With limited parking spaces in metro cities not many can choose to keep a small car (for city use) and an SUV (for weekend trips) together despite the high disposable incomes. Keeping only an SUV becomes a task in our ever-increasing traffic while the cute car might pose ‘image’ issues for some other than not being the ideal choice for long hauls and on not-so-likeable roads.
It’s here that compact SUVs and crossovers come into the picture – not cumbersome to drive in city and with still enough girth to avoid getting bullied on highways. They also come with ample ground clearance to allow for mild off-road excursions.
So among the crossovers (hatch) while the VW Cross Polo remains just another hatchback with some plastic cladding and the Etios Cross looks ungainly to most, it’s the Avventura that not only looks more substantial than its ‘regular’ hatchback sibling, it is being aptly promoted by Fiat on the lines of an adventure-cum-lifestyle vehicle. Log on to their website and you’ll see the top-end trim fully accessorized further with bicycle carriers and what not!
Fiat has increased the already high ground clearance (185 mm) of the Punto Evo to 205 mm on the Avventura – that’s even better than the Mahindra Thar’s 200 mm! The Avventura will come with a choice of two engines, a diesel and petrol. The 1.3-litre Multijet diesel puts out 91.5 bhp and and 209 Nm of torque while the 1.4-litre FIRE petrol engine produces 89 bhp and 115 Nm of torque.
Fiat has opened the bookings of the Avventura before its official launch that would probably happen either by the last week of the current month or in the first week of October. The company has started sending mailers to all those interested souls who have registered on their website.
Expect to pay a premium of around 50 thousand rupees, or more, over the Punto Evo equipped with the same engines. Though everything looks hunky dory as of now, Fiat India will have to really ensure that its customers are treated nicely – both, while buying its vehicles and during the after sales service as well…
Related: Interesting: Fiat Working On New Compact SUV X3U With 1.5L Engine: Early 2016 Launch
