(Redirected from
Fiat Siena)
The Fiat Palio is Fiat's 'world car', aimed at developing countries, although some models are sold in Europe.
It is produced in Brazil, India, Turkey and South Africa as a hatchback, with the Siena and Weekend being sedan and wagon versions respectively. It is also built under licence in North Korea, as the Pyonghwa Hwiparam.
Launched in 1996 in Brasil, '178 Project' was Fiat's first attempt to build a 'world car',
the same basic design being produced in numerous nations around the globe. Four principal models were produced,
a hatchback, saloon, pick-up and estate, different versions being built in different countries. The powerplants, both diesel and petrol, also varied from region to region depending on local production capability, legislation and market requirements.
The basic chassis was a development of the Uno, but little remained unchanged. The entire structure was significantly stronger in order to be suitable on the rougher roads found in some of the markets for which it was intended, as was the suspension. The body was a completely new design by the IDEA studio of Turin, who also designed the new interior.
Production began in 1996 in Brasil and was followed later that year by a plant in Argentina. 1997 saw production starting in Venezuela, Poland and Morocco whilst Turkey started building the same car in 1998. India and South Africa began production in 1999, Egypt in 2001 and China in 2002.
The Palio has been campaigned in motorsport in many of the countries where it is produced, including circuit racing, rallycross, rallying and hill climbs. In Turkey, for example, the Kit Car version uses a 180bhp version of the 1580cc engine, whilst the Group N version has 103bhp.
Palio
The first model to be launched, the Palio is a compact hatchback available with either three of five doors. The design is distinctive, with the front and rear lights being very characteristic, and incorporated much work to improve the aerodynamics, with a resulting drag coefficient of 0.33. The design brief also emphasised practicality, and the large boot with low loading edge and folding rear seats gives the car flexibility. Safety also played a role, with crumple zones, side impact bars, airbags and ABS all featuring, depending on the version.
As with all the 178 family cars, the trim levels, specificaions and powerplants varied depending upon the market, for example in India there was marketed a 1.2 Palio Sport including alloy wheels and spoiler.
Siena
The four door saloon variant is designed to cater especially for those markets where a three-box design is desired. It is the same as the Palio four door except for the well proportioned boot grafted onto the rear of the car, the overall result being a pleasing small saloon. The rear has an unusual treatment with a horizontal swage in the boot matching the rear light clusters. Given the higher status of a saloon over a hatchback, generally (although it depends on the market) the Siena had a higher specification than the Palio.
Strada
The pick-up of the range, which replaced the Fiorino pickup in some markets, the Strada is available (depending on the market) both with a single, two-seat cab or an extended cab with a bench seat behind the front seats. A load of up to 705kg can be carried on the rear of the 2-seat version.
The front design echoes the Palio/Siena, but the Strada has a longer wheelbase (up by 358mm from the Palio), wider tracks and has been given a more robust appearance with the use of different a bumper and plastic wheelarch extensions. The rear of the car is all new, and includes FIAT pressed into the hinged tailgate.
Weekend
The estate car version again features a slightly stretched wheelbase (63mm longer than the Palio) in order to increase the useable space inside. Otherwise the metal work is the same back as far as (and including) the rear doors. The stretch is clearly visible between the rear doors and the rear wheelarch. Further back is the volumous rear luggage area, including a large hatch which, when opened, leaves a very low loading height, and the split folding rear seats which enable (when all folded) up to 1540dm3 of space to be used. The rear tailgate design echoes the Siena with a horizontal swage connecting the light clusters whilst roof bars add to the visual impact of the vehicle.
In some markets a version of the estate known as the 'Adventure' is also available. This has an 'off-road' kit which makes the car visually more aggressive, with different bumpers, bull-bars, bars along the sills, various plastic trim and a raised ride height. In 2002 the Weekend also received a facelift (see Palio below) in certain markets.
2001 Facelift
In 2001 the Palio received a redesigned front end incorporating new headlights, a new grille which included the now standard round Fiat badge and a new bumper. The rear was also redesigned with a new tailgate and light clusters. At the same time a raft of other improvements were introduced, including a redesigned dashboard, revised suspension, new engines, new instrumentation, improved safety etc. A claimed 80% of components were new. This revised car was first introduced in Brazil and then gradually into other plants.
Albea / Petra
Released in 2002, the Albea is effectively a Siena with the same treatment as the facelifted Palio described above including a redesigned boot and rear lights. In Egypt effectively the same car is known as the Petra, released later the same year, whilst in some markets the facelifted car is still known as the Siena. It is fitted with one of two 16V engines, 1.6 and 1.2-litres, both conforming to Euro III emissions standards.
2003 Facelift
In 2003 the Palio was again revised. In a similar way to the 2001 facelift, the front end was redesigned incorporating new headlights, a new grille and a new bumper, all taking cues from the Punto design. The rear was also redesigned with a new tailgate and light clusters. Internally the dashboard and instruments were again changed and a variety of other details throughout the car were improved.
See also: Palio
External links
