Sweet ugly, i.e. Multipla to win the competition. You must be creative

Fiat Multipla saw the light at the Geneva Motor Show in 1998, and in 2000, in the finals of the Car of the Year competition, it lost to the Toyota Yaris by a hair. It has been the butt of ridicule for years, but many have secretly dreamed of getting behind the wheel of this extremely practical vehicle. In 2020, Panek CarSharing also got a unique copy. After working for almost three years in the service, he ends his career by becoming a prize-winner in the competition of users of the largest car rental for kilometers in Poland.

Contest for users

As we read, Fiat Multipla has been a Panek CarSharing hit since November 2020. The car was originally supposed to go on sale, but eventually became a prize in another competition, which was announced on the rental company’s social networks. To become the owner of a white 2002 Fiat Multipla with a mileage of about 212,000 kilometers, you need to drive any car from the Panek CarSharing fleet from 7 to 31 July 2023 for at least PLN 20, and then in a comment under the Facebook post, answer the question: “Who would you give a Fiat Multipla to?” and then briefly justify your choice.

The jury will choose the most interesting comment and give the car to the winner. It is worth noting that each trip for at least 20 PLN is another chance to win. “Fiat Multipla is a unique car. It evokes extreme emotions from love to disgust, but its originality cannot be denied. For two and a half years he was a hit in our box office, but it’s time to part with him. We want it to be in good hands because it’s a unique replica that was really hard to find. We hope that it will get to a hobbyist who will proudly use it in their city, as well as take it on long trips and take care of its good condition, - explained Leszek Lesniak, Managing Director of Panek CarSharing.

Such a beautiful story

Fiat Multipla is an example of how designers can fail a project. It was supposed to be a family minivan capable of comfortably transporting 6 people and holiday luggage. The car was supposed to relate directly to the Fiat 600 Multipla, produced in 1955-1966, which theoretically could carry only 6 people. In practice, in resurgent Italy after World War II, the Multipla served as a family bus.

The new incarnation of the Fiat Multipla adopted most of the assumptions of its ancestor, but the Italians decided to fit 6 people in two, and not - as in the original - 3 rows of seats. So the car had to be wider than most of its competitors and this was the main reason for its failure in the domestic market. The car simply did not fit in the narrow streets of Italian towns. In addition, proportions were violated, which forced a rather strange, square body shape. And since the model was created at the turn of the century, i.e. in an era of ubiquitous curves, it was decided to forcibly soften all the edges that were eventually hung with headlights (the front ones were placed at three different heights). The project itself is very interesting, it took on a rather grotesque image. And yet, during the Geneva Motor Show in 2000, the Fiat Multipla in the finals of the Car of the Year competition lost by a narrow margin to the Toyota Yaris. The model was indeed close to winning the European Car of the Year 2000 title.

Practicality impresses to this day

You can make fun of the Multipla all you want, that it looks clumsy, that it doesn’t need to be closed at night, that the dashboard was invented by preschoolers, but this Fiat has another face. The result is an extremely thoughtful and roomy design with many different storage compartments and absolutely brilliant visibility in all directions. In addition, a 1.6 petrol engine with 103 hp. proved to be reliable and was able to accelerate this family van to 100 km / h in 12.7 seconds. It was loved by large families because it was comfortable and had a large trunk, and at less than 4 meters long it was easy to park in places where only city cars could fit.