What the hell is going on, is it 1994 again?
No, no, keep calm, it's 2016.
Then why am I looking at a Fiat Tipo?
Because the nameplate has been resurrected by Turin, 20 years after it was last seen on the car that picked up the 1989 European Car of the Year award. Fiat had already announced the Tipo saloon last year, but now we've got a hatchback and an estate version to play with.
Do they do anything out of the ordinary?
Well, the styling of either is pretty conservative, but at least these cars aren't ugly. Fiat claims there's class-leading legroom and 'outstanding' headroom in the rear of the Tipo, meaning three six-feet-plus adults could snuggle up on the back bench. Further class-leading claims are made by the Italians in terms of the boot space: the hatchback has 440 litres, while the estate can cart around 550 litres - and loads of up to 1.8 metres in length.
What's the model line-up looking like?
The Tipo saloon is not confirmed for the UK, but these newcomers are and we'll get three trim levels here. The exact specifications have yet to be finalised, although Fiat did say that air conditioning, remote central locking, electric mirrors, six airbags, DAB digital radio and Bluetooth connectivity with steering wheel remote controls will feature across the board.
This all sounds fine. What are the choices for engines?
Five units, three petrol and two diesel, all borrowed from the varied Fiat 500 stable. The petrol lumps are a 95hp/125Nm 1.4 16v, a 1.4 turbo with 120hp/206Nm and a 1.6-litre e-TorQ engine with 110hp and 152Nm. Over on the other side of the combustion fence, the 1.3-litre MultiJet II has 95hp and 200Nm, while the 1.6-litre MultiJet II makes 120hp and 320Nm. That e-TorQ engine comes with a six-speed torque converter auto only, while the bigger diesel can be optioned with a six-speed twin-clutch transmission. All other cars have manual gearboxes.
Have you got any emissions figures?
The Fiat Tipo 1.6 MultiJet II 120 can return 76.3mpg while emitting as little as 98g/km CO2, according to the NEDC test.
How much does the Tipo cost?
It goes on sale in the UK in September, with the pricing and range to be announced closer to the vehicle's launch.
Matt Robinson - 1 Mar 2016
