The Stilo SW is a neat and tidy design, which has undergone a long development programme in an effort to launch a car that will prove popular with buyers. 4.51m in length, the rear luggage compartment is 510 litres, expanding to 1480 litres with the rear seats folded, a class leading figure. In Fiat's own words they have tried to bring MPV concepts to a saloon-based estate, drawing on the ground-breaking Multipla for ideas. This includes the split, sliding rear seats, which along with the folding front seats, allows the cabin to be tailored to requirements.

The luggage compartment has been designed with minimum protrusions to maximise the ability to pack large single dimension objects, while a loading option allows the rear screen to be opened independently of the tailgate via a switch located beside the rear numberplate. Thought has also gone into increasing the ease of side loading.

The Stilo offers a range of four engines, starting with a 103bhp 1.6-litre 16v and 133bhp 1.8-litre 16v petrol units, the latter the fastest option, powering the Stlio SW from 0-100 km/h in 11.2 seconds and giving a maximum speed of 200 km/h. Two diesel make up the range, an 80 bhp 1.9 JTD common-rail diesel unit and a more powerful 115 bhp version of the 1.9 JTD engine which gains the exta power through use of an intercooler and variable geometry turbine.

The Stilo SW has all the usual safety options. Eight air-bags, two multi-stage, disc brakes allround, ABS, EBD, ASR, ESP and Xenon headlamps. The Stilo SW has a host of other features including CONNECT, Fiat's info-telematics system, parking sensors, rain activated windscreen wipers, and headlight intensity sensors.

introduction

Station Wagons have always evoked the idea of travel, freedom, movement and trips. Whether they be long or short, for fun or work, with family or with friends. Or even on your own, towards distant horizons, perhaps with all your sports equipment on board. Now the Station Wagon sector welcomes the Stilo SW, Fiat's newest creation. 

The space is only to be expected, but you will be pleasantly surprised by the innovative solutions and systems that ensure the car's occupants well-being, driving comfort and safety. Because the Fiat Stilo SW is still a Stilo and, like the saloon, is self-evidently a no-nonsense good-looking car with stacks of personality and attributes that are now permanently encoded in the DNA of any Fiat: innovative design, cutting-edge technology available to all and clever solutions to make life simpler and better. 

Offer today everything that rival cars will not be able to offer until tomorrow: this is the soul of the model, the very essence that has survived the transfer from saloon to station wagon. The market thus welcomes the arrival of a car that plays the high-tech card and also offers highly innovative ideas and high quality standards. A car with so much it has everything. A quick glance at the standard equipment and options list will bear this out. 

The new car is set to be one of the comfortable cars in the segment at 4.51 metres long, 1.75 metres wide and 1.57 metres in height with a wheelbase of 2.60 m. Not to mention the generosity of a 510 litre luggage compartment that can be expanded to 1480 with the rear seats folded down: a record figure. The car's designers really excelled themselves by taking the winning features of the 5-door version (roominess, comfort and versatility) as their starting point and going on to create a station wagon of huge aesthetic impact and great personality. 

The Fiat Stilo SW confirms the distinctive traits of the 5-door version: in-car comfort, roominess, safety, versatility and rationality - all for an overall running cost that is one of the most competitive in the segment, or indeed the market as a whole. Yet it still conserves distinctive features of its own. The new car is, for example, higher than the 3 and 5 door versions. This feature alters the position of the driver's seating plane in relation to the ground (H point) for easier access and mastery of the road. 
It is convenient to get into and out of the new model and also possible to adapt the interior space to your own changing needs because the front seat folds down and the two rear seats can slide backwards and forwards and recline independently. 

styling

The exterior line of the Fiat Stilo SW is typified by taut areas and architectural shapes with great visual impact. The car gives an impression of sturdiness and solidity because its wide front end features a broad, protective bumper that conveys a perception of prestige and safety. This impression is reinforced by a waist-high muscle that ripples along the side of the car before dropping to the bumper and ending at the number plate.

The windows are tall and generous (the rear side windows and heated rear window are different colours) while the car's rear end visibly gains in width. This extra breadth is the car's great strength from the viewpoint of functionality and style. Its imposing rear bumper gives the car an impression of great solidity. And its luggage compartment is more accessible than average, whether approached from the passenger compartment or from the rear, due to the low load threshold. The regular-shaped boot lining also ensures all the room can be used to the full. The tailgate is opened with great ease by a convenient central handle located beneath the number plate. And it comes with an innovative opening rear window. Simply press a switch above the number plate lights to raise the rear window. 

The following features make the Fiat Stilo SW immediately recognisable and give it a greater sense of solidity: horizontal tail-lights and two-tone roof bars that drop from the front to the waistline. 

The Fiat Stilo SW also displays an attention to interior detail comparable only to that of higher segment cars. Innovative design, material quality and a wealth of content are all aspects that help make the interior welcoming and comfortable while considerably improving the quality of life on board. Passenger compartment interior lines are harmonious and form a perfect counterpoint to the exterior shape. Together with the oceans of glass, they create a bright environment and a perception of outstanding interior roominess. Everything is made still more comfortable and practical by numerous compartments distributed throughout the facia, console and door panels. The control panel with its four analogue dials and multifunction display blends in beautifully with the facia styling and underscores the car's up-to-date, high-tech nature. These characteristics are mirrored on the central console that houses the radio (or CONNECT system) and climate control system. 

engines

The new model offers a range of four power units: two petrol and two Common Rail turbodiesel that range from 59 to 98 kW (80-133 bhp) and display different attributes, all exploited to the full by the 5-speed gearboxes. The various benefits of these engines include generosity, sparkling character, high performance and sophisticated technology. All engines share common traits of great reliability and respect for the environment. 

Let's take a look in detail: 

The 76 kW (103 bhp) 1.6 16v develops its maximum power output at 5750 rpm and the maximum torque (145 Nm) at 4000 rpm. A Fiat Stilo SW equipped with this engine can reach 183 km/h and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 11.4 seconds. It consumes 7.6 l/100 km over a combined cycle. 

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. It propels the Fiat Stilo SW to 200 km/h and allows the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 10.8 seconds. Fuel consumption over a combined cycle is 8.3 l/100 km. 

The 80 bhp 1.9 JTD delivers 59 kW, available at just 4000 rpm, and a torque of 196 Nm at 1500 rpm. A Fiat Stilo SW equipped with this engine offers a top speed of 170 km/h, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 13.8 seconds and consumes 5.6 l/100 km over a combined cycle. 

The 115 bhp 1.9 JTD differs from the 80 bhp version due to the presence of an intercooler and variable geometry turbine. It delivers a maximum power output of 85 bhp at 4000 rpm and offers a maximum torque of 255 Nm at 2000 rpm. In this case, the top speed achieved by the Fiat Stilo SW is 190 km/h. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 11.2 seconds and consumes 5.6 l/100 km. 

suspension

The Fiat Stilo SW suspension offers outstanding performance. The system ensures great driving ease and precision, outstanding roadholding and the best possible passenger comfort. The two efficient, tried and tested layouts used on the car 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 end features an interconnected wheel suspension (semi-independent) with torsion beam. This configuration offers passengers: 

- 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. 

technology

The Stilo SW sets new standards for equipment and high-tech features within its own market band and can sometimes even beat cars in higher segments . The net result is a car of substance designed to guarantee customers excellent performance in all fields, without cutting corners. 

safety: On the passive safety front, the Fiat Stilo SW 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 complete with an electronic brakeforce distributor (EBD). ASR to limit wheel slip during acceleration. EVA and HBA devices, to help the driver brake fully during emergency stops. A sophisticated ESP to control 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. 

material quality & opulence: The Fiat Stilo SW gives you all this and fine interior finishes to offer everything you would expect from a car destined in many cases to become a family's main car. It offers many materials typical of higher segments: such as a slush moulding facia, burnished instrument and control surrounds and top-quality seat and panel upholstery materials borrowed from the home furnishing department. 

telematics: CONNECT, an innovative on-line system that connects the driver to the extensive range of services offered by Targasys, will also be available on the Stilo SW. 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. 

technology at the driver's service: the Fiat Stilo SW makes its owners' lives simpler: When you enter a tunnel, the headlights will come on automatically under the action of a sensor. The first drops of a sudden shower will activate the windscreen wiper via a rain sensor. 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. 

next generation interior: the Fiat Stilo SW also offers a brand new approach to interior outfitting and making use of the space allocated to passengers and luggage. 
This can be called a new generation interior without exaggeration because it packs all the practicality and flexibility of an MPV into a normal station wagon. This result is made possible by a sliding split rear seat that reclines and tilts independently. This makes the luggage compartment hugely versatile because it can offer a different load capacity and even a different shape as and when required. In the Fiat Stilo SW, the rear of the passenger compartment can be adapted to alter leg-room and backrest position as required for maximum occupant comfort. Other assets include a ski tunnel, various closed storage compartments and a front seat that folds down to form a table to accommodate long loads or act as a work surface. 

the range

Customer requirements are becoming increasingly diverse and cultural changes mean that society now has new expectations of the car, a possession that plays an iconic role in the lives of individuals and the community as a whole. All these requirements have been satisfied by an equal number of responses. The Fiat Stilo SW offers eight, i.e. the number of new model versions. 

They are the result of combining the following variables: four engines (1.6 16v - 1.8 16v - 1.9 JTD 80 bhp - 1.9 JTD 115 bhp), two specification levels (Actual and Dynamic) and 7 body shades, each with interior trims that differ in terms of shade and also cloth type. 

A range that allows everyone to find their very own Fiat Stilo SW. Whether you want a fully-equipped, safe car but without any particularly high-tech devices. Or whether you want to kit your car out with all the features currently available. Even those that were, until recently, reserved for cars of higher segments. The Fiat Stilo SW is truly a European-spirited car that knows no boundaries and is able to adapt to more than 50 target markets. 

More specifically, the Actual specification comes as standard with ABS + EBD, six airbags, a Fiat CODE II antitheft system, head-restraints and three-point seat-belts on all seats, ISOFIX attachments for child seats and a pretensioner and load limiter for the front seats. Other standard features include Dualdrive electric power steering, height-adjustable driver's seat, provision for a radio with six speakers, My Car (car customisation), trip computer and a steering wheel with axial and height adjustment. Plus a cooled and heated facia compartment (when an air conditioner is present), central locking with deadlock and superlock functions, front windows with an anti-obstruction system and electric door mirrors. The latter are painted the same shade as the body and are heated. 

The range is completed by the Dynamic specification that offers everything in the Actual package plus: 2 rear sidebags with pretensioners, remote control, radio with cassette player (4 x 35 W, RDS, autoreverse and 6 speakers), courtesy mirrors lit on the passenger side, oddment compartment beneath the driver's seat. 
Though these two specifications already offer a wealth of standard features, they can be further enhanced by a wide range of exclusive options: these include an electric segmented sunroof (Sky Window), CONNECT, dual zone climate control system and opening rear window. 

03.08.2002  MORE SIGHTINGS OF FIAT STILO STATIONWAGON
15.07.2002  THE STILO STATIONWAGON BREAKS COVER
23.06.2002  FIRST GLIMPSE OF FIAT STILO STATIONWAGON
23.06.2002  ARTIST'S IMPRESSION OF FIAT STILO STATIONWAGON