Fiat piggybacks on Chrysler's Journey
Rather than developing it from scratch, Italian marque reaps economies of scale by sourcing its new people hauler from its US subsidiaryHere's the first fruit of the Fiat-Chrysler partnership. Pictured alongside is the Fiat Freeemont, a badge-engineered version of the Dodge Journey that will be pitched at the European market.
The MY2011 Journey was revealed last November at the Los Angeles motor show, and the Fiat derivative adheres closely to the donor vehicle, barring a few cosmetic tweaks -- most notably a revised grille and LED taillights.
The Freemont will target the burgeoning (in Europe) MPV segment and is billed as a vehicle that's "designed to meet the diverse needs of families and those seeking a spacious, comfortable and versatile vehicle to cater for the frenetic pace of everyday life or weekend leisure time".
UK's Autocar magazine suggests the Freemont's arrival could be the death knell for the long-in-the-tooth Multipla, which has been around since 1998. The offbeat original (which had lights mounted just below the A-pillars and was voted 'Ugliest Car' in the 1999 Top Gear awards) was facelifted in 2004 to embody a more conventional look
Although critically acclaimed by the Euro motoring press, the Multipla is long overdue for replacement, and only a spending freeze by Fiat has prevented this from happening already.
Despite being almost identical externally to the Journey that spawned it, the Freemont allegedly gains revised steering and suspension for "greater accuracy and directness".
Initial powertrain choices will include a pair of 2.0-litre Multijet turbodiesels with 103kW and 125kW respectively, but in due course they will be supplemented by Chrysler's 203kW 3.6-litre Pentastar V6.
Among the Freemont's revisions vis-à-vis the Journey are more soft-touch materials in the cabin, along with a new instrument panel and centre console.
The vehicle will be offered in Europe with tri-zone air-con, cruise control, keyless entry and steering wheel controls, while the flagship variant scores 17-inch alloys, Bluetooth, rear parking sensors and darker rear windows.
The Freemont debuts at the Geneva motor show in March, but Ateco Automotive (Fiat's distributor in Australia) is yet to announce whether it will be sold here.
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