Fiat and Toyota, small cars with a big future

Fiat's new small wonder

A special edition version of Fiat’s popular 500 city car has just gone on sale exclusively through the Internet. The 500byDIESEL, a global limited edition run of just 10,000 examples, is the result of a collaboration between Fiat’s Style Centre in Turin and fashion label DIESEL’s design team. The idea was to create an ‘Urban Survival Vehicle’, perfect for town traffic, yet expressing the personality of its alternative young brand lovers.

500byDiesel represents Fiat’s first venture into selling vehicles via the web and follows the success of the Abarth 500 on-line deposit offer, which allowed customers to pre-order 200 of the performance supermini six months in advance of UK availability. All of these cars were allocated three months ahead of schedule.

Now, a new fully automated process allows customers to configure a 500byDIESEL, pay a deposit, order it direct from the factory, track the car’s progress, make a final payment and liaise with a geographically appropriate dealer about collecting the new vehicle – all on-line. The 500byDIESEL Internet campaign is thus Fiat’s next step into e-commerce and purchasing, exclusively online through www.fiat.co.uk.

Based on a Fiat 500 Sport version, the 500byDIESEL comes in metallic green, black or brown. The exterior features 16-inch alloy wheels with the DIESEL logo, brake callipers painted yellow (an option only on the 100 bhp 1.4 version), unique side trim with DIESEL wording, and special door mirror fairings.

Inside, there’s special upholstery in denim fabric. The label logo also appears on the instrument panel and gear knob, while a special pouch, reminiscent of the fifth pocket on DIESEL jeans, appears on the side of the front seats. In-car entertainment comes courtesy of Fiat’s Blue&Me hands-free telecommunications and entertainment technology, which means the car is eco:Drive compatible.

The 500byDIESEL will be available with all three Euro 5-ready power units in the Fiat 500 range – the 69 bhp 1.2 unit, 75 bhp 1.3 MultiJet with DPF, and a 100 bhp 1.4 16v engine. Prices start at £11,150.

Toyota raise their IQ

It is a common assumption that the smaller the car, the more vulnerable driver and passengers are in an accident. The new Toyota iQ – the world’s smallest four-seat production model – is proof this need not be the case, providing an unprecedented level of active and passive safety protection for an A-segment model.

From its basic framework to a 360-degree array of airbags, iQ goes further than any car in its class to ensure the safety of everyone on board should an accident happen. More than that, there is a full package of advanced braking and handling systems that help the driver maintain control of the car in difficult conditions, features that until now have been reserved for much larger models from the B/C segments and above.

Active Safety

iQ is equipped with a formidable range of braking and handling systems that give the driver more chance of avoiding an accident happening. ABS is supported by Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), which ensure maximum performance under emergency braking. By preventing the wheels from locking under braking, EBD also helps maintain stability when cornering and braking.

Steering Assist Vehicle Stability Control (VSC+) prevents loss of control in hazardous situations, for example when entering a corner too fast, or encountering slippery conditions that could provoke a skid. Sensors monitoring vital performance data around the car determine whether the driver is about to lose control and automatically triggers stability and safety systems, including adjustment of steering torque to help the driver make the correct turn of the wheel to keep the car on course.

Traction Control (TRC) is also provided as standard, automatically adjusting power delivery to individual wheels when any loss of traction is detected to maintain grip, for example when driving on wet or uneven surfaces.

Passive Safety

The protection cell around the cabin is a critical engineering feature of any car. For the new iQ, engineers developed a new protection system based on Toyota’s innovative multi-load path body structure. This provides six key countermeasures to mitigate the effects of any impact.

The engine is positioned towards the rear of the engine bay, allowing more space for an energy absorbing structure to be positioned at the front of the front side members. In a heavy collision, the engine will also function as a barrier, reducing impact on the passenger cell.

Strengthening of the dashboard means impact forces towards the passenger area can be distributed more evenly and effectively. In the cabin there are nine airbags, designed specifically to complement the size and shape of the interior, providing 360-degree protection.

They include a driver’s knee airbag, which, as it is closer to the driver than on other models, is smaller and deploys quicker. The front passenger front airbag uses a dual-chamber design first seen on Lexus models, which has the effect of cradling the passenger’s face while the force from inflation is spread across the shoulders. iQ also features Toyota’s first seat cushion airbag, fitted to the front passenger seat. This inflates under the thighs to help hold the body in place, maximising the protection given by the front and side airbags.  On-the-road prices are from £9,295

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