If, with a bit of a squint, you reckon this car looks like a Maserati, you’re not far off the mark. The same person who designed the latest model from the Italian sports car maker penned this Fiat hatch.
Some may call it a Maserati hatch but, in Australia at least, Fiat calls it the Ritmo. It’s Italian for rhythm but it doesn’t easily roll off the tongue. At first it sounds like the name of an electric lawnmower.
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The Ritmo name was first used by Fiat 30 years ago for a rudimentary hatch not sold here and shelved when the model was axed 20 years ago. And that is how we came to have an unconventional name for what seems, at first, to be an unconventional car.
The Ritmo has sports car touches, such as the long, sloping bonnet, pronounced nose and bulging rear haunches, but it is in fact a rival to the likes of the Volkswagen Golf.
It’s an athletic appearance rarely seen in the small-car class but it is a refreshing change. The beauty is more than skin deep. Inside, Fiat has used styling cues and materials similar to those in Maseratis, including the dash fascia, which is covered in a faux carbon-fibre weave and fine detailing in the instruments.
The Ritmo went on sale in Australia in February this year. Initially two engines were available - a 1.4-litre turbo petrol and a 1.9-litre turbo diesel - each with two levels of equipment (Emotion and Luxury). Prices started at $29,990 and stretched to $36,490.
This is at the premium end of the small-car class and Fiat equipped the Ritmo accordingly, with one notable exception. To help contain prices, stability control (which can help prevent a crash) is a $650 option on most Ritmo models. Locally, this puts the small Fiat at odds with its European peers, which have the technology as standard. It’s an unfortunate blot on an otherwise impressive safety story, for the Ritmo, with a full complement of airbags, scores five stars in European NCAP crash tests.
On the road, the Ritmo is fuss-free to drive although not everyone is likely to be a fan of the electrically assisted steering, which can slightly numb driver feedback. At least it makes light work of parking. A button on the dashboard increases steering sensitivity for sporty driving. The 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine may not sound like much but it has more power and torque than a 2.0-litre Golf at the same $29,990 price.
Importantly, the Fiat’s turbo engine delivers a more seamless urge of power once on the move than does the regular VW 2.0-litre engine. The Fiat completes the 0-100kmh dash in 8.5 seconds compared with 8.8 for the Golf, according to the makers.
In the Sport diesel versions of both cars, the $36,490 Fiat is $1000 cheaper than the VW. However, Fiat charges more for metallic paint on the Ritmo than VW does on the Golf ($850 versus $690).
We should also point out that of the eight available Ritmo colours only two are not metallic.
The Ritmo is also a six-speed manual-only proposition for the time being.
