Fiat Ritmo Road Test

NUTS AND BOLTS

Price - From A$24,990 (NZ$29,700) to A$36,490 (NZ$44,200).

Country Of Origin - Italy

Engine Size/Type - 1.4-litre petrol, 1.4-litre turbo petrol, 1.9-litre turbo diesel

Power - 1.4-litre petrol (66kW), 1.4-litre turbo petrol (110kW), 1.9-litre turbo diesel (110kW)

Torque - 1.4-litre petrol (128Nm), 1.4-litre turbo petrol (230Nm), 1.9-litre turbo diesel (305Nm)

Fuel Consumption - 1.4: 6.7 litres/100km, 1.4T: 7.1L/100km, 1.9TD: 5.6L/100km

Safety Rating - Five-star rating by Euro NCAP. Front, side and curtain airbags. Stability control is standard on Sport models only ($650 option on others).

CO2 emissions - 1.4: 158g/km, 1.4T: 167g/km, 1.9TD: 149g/km

Resale - Fiat cars are still getting re-established here and that takes time for resale values to firm up. Industry experts believe this model will do OK but residuals won't be as strong as the VW Golf, its main rival.

If, with a bit of a squint, you reckon this car looks like a Maserati, you're not far off the mark. The same person who designed the latest model from the Italian sports car maker penned this Fiat hatch.

Before he worked for the Italians, Frank Stevenson also designed the modern version of the Mini. So, this creation is perhaps the first time he has blended two of his most notable achievements in one car.

Some may call it a Maserati hatch but, in Australia at least, Fiat calls it the Ritmo. It's Italian for rhythm but it doesn't easily roll off the tongue. At first it sounds like the name of an electric lawnmower.

Almost everywhere else in the world this car is called the Bravo but Fiat couldn't use that name in Australia because Mazda owns the rights to that badge for one of its utes, even though it no longer sells that model.

The Ritmo name was first used by Fiat 30 years ago for a rudimentary hatch not sold here and shelved when the model was axed 20 years ago. And that is how we came to have an unconventional name for what seems, at first, to be an unconventional car.

The Ritmo has sports car touches, such as the long, sloping bonnet, pronounced nose and bulging rear haunches, but it is in fact a rival to the likes of the Volkswagen Golf.

It's an athletic appearance rarely seen in the small-car class but it is a refreshing change. The beauty is more than skin deep. Inside, Fiat has used styling cues and materials similar to those in Maseratis, including the dash fascia, which is covered in a faux carbon-fibre weave and fine detailing in the instruments.

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Importantly, the gorgeous body does not come at the expense of hatch practicality. There is plenty of cabin room front and rear and more than adequate cargo space.

Depending on which model you choose, the seat fabrics have a sporty feel or a high-end luxury appearance. There's also an optional glass roof ($1950), so front and rear passengers get a clear view of the sky.

None of these touches are an accident. For the Ritmo to be taken seriously in the small-car class, Fiat knew it had to come up with something out of the ordinary. It needed something that would stand out in a sea of hatchbacks such as the Ford Focus, Opel (Holden) Astra, Volkswagen Golf and the like.

The Ritmo went on sale in Australia in February this year. Initially two engines were available - a 1.4-litre turbo petrol and a 1.9-litre turbo diesel - each with two levels of equipment (Emotion and Luxury). Prices started at A$29,990 (NZ$36,300) and stretched to A$36,490 (NZ$44,200).

This is at the premium end of the small-car class and Fiat equipped the Ritmo accordingly, with one notable exception. To help contain prices, stability control (which can help prevent a crash) is a A$650 option on most Ritmo models.

Locally, this puts the small Fiat at odds with its European peers, which have the technology as standard. It's an unfortunate blot on an otherwise impressive safety story, for the Ritmo, with a full complement of airbags, scores five stars in European NCAP crash tests.

To help stimulate sales, Fiat recently introduced a third, more affordable version of the Ritmo with basic standard equipment, powered by a regular 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine. It costs A$24,990.

We've tested the turbo petrol and diesel models but not the just-released base model.

On the road, the Ritmo is fuss-free to drive although not everyone is likely to be a fan of the electrically assisted steering, which can slightly numb driver feedback. At least it makes light work of parking. A button on the dashboard increases steering sensitivity for sporty driving.

The 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine may not sound like much but it has more power and torque than a 2.0-litre Golf at the same $29,990 price.

Importantly, the Fiat's turbo engine delivers a more seamless urge of power once on the move than does the regular VW 2.0-litre engine. The Fiat completes the 0-100kmh dash in 8.5 seconds compared with 8.8 for the Golf, according to the makers.

However, the Ritmo has a secret weapon: a button on the dashboard literally gives the turbo more boost, which cuts the 0-100kmh time to 8.2 seconds and generally makes the car feel a lot more toey.

Fuel economy suffers slightly but at least the driver has the choice. It's a handy feature that is likely to become more common as makers strive to find new ways to trim decimal points from their fuel consumption targets. Most of the time the Ritmo is fine in economy mode but it's good to know the power is there when you need it.

For the technically minded, the "overboost" button increases torque from 206Nm at 2250rpm to 230Nm at 3000rpm. Translation: finally, a power button that makes a difference you can actually feel.

The turbo petrol Ritmo isn't quite a Golf GTI rival but it's not far off.

It is intended to compete with the twin-charge VW Golf, which also has a relatively small 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with some extra grunt thanks to both a supercharger and a turbocharger - hence the name. (It's the model in the TV ad where the front seat passenger spills a drink over himself, caused by the VW's rapid acceleration.)

The Ritmo is slightly slower than the twin-charge Golf (which takes 7.9 seconds for the 0-100kmh dash, the maker claims) and has slightly less power and torque than the VW but in Sport guise at least the Ritmo is A$2000 cheaper (A$32,990 (NZ$40,000) versus A$34,990). Put it this way: take a Fiat Ritmo Sport 1.4T for a test drive before you sign on the dotted line for a twin-charge Golf and you may be pleasantly surprised.

The diesel Ritmo is less of a standout, not because it is substandard but because it is competing in a tough part of the market. It has more power but less torque than the equivalent Golf diesel - but is slightly quicker and fractionally more fuel-efficient.

The problem is, in Emotion guise at least, the $33,490 Fiat is $1000 dearer than the Golf.

In the Sport diesel versions of both cars, the $36,490 Fiat is $1000 cheaper than the VW. However, Fiat charges more for metallic paint on the Ritmo than VW does on the Golf ($850 versus $690).

We should also point out that of the eight available Ritmo colours only two are not metallic.

The Ritmo is also a six-speed manual-only proposition for the time being.

A robotised manual gearbox is due next year but its unfortunate lack of a self-shifting transmission will delete it from the shopping list for many buyers.

This is a shame, because the Ritmo is a something of a surprise package. In a good way.