Fiat Freemont 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $25,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Seven seat option $1500
Crash rating: Four-star (Euro NCAP)
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 9.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 233
Also consider:Holden Captiva 7 (from $32,490); Ford Territory (from $39,990); Mazda CX-9 (from $44,425); Mitsubishi Outlander (from $29,340)

Fiat has seriously upsized it’s offering in Australia. On paper, the new Fiat Freemont reads as a real threat to the current offerings in the market. An affordable five- or seven-seat SUV with a sweet specification list as standard; local rivals in the family-car segment may be uttering the ‘F’ word a lot more than they have in the past.

The Fiat Freemont is available in three specification levels -- Base, Urban and Lounge -- and with two engine variants, a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel. Both are front-wheel drive. A six-speed automatic transmission is available across all three model variants, but the six-speed manual is only available in the 2.0-litre diesel Urban spec.

Perched on 17-inch alloy wheels, the Freemont strikes a masculine, commanding silhouette. Large panels are nicely formed and splashes of chrome brighten the exterior look. Colour-coded bumpers help to create a seamless, premium look to the exterior.

Our test car is the Fiat Freemont Base model and is powered by a 2.4-litre petrol engine that produces 125kW at 6000rpm and 220Nm at 4500rpm. It also has the seven-seat configuration on board, at an additional cost of $1500.

The Fiat Freemont’s interior is well executed -- it’s spacious, well planned, nicely finished and comfortable. It packs most of the features that families want from their car including remote keyless entry, push-button start, USB and auxiliary audio input, Bluetooth telephony and audio streaming, telephone voice command, multi-function steering wheel, electric windows for all, auto windows for driver and front passenger, good in-cabin lighting, a mass of smart storage options, driver control over all windows and door locks (front passenger can also central lock doors), and a full suite of safety equipment.

Entering the Fiat Freemont, you’re faced with large slabs of plastic across the dash that are softened by a textured finish and sweeping lines; splashes of faux-chrome also add visual interest to the Base model interior. Black dual-tone cloth seats look good and provide a nice firm cushion.

The centre stack and console are a little sparse, but nicely arranged with big, clear buttons. Although the 4.3-inch screen in the Base model is trumped by the 8.4-inch screen in the Urban spec, it does a fine job and it’s easy to navigate.

Phone pairing is simple and works seamlessly, as did the Bluetooth audio streaming. The touch screen is sensitive to touch and quick to respond. Even though the screen is small, the font and button icons are not, so it’s easy to use.

The Base model gets a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel that controls phone, audio, display modes and cruise control.

Dual-zone climate control is standard, and becomes triple-zone when the third-row seating is optioned.

Three-way manually-adjustable seats and a tilt/reach adjustable steering wheel make it easy to achieve a good driving position. Electric seats with seat memory would be better.

The Fiat Freemont delivers the pace you would expect from a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine hauling an SUV weighing in at 1874kg and stretching just shy of five-metres in length. It’s no sprint, but the power at hand is sufficient for this vehicle’s intended purpose.

The Freemont’s automatic transmission sees you through a nice, smooth set of gear changes. When you want a little more control, the manual gear select actually lets you rev high enough to feel a difference in power delivery.

Steering the Freemont is effortless, but it lacks good feedback and sharpness. As a result, there’s no feeling of connectedness with the road -- it’s a bit lifeless. Cornering is easy, but that vagueness remains. At higher speeds, there’s also a bit of body roll through corners, but humps and bumps are fairly well dampened to deliver a comfortable drive experience for all passengers.

The brakes on the Fiat Freemont are good and predictable.

Large A pillars are a given -- as are massive wing mirrors -- but despite this, visibility in the Freemont is not bad. With passengers seated in the third row however, rearward visibility is significantly obstructed. The reversing camera standard in the Urban and Lounge spec is a sad omission from the Base model.

While parking sensors were not fitted to our test vehicle (due to vehicle delivery schedules and time constraints), Fiat confirms that Base model vehicles will be sold with reversing sensors as standard.

There is no shortage of places to conceal your gear -- around 20 compartments of varying sizes, including multiple cup holders.

Second row space is great for three kids, tight for three adults. Foot well storage boxes in the second row are a fantastic use of space. There are also two inbuilt child booster seats.

While the back of the bus was a popular seat in school, the third row in a family vehicle is rarely a coveted position. The Fiat Freemont may help quell this long-standing family dilemma.

Entering the third row is easy. Handles on top of the second-row seats flip the seat base and the seat can slide forward. There’s no spring mechanism to help, so it’s a heavy shift to move it forward.

The Fiat Freemont’s third row is usable, comfortable and easy to access. Apart from exclusive entry, you’re treated as an equal; good visibility thanks to elevated seating position, comfortable seats, speakers, overhead lights, directional air-vents and three-point seat belts. The second row can be moved forward by 100mm to allow for additional knee room in the third row. Foot space is still not on par, but it’s absolutely fine for kids.

When you’re not using the third row the seats fold perfectly flat to maximise load space -- which grows to 1461 litres. Straps on the back of the seats allow you to easily engage the third-row seats from the boot, too.

A thoughtful option to accompany the seven-seat configuration is the Rear Seat Video Group that includes second row overhead screens and wireless headphones.

The boot lifts high and it’s quite heavy to pull closed, but good hand grips help in this regard.

The claimed fuel consumption is 9.8L/100km and on a predominantly city-based test week, the Fiat produced 10.5L/100km.

Standard safety equipment for the Fiat Freemont includes front, side and curtain airbags, three-point seatbelts for all passengers, driver and front passenger seatbelts with pretensions and load limiters, antilock brakes with brake assist, electronic stability program with hill-holder and electronic rollover mitigation. When the third row of seats is optioned, the side curtain airbags extend to protect the third row passengers.

With good looks, generous spec as standard, a good seven-seat option and aggressive pricing, the Fiat Freemont is poised to cause a flurry among mid-size SUVs. Welcome to the four-letter ‘F’ word the whole family can enjoy.

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