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Multipla Fiat - between the fronts

Name: Fiat Multipla 1999
Brand: Fiat

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Created on June 26, 2024

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Fiat Group

Archiv Zwischengas

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Fiat Group

Archiv Zwischengas

Archiv

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the vehicle had to be relatively wide for the seats to fit in like this

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - six seats in two rows, with "driver"

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - all seats in the car are also the same width and (almost) the same design

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the Multipla of the sixties had six seats in three rows, the "new" one in two

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - six seats in two rows

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - 1.871 meters wide but only 3.994 meters short

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - maximum usable space in a small area

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - there was also a version with a glass roof, in which case the longitudinal grooves in the roof were of course omitted

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the six-seater is 1.67 meters high

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - no one had more glass, which also brings back memories of the AMC Pacer

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the early models had gray-black bumpers

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the side windows reach far down

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - unladen weight over 1400 kg

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - poorly utilized with one person, but you could also remove all other seats and had a lot of transport capacity

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - 0 to 100 km/h in the test in 12.6 seconds

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the upper headlights are responsible for the high beam

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - very good all-round visibility

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - less conspicuous on the road today than back then

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the degree of conspicuousness also depends on the color scheme

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - all windows partially convex in several places

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - you sit relatively high in the Multipla, almost like in an SUV

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - also fun in town, as long as there is enough space in the width

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - you always keep the overview

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - very bright interior

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the people in the middle have to scramble over the outboard seats

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - plenty of space for six people

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - here the dashboard is upholstered in gray, but there were also more colorful variants

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - easy to operate, hardly any question marks

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - there are no instruments in front of the driver, just a flat shelf

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - all three seats are the same width

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - you can also drive the Multipla in two-person configuration at the front

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - all seats can be folded down, the back then contains e.g. cup holders

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - everything is designed for practical use

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the middle part of the dashboard looks pretty wild

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - speedometer up to 200 km/h, top speed according to factory 170 km/h

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the ventilation grilles are certainly artistically drawn

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - a radio was standard equipment, the Eros Ramazzotti cassette had to be bought separately

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - there is also a storage compartment in front of the front passenger, plus an airbag

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - Five-speed gearbox, gearshift perfectly positioned

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - Exterior mirror adjustment on the roof

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - driving like in a spaceship

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - gray plastic was probably considered chic back then

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - all seats can be folded down and also removed

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - strikingly designed seat covers

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - Plastic combination element in the doors with grab handle, door opener and loudspeaker

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - neither the front nor the rear windows can be lowered completely, not by a long shot

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 16 valves

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the transversely mounted four-cylinder engine delivers just over 100 hp

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - small front dipped headlights and matching indicators

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the high beam headlights in the controversially discussed bulge under the windshield

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - looks almost a little alien, high-mounted headlights and rear-view mirror

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the round theme is also taken up again for the door handles

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - protruding nub protects your own and other people's doors

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - Plastic elements in the side doors

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - Tank filler neck with removal potential

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - multi-part rear-view mirror like on a truck

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - two-part rear-view mirror and small additional window in front of the mirrors

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - the lettering on the rear

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Fiat Multipla (1996) - 1996 prototype as shown in Paris

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - from the sketch to the finished car

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - innovative space concept - see-through drawing

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Fiat Multipla (2000) - only the later models were also available with painted bumpers

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - unusual seat configuration

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - Advertising -Passion is our drive

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - Advertising - nice that there are exceptions

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Fiat Multipla (2002) - after the facelift now with bumpers painted in body color on the ELX model

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Fiat Multipla (2002) - after the first facelift

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fiat Multipla (2005) - after the major facelift

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fiat Multipla (2004) - after the major facelift

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Fiat Multipla (1999) - no shortage of window space

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Summary

Fiat is said to have been asked at the time whether they really wanted to build this car like this. That's how controversial the styling was discussed. But Fiat showed courage and today the Multipla is certainly one of the coolest "people movers" ever. We took it for a test drive and tell its story ...

This article contains the following chapters

Pretty bold
From concept to series production
Pretty creative and colorful
Quite versatile
Being different as a selling point
Positive feedback
In comparison with disadvantages
A reason not to learn to drive?
Pleasant buddy
With model upgrades against the stronger competition
"Sequel" in China

Estimated reading time: 11min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Hardly any other car has caught mankind off guard as much as the Fiat Multipla. Some simply found it terribly ugly, others appreciated its unorthodox appearance, which was largely due to its function. But this car left no one cold at the time. MPVs were the trend in the nineties. Renault had already led the way with the Espace in 1984, Chrysler came up with the Voyager and Volkswagen also entered the new vehicle segment with the Sharan. However, instead of simply building another van (with three rows of seats), Fiat chose a different direction in 1994. Head of styling Peter Davis was given the task of designing a compact car with plenty of space and a fully-fledged trunk, even when fully loaded.

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