Fiat Sedici
On sale 22nd April

In the UK, where a day hardly goes by without some rainfall, four wheel drive, giving extra grip on oily slippery wet roads is a very attractive feature. When driving in adverse weather conditions, or on surfaces with low levels of grip, a four wheel drive system will supply power to the front and rear wheels to ensure stability. If sensors detect low grip or anticipate a loss of traction to one wheel, the system will generate more power to the wheels with grip.

So that is one reason why owners like four by fours, for the perceived safety benefits. However, many of these vehicles are like big tanks to drive and difficult to handle. Fiat has come to the rescue with the launch of its new Sedici, which goes on sale on 22nd April.

This solid rugged four by four also happens to have the style and handling of a chic urban car. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Sedici, which means ‘sixteen’ in Italian, is an ideal modern family car, which is practical and stylish and actually a little smaller than the average SUV.

It is also a lot cheaper, priced from £12,495 otr.

The Sedici is Fiat’s first foray into the small SUV market, and it is 110mm shorter and 100mm lower than the average four by four, yet it still has all the benefits, like the raised driving position. In fact with all the extra quarter windows, both front and rear, visibility is good, particularly if you are a rear seat passenger.

The whole cabin feels bright and airy and the materials all look and feel hard wearing. Instrument controls have red, blue and yellow lights, making the entire cabin colourful. Dials are black, with white lettering, which is easy to read. For families, there are lots of innovative storage spaces and the boot, which has a flat floor luggage compartment, will extend to hold from 270 litres to 670 litres.

There are two trim levels, the Dynamic and the Eleganza and even the base model includes a good range of standard equipment like air conditioning and radio and CD player with eight speakers.

The new Sedici comes with four airbags and is fitted with ISOFIX mountings to ensure the easy and safe installation of child seats. Safety levels are further enhanced by the addition of a full range of braking and stability controls and of course the four wheel drive.

This simple electronic system has just one button with three settings, two wheel drive for normal use, Auto which allows the system to decide when four wheel drive would be best and Lock, which splits engine power between the front and rear wheels to provide instant four wheel drive. It is very simple to use.

In fact, it is a very easy car to drive overall. Steering is precise and firm and it is easily reversed into car parking spaces, mainly because of the great visibility. Seats are very comfortable and supportive and the ride is firm, although at its launch, I did drive on some very bad potholed roads. On motorways, at a constant speed there is a little road noise, but generally the 1.6 litre petrol engine is refined.

At its launch the only powerplant is the petrol version, which Fiat says will be the most popular, making up 52% of sales. In June this year, a 1.9 Multijet diesel engine will be launched. With combined fuel consumption figures of 39.8mpg and CO2 emissions of 173g/km, the 1.6 Suzuki petrol engine will compete well with the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and even some of the larger saloon cars.

There is a five speed gearbox, but no automatic transmission is planned.

So, if women with children, which is who Fiat hopes will buy the Sedici, have safety in mind, then Fiat’s predictions to sell 1,500 units of this compact four wheel drive, will probably come true.

By Sue Cooke