Fiat Idea (04-07) - Review

Review by Ben Wall on
The name Idea actually stands for Intelligent Design, Emotion and Architecture. It's Fiat's answer to the Vauxhall Meriva and offers plenty of space in a relatively compact body shape. The rear seats offer a fair degree of flexibility and there are some thoughtful touches and a generous level of equipment for the money. That's the intelligence and design, but we can't see much in the way of emotion in the architecture. That doesn't stop it being a useful little family runabout however. A light facelift was administered in 2006.
3.5 out of 5

Other Fiat reviews

4 out of 5

Safety

Top spec models get side and window airbags in addition to the standard driver and passenger airbags. They're optional on the base model. All versions have an electronic stability control system that helps the driver to regain control in an emergency scenario. An alarm, central locking and an immobiliser take care of the security.

NCAP Test

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  • Adult Occupant Rating

    4 out of 5
  • Child Protection Rating

    2 out of 5
  • Pedestrian Test Rating

    1 out of 5
4 out of 5

Reliability

The Idea uses the same mechanicals as the Punto which has proven itself to be thoroughly reliable. If anything, the build quality appears to have improved over other small Fiats.

Car check problem points

Body

Check for car park scrapes.

Engine/Gearbox

No problems reported.

Other

No problems reported.