Fiat Coupe 2.0 20v TURBO
Report by Toh Teck Boon 01
What’s good:
Flamboyant Italian styling has this sporty Fiat looking very aggressive and fast. The
Coupe is visual distinctive and can make an impression or two for those that yearn to
own something with a bit of showcar notoriety to it’s name. It is also encouraging to
know that the Coupe’s rocket styling does not outshine its capacity to behave like
one. The 1,998cc, 20-valve, 5- cylinder turbocharged engine under the bonnet
allows it to be ferociously quick. Unlike the normally aspirated version sold some
years ago, this machine is hardly a toothless tiger. The 220bhp and 233 lb/ft torque
are good figures to brag about during happy hours. You are not going to keep up
with this Coupe’s pace unless you have something of equal calibre as it can just reel
in long stretches of highway with relative ease, and charge into corners at ferocious
speeds.
Exterior:
The aggressive racy styling is definitely distinctive. No one is going to mistake it for
something other than a Fiat Coupe. There is a certain sexiness and charm that
comes from the evocative curves and shapes. Many, myself included, would readily
be enticed and anyone articulating displeasure from the way it looks would be
committing blasphemy. Be warned, any sports car bearing the ‘Styling by Pininfarina’
mark is sacrosanct and is empowered to automatically disqualify all negative
comments, thoughts and vibes.
Interior:
The interior has a solid look and feel that exudes a potent attractiveness only a
speedster can assert. Red stitching on all the leather, including the Momo steering
wheel and gear knob, gives a subtle but very attractive highlight to the predominantly
black interior. The only other real dash of colour inside is the narrow decorative
panel running along the length of the door and dashboard. Painted in the same
colour as the exterior body panels, it further adds a striking cohesiveness to the
overall styling.
There are many attractive details inside but the fun & unique translations that will get
your attention would be the push button starter, windshield wiper fluid spray
anchored on the wiper stalks and, to a lesser degree, the electrically operated
sunroof.
Space inside is actually pretty good for a sports car. Many would argue that the rear
legroom is poor but most other vehicles of the same class cannot boast of anything
better. The rear trunk is also relatively large and can carry quite a fair bit of luggage.
In terms of hauling bodies and stuff, the Coupe is definitely one of the more practical
sporting machines available. As for the Recaro seats, they are rather nice but have
very basic manual adjustments. If I could just tilt the driver’s seat a bit for some extra
lower thigh support, the Coupe would be less tiresome to drive during a long stretch. I
also found that when the seating position is set to give me the most comfortable seat-
to-pedal distance, I would have to slightly overextend my gear shifting arm or lean
forward a little to shift gears. The Coupe most definitely favours a driver with shorter
legs and longer arms.
Drive:
The best part in driving the Fiat Coupe is its speed capabilities and acceleration. The
turbo starts to windup at about 2,500rpm, but the fun really starts after the 4,000rpm
mark. At this point, things tend to get very quick and aggressive all the way to its
7,000rpm redline. The Coupe will take you to 150kph while still in third and there are
three more gears to go. In fact, you probably will have no desire to go beyond third
gear if you stick below our 110kph speed limit. Only the need to conserve fuel would
have you shifting upwards. Top end speed is a claimed 260kph. I naturally attempted
to verify this lofty number but gave up in frustration after numerous runs on our
highways over a period of two days. It wasn’t the fault of the car but the reality of
current traffic conditions in the Klang Valley that muck up such attempts. There were
just too many vehicles to even max out the fifth gear safely, let alone the opportunity
to utilise the sixth gear. All I could clock was some figure below 230kph before the
brakes had to be used. Anyway, it would be safe to say that the Coupe builds up
speed real fast in a disarmingly casual manner and handles its speed capabilities
rather reassuringly on the highways.
Speed, acceleration and highway driving aside, the Coupe in not an easy car to
tame. Its behaviour while attempting to corner fast requires a lot of familiarity and
coupled with the power available, the Coupe can be more than a handful at times.
First thing to watch out for is your approach speed into the corners. The Coupe is
capable of entry speeds that can be quite unnerving but the Brembo brakes are
great at slowing things down considerably and should be used liberally. If you intend
to be more than just mediocre around a bend, then this car will understeer quite a bit,
so expect to really move the steering wheel to coax out a more appropriate turn in
angle. Don’t be surprised if you inadvertently have your arms crossed and still need
to turn in a bit more. Your reaction had better be this quick to save your sorry ass
and, yes, your eyes would usually start to bug out simultaneously also. Don’t even
think of using the brakes here; it’s already way too late for that. For a car that is shod
with nothing less than Pirelli P-Zeros (225/45/R16) and armed with such straight line
prowess, the Fiat Coupe should be doing a whole lot better when the curves start to
get tight. Tried as I might but I could not elicit the cornering response, control or
confidence that really should be there in order for the Fiat Coupe to be a truly well
rounded high performance vehicle.
On the more positive side are the excellent Brembo brakes which give a competition
car feel to braking control. It also has a suspension set-up that is both comfortable
and firm at the same time. Big-ass speed bumps are made very pliant. The Coupe is
also very well behaved in city traffic. It can have a very sedate personality if you can
control your urge to get accelerator pedal happy. To help you control such urges is
the petrol guzzling nature of this car when driven hard. I practically put away two full
tanks of petrol with relatively few miles logged on. However, I must admit I derived a
proportionate amount of pleasure in return from such wonton excesses.
Last Words:
As interesting looking as it is, the Coupe has been around for quite a few years and
its visual impact has somewhat diminished due to time and familiarity. The Fiat Coupe
has also reached the end of its production cycle with no successor yet in sight.
However, a car such as this was originally meant to appeal to a rather small group of
people, and even today the same appeal would apply. In our country, the Fiat Coupe
still has lots of allure due to its uncommon styling and blistering straight-on speed.
Boon
Report by Toh Teck Boon 01
What’s good:
Flamboyant Italian styling has this sporty Fiat looking very aggressive and fast. The
Coupe is visual distinctive and can make an impression or two for those that yearn to
own something with a bit of showcar notoriety to it’s name. It is also encouraging to
know that the Coupe’s rocket styling does not outshine its capacity to behave like
one. The 1,998cc, 20-valve, 5- cylinder turbocharged engine under the bonnet
allows it to be ferociously quick. Unlike the normally aspirated version sold some
years ago, this machine is hardly a toothless tiger. The 220bhp and 233 lb/ft torque
are good figures to brag about during happy hours. You are not going to keep up
with this Coupe’s pace unless you have something of equal calibre as it can just reel
in long stretches of highway with relative ease, and charge into corners at ferocious
speeds.
Exterior:
The aggressive racy styling is definitely distinctive. No one is going to mistake it for
something other than a Fiat Coupe. There is a certain sexiness and charm that
comes from the evocative curves and shapes. Many, myself included, would readily
be enticed and anyone articulating displeasure from the way it looks would be
committing blasphemy. Be warned, any sports car bearing the ‘Styling by Pininfarina’
mark is sacrosanct and is empowered to automatically disqualify all negative
comments, thoughts and vibes.
Interior:
The interior has a solid look and feel that exudes a potent attractiveness only a
speedster can assert. Red stitching on all the leather, including the Momo steering
wheel and gear knob, gives a subtle but very attractive highlight to the predominantly
black interior. The only other real dash of colour inside is the narrow decorative
panel running along the length of the door and dashboard. Painted in the same
colour as the exterior body panels, it further adds a striking cohesiveness to the
overall styling.
There are many attractive details inside but the fun & unique translations that will get
your attention would be the push button starter, windshield wiper fluid spray
anchored on the wiper stalks and, to a lesser degree, the electrically operated
sunroof.
Space inside is actually pretty good for a sports car. Many would argue that the rear
legroom is poor but most other vehicles of the same class cannot boast of anything
better. The rear trunk is also relatively large and can carry quite a fair bit of luggage.
In terms of hauling bodies and stuff, the Coupe is definitely one of the more practical
sporting machines available. As for the Recaro seats, they are rather nice but have
very basic manual adjustments. If I could just tilt the driver’s seat a bit for some extra
lower thigh support, the Coupe would be less tiresome to drive during a long stretch. I
also found that when the seating position is set to give me the most comfortable seat-
to-pedal distance, I would have to slightly overextend my gear shifting arm or lean
forward a little to shift gears. The Coupe most definitely favours a driver with shorter
legs and longer arms.
Drive:
The best part in driving the Fiat Coupe is its speed capabilities and acceleration. The
turbo starts to windup at about 2,500rpm, but the fun really starts after the 4,000rpm
mark. At this point, things tend to get very quick and aggressive all the way to its
7,000rpm redline. The Coupe will take you to 150kph while still in third and there are
three more gears to go. In fact, you probably will have no desire to go beyond third
gear if you stick below our 110kph speed limit. Only the need to conserve fuel would
have you shifting upwards. Top end speed is a claimed 260kph. I naturally attempted
to verify this lofty number but gave up in frustration after numerous runs on our
highways over a period of two days. It wasn’t the fault of the car but the reality of
current traffic conditions in the Klang Valley that muck up such attempts. There were
just too many vehicles to even max out the fifth gear safely, let alone the opportunity
to utilise the sixth gear. All I could clock was some figure below 230kph before the
brakes had to be used. Anyway, it would be safe to say that the Coupe builds up
speed real fast in a disarmingly casual manner and handles its speed capabilities
rather reassuringly on the highways.
Speed, acceleration and highway driving aside, the Coupe in not an easy car to
tame. Its behaviour while attempting to corner fast requires a lot of familiarity and
coupled with the power available, the Coupe can be more than a handful at times.
First thing to watch out for is your approach speed into the corners. The Coupe is
capable of entry speeds that can be quite unnerving but the Brembo brakes are
great at slowing things down considerably and should be used liberally. If you intend
to be more than just mediocre around a bend, then this car will understeer quite a bit,
so expect to really move the steering wheel to coax out a more appropriate turn in
angle. Don’t be surprised if you inadvertently have your arms crossed and still need
to turn in a bit more. Your reaction had better be this quick to save your sorry ass
and, yes, your eyes would usually start to bug out simultaneously also. Don’t even
think of using the brakes here; it’s already way too late for that. For a car that is shod
with nothing less than Pirelli P-Zeros (225/45/R16) and armed with such straight line
prowess, the Fiat Coupe should be doing a whole lot better when the curves start to
get tight. Tried as I might but I could not elicit the cornering response, control or
confidence that really should be there in order for the Fiat Coupe to be a truly well
rounded high performance vehicle.
On the more positive side are the excellent Brembo brakes which give a competition
car feel to braking control. It also has a suspension set-up that is both comfortable
and firm at the same time. Big-ass speed bumps are made very pliant. The Coupe is
also very well behaved in city traffic. It can have a very sedate personality if you can
control your urge to get accelerator pedal happy. To help you control such urges is
the petrol guzzling nature of this car when driven hard. I practically put away two full
tanks of petrol with relatively few miles logged on. However, I must admit I derived a
proportionate amount of pleasure in return from such wonton excesses.
Last Words:
As interesting looking as it is, the Coupe has been around for quite a few years and
its visual impact has somewhat diminished due to time and familiarity. The Fiat Coupe
has also reached the end of its production cycle with no successor yet in sight.
However, a car such as this was originally meant to appeal to a rather small group of
people, and even today the same appeal would apply. In our country, the Fiat Coupe
still has lots of allure due to its uncommon styling and blistering straight-on speed.
Boon