History has condemned the FIAT Multipla - but are we wrong about why?
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- Опубликовано: 15 июн 2024
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Today, a car remembered almost exclusively for being the ugliest of them all - the FIAT Multipla. But is that really why it failed?
Cameo appearance from @dadcars
#FIAT #Multipla #uglystick
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We had one. It came with "wait until you see the front" written on the back window. This was something fiat did..
The only channel to run from Fiat to Ferrari.
And let's not forget Schumacher did the Multipla commercial.
Same brand
Two FIAT products..
@@blarkdexture8899 so vw and every subcompany of vw are actually all porsche? Sure thing 👍🏻
We had three of these: they can carry 6 adults with a big boot (7 seaters had cramped child only rear seats, and no boot). We would take out seats and use them as a large van, carrying the PA for a 5 piece band, and when camping, use a roof box, all of the gear would fit, in a footprint no longer than a focus. Brilliant.
A vw caddy life minibus would do all these things
@@gimlifan12 Yes, but then you'd have something with the depth of personality and distinctiveness of a concrete bollard.
@@gimlifan12 the wv caddy Is not only bigger (it' around 30cm longer) but also much more expensive (by being a VW products).
@@gimlifan12 Yes but that one is both ugly and boring at the same time.
@@gimlifan12narrow
Talking aesthetics here,
The reason the Multipla failed is the same reason why we have boxes that all looks the same now !
I'm guessing you mean "aesthetics"! I put the Multipla in the "so weird it's cool" category.
theres "everything is the same", and then theres "car designed by Homer Simpson"
people aren't generally creative or want / think of standing out.
I have never found the Multipla ugly, in fact I think it's stylish. Haters tend to lack imagination and probably slobber over some godawful SUV.
@@diogovieira3362Yeah, but if there really WAS a car designed by Homer Simpson, I bet loads of people would buy it.😂
i had to sit in between my mate's parents in a fiat multipla while they argued the whole way back from a camping holiday in wales when i was a child. the mum was driving quite angrily and the dad had his bare feet up on the dash. my mate and his sisters played on their DSs in the back. it was very awkward
holidaying in Wales invariably ends in arguments
Yikes, that sounds awful. Can't help wondering if the marriage survived.
@@rodoherty1 they moved to LA. much happier in the sun id imagine
It’s not ugly…. It’s beautiful in it’s own way😢
I knew one person who had one. They loved it.
Never understood why people decided it was the ugliest car ever. I 0:13 really like it, and would have considered buying it. But those engines...
Kind of like it. It’s charming in a way.
Reminds me of a dolphin - sort of.
If the Japanese had made it...but they wouldn't. :)
While it's not pretty, far from it actually, I don't think it's a very hateful car. In that sense, it's actually a lot better than many modern cars.
This has aged really well, and looks amazing compared to the tripe that's being churned out today.
I had an original Multipla for a little under 9 years, bought at 8.5k miles and 130k miles when it was written off. It was a great car and mostly reliable. The mirrors are underappreciated, and very useful for reverse parking. You could slide across the car and get out either side. The seats were all individually upright, comfortable chairs. The visibility was great, and the cabin was very light and airy.
The perfect Multipla would be one with 2.4 five-cylinder diesel out of the 156 (10-valve for preference).
Full disclosure: I've owned 9 Citroëns, and I think that the Avantime is lovely.
The Multipla is a clever, good engineered car and I have always loved its unique design and practicality 😊
It's practicality was incredible , something the haters simply would not understand.
I miss the era of those quirky cars, when designers were not afraid of taking risks. Now it’s just 500, sporty 500, bigger 500 and 500 crossover…
I think the multipla is arguably prettier than the 500L.
The 500 was a good looking car though and pretty daring compared to most cars when it came out. It still looks new today. Not the 500x though, that thing was just ugly.
@@paultasker7788 also with nearly the same size the multipla got way more space inside and way better engines
@@elnyoutube123 true. 500 like the mini looks good. Making the design bigger (countryman, 500l/x) does not work well. Looks ungainly.
@@7uplore544 I know which I’d rather crash though. All that safety kit uses space. Just look at size of latest F1 cars.
When the Multipla came out MY reaction was one of awe! You see, I appreciate DESIGN that solves problems, and this vehicle was a non-van solution to the MPV conundrum! IT WORKED, and in doing so, asked if we needed to look at cars as utility vehicles rather than trying to fool everyone into believing the "dad-mobile" was a sexy thing! This was a car that asked you to think, rather than chase shiny baubles! I thought it was comical, but a rather bold solution to the urban carshare or school run!
I have always admired those who EXPLORE ideas and the products that break moulds! (Dyson was another, more successful example!)
Wanted a multipla for years, but my girlfriend said she will move out and take the kids!!! I think they are cool, don't understand the hate? 😂
If your girl responds like that to toys you want (and you can reasonably afford)... Get the toy anyway and test her.
If she's a keeper, she'll want to see you happy and support you even if she doesn't necessarily understand it. If she leaves, keep the toy and get a new girl.
My wife is usually the one who talks me into buying things I want. At least she is now we can afford things I've always wanted.
You need a more intelligent girlfriend.
@@richardsmith579 And a more sympathetic one.
My mate had one sometime after he married and just before his twins a came along he loved it the kids grew up loving it and it never failed him I borrowed it for a week and it was very useful and handled well I can't fault it
We had a Multipla twice as a family car. The youngest always wanted to sit in the front ( which was never a problem, rather the opposite ) and most parents know the problem with disputes on the back seat. The one who is causing the problem comes between the parents and there is peace. But the older ones (teenagers) would certainly have liked to use the paper bag ;-)
If you look at how much luggage space is left in the Zafira or Sharan when all seats are used, you can see how huge the Multipla trunk actually is. So your points of criticism are actually advantages, namely relatively large trunk, great for smaller children and even in Italy a 1.9m car fits through every alley (today's SUVs are not narrower) and with a length of 4m, the search for a parking space is much easier (especially in Italy). And the chassis offers dynamics on country roads, where the competition sways through the curves. But unfortunately, the rust and sticky plastic in the interior are the biggest drawbacks. You have to want and like this very special design, then there is almost no alternative. Just like the Renault Vel Satis you spurned, which we got afterwards and which I still happily drive today ;-)
Both true, my parents had one new, front middle seat was something to fight for 😂 Trunk space was also incredible, as a family of 5 we had no problem to travel 2000km with clothes and food for 2 weeks and still be comfortable
The fact that mk2 Multiplas are worth less than the awesome mk1s are testament to how Fiat knocked it out of the park with the first generation. Long live the Multipla!
I always loved Multipla. My uncle had it new from the factory when I was about 8. I loved the space inside and the fact I could drive in front on the middle seat. They are absurdly spacious even without considering how small they are (about 4m long). I would love to have pre-facelift Multipla in my collection
We have friends in Italy that had one. The husband reminded me, that although it isn’t the most elegant, he couldn’t see that from the drivers seat. He told me it was very good and what it needed to do-family mover.
Saw loads of these when I was over in Normandy in 2001. A local told me that they had seemingly adopted the car for its "personality."
Saw one advertised on Marketplace and someone asked him " is this still for sale"? Seller said "it is yes" and the bloke then said "not surprised".😂
savage lol
My mate was doing a house up, they wouldn't let him in to the tip with his Berlingo, so bought a multiplayer for £400 with 10 months MOT, all seats out and he had himself a mini skip. Saved him a fortune on skips, tip runs, builders merchant visits.
Fun Fact: In my state, tgere are no inspections at all, for any car of any age....but in my home state there are, and they do not transfer to the new owner...so even if yoy got it i spected a week ago...if yiu sold it, the new owner would have to pay to have it i spected again....ah, pure American corruption.
My brother in law had 2 of these and he adored them. Both were diesels which is probably the best choice of engine.
I borrowed it to use for my holiday and as a family car it was brilliant. Roomy, comfortable with awesome visibility. It was great on fuel too. The middle centre seat when folded down made for a great storage table for maps, drinks and food.
What do I remember the Fiat Multipla for?
Well, I remember it as the winner of Top Gear Car Of The Year. As well as Top Gear's Family Car Of The Year. That's good enough in my book.
You forgot to mention the Top Gear Rover James.
Family car of the year three years running.
The most practical use of space possible in a car, practically a tardis
This car has amazing handling and stability... better than most "normal cars" ...
Also... the gear shift on the higher position was a new thing at that time...
It is that kind of "ugliness" that is beautiful...
I had a 2nd generation Multipla for 5 years. I wanted a 1st gen, but by the time I bought mine, most of them were getting on.
I may be one of the few, but I think they look awesome. I love it when designers dare to be different, especially for cars like people carriers that are the most dull things in the earth!
The Multipla is also outrageously practical. 6 full sized seats, rather than 5 full sized and 2 child seats like you get in most MPVs. And it turns into a van in 5 minutes! We used mine for a house move and it was a life saver.
The biggest drawback was actually its fragility. The suspension was forever failing MoTs and it was costing £500 to replace trailing arms. It got to the point where several garages refused to work on it as it was such a pig! In the end it got replaced with a 325 touring M sport, but it did 150k.
"Ugly compared to what" is the question - surely not its rather dull and unimaginative competitors? Multipla was different for the right reasons - innovative design, clever packaging, fresh Interpretation. "Bravo" to Fiat for taking the plunge! 🙌
My neighbour has had many of them. He assures me it's because, as a drummer, he can fit his drum-kit in without completely dismantling it. This saves hours of messing about before and after gigs and when he gets home etc. The only other suitable vehicles are vans and he says he's tried those and finds them too tiring and slow to drive. Probably not what you want after a couple hours of drumming! Only issue I ever heard him have was a puncture in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors, When he came to retrieve the spare tyre which is housed on the underneath of the vehicle the locking mechanism had seized and he couldn't access the spare-tyre. He got very wet and muddy trying and then had to walk some distance to get phone reception, he was not happy lol. He now removes the spare a few times per year and lubricates the mechanism in case he gets a puncture again.
We had 2, both the original and new one. Never had any issues, they were great for a family with 4.
I grew up as a kid with a fiat multipla and we couldn't choose the colour so we got turquoise
Well who cares if tou have a choice or not when the color tou are offered is the signature color 😂
I had one for many years. A wife, 3 kids and a large dog!!
It's was brilliant.
I've owned S600 Mercedes, several Mercedes estates and built a Caterham. All of which, I would say, were at the top of their game. I would rate the design(other than looks) of the Multipla on a par with all of them. It was genius. One two centre trip to France we had all 5 of us, 2 weeks luggage AND 5 BIKES.
The central front seat was perfect for McDonald's drive through. Fold it down, it had a tray on the back, and it was the perfect centre table.
Great car, only wished it had been built by Mercedes instead of Fiat!!!
The gear lever would come off in your hand, and towards the end, we used to keep a bucket in the back because of the leaking sunroofs.
A great car, we loved it.
My parents bought one new and to this day, they said that this was the best vehicle they bought. Their favorite thing was space in it and incredible visibility. As a child sitting in the back seat I remember there were tons of space on one road trip I made a blanket castle I between seats. The other cool thing was third seat in front, so when going on a roadtrip one of 3 kids could sit in front and make some space in the back. Next car they bought was a Peugeot 807 and it is out lived by 10 year older 1.9 diesel Multipla.
Am I the only person who thought it looked cool as soon as it came out - and thought its rebody was a travesty? A brilliant, brilliant design.
I did too.
I've always been a fan. I had a 1/43 model of it and swapped some chunkier wheels off a cheap M5 model onto it and with no hint of irony, it looked utterly brilliant.
@@knightofcydonia07 Excellent. I actually have a lowered Multipla on 17’s so know what you mean. Crazy things!
Thanks for this review, James. I owned a Multipla 1.9 JTD in Malaysia between 2003 and 2013 - basically right up until the local Fiat distributor packed up and left, leaving me with no way to get parts and service (most mechanics wouldn't work on it).
It was a bittersweet ownership experience. The ride's actually pretty good when new, but gets really choppy with age once all the rubber bushings go hard.
It's a great car for road trips - the seating arrangement encourages interaction between your passengers, the brightly coloured fabric trim is very inviting and the big windows make it feel a lot more spacious than it is. It's genuinely a very fun car to be in.
Some markets don't have the cargo-area cover, so you can stack a fair amount of luggage vertically. Even when fully loaded, the 1.9-litre diesel pulls really well and it's generally a fun thing to chuck into a corner.
However, the biggest issues with it are chronic unreliability and the fact that it wasn't built to last. Almost everything breaks in a Multipla - from interior trim, to gearbox linkages, to camshaft pulleys and various pumps and sensors. I ended up spending a fortune keeping mine on the road.
I probably wouldn't have gotten one again if I went back in time, but I miss my Multipla dearly. In fact, it's the only car I've ever owned that shows up in my dreams.
A multipla owner from malaysia? Wow this is very rare! Kudos for having exquisite taste👏
I absolutely agree. I love that a few manufacturers went out there on design. This, the PT cruiser, Aztek etc. it’s so boring these days.
I think Multipla is quite cute. Like Twingo's slightly pudgy aunt living next door, always fun to be around, and if you need some salt or flour you can always knock on her door.
And yes, it does feel very French indeed.
I am old enough to have been in my early teens when the Multipla was a thing and I had a guilty soft-spot for it. There was no denying the practicality of the thing, it seemed like a barn inside on top of having six seats, and while it could never be described as "beautiful", for an MPV it was at least instantly recognisable. MPVs of the day were al much-of-a-much-ness; all very dull and samey, so the Multipla being eye-poppingly different was kind of cool.
It's like the Renault Avantime; everyone gave it grief but I think secretly everyone kind of liked it.
Everytime I see one, especially pre facelift, I take a photo or just look around. I like the look of the car - HUGE windows, wide and spacious, goofy face. The same goes to Renault Twingo mk1.
In Rome when I got in a taxi for the first time our driver started road raging….at a police car until he decided to overtake the police car on the wrong side of the road right in the centre of Rome.
I did like the Multipla design 😎when launched still so unique even to this day
love the Multipla! There's something so endearing about it! So much personality! A true icon!
Loved mine, such a great design for families, handled surprisingly well (wide track and very little overhang of the bodywork)
Good review these hold a special place for me. Had 3, turquoise petrol elx mk1, dark red petrol elx mk2, silver diesel elx mk1, chosen for their full size seats, 3 under 5’s needing seats abreast = multipla.
Preferred mk1 for full bizarre looks, same width as a transit, had a factory fitted fridge/cubby in place of front centre seat in one. Loved the low window line, amazing practicality with seats out, decent boot for size, took us all camping on many occasions.
Dont mention reliability, sunroofs both leaked water into headlining, when braking it made a lovely waterfall down the windscreen.
Subframes went on two.
Now drive Japanese. Would I have another multipla? yes without question for a beater and fun.
I had a 2001 diesel multipla from 2003 - 2009 covered more than 60k. Completely reliable, excellent handling, fuel economy and not much bigger in length than a focus. Yet it carried 3 kids and 2 adults to the south of France with 4 bicycles in comfort with enough stuff to keep us all occupied for a fortnight. I had the original dolphin stylish one not the restyle version. Unfortunately, it was written off in a collision. Carrying four and no one injured in the slightest. Absolutely a great stylish family car! Nothing touches it today!
I got in a front end collision in my 98 Sentra....I did not file a claim because I knew they woukd write it off, so i replaced all the parts and had a shop pull back the frame to it's correct shape 😂 It is reliable still and my only transportation
Had two of then one after the other,back in the day when we had 3 small children fantastic car, boot size can be made a lot bigger by moving the rear seats forward on the floor. Did lots of camping trips with no problems all the best.
...but I'm not sure we all used to think this car is ugly when it came out, did we?
I remember seeing them "in the wild" when they were fresh cars and I thought they were interesting, unusual looking. I was intrigued to see a car with 3 seats in the front, and 6 in total.
I don't recall people calling them ugly back them. Didn't it all this start a bit later thanks to people on the internet?
I put the multipla is the same section as the Pontiac Azket and Renault Aventime. All weird to look at but brilliantly designed. my Flatmate's family had one about 20 years ago and it was brilliant for them out in the country.
The original Multilpla was another amazing car, years ahead of it's time.
Since Big Car’s multipla story, it makes a lot of sense. It’s hideous no denying but it makes ultimate sense from a practical standpoint
I haven’t got crap in my eyes but I actually quite like it. Such a clever design too
The last 5 minutes of this review are what sets James apart, genuinely insightful stuff 👍😎
That and the use of the word... 'muntiferous'??
He is a master of vocabulary. Was that word his invention? (It wasn't 'mortiferous', right?)
"to hide from God" - hahahaha!
I’ve always liked the Mutipla. Even when it was first introduced. I don’t think it’s ugly, I think it’s characterful. They ruined that character with the later facelifted model. But that’s just me I suppose. I especially liked it in purple. A color I don’t usually go for. Oh, and the Aventime ain’t that bad either 😏
my bro had one and loved it; what killed his was it needing a new engine management module or something, which cost over a grand so that killed it.
We bought one new with the 'W' reg (SX: silver and red interior) when we had young children.. perfect for stopping squabbling about sitting in the front and useful on long journeys when the middle front seat could be laid flat to put a small DVD player to keep them happy. In the early days fellow owners would wave to each other, probably as part relief for having bought one in the first place. The quality of the hard internal plastic made scratching an issue and the width was a problem but compared with current SUV cars now nothing special. Fond memories before becoming conventional with a number of Audi wagons...
Well, when our child arrived, we traded in a Ls 400 ( still on the road according to dvla) to get one of these- it did us proud,60k miles, designed by a chap who was about to start a family who started from the inside.. the seats are not in a row ,but the middle is staggered back, sounds odd but worked well,the flexibility was first rate, we got a wardrobe in once,and trips to seaside with pushbikes etc was a breeze, in the end tho the ecu died ( a Bosch part) so traded it in for a Honda FRv which was Hondas take on a six seater and they are even more forgotten the the multi( still on the road I notice!)
Love Multiplas. The Japanese did make one btw., The Honda FR-V. Alas as dull as the facelifted Fiat.
They're still reasonably common here in eastern europe. There's at least two in my village of ~3000.
Due to its width, it is surprisingly good in the corners
This Multipla looks better than the one your friend Ian from Hubnut bought long ago. It was a ex pimped football car. Ian loved it but he had to get rid of it in the end. The Hublettes and Ms Hubnut are still in therapy to this day! LOL.
You couldn't say this car is boring. Hats off for being different.
I would have bought it if I were based in the UK. Yes, I am serious. I loved it, it was hilarious. The rear wiper as a leg kicking a ball was imspired, as was the green shag pile carpet mimicking a field.
Yeah, but at least FIAT tried. The Styling was a funniosity, but they were actually really practical, comfortable, usable cars. That, or an Espace for a lot more money....
The Fiat Multipla, 'the car for advanced users', especially the Novitec version. I should know because I have one.... ;)
Dad Cars channel is not really for me, definitely not the right demographic..but the Father’s Day cameo was very tasteful I must say
I love the multipla! It’s a testament to fiats strong minded weirdness and cleverness!
That last facelift made it look like a Panda on steroids 🙃
Got to be the best coincidence this year, James says "it's big, really big" only for a temu ad to pop up advertising clothes for ++ size women.
I can't believe I just sat through a 22 minute video for a Multipla. That was fun.
In Italy it's a rare car now. I see some nowadays, and usually they're used by workers who carry stuff around, so they're used as vans, with very high mileages, the interiors usually are trashed and the exterior suffers from the usual issue: lacquer peeling out.
I didn't see one in good conditions since who knows when.
The base model didn't have a rev counter, but all the other trim levels did. Also, the headlamps made perfect sense - fogs at the bottom, dip beam in the middle and main beam up high. Function over looks! Love the Multipla!
Thats not right I'm afraid. Neither the SX or ELX had a rev counter until the minor facelift in 2001 when all models recieved a rev counter as standard. I have all the brochures as well as the Multipla in this video ;-)
@@glynhayler9186 thanks for correcting me. I genuinely thought the rev counter was there from the beginning. My memory did not serve me well! 🙏
Love the Dadcars cameo 😂
Years ago, when our three children were small, we needed an MPV. We test-drove a Multipla and it's larger brother the Ulysse. I preferred the Multipla. The Ulysse drove like what it was, a van, but the Multipla felt like a big hot hatch. However, my wife won, and we got the Ulysse.
Why are so many men beta around women?
You are the woman in the relationship
@@AmericanBusinessman422HE wears the trousers.......
She tells him which ones!😂😂
@@AmericanBusinessman422 Tell us you've never been in a relationship without telling us you've never been in a relationship.
@@AmericanBusinessman422Oh no, not the woman...if one of you wants one thing and the other wants another...you go with a third option....unless 1 party is doing all of the paying, then they choose.
We used to have the face lift version of this car. It was purple and it’s probably the quirkiest car we had as family cars go.
Believe it or not, but the wheel base is very similar to the e46... Therefore an italian youtuber is curently swapping chasis between the 2. So we can admire the multipla styling while it goes sideways
I had one. From brand new! And it was excellent as a family hack for many years and over 150k miles.
The advertising brochure had some backwards writing cut out on the front, and when you opened it it said "It works on the inside" - and it did! Yes, the looks are an acquired taste, but it's good to be different.
The Multipla does not deserve the hate, ignoring the looks, it's a very clever, practical car. Same thing has happened to other cars like the Ford Scorpio, people cannot get past the looks and see how good the car is at what it does.
I like how airy the cabin looks.
Ive often checked the classifieds for one of these! Theyre so rare now though!
We hired one of these for a UK holiday and I have to say it was great, really great fun. It did run out of a gas over a long motorway trip but nobody cared.
It's not as ugly as a Nissan Juke.
I own one since 2002 and still using it.... cute car..
My only Multipla experience was a journey in a Naples taxi, they have to be the fastest Fiat ever made
I actually really like them! Whilst I wouldn't say it was beautiful, I love the design.
From the 60's up until the noughties I, and most of my family were fans of Italian and French cars. Twice I nearly had a Multipla in my life, the first in 1967 when I was 10 years old my mother chose a Viva HB estate instead of a 600 which my dad had shortlisted for her. I remember going on the test drive and thinking it felt like a van because it was forward control and slow. The second when in 1999 I bought a Marea Weekend, despite really wanting a Multipla because my wife hated the styling and did not even bother to walk around the front after seeing the sticker in the rear screen, which read. "Wait till you see the front!".
Well the Japanese did build one of these ... It's the FRV, and no one seemed to remember it despite having the same layout and looks that even your kids can love
I love my FRV!
I get some double takes on the road, people can’t understand what they’ve seen.
Brilliant for moving stuff and a very compact turning circle.
Still have it, identical to this, first owners! Extra practical car! (sold it in between than bought back..)
as with the French the downfall was the focus on the local market. No automatic and the need to make a very short car instead of a sensible size with huge interior
If you mean Italy as the local market, I always thought this car was a strange one to come from Italy, with all those tiny villages and narrow streets!
I think it's a great concept having 4 kids myself. You get a bigger boot than many a people carrier compared with a traditional 7 seater when one of the rear seats is in use. Also the added safety of not having a child sitting with all your luggage. I'd have bought one at the time it was suitable but for the wife thinking they were ugly. I also like the Honda Frv for the same reasons.
They made a polarising (although almost everybody thinks it's ugly), and people hated it. Then Fiat listened to the haters and dialed back the design...a bit too much for some. It went from this to looking like almost every other MPV out there. I mean Euro sized MPVs, not American sized minivans.
lol happy Father’s Day everyone! I can’t wait to drive one of these 🙌
I borrowed my Uncles Purple one over a Christmas period about 20 years ago.
I loved it!
Great little car!
I'm in Japan, and my parents had one when I was 5-6 years old. It was a weird but happy car, and owning it pulled our whole family into the "slightly unusual (for Japanese) European car" rabbit hole. This led us to privately import a diesel Citroen C4 Picasso (only available in petrol in Japan), a Renault Trafic (not available in Japan and only few examples exist here), and even buy a 1991 Renault 4. For us, this car was a gateway to Western car culture, a cherished childhood memory, and the origin of our love for car life as we know it now.
Ugly, but unforgettable, and still lovely in my memories.
My mum had one in the early 2000s. She also had 4 children, so a small 6-seat MPV was ideal, and the only similar car was the Honda FRV.
Hers was the 1.9 JTD, which is a fantastic engine, albeit the throttle would occasionally runaway leaving her revving up at the lights, and it developed a leak that sprayed diesel in front of the car. It went to the garage, and Fiat dropped it from the lift, meaning she had a yellow one for several weeks rather than the sunset red (orange) one that she had bought.
The facelift removed the "high lights" (as we called them), which was probably a mistake - night time visibility with 6 forward facing lights was incredible.
i, for one, thought these were cool, always had an admiration for "dare to be different" designs, and it reminded me of the Twingo mk1.
I had two Multipla's , a 1.6 Petrol in the UK, and 1.9 JTD in NZ, great cars I had three kids and it worked really well, and the advantage not having any of the kids in the crumple zone like most MPV's of the time, as you can move the rear seats forward and back the boot space was reasonable and never a problem, and when needed being able to turn it into a van was really good. The 1.9JTD is the best option. Almost didn't buy the first one, went for a test drive of one with my wife and as we were driving along another Multipla came towards us with teh Passenger enthusiastically waving at us much to my wife's embarrassment.
When I first got mine (a second hand 2000 petrol) in 2008 waving to other multiplas was a regular occurrence. Not had the opportunity for many years now :-(
I remember when that thing first came and all the journos gushing over how well it drove. Didn't matter. Clearly
I had to drive one from london to Brighton as the driver was taken ill. Whilst I was reversing round, the dashbord mounted gear lever popped out and I was left with it in my hand, there was much hilarity from friends who were watching. I pushed the lever back in the hole and carried on the journey with no other mishap!
i always loved these so much, my aunt and uncle had a blue 1.9 JTD and i remember feeling slightly awkward when sitting in the front between them but it was always a novelty. always had a soft spot for these and the Xsara Picasso. i bought a Picasso after seeing them everywhere for 22 years, i love it
The position of the gear knob is one of my favourite things to come out of the Multipla, 500, Panda, etc… Such a great idea that actually works.
Love these! I had the bland facelifted version and was a great family bus. Hauled kids, tents & bikes all round the UK and never missed a beat. Parking in London was much easier than larger people carriers. Width was never a problem either. The only one I have seen recently was owned by a guy who designs Ferraris for a living.
Bought one four months ago. Magnetico blue 2007 mk2 petrol for 1.7k€. ~250kkm. Wife was mad as hell, we had a big argument, but soon she changed her mind cos its practical side not the looks. Father said Fiat is not a car lol.
Previous owner had engine replacement, new radio, gas unit removal. I have changed oil, filters, wipers, front brake discs, pads and arms bushes, new exhaust. Fitted brand new Fiat500 alloys. The other day clutch cable broke, was cheap fix. Need to replace/clean and seal trunk switch properly coz water is going inside and in the winter it freezes and cant open. No more big issues...yet. Parts are bit hard to find, but not impossible. Very little rust under rear passenger door. Same about the bottom of the car. Its not the most reliable car, but I kinda love it. I like that my 3yo kid can sit in the front middle and see how happy he is.
We also went to midsummer party with it carrying 2 kids and 6 adults and all the stuff in trunk - tents, food, grill and so on. I wish I had roofbars tho, hard to find.
I have looked more new car to buy, but seems theres no car that really can compete with Multi except FRV which is same rare as Multis in our market.
Theres under 50 pieces in my country and about half of them are on the road. They are rare coz nobody wants them😂
Live long Multiplas!
I'd take a Multipla over any of the boring SUVs on offer today.
Especially compared to the 'Transformer' toy styling so prevalent today. The Multipla is a work of art in comparison.
I had three over the course of 10 years. they are absolutely briljant. Yes the mirrorcontrols are in the ceiling, so what? Headroom is limited when the optional sunroof is fitted but that is the story for many cars. Yes it is wide but so are most cars today and ugly is in the eyes of the beholder. So is beauty. Rust is an issue in the UK and other country's where salt is not just used for boiled eggs but isn't that true for many many cars, including German ones? In the Uk but also in Swiss and Holland a special body kit was optional including lowering springs and 7.5x17" wheels. This transforms the way the car drives. It becomes genuinely fun to drive. I have owned one in central Italy with this kit and it was great fun to chuck about. I already notice interest in the Multipla growing and prices for decent series one cars are definately on the up. It seems people are finaly ready for one of the best but most understood cars of the 90's. Jason, however will not be one of them.
It's has a very well designed and engineered interior. The tiny Stick shifter is a pleasure to use and allows for a third passenger in the front seat.