low: the saloon returns 7.6
l/100 km over an urban cycle, 4.2 l/100 km over an extraurban cycle, 5.4 l/100
km for a mixed cycle, while the figures for the 5 door and Multi Wagon versions
are 7.8 l/100 km - 4.4 l/100 km - 5.6 l/100 km respectively.
These two new power units are complemented by six more engines that were already
available on the current range:
The 76 kW (103 bhp) 1.6 16v delivers
its maximum power output at 5750 rpm and the maximum torque (145 Nm) at 4000
rpm.
The 1.8 16v develops a maximum power
output of 98 kW (133 bhp) available at 6400 rpm and a torque of 162 Nm at 3500
rpm.
2.4 20v, with Selespeed or manual
gearbox, that packs a punch of 125 kW (170 bhp) at 6000 rpm and a torque of 221
Nm at just 3500 rpm.
The 1.9 JTD delivers 59 kW (80 bhp),
available at just 4000 rpm, and a torque of 196 Nm at 1500 rpm.
The 115 bhp 1.9 JTD differs from the 80
bhp version in the presence of an intercooler and variable geometry turbine. It
delivers a maximum power output of 85 kW at 4000 rpm and offers a maximum torque
of 255 Nm at 2000 rpm.
And so from engines to the suspension. One of the briefs given to the designers
allocated to the Fiat Stilo project was to create a suspension capable of
higher-category performance levels. The system had to ensure great driving ease
and precision, outstanding roadholding and the best possible passenger comfort.
Hence the choice of two efficient tried and tested layouts that work very
effectively due to the attributes of the new chassis. The front features an
independent MacPherson strut configuration refined through the adoption of
numerous improvements. The rear configuration is an interconnected wheel
(semi-independent) suspension with a torsion beam, a solution already adopted on
higher category cars. This configuration assures passengers the following:
great comfort because less noise and
vibration is allowed into the passenger compartment;
outstanding handling achieved by means
of a folded sheet steel torsion beam that ensures ideal torsional rigidity for
the suspension - plus an antiroll bar that is very light due to a hollow
cross-section;
excellent driving stability because
hydraulic bushes attach the axle to the body and create a toe-in effect on
bends.
Top of its class for safety
On the passive safety front, the Fiat Stilo M.Y. 04 (saloon and Multi Wagon)
offers 8 airbags, the front two being Multistage. As far as active safety is
concerned, the car boasts four disc brakes and offers all the braking and
traction control devices available on the market today. ABS with integral
electronic brakeforce distributor EBD; ASR, to limit wheel slip during
acceleration and MSR to modulate brake torque while shifting down; EVA and HBA
devices to help the driver brake fully in emergencies; a sophisticated ESP
device that controls car dynamic stability electronically on bends. The options
list also includes Xenon headlights that offer significantly better visibility
than conventional beams under all weather conditions.
Technology at your service
The Fiat Stilo simplifies the life of its owner: when you enter a tunnel, the
headlights will come on automatically under the action of a sensor. At the first
drops of a sudden shower, a rain sensor will activate the windscreen wiper.
Parking manoeuvres are also made easier by a parking sensor. The driver can
customise the operation of these and other systems via a My Car menu on the
control panel. The model also offers the convenience of electric power steering
and a Memory function that allows you to set and recall up to three steering
wheel, seat and door mirror settings. The Fiat Stilo M.Y. 04 also offers
CONNECT, an innovative telematic system that links the driver to the wide range
of services offered by Fiat Auto. On the new car, the CONNECT service array is
complemented by a Dual Band GSM phone with WAP internet access, GPS localisation
and a navigation system in addition to a CD sound system that can even play MP3
music files. The system may be managed by voice commands and displayed on a 7"
Wide Screen.
With the exception of the new 140 bhp Multijet, all diesel versions of the Fiat
Stilo M.Y. 04 are available with an additional boiler-type heater that can heat
the power unit water even with the car parked. This makes it easier to start the
car in cold weather and immediately maximises heating capacity inside the
passenger compartment. It is also very useful to be able to program the
activation of this device directly from the My Car keys or even operate it
remotely using a remote control unit (e.g. you can activate the heater
conveniently from your home if the car is parked in a garage).
Next Generation Interior
The Fiat Stilo M.Y. 04 also offers a brand new approach to interior outfitting
and utilisation of space allocated to passengers and luggage. The passenger
compartment may be referred to as a new generation interior without fear of
exaggeration because it packs all the practicality and flexibility of an MPV
into a normal 5 door saloon or station wagon. This is possible due to seats that
split (1/3 - 2/3) and fold down or, on 5 door and Multi Wagon versions, are
sliding and reclinable. The seats can adapt to the features of any passenger and
all load situations: the passenger seat can even be folded down to form a table.
This makes the luggage compartment hugely versatile because it can offer a
different load capacity and even a different shape as and when required. One
example says it all: at 1480 litres, the Multi Wagon version boasts the roomiest
luggage compartment in its category.
One of the most extensive ranges in the segment
Customers can choose between three vehicles with different styles (3 or 5 door
saloon and Multi Wagon), eight engines (95 bhp 1.4 16v; 103 bhp 1.6 16v; 133 bhp
1.8 16v; 170 bhp 2.4 20v; 80 bhp 1.9 JTD; 115 bhp 1.9 JTD - and 140 bhp 1.9
Multijet), five gearboxes (four manual and one Selespeed), four specifications
(Actual, Active, Dynamic and Abarth), 13 body colours (7 are brand new) for each
of which interior trim is available in different colours and fabrics.
A range that provides everyone with their ideal Fiat Stilo M.Y. 04. Whether you
want to opt for a high-spec, safe vehicle without lots of state-of-the-art toys.
Or whether you want to kit your car out with all the automotive extras currently
available on the market. If you want to add a touch of personal taste to your
Fiat Stilo M.Y. 04 (saloon and Multi Wagon), you could always choose from a long
list of options and accessory range items.
The Fiat Stilo M.Y. 04 is indubitably a car of European spirit because it has
successfully adapted to more than 50 markets.
The factory
Fiat cannot help being ahead of its time when it comes to manufacturing
technologies and work organisation. Fiat Auto has always managed and modified
its production organisation to make its plants more competitive and more ready
to respond to market needs. This was true at the beginning of the Nineties, when
it abandoned traditional methods of organisation in favour of an Integrated
Factory approach. And the same thing happened again in 1993 when the Melfi plant
was set up to build the Punto. Two milestones in the history of car
construction. The year 2001 and the creation of the Fiat Stilo marked another
important milestone: the modular integrated Factory set up in the Cassino plant.
The modular integrated factory philosophy came about due to a need to meet
product and market requirements and as a result of changes to the previous form
of work organisation. The new system focuses on full involvement by service and
subunit suppliers. It also makes much more of Man's role within the team. It
makes so much use of cutting-edge computerised technologies that Digital Factory
is probably a more appropriate name.
But this is not all. The Fiat Auto engineers took these ideas one stage further
and broke down the production process into its component parts. This enabled
them to redesign flows, work stations and equipment. They introduced the most
sophisticated technologies - and these are particularly evident in the Panel and
Paint shops. They brought in Platform engineers, who came down onto the shop
floor to monitor production start-up, step by step.
Changes were made that affect process organisation and involve technologies,
work flow and staff training to make the product customers want. Everything has
been reviewed, streamlined and computerised through a radical process of
transformation that has affected all the people who work at Cassino in one way
or another.
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