Second-Hand Sense: Of all the cars that have suffered for their looks the Fiat Multipla is one that approaches martyr status. A clever - in some ways ingenious - small MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) the Multipla may have been a little ahead of its time but the bulging midriff that dominated the front gave it a goofy rather look rather than the funky profile it should have had.
Now the bulge and the bug-eye lights are gone, to be replaced by a more conventional front, in an attempt to give the car some of the positive recognition previously denied it. A tall and wide car - but shorter than a Golf or Astra - the Multipla offered the first six-seater layout in two rows of three seats. It had all sorts of clever design features that saved on space and allowed the room saved for passengers instead. These included locating the handbrake leaver between the driver's door and the seat and locating the gear shift just off centre of the dashboard.
The rear row of seats can be moved forward to accommodate luggage and other loads in the rear and the front row is unique in that the middle seat is set back to allow a middle passenger to sit comfortably without three people rubbing shoulders.
The Multipla is a nippy performer and initially came with a 1.6 petrol engine and later with Fiat's excellent 1.9 JTD diesel injection engine. The 1.6 engine is fine but the diesel positively shines in terms of performance and economy. Handling and ride are also fine and the Multipla still manages the road well, even fully laden. In fact the Multipla may be at its best when fully laden because it can certainly show up some of the competition.
Practical it may but the Multipla is now up against some serious competition in the shape of cars like the Toyota Corolla Verso and the quirky Citroen Berlingo. A new version has just come out but the Multipla is not the most common on the second-hand lists. Chiefly because of its looks the car did not sell well and people tended to opt for less conspicuous choices.
The older model scored relatively poorly with a three out of five rating in the EuroNCAP crash tests. The last test published in 2003 said the car did not do well in frontal impacts but did do well in side impacts. Children were well restrained but the adult belt slipped off in testing, causing obvious problems.
You can get a year four year-old model with a 1.6 petrol engine and 59,000 on the clock for about Euro 10,000, or a good deal less for cash while a two year-old model with 26,000 on the clock for Euro 16,950. The latter is an SX version with multiple air bags, electric windows, central locking and a reasonably good stereo system.
The Multipla has not suffered from traditional Fiat faults with electrics.
Neither is the car listed for major recalls. There will of course have been some minor problems but nothing major.