PLEASANT SMALL FIAT

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31974, 29 April 1969, Page 19

PLEASANT SMALL FIAT

When It comet to looks, the Fiat 850 coupe is felt by many to he one of the most attractive small cars on the road. But as a roadtest last week showed, when It comes to performance too the Flat, with an engine of only 903 c.c. capacity, is very well up in its class.

The test car was Italianassembled. but local assembly starts next month. Judging from the standard of locallyassembled Fiat 1255, the standard of finish will be at least maintained. As it was, the test car had a few faults of finish, such as a crookedly-mounted ashtray and a crooked cover over the heater unit. Generally, however, the standard was good. INTERIOR ROOM

The coupe has two doors and four seats but for most persons the car must be regarded as an occasional fourseater only, most suitable for the carriage of two adults and two young children. With the front seat adjusted for a driver of average height, there was really; insufficient room in the rear, seat for the same person. Leg. room was quite inadequate,! and his head was pressed firmly against the roof. But for the person who; wants an individual and attractive small car to carry himself and another adult, plus children or, for short trips, a small adult, the 850 has much to recommend it. | even at the high price of $2914. The front bucket seats are well-shaped and comfortable, although the marked off-set of the pedals to the centre of the car is disconcerting at first. However, one quickly > becomes used to this, I although the pedals are sufficiently close together to re-j quire some initial caution; from persons with large feet, i

INSTRUMENTS Behind the attractive woodrtmmed steering wheel are two large dials, one bearing a very clearly marked tachometer, red-lined at 8500 r.p.rn., the other the 110 m.p.h. speedometer and gauges for the fuel tank contents and water temperature. There are warning lights for oil pressure, amps (the car has an alternator), mainbeam. and indicators. A green light warns when the headlights are switched on. Both the oil pressure and the ignition warning lights are red. and neither are marked.

The headlights are dipped by a stalk on the steering

I column, and a second stalk controls the indicators. The rubber windscreen-washer • button is mounted on the •dash beside the rocker switch for the wipers, which {have only one speed and do loot sweep quite far enough Ito the right-hand side of the 'screen.

Apart from this, visibility is good in all directions, and the slim rear quarters are no notable obstruction to vision at slanting intersections. The front bonnet —which hides the luggage compartment of the rear-engined car —is opened by a lever under the dash on the passenger's side. There is a map-light in the middle of the dash, adjustable fresh-air vents on the padded top of the dash. I and the choke control is mounted on the floor beside the pull-up handbrake between the front seats.

OUT OF REACH When wearing a seat belt it is impossible to reach the heater and air-vent controls, or the ignition switch, which is mounted well down on the j side of the steering column where it can be combined with the steering lock. ; One soon learns to start the car before fastening one's seat belt, but the placing of the controls is a design feai ture which could be I re-examined. Owners could, however, overcome the problem by installing inertia-reel • belts. The 850 has a normal wheel-mounted horn button, and the horns have a splendidly commanding tone—British small-car manufacturers please note. LUGGAGE SPACE

The luggage compartment is sufficiently roomy to hold enough luggage for two persons on a trip, and it also contains the spare wheel and tools, the brake-fluid reservoir and the windscreenwasher reservoir.

The engine compartment lid is opened by a pushbutton, and the usual service points, with the possible exception of one of the spark plugs, are accessible. On the road the smoothness of the Fiat's engine is immediately apparent, although the noise level at cruising speed, comprising roughly equal amounts of disturbance from the road surface, the engine and the passing air. is no less than in • most small cars.

The gearbox is particularly pleasant to use. and although the action is not in the “but-ter-slicing” class it is smooth, relatively unobstructed by the effective synromesh. and suitably short in the movements. STEERING

The steering is fairly direct about 3.5 turns from lock to lock, and while certainly not unduly heavy it is not as light as in some other small cars. But for a car of this character, direct steering is far more important than extreme lightness. Surprisingly, however, the test car's steering seemed to have little feel. At the same time, the turning circle is reasonable at little more than 30ft, and road shocks are not transmitted to the driver's hands.

The Fiat’s four-cylinder engine is surprisingly flexible for such a small-capacity unit, and the 850 will pull quite happily from 20 m.p.h. in top gear. At the same time, one must use the gears to get the best from the unit, and if one does this the performance is undoubtedly good for the size of the engine The Fiat will climb briskly up most main-road hills in third gear, and the same gear provides good acceleration for overtaking on the open road. The 850 has the normal slight initial understeer, and the change to oversteer comes at quite high cornering forces for a rear-engined car, and when it does come it is very gentle, progressive and controllable. Even on shingle any oversteer can be quickly checked. The brakes—discs at the front—are just light enough to be pleasant without being too light, and they showed no effects as a result of the

fade test. The handbrake is powerful and will stop the car rapidly from 20 m.p.h. In sum, the Fiat 850 coupe is a very pleasant and wieldy small car which holds great appeal for the driver who wants something attractive and a little different. TECHNICAL

Engine; Four cylinders. 903 c.c.. 32 b.h.p., rear-mounted. Compression ratio 9.3 to 1. Bore 83 mm. stroke 88 mm. Aluminium cylinder head, three-bear-ing crankshaft, overhead valves, dual-barrel carburettor, >ealed cooling system. Trantmlslsen: Single dry plate clutch, differential and final drive In transmission casing, four forward speeds all syncromesh.

Steering: Worm and sector, joints lubricated for life, turning radius 13ft 9ln. Suspension: front, independent by transverse mounted leaf spring, shock absorbers and roll bar. Rear, independent by coil springs and swinging arms, anti-roll bar.

■rakes: Disc front and drum rear. Pull-up handbrake. Dimensions: lift Itin long. 4ft llln wide, 4ft 3in high.