1992 Fiat Tipo 1.4S - changed the game for Fiat!
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2023
- With the Tipo, people finally began to take Fiat seriously in the family car sector. Delicious styling by Ercole Spada was backed up by punchy engines and impressive interior space.
I was really pleased to finally drive one - a 1.4S in this case with plenty of toys for the time.
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I'm the proud owner of this Tipo. I was so pleased Ian and Carly came to review it. I will try and make it to FOTU next year! Appreciate all the positive comments.
Kudos to you for keeping the Tipo flame. It was the (somewhat realistic) car of my dreams at 16! I managed to make it to the first generation Punto LOL.
Superb car 👍👍
Hello buddy, thanks for getting this car back on the road. I doubt there are many left in the UK. I hope it does you proud for many years to come. Good work.
Looks pretty rapid
that is one coddled car! I had a 1989 one with the digital dash which I loved. I then inherited a 94 tipo which drove better but the interior was really poorly made. The wind caught my door as I opened it and the interior handle just ripped off, then the head lining started to disintigrate after 5 years - only car that has happened to me with.
My Dad had F756HNF and M258DFB, the latter being fuel injected but both 1.4... I'm 42 and he's been gone over twenty years, but when you revved it - the memories came flooding back. Thank you
Inspector Montalbano's car. Great stuff. And the fact that it was designed by the same guy who gave us the beloved Daihatsu Move makes things all the better. All that AND a manual choke. Excellent. Thanks for another great revue..!
Montalbano is well worth a watch if you haven"t seen it!
@@rexmedorum DOCTORE! THE DOOR SLIPPED!
My parents bought a Tempra (the station wagon version) when I was born back in 1992. So many memories!
I learned to drive in, and later owned, my father’s 1.4 DGT. I absolutely loved it.
He bought it as a ex demo from Dickson’s of Forres (although we lived in Edinburgh). It had an Inverness reg: F 611 NST.
My folks bought it (traded in a Mazda Montrose) because of the three full seats in the back, decent boot space and it was very comfortable for, what was then, the 5-6 hour journey to the North Coast to visit family.
I distinctly remember that the air filter on ours was housed in a plastic housing that covered the valve covers on top of engine instead of the remote filter on that car. The stereo that came with the car was also a Blaupunkt.
For us it was the first car we had with electric front windows and a sunroof. It also had the digital dash that had an Amber/Green Economy-Power light which was virtually impossible to keep green, much to the annoyance of my Father.
It ended its life in 1998 when, whilst stationary in a M8 motorway tail back with hazards on, a guy in a Mondeo (fatally) drove into the back at 70+ mph. The Mondeo was unrecognisable. The Micra in front was also visibly damaged with injuries despite the Tipo having its handbrake on whilst stationary. My mother (driving) my wife and my infant son all walked away without a scratch, my wife had very mild whiplash. Testament indeed to the strength and integrity of the Tipo’s build quality.
It got towed to a garage where it was found that the sub frame was bent along with some monocoque distortion in the spare wheel well. It was a written off and scrapped.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane, excellent cars!
I bought a 92 Tipo with a digital dash when I lived in Auckland, (early 2000s) used as dog transport. The dealer told me it would be okay for around town but not much else. I then moved to Christchurch, it drove happy the 1069km with the dog, no worries. A great little car. 👍
Small correction Ian - the Tipo replaced the Strada, as both were hatchbacks. The Regata was the booted version of the Strada and was replaced by the Tempra.
One thing I always noted about the design of the Tipo was its generous width relative to its length. This i think helped hugely on creating a genuine 5 seater that many in this class were plainly not. The design was fantastic as you say and has aged well i think.
Exactly. Furthermore: the Fiat Strada was in fact the Fiat Ritmo, that was sold with a different name in other markets. In Italy it was branded Fiat Ritmo.
I owned a 1988 model in the late 90's, great car to drive and felt really modern.
I had one as a company car with the digital dash. One of the best cars I ever had.
I had one as a "loaner" (decades ago) and I was impressed by it. Decent performance, handling, comfort and a proper 5 seater.
I had a very rare Tipo Selecta 1.6 automatic in 2000/2001. The CVT gearbox was meant to be the way forward according to Fiat’s management in the late 1980s, but buyers stayed away. It had the DGT digital dash which actually worked pretty well and was pretty radical for 1989. The most surprising aspect was the fuel economy. On a trip from Cheshire to Buckinghamshire during the fuel tanker crisis it managed over 50mpg driven gently on A roads and motorways, which is impressive for a carburetted 1.6 petrol engine even now. Other than needing a head gasket replacement and fixing a saggy headlining it was pretty reliable.
@thegamereviewandreallifech1910 not for a 1.6 petrol automatic car it wasn't. Most autos then were still 3- or 4-speed slush boxes.
One of the best motors I've owned. A very spacious and economical family car. Nice to see the Tipo reviewed here, it bought back many happy memories.
The Tipo not only changed the game for Fiat, it changed the game for ALL cars.
Until then it wasn't unusual for all cars to rust away within 6 years. Fiat had such a bad reputation for rust that they not only fixed it in one fell swoop but raised the game for every other manufacturer.
Fiat was already known for being a bit sporty, but also for rust. I miss the old Fiat Strada - great cars but rusted away.
Ever since the Tipo came out, all future cars were virtually rustproof (apart from that stupid Mercedes CLK that we once owned).
As a car obsessed 12-year-old when these came out, I can confirm that they seemed hugely futuristic. The C-pillar doesn’t look much today, but at the time, it seemed insane the way that window kicked up. I’ve never driven a Tipo, but every older “cooking” FIAT I’ve driven seemed to have that Italian lightness of touch and willingness to having its neck wrung, which makes them so appealing. This example is absolutely lovely.
I'm genuinely quite surprised you've never owned a Tipo. It seems like quite a Hubnut car.
Nice car! My parents bought a new 1.6 in 1990. It had the same interior as this one, but fuel injection and catalyst. It was a good car, very little trouble.
I was obsessed by these when I was 16 (when these came out). I really, really wanted a DGT model. The platform was pretty good, and saw service on cars like the Alfa 155, 145, 146 (which also shared the Tipo’s column stalks, albeit non-illuminated) and GTV, and the Lancia Delta mk2 and Dedra, as well as the FIAT Tempra and Coupe. I never bought one - but I borrowed a 2.0 8v GT many years later, when I owned an Alfa 145, and it was tremendous. By the way, the non-parking rear wiper must be a FIAT group thing - my Alfa Giulietta does the same thing!
Had a new, green DGT- a dream come true at the time. The brochure for the Tipo was first class too!
I had the big block 1.6 ”DGT” for a year some 20 years ago. It had digital dash, it worked fine even in -25C Finnish winter. I was surprised how little rust it had, especially on the rear hatch but soon learned it is made of plastic! Great little car.
My parents had a dgt sx
@@richardcarne753 what is an sx? Something even more special than the digital madness I had?
@@kobbetop it had digital speedometer and everything not sure if it was a 1. 6 but was definitely a dgt sx version
I had a DGT 1.9. Great car.
My dad had one, face-lift from 1995, 1.4 as well with LPG conversion which was popular in Poland. Loved that car.
This was my parents' upgrade from a 2CV in the late 80s!
The Tipo platform was a great piece of industrial design and platform sharing. So good that VW copied it and gained a lot of kudos from the motoring press for this which somehow Fiat was ignored.
I loved the Lancia Dedra and Alfa 155 variants.
I was 14 years old when the Tipo launched in 1988 what a rarity in 2023 Ian nice example and only 55,000 miles 👍👍👍👍
I had one for 2 years with the digital dash. it was 20 years old at that time but still very futuristic. Apart from electrical problems i enjoyed it so much.
Tipo was rather successor to Ritmo/Strada, Regata was replaced by Tempra.
Very modern for the time, liked the dash, lights too. I was a Strada super 85 man though and never could afford the move. That car must be very rare now.
Greek here, i have still got my grandfathers 1.1 tipo dgt! Always wondered how they got a fully digital dashboard on a carbureted car. My mothers 1.4 agt has been sitting in a field, badly crashed for nearly 20 years. It has turned for bordeaux to Pink!
The Tipo and the Renault 19 really moved the game on until 1991/92 when a raft of newer medium size cars came along
The Tipo was as 'revolutionary' and game-changing for the small family car sector in 1988, as the mk1 Ford Focus was, for it ten years later in 1998.
@@robtyman4281 revolutionary is a strong word for either the Tipo or the Focus but both were definitely lights ahead of their predecessors and the Tipo was definitely more modern compared to it's rivals. The Focus handled well and was designed from the inside out making the cabin roomy but it had nothing else to offer.
I remember as an 80's kid this won the 1989 European Car of the Year! was best in class in group tests in 1988 UK motoring publications! I remember driving a Tempra back in the 1990's one thing that was surprising was the build quality! as good if not better than any German rival at the time.
It's a shame they can't make cars like this now!!!!
I think our k14 Micra is a modern version...
What a beauty!!! My dad had a DGT when i was i was in highschool, the dash was awesome, it was orginally a test car for Shell research Thornton (now long gone) wish we still had it now!
Golden era for cars :-)
My dad had one when they were new. It was a big step up from our previous car which was an Uno. I don't recall which engine it had, but I definitely remember that it had the digital dash! That feature was truly amazing at the time (and 100% reliable as far as I remember). I did learn to drive in it too, so of all the cars my parents had while I was growing up, this one was extra special.
I had the predecessor the Regata 1.6. The one thing I liked over the Tipo was the rack & pinion steering, it simply didn't need power steering. With 85hp, 42mpg, utterly reliable, spacious enough for 4 people to tour around Southern Norway. It never rusted anywhere. It was one of the best cars I ever owned.
I replaced an already rusting A reg Uno for a D reg 1.6 Regata. I liked the fact it was much more substantial than the Uno, but mine had an unnerving habit of the engine cutting out whilst bombing down the M1on my daily commute. After a lot of faffing by the Fiat dealer some bright spark installed an inline fuel filter and bingo problem solved.
@@neilstafford7245 I replaced the Regata with a 1995 Uno diesel 1.7 (no turbo) again no power steering, 61mpg also never rusted.
I used to work for a Fiat dealership in 89 and 90, boy, I could smell that "new car" smell when you sat in the Tipo !. We used to use a 1.6 DGT (Digital Graphics Technology) as a demo vehicle come run around/collection/delivery vehicle. Other than the Fiat Uno Turbo it was the best car on the fleet. I loved the Tipo it was by far the best family car of its time, better than anything Ford or Vauxhall had in their range. The whole car felt safe and felt very solidly made. So under rated by the public it had bags of room and amazingly versatile. I also loved the Tempra which again was such a great car. It was such a shame that Fiat at the time was still suffering from the perception of the 70's early 80's rust bucket image, and reliability image hung over from the Regatta (a vehicle I do not miss! ). Unfortunately as you say "because Italian" the electrical system was not without problems, although a lot better that Fiats earlier models. Thank you Ian for bringing us this vid. The Tipo may be a bit 'marmite' but for me it will always hold a special place in my past.
Had one as a hire car in Crete in the 80s after the Uno they gave me had trouble.
Felt quite luxurious and spacious and reminded me of a Princess as it was roomy and comfortable, surprising for a Fiat at that time.
Something about the exhaust note of a fiat, just puts a smile on your face 😊
I never drove one but recall the turbo diesel version being reported as an absolute belter. Only 89 BHP but loads of low end shove, as one would expect.
I had two in a 'make a good one out of them'. One of them really went. Both of them ultimately were knackered though. This was prob 2002
It would go - but it wasn't really a lot of low-end shove; you needed to get the turbo spinning and rpm above 2000 (with a red line at 4200). The Peugeot 405 1.9 diesel was a much smoother engine, with similar power.
Fond memories of the Tipo, never owned one but back when I was a teenager my friend who had only passed her test shortly beforehand borrowed her mum's Tipo and drove a full car's worth of us around the country on a grand adventure following our favourite band for several days.... great fun!
I was always smug about having a galvanized body until I had to scrap it because the rear subframe bushes (I think that's what they are) rotted out and were uneconomical to replace. But the engine never missed a beat and I loved the car on the whole.
My brother had the same on his tipo and had them replaced once and second time was told it was uneconomic to repair
Front subframe went on mine, but still a super car to drive.
The Tipo and the R19 came at the same time and between the two, the R19 is my favourite since my grandfather had one. Ultra reliable and supremely confortable, had space for days and took us on many travels. Loved that car
Never driven one. I really need to.
As i worked in fiat alfa for almost two decades, game changer for fiat was the rust proofing... Punto and cinquento is when fiat started to sell really well
I learnt to drive in a 1993 Tipo Forza! - the special edition that had stickers... this video was a proper nostalgia trip! 🙂
There was a story that BMW were close to using the Tipo platform for the 3 series (as at the time they were a relatively small company and a new platform was expensive), but decided that rwd was too much of a unique selling point.
The Tipo is from a bit before my time, but I have experience with Puntos and a coupé, and can see enough similarities to appreciate what a fine car the Tipo must be. Lovely.
The Tipo replaced the Strada (the UK market name of the Ritmo). The Regata was derived from the Ritmo/Strada floor-pan and running units and was replaced by the Fiat Tempra saloon and station wagon versions, based on the Tipo.
The Tipo is a very good car, I've driven one, great engines and excellent road holding.
But I still prefer the Regata, but I'm biased, as it was my first car (a 1300cc Weekend model) and I currenty own a 1987 saloon 70S model.
A mate of mine's parents had a burgundy 5 door Tipo in the late '80s - pretty much the same shade of burgundy as the paint used on their National Trust cottage, not sure if that was a conscious choice. I remember my mate going on about it having fully zinc galvanised steel. Definitely no problem seating 5 people in there with the rear legroom. The noise the central locking made on Tipos sounded like someone shot the car as the sound travelled from the front doors through to the back and finally the bootlid. My CX 25 GTi Turbo 2's central locking made the exact same sound and was hardly discreet in the small hours.
My Dad had one of these new when I was a teenager. A 1.6 with a digital dash. I remember drawing sketches of it.
I had a 1995 1.4 S in 1997. It was my first ‘modern’ car and something of a revelation with its electric windows and central locking. I loved it and eventually misguidedly swapped it fir a Rover 200. A very nostalgic review - I want one!
My brother had one with the digital dash, it seemed so futuristic at the time.
A taxi company where I live ( County Durham) had four Tipo’s and a Tempra all in the same colour, blue metallic in the 90s. He was my neighbour too. Brought back memories seeing one
My old next door neighbours had one, a J reg 1.4 Formula. Theirs did over 200,000 miles without too much grief and they scrapped it in 2004 and replaced it with a 2000 Golf. The tipo only rusted on the front of the bonnet, the rest stayed solid.
I liked the Tempra as well.
Had a 92 Uno, amazing how much of that interior looked very familiar (door pulls, heater controls etc)!
Good little car J reg so quite a few years old. I had an F reg Proton & that was galvanised. Enjoyed your test drive. Thanks Ian
I remember my auntie getting one of these brand new in 1990, can’t remember the trim but it was that dark red colour they did it in. I vaguely remember them coming to see us in it when they first got it as the World Cup was on at the time 😅
I got my first Tipo in 1993 it was mk2 face lift it wascac1.9 sx turbo diesel and it was a fantastic car. Really loved it . That was my pride and joy it went on numerous holidays around Europe in in 110k miles the only time it let use down was Dover and the alternator seazed without warning snapping the belt and it took 4hour to repair at the fiat dealer . We had extended our fiat warrenty this 1998 and it excluded breakdown cover anywhere in Europe. But I had put holiday cover on it and they paid for a hotel all rearranged our ferry booking and the car was fixed in time for the new ferry booking 8t was a great service from fiat.
On top of that it could really shift left many an xr3i in its wake. Fuel economy was fantastic we got 63mpg running and on fast European auto b doing 100mph for long periods still,returned 55mpg. That car was amazing the space the boot . It was truly a great car. Only changed it because we wanted an auto
I always think of the Italian detective Montalbano when I see a Tipo. His was a very uncared for car. On set of course. I liked them a lot. Great that you got to drive it Hubnut. Many thanks for this, boy is this model a long way from the 2 cylinder models LOL
Had one of these, in white, back in the day. Traded it in after a couple of years for a new Bravo. Both great cars.
Had an 89 1.4 Formula back in early 90s, dealer sold us a dodgy one - was off road for about 2 months with a load of issues, once sorted was a good car, found the 1.4 a bit weazy, no rev counter, had an eco meter in middle of dash, remember it having a cracking upgraded stereo, tardis like inside, swallowed all the kids junk push chairs and all, no PAS, no leccy window, not bad on fuel despite low on power (72bhp), got pex for Brava. suprisingly reliable!
My dad bought a K reg Tipo in the late 90s and it spent most of its life being towed to garages. It was forever going wrong and eventually got towed away for scrap in the early 2000s. Luckily our other family car was a Primera which balanced the unreliability nicely 😂
Had posh family friends as a kid who’s mum had a 1.8 ie with crosshatch alloys and digital dash. Always loved it. Shame they’re all gone.
I was obsessed with this car back in time.
my dad had a 1.6 dgt sx with the infamous digital dash.. such a comfortable car to be driven in.. I loved it! in th e5 years my da had it it never missed a beat and was ultra reliable, economical and my dad said fun to drive. I loved the multi function stalks also .. it was so advanced
Never would I ever thought that there would be a time when Mr. Hubnut dons a textured Mullet. Suits you Sir.
Ich hatte einen 1993er Tipo 1,8 GT Top Class mit kompletter Ausstattung. Schwarz-Metallic aussen rotes Leder innen, Klima usw . Ich habe dieses Auto geliebt und trauere ihm immer noch hinterher.
My car for four years, in a lovely Bordeaux color and with a digital dash. Great car and supremely comfortable.
We had a similar Fiat for a family car with a 1.4 is engine which means mono injection, and with an all electronic dashboard, we had it for 7 years. The happiest day was when I drove it to the scrap yard. I replaced it with a Volkswagen Passat, which I've been driving for 10 years without a problem
My Dad had a white 89 Tipo DGT with the digital dash and blue velour. Looked identical to this one externally. Years later I had a 1.4 i.e. S and a Tempra 1.6 i.e. S saloon. Big fan of these cars.
I had the 1.9 Turbo Diesel. Great car to drive and very roomy. My wife and I used to do Antique and Collectors' Fairs and it was amazing how much stuff we could carry with the back seats down. Accelerate hard and you left a black smokescreen behind you. The only downside was that the service intervals for this engine were every 4,500 miles which for me was every six weeks.
I had the opportunity to drive a Tipo for a couple of days in 2002. Was a petrol one with the digital dash. I remember that I thought that was really interesting for a FIAT and when drove it at night was amazed by the column stalks, they are illuminated in green, that’s very cool.
I remember these when they first came out. The most interesting thing the salesman could find to say about the base model (with the analogue dials) was that the bootlid was made of plastic - a rarity back then, but mainly a consequence of how far round the c-pillars it extends and how front-end heavy the Tipo was...
The Tipo was one of those I wished my dad had when I was a kid. Had experience of 3: an F-reg 1.8 DGT that was the fella's company car; an N-reg 1.9TD SX that towed a caravan; an M-reg 1.4iE SX that the fella drove like he was still on his farm in Africa.
"I'm very excited to finally have my hands on a Fiat Tipo." I think those words have never before been uttered, not even at Fiat HQ. I was once very excited to have my hands on a Fiat Uno, but that's because I'd just passed my test in it. A very, very long time ago.....
I had a 1.9 tds in the early 90's and it was well ahead of the competition at that time. Lovely cars.
I was waiting for this for ages, I had a 1.9TD with intercooler, amazing car! Now is own by a friend of mine, everytime I drive it I remember why I love it so much.
I had in the 90's a H reg tipo 1.6 dgt sx with a heated driver seat and electric passenger wing mirror absolutely loved the digital displays
Oh lordy! I loved the stalks when I had my Tempra.
Went all out with the 1.9 TD SX, with full digital dash and rear wiper. On a saloon!!!
Was no slouch either for a turbo diesel.
The first car I drove. I was 16 and my friend Mirko let me try it in the large square right in front of the Fiat Mirafiori. In the same year it was also the car of the first beach holidays "alone with friends". Great travel companion on tour among the most famous Italian discos of the 90s. Thank you Mirko and thank you Fiat for creating this indestructible car. ❤
we had an old banger one which needed a lot of work and we were too poor to work on cars and even though my parents thought it was pretty meh, me as a kid LOVED the inside to them.
Myself and a mate rented one in 1988. It was great, handled very, very well. Very economical and comfortable. We had the base 1.4. He didn't have a full license at the time, but a few years later he and his then wife bought a limitied edition Tipo, which they ran to death!
Do not forget the retro illuminated levers! Great car, had one 1.4 AGT in my family from 1991 to 2001. No problems in 10 years.
Fancy this popping up on my UA-cam channel, I have just taken my G red 1.4 DGT Tipo for it's Mot this morning and it passed with no advisories, that's a nice example you have there, look after it, not many left now and I have two!
I have to admit they weren't really on my radar when they were new, although i do remember thinking they looked very modern. Looking back, as with so many 80s cars, they were indeed a classic design.
I bought one of these in 2004 and had if for a week when one day in the underground work car park it refused to start, so I just left it there. Two years later when I left the company, it was still there. It could still be there now.
I had a Tipo in white. 1.4 Formula. J reg too! It was a great car. practical economical, roomy, well built. The only downside it my work mates kept putting a Hotpoint sticker on it.
My memory could be tricking me, but I thought the Tipo replaced the Strada and that the Regata fell out of the Strada as well. No matter, the big thing about the Tipo, like the Uno, was that it demonstrated that Fiat was finally getting to grips with the dreaded tin worm, and their car sills rusting through in 3 years became a thing of the past. I had two Pandas and a 126 in the 1980s and loved them.
It did replace the strada and the tempra replaced the regata
@@danielrussell446Yes, completely correct !
Had a 92. 16V sedicvalvole , fast and agile, loved it!
The other car to use the Tipo platform was the Yugo Sana / Florida. That was launched the year after the Tipo and remained in production for nearly 30 years until 2008.
I had a ‘92 Tipo 1.6 with a digital dashboard. It was such a cool car. I love it still to this day even tho she got crushed a while ago.
I remember when the Tipo Digit (liquid crystals instrument cluster info) came out.... It was the ultimate revolution!
It always felt tinny and plasticky, but not any worse than its competitors.
The styling was and still is very good.
Inspector Montalbano still drives a Tipo.
A Fiat from the 80s that i survived with no tin worm, must have been well cared for.
I worked for Fiat and had several as company cars and loved them. Great value as nearly new cars too.
I had a 1990 1.6 DGT with digital dash.. absolutely loved it apart from the sound of water running behind the dash on each and every turn....
I think the Tempra looked even better 😍
A friend of mine bought one of these to replace a very well used, blown up engine Uno 60. I bought the Uno for £40, put a new engine in, polished some shine back into the night fighter matt black paint and sold it on for £650. Everybody was happy.
One of my old girlfriends dad had an early Tipo. One of the higher trims level, digital dash etc was impressed with the space and comfort. She then purchased a Panda 750, not so impressed 😂 oh and her brother had a Fiat Uno
Puedo decir que el Fiat Tipo fue un gran auto. Yo tuve dos, el primero un 1.4 AGT gasolina igual al que muestras en el video pero sin elevalunas ni techo. y el segundo fue un 1.9 TD y ese venia con mas equipamiento, como direccion asistida, elevalunas sin aire acondicionado. una maravilla de diseño, una lastima que la gente no lo apreciara igual al fiat multipla.
gracias por mostar ese auto
I think underrated is a very good word to describe this car. Excellent, thoroughly enjoyable review as always
my first car in 1996 was a 89 DGT. Loved it, dropped it 30mm, slammed some 16" alloys on and a Pico Exhaust.
Love these videos man. Thanks for putting in the work 🙏🏼