Things you didn't know

"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse) 02/15/2018 at 18:12 • Filed to: Fiat, Croma

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Two things in fact.

This is a first gen Fiat Croma, which shared part of its design with the Saab 9000, Lancia Thema and Alfa 164.

The second thing is that this now long-forgotten Fiat was the first production car to be fitted with a direct injection diesel. It provided only 94 bhp from its 1.9 litres despite a turbo. We’ve come a long way.

arl > Cé hé sin 02/15/2018 at 18:20

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A handsome and probably slow little car. I like it. I mean, I would hate to drive it due to lack of any power, but I like it.

Cé hé sin > arl 02/15/2018 at 18:28

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I guess it depends on your definition of “little”! It was the biggest car in Fiat’s range. The related Saab 9000 was quite a large and roomy model.

Even the 2.5 V6 only had 158 bhp, but different times.

not for canada - australian in disguise > Cé hé sin 02/15/2018 at 18:28

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I knew the first fact, but not the second. The Saab/FIAT partnership that happened in the 80s was quite weird.

AuthiCooper1300 > Cé hé sin 02/15/2018 at 18:29

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In fact Fiat Auto worked a lot on diesel common rail technology (it was not their invention, either) but they were in such financial dire straits that they ended up selling manufacturing rights to Bosch, who perfected the system. The rest is history.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Cé hé sin 02/15/2018 at 18:33

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of those facts I wasn’t aware of the diesel one

AuthiCooper1300 > arl 02/15/2018 at 18:33

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2.0 Turbo ones where quite rapid (the engine was more or less the same as the one fitted to the Delta 4WD and the first Integrales), but the main problem with the Croma was their horrendous body flex.

Of all the “Tipo 4" cars they were the the least accomplished and, by far, the least attractive.

Cé hé sin > not for canada - australian in disguise 02/15/2018 at 18:37

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Yes, Saab didn’t like much of the design of the Type 4 and insisted on things like bigger wheels, because they liked to go their own way. A thing that was their undoing.

AuthiCooper1300 > not for canada - australian in disguise 02/15/2018 at 18:42

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Fiat Auto learnt a lot from the Swedes regarding heating/AC/ventilation, or so it has been said.

It seems also that ItalDesign (who penned the 9000) and the in-house Saab designers did not enjoy a trouble-free relationship. Allegedly the Scandinavians saw the Italians as, well, a bit too full of themselves.

I have always wondered if the root of the problem was one of culture clash, rather than the personal attitude of Giugiaro and his team. Lagom is not quite the way Italian society works.

Echo51 > Cé hé sin 02/16/2018 at 02:34

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94bhp from a 1.9L TD is pretty average tho, most of that vintage was at 90hp.