Fiat will manufacture its version called Sedici, while Suzuki will call its SX4unit. Both units are designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign. The sale to the public, in Europe, will begin in February 2006. The price of the Sedici will be around 20,000 euros, depending on optional and selected motorization.
The main difference between the platform brothers lies in the volume of production. Of the total number of vehicles assembled at the Suzuki plant in Hungary, 67% will correspond to Suzuki, while the remaining 33% will be Fiat Sedici vans. Although Fiat had already equipped the “Panda” model with four-wheel drive in 2004, this vehicle has been designed from day one with the intention of providing true off-road performance. The Panda had good sales in Europe, which encouraged the current development of the Sedici, which will have as competitors vehicles such as the Toyota Rav4 and the Honda CR-V.
The first option is a 4-cylinder naphthous engine in line and 1,586 cm3 of cylinder capacity. This impeller develops 107 hp at 5,600 rpm and nearly 15 kgm torque at 4,000 rpm, achieving a top speed of 170 km/h.
The JTD diesel version also has 4 cylinders in line, but the engine capacity increases to 1.910 cm3. This allows it to reach a power of 120 hp at 4,000 rpm and generates an excellent torque of 28.6 kgm at 2,000 rpm. The Sedici diesel accelerates to 180 km/h.
The traction system has electronic management. By itself, you decide when you need to drive the all-wheel drive, running regularly with simple traction on the front wheels.
It has an attack angle of 20.3 degrees and an exit angle of 31.1 degrees. Its 5-spoke rims are 16 inches in diameter.
For additional information on FIAT vehicles, visit www.fiat.com
© Adrián Blanco 2005 — Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
