Fiat Avventura – AutoPortal illustrates

Fiat has, by now, been a permanent fixture among the names associated with the Indian automobile industry. One of the earliest selling car brands in the country, the name has featured often in the years till date. The Italian auto major, of late, has pumped in a slew of models and made a good comeback after a periodic absence. 

The Fiat Punto was one of the stronger names to have come from their stable. While it first gave birth to the sedan, the Linea, the recent offspring has been the Avventura, a compact SUV that bears a strong resemblance to the hatchback. But for the spare wheel mounted on the back, it could even be mistaken for the Evo, the new look that the Punto now sports. That said, there is no denying that Fiat has brought out a vehicle that is as stylish as it is smart. 

So what contributes to the changeover from the Punto Evo to the Avventura? Certainly a few add-ons can be mentioned here. Besides the fifth wheel that now finds itself mounted to the boot in a most aesthetic way, the front bumper also sees an ergonomic touch to it. The tail lamps too see a change from the ordinary as is the ant-roll bar towards the back of the car. The latter is more, from an engineering standpoint, to balance out the higher ground clearance of the vehicle, a requirement for the SUV nature that is now part of its being. So a 20 mm increase in the stance of the vehicle puts it at 205 mm above ground. 

As for the interiors of the Fiat Avventura, it borrows liberally from the recently refurbished Evo. The dashboard comes across as refreshing and with touches of technological excellence. All goodies like integrated audio with Bluetooth, steering mounted audio controls (in high end variants), climate control and staple ones like remote boot and fuel tank opening switches come loaded. 

Ride quality is top notch and the handling is classic Fiat, reminding drivers of the Punto and Linea’s class leading abilities in this regard. It still may not come good on real off-roading surfaces but can be competent on bad roads. We have to remember that it is not at all a full fledged SUV but an offering that can mirror to some extent what budget and compact versions can carry. Safety features like airbags and ABS are also there.

On offer is a 1.4 litre FIRE engine with 1368 cc and 89 bhp while the diesel mill is the standard 1.3 MJD with 1248 cc and 92 bhp. The variants are the same as appear in Punto and Linea – Active, Dynamic and Emotion. The Fiat Avventura</a> surely is a strong contender among compact SUVs.