But the Fiat “Idea”? My dictionary defines an idea as “a notion, a fancy; a thought or conception that potentially or actually exists in the mind as a product of mental activity”.

That doesn’t sound like the kind of qualities you might seek in a new car. I would have thought an automobile would have to be more of a completed process, a bit less ephemeral.

The Fiat Idea though is clearly from the same gene bank as its famous predecessors and is all about function and delivery. The Idea is in the vanguard of new mini Multi Purpose Vehicles (MPV) which seek to offer big car practicality in a small car space.

Already in the market place is the award winning Vauxhall/Opel Meriva, the Honda Jazz, and the Toyota Yaris Verso. Cheaper attempts at a variation on the theme include the Renault Kangoo and the Citroen Berlingo.

Tardislike
According to Fiat, the Idea is more than the sum of its parts, a bit of a Tardis.

“Its inspired design means that although its exterior dimensions are only marginally bigger than the average supermini, its interior space is enormous, whilst its clever seating arrangements and well thought out storage facilities will prove to be a boon to all those confronted with the problems of family life on the move,” says Fiat.

The Idea has a flexible interior with a rear seat which combines a “unique” 40:20:40 split/folding and 60 degree reclining backrest. The rear seat slides back to allow more room for passengers, or forward to free up luggage space. Fiat has counted 32 different seating configurations, including the ability to fold front and rear seats into a “couchette” configuration which allows two people to lie down and stretch out fully.

The Idea is based on bits of the current Fiat Punto design, and incorporates some parts from the next-generation. It has a slightly longer wheel base and extra height compared with the current Punto. The body looks neat and is designed by Italdesign’s Fabrizio Giugiaro.

I was expecting great things from the Idea because of my huge surprise at the terrific quality and design of the smaller Fiat Panda citycar, current holder of the European Car of the Year trophy. But inside, the Idea doesn’t seem to have taken on board the Panda’s great leap forward in quality. The interior is workmanlike and practical, but the quality of the materials seem inferior to the Panda’s, and it doesn’t seem so well screwed together. It doesn’t come close to the quality of the Jazz. The Panda is assembled at a factory in Poland, the Idea in a factory in Turin, Italy. Make of that what you will.

No Room For Driver’s Feet
Also, for the first time in my experience, the Panda provided ample space for the driver’s feet. Alas, the Idea reverts to the old Fiat small car pattern. The pedals are too close together and there’s not enough room to rest the left foot.

The Idea’s speedometer and instrument cluster is centrally located. This does the job, and presumably allows Fiat to produce right hand drive vehicles cheaper. The gear lever – five speeds, juts out of the dashboard and works well. Later this year the Idea will be available with an automatic gearbox – “a sophisticated, clutchless, 5-speed sequential manual shift with a selectable, fully automatic mode.”

The engines sounded a bit noisy, but motorway performance remains a mystery because the launch drive was on the rural roads around Olbia in northern Sardinia. The weather in February was awful, with strong cold winds and plenty of rain. The handling isn’t great, but certainly adequate for the type of driving it is designed for. The version powered by the 1.3 Multijet turbo diesel was a disappointment, after working terrifically well in the Punto and Panda. It turns out that the Idea weighs 220 kilograms more than the Punto, so it has much more to lug around and this seriously weakens the performance. For the first time for a long time, I found the petrol version the best to drive, and under hard acceleration the 1.4 litre motor gave off a pleasing rasp, rather than the wheezy struggling noises emanating from the diesel. Quite like old times pre the diesel revolution.

Plenty Of Standard Stuff
The Idea’s standard specification is impressive, with ABS, remote central locking, driver and front passenger airbags, electric front windows, electric power steering and “follow me home” headlights. A “City” button lightens up the steering for easy parking.