|
 Since
the days of Y10, Lancia’s small cars were all derived from Fiat’s
platforms
to save money - the Y10 was built on Fiat Uno, Ypsilon Mk1 was a
rebodied
Fiat Punto Mk1. Compare with the large volume Fiats, the Lancias were
packaged
and sold as niche models - more emphasis on style and luxury, accompany
with a higher price tag of course. From 1985 to 2003, the two
generations
of Lancia small cars sold 1.8 million units, just a fraction of the
Fiat
equivalents.
The
new Ypsilon Mk2 follows this route again. From technical point of view
it is a rebodied Fiat Punto Mk2, but from the customer point of view it
is a much more attractive car than the Fiat. First to catch your eyes
is
the cute, tasteful and elegant styling. The shape is simple, but it is
rich of elegant details, such as the shield grille, the
fingernail-shape
headlamps, the characteristic line running across the top of front and
rear wheelarches, the distinctive rearlights, the clampshell
hatchback....
apart from BMW’s Mini, no other small cars look so prestige and
tasteful.
The design studio of Lancia once again proved its superiority over
Fiat’s.
 The
cabin is also expensively trimmed with high quality textile mixed and
match
in tasteful color scheme. Over the top is the "Skydome" glass sunroof -
it covers 70% of the roof, contributing to a light and airy ambience.
Besides,
a lot of high-class equipment is offered, such as Bose Hi-Fi, 2-zone
climate
control and cruise control. In terms of space, the Ypsilon is more or
less
the same as Punto. Its occupants sit high but still have a lot of
headroom,
thanks to the 1530mm body height. The only problem is the lack of
5-door
version. Like its predecessors, the Ypsilon Mk2 is only available in
3-door
form. Admittedly, this is not a big problem to a niche small car and it
benefits the styling as well.
Sharing
the same underpinnings, Ypsilon handles and rides like the current Fiat
Punto. Blame to the lifeless electric-assisted steering, it will never
inspire its driver to attack corners. However, the firm suspensions
resist
roll well and the torsion-beam rear setup keeps the tail movement tidy
at the limit, thus Ypsilon should meet the expectation of all but the
most
demanding drivers. On broken surfaces, the suspensions soak up big
bumps
effectively. High speed damping is also remarkable. The only condition
it doesn’t deal well is on minor undulation and ripples, where it
reveals
a slight lack of compliance.
 Although
ride and handling is just average, Ypsilon has some excellent engines.
Best among them is Fiat’s latest Super Fire 1.4-litre dohc 16V engine.
Unusually, this engine has aluminum head and block so that it weighs
only
69kg. A long-stroke combustion chamber (72m x 84mm) enables very strong
torque: 94 lbft at 4500rpm and the torque curve is almost flat from
2000
to 5500rpm. On the other hand, it produces a remarkable 95 horsepower,
thanks to an unusually high 11.0:1 compression. On the road, the
Ypsilon
equipped with this engine is quick and tractable. When you press hard,
it even emits a sporty note to excite the driver. It is probably the
best
mass-production 1.4 engine currently on the market.
The
1.4 engine will spread to other Fiat group models, including Fiat
Punto.
However, even with this engine the Punto will not be as attractive to
buy
as Lancia Ypsilon. |