(Scroll down for pics)
Ever since I saw this as a concept at Auto Expo 2016, I was waiting to see the final production version. So, I dropped by this Abarth outlet in my city to check out Fiat’s new offering, the very handsome Avventura Urban Cross.
At first glance there isn’t much difference between Avventura and the Urban Cross, in fact, you’ll have to check the badges to make sure you’re looking at the right car. The Urban Cross is a more convenient Avventura for the city. What I mean by that is there is no spare wheel. Which means, the boot can be opened easily, reversing and parking is easy, and you have better visibility. It’s an Avventura for all your city adventures. Plus, it looks so sexy in some colors. More so in Grey.
Exterior wise, it looks more or less the same as the concept which was on display at Auto Expo, including the design of the grille and the bumpers, but do you remember those LEDs on roof rails? Sadly, they haven’t made it to the production. But nonetheless, it’s a sexy looking thing.
Interiors are the same as Avventura, except that compass and inclinometer. That gorgeous red interior we saw at Auto Expo is apparently offered only for a limited period of time. But still, the dual-tone interiors manage to look modern and fresh. The new infotainment system we saw in the Linea 125S makes it to the Urban Cross as well. Overall, the car scores on build quality, fit and finish and practicality.
The Urban Cross has two engines on offer. The familiar 1.3L Multijet diesel and the fun-to-drive 1.4 T-Jet Petrol, which is limited only to the Emotion trim. This is the same engine that’s featured in the Abarth Punto. But here it makes slightly lesser figures. 142 hp at 5,000 rpm and 210 Nm between 2,000 – 4,000 rpm. Just 3 hp and 2 Nm less than the Abarth Punto. But when you start driving it, you don’t feel the difference between Abarth Punto and the Urban Cross with regards to the driving experience both cars offer. Drive both cars back to back, and you still won’t really notice any difference, which is not a bad thing at all. There’s a lag below 2,000 rpm, but past that, the power delivery is linear. Steering, suspension, everything feels the same. The only thing which is not that impressive is the gearshifts. It feels a bit rubbery. But, by no means a deal breaker.
The top of the line Emotion trim packs a good amount of features including ambient lighting, automatic climate control, auto down front power windows, 5-inch infotainment system with navigation and Bluetooth telephony, steering mounted controls, height-adjustable driver seat, tilt steering, electric boot release and so on. Safety-wise, the Emotion trim gets dual front airbags, ABS + EBD and Fire prevention system. The Urban Cross gets 16-inch alloys as standard, while the Abarth-Emotion trim gets Scorpion alloys.
Scroll down for pics, and check out the video embedded above and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
LWH – 3,989 X 1,706 X 1,542 mm
Wheelbase – 2,510 mm
Ground Clearance – 156 mm (Diesel), 151 mm (Abarth – Petrol)
Fuel Efficiency ARAI – 20 (Diesel), 17 (Petrol)
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