2000 Fiat Multipla - by caint.com

Contents

NEWcars: 2000 Fiat Multipla, 11 December 1999

INTERIOR SPACE AND COMFORT

Not since the old bench seats of the 1950s have car designers had to address the needs of three people sitting up front - and standards of safety, comfort and ergonomics have come a very long way since then. The new Multipla is an obvious example of Fiat's creativity and ingenuity in re-examining an old concept and making it work properly in the present day.

Why does the Multipla have two rows of three seats?
Within a mid-sized MPV there is a limited amount of space lengthways - especially if one's aim is to accommodate six people. Some manufacturers pursue the traditional route and use three rows of two seats but this results in negligible luggage space in the rear - which is fine if the purpose of the trip is to take six people to the cinema, but completely impractical for a weekend away or a family holiday. In addition, the two rearmost seats are normally only suitable for children.

Having six people seated three abreast in two rows results in a generous amount of space in the back for their luggage - some 430 litres in all. To give occupants enough elbowroom, Multipla is a wide vehicle (1870 mm in width) with sides that are near vertical all the way up to the roof. Naturally the old bench-type seat in the front has been consigned to history, and there are now three individual seats - the middle one being set back slightly to maximise shoulder room and ensure that the driver is comfortable.

A highly versatile interior
Much of the appeal of larger MPVs lies in their versatility of seating arrangements, which allows for the removal and relocation of the rear seats into numerous configurations. The Multipla is no exception here, allowing for all the rear seats to be taken out and moved forwards or backwards. In addition, they all have adjustable backrests and both the front and rear centre seats can be folded into tables with integrated cup holders.

The versatility of the Multipla also extends to its floor area. Being completely flat, this makes loading at the rear much easier compared with the 'stepped floors' of other compact MPVs.

Seats
The Multipla features six individual, orthopaedically designed seats that are all the same size. With frames made of aluminium, they are light, yet very strong.

They all come with adjustable head restraints as standard, and have adjustable backrests. The driver's seat is electrically height adjustable, and on some models features lumbar adjustment.

If there are only five passengers on board, the central front seat back can be folded forward, providing the front passengers with a comfortable armrest, a table and a storage compartment with two drinks holders. The same configuration can be achieved at the rear, by folding forward the central seat back.

When all the rear seats are removed, luggage room increases from 430 litres to a gigantic 1900 litres. The flat floor then makes it easy to move around inside the Multipla.

Thanks to the versatility of the seats and their location points, the interior can be configured in an incredible variety of different ways. Front seats:

All have forward/backward adjustment
All have seat backs that adjust for rake
All have individual, 3-point, inertia-reel, pre-tensioner seatbelts
The pretensioners are pyrotechnic devices that pull the belts in by some 8 cm when collision forces are detected
The central front seat features an inboard seatbelt, i.e. a restraining system that's entirely contained within the seat itself
When folded forward, the central seat can become a table
Instead of the central front seat, an 18 litre refrigerated/heated storage compartment can be specified. This is a factory fitted option that cannot be replaced once installed, and means the car only has five seats in total
There is a handy drawer beneath the passenger seat to contain oddments
The outer front seats feature map pockets in the seatbacks

Rear seats:

All the rear seats can be easily removed or relocated via five simple actions:

remove the headrest
pull out the grey lever at the front of the seat and tilt the seatback forwards until it is flat
pull on the red strap underneath the rear of the seat and pull it upwards
squeeze together the two grey metal bars underneath the front of the seat
remove the seat

To maximise luggage space without removing the seats, each rear seat can be folded, pushed forward and held in position by elasticated straps

Each seat weighs approximately 15 kg each (far less than those of other MPVs). This is about the same as a small suitcase

All have two floor-fixing positions (the centre rear seat has three), 15 cm apart. They can thus be moved forward to increase the capacity of the boot, or backwards to improve passenger legroom

All have seat backs that adjust for rake

All have individual 3-point inertia reel seatbelts

When folded forward, the central rear seat can become a table with a stippled surface and cupholders. The backs of the outer seats also feature the stippled surface but not the cupholders Internal space management
With internal space at a premium, Fiat's designers analysed every single component within the Multipla's cabin to ensure that nothing would restrict passenger space.

As a result, the internal volume of the Multipla has been measured at 1900 litres - considerably more than that of its main rivals. Its luggage space of 430 litres (with all the seats in place) also leads the class.

Doors
In order to seat three people abreast in two rows, it was necessary to position the outer seats as close as possible to the doors. Then it was essential to make sure that the fittings on the doors should intrude as little as possible into the cabin. The door handles, armests, levers and grab handles are thus all contained within slim, vertical units that don't compromise passengers' space. These also aid entry and exit, since they are positioned away from the area where people get in and out of the car.

Dashboard and controls
With two passengers seated next to the driver, radical new ideas were required to ensure safe, comfortable and easy access to the controls and instruments.

The result is one of the most striking and ergonomically efficient dashboard layouts to be found on any car. The concept was to arrange things as you would on an office desk, with everything at a height and position that's most comfortable to reach and use.

Perhaps the most innovative feature here is the speedometer that's offset to the left instead of being directly ahead of the driver, to maximise forward vision.

Then beneath the speedometer are ancillary switches and the ventilation controls, which fall readily to the driver's left hand - as does the gear lever, which protrudes out of the facia. It's located here to optimise legroom for front seat passengers and is in a very comfortable position for the driver.

Further to the left are the futuristic air vents, which reflect the advanced design of the dashboard, along with the built-in stereo radio cassette and a handy cup holder.

Among the switches in the dash is one marked 'Lock', which automatically prevents the rear electric windows from being opened by children (ELX only).

The electric door mirror controls are located in a roof-mounted console, along with the switch that allows the door mirrors to be positioned flat when parking in restricted spaces. The steering wheel is made of a highly tactile plastic and adjusts for height.

The handbrake is located down beside the driver's seat, to the right, along with the internal boot release lever.

Versions fitted with satellite navigation offer a choice of two locations for the screen: directly ahead of the driver, or in the middle of the console where the front seat passengers can see it. Finally, large areas of the dashboard are covered in cloth trim. On SX models this is grey and on ELX models it matches the seat upholstery. This breaks up what could otherwise be a large swathe of grey plastic, and enhances the quality feel to the cabin interior. It also helps to eliminate reflection from the dashboard onto the screen.

For further information on the Multipla please send an email to [email protected]

[This Week] [Full Contents] [News] [Features] [Car of the Week] [Motorsport] [A-Z]

Designed & hosted by caint.com