Fiat Sedici 4x2 Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Fiat Sedici 4x2
Prices: £11,595 - on the road
Insurance Group: 7
Emissions: 143g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 10.7s / Max Speed 115mph
Fuel Consumption: (urban) 35.8mpg / (extra urban) 54.3mpg / (combined) 45.6mpg
Safety: Twin front & side airbags / ABS with EBD
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 4115/1755/1620

WHEN IS A 4X4 NOT A 4X4?

Our Rating: 7.1 / 10

Fiat’s has removed the 4x4 transmission from its Sedici and the results are impressive. Steve Walker reports.

What if you could delete one solitary feature on your new car and that feature’s absence would render the vehicle nearly £1,800 less expensive, more fuel efficient and greener too. Moreover, this piece of car that you’ve chosen to forgo will have no impact on the way your vehicle looks and a negligible one on the way it drives. There’s a good chance that you’ll never notice it’s gone at all. It raises questions about why such a device would be fitted in the first place and it’s easy to imagine customers queuing up for the opportunity of doing without it. The feature in question is the 4x4 transmission on Fiat’s Sedici and the car that hasn’t got it is the Fiat Sedici 4x2.

When you look at how small 4x4 vehicles like the Fiat Sedici are used in the UK, the 4x4 transmission can start to look like a bit of a handicap. Yes it provides extra grip on slipper road surfaces and can endow the car with some off-road ability but few buyers at this smallest end of the spectrum will put that to the test. The 4x4 transmission also adds weight, harming performance and economy, and increases the cost. It’s hardly surprising that so many manufacturers are now offering versions of their 4x4s without four-wheel-drive.

The 4x2 Sedici is based around the 1.6-litre petrol engine that’s also available mated to the standard 4x4 transmission. In this instance, the car is strictly front-wheel drive but the engine has an identical 120bhp power output. The 0-60mph acceleration time is slightly faster at a moderately nippy 10.7s and the Sedici can breach the 100mph barrier if required with its 115mph maximum speed.

In its standard 4x4 guise, the Sedici isn’t a vehicle that you’d feel comfortable using off-road although it is better than you might imagine. Like the majority of its rivals, it’s capable of tackling unmade roads or crossing wet grass with ample composure but lacks the under body protection, ground clearance and driver aids that serious 4x4s have in their locker. The Sedici is purchased predominantly as a road-going car, the chunky 4x4-styling giving it an edge in desirability over more run-of-the-mill superminis or hatchbacks. It’s hard to imagine the 4x2 model fairing any worse than the 4x4 in a typical urban setting where its higher driving position still gives good visibility and its raised ride height still helps when negotiating speed humps.

The 4x2 Fiat Sedici may be lacking something underneath but the exterior styling that’s a major selling point of the 4x4 models remains unaltered. Responsibility for the Sedici’s looks lies with the Italdesign studio of Giugiaro and it’s a very neat piece of work. Inside, the fascia is attractively designed with some decent and hard wearing materials used. The combination of a raised driving position, height adjustable driver’s seat, rake-adjustable steering wheel and deep front quarter light windows offer the driver a commanding driving position with good all-round visibility for a panoramic view of the road ahead. Only the absence of a drivetrain switch button next to the handbrake gives the game away that you’re in a 4x2 model not the 4x4.

The interior is a lot more spacious than you might think, the Multipla-style low waistline giving the cabin an airy feel. As well as reclining individually, each section of the 60:40 split/folding rear seat can be double folded forwards into an upright stowage position behind the front seat backs, boosting the volume of the flat-floor luggage compartment from 270 to 670 litres. Numerous oddment stowage spaces throughout the car include a large, lockable, passenger side glove box and generous door bins.

The low pricing of the Sedici is possibly the major draw for customers. Positioned nearly £1,800 below the 4x4 model with the same engine and trim, the 4x2 Fiat looks a bit of a bargain. The car is based on the Dynamic trim level and as such, gets four airbags, electric mirrors and (front) windows, remote central locking, air-conditioning and front fog lights.

In the wider market, the Sedici 4x2 goes up against the collection of sub-compact 4x4 models that aren’t really 4x4s at all. It looks distinctly affordable in comparison to jacked-up superminis and MPVs like Citroen’s C3 XTR and Skoda’s Roomster Scout and even more so if you’re after a proper off-roader shape. The Suzuki SX4 or Daihatsu Terios are about as close as you’