Review
Fiat's fans used to appreciate the brand for its idiosyncratic quirkiness - in the same way that its critics railed against its cars' creaks, rattles and occasional freak electrical fires. The Stilo was meant to change all of that - abandoning Fiat's once-proud differentness for a straight-laced attempt to beat Ford and Volkswagen at their own game.
It failed - and these days the Stilo resides right at the bottom of the family car food chain. It's not that it does anything particularly badly - but in no area does it manage to rise above the segment average. The square-edged styling looked dated when the car first appeared and a subsequent facelift has done nothing to enliven it. The cabin is decently spacious, and very well-equipped towards the middle and top end of the range, but the materials feel very low-rent compared to rivals. On the plus side, the commodious Multi Wagon estate is massive - one of the biggest station wagons in the segment.
Dynamics are similarly unexciting. The Stilo drives with an unobtrusive, dull competence - riding reasonably well but cornering unenthusiastically. Refinement is reasonable at motorway speeds. It's a car that gets the job done, no more than that.
Few stars emerge from the lacklustre range of petrol engines - although the charismatic five-cylinder engine in the range-topping HGT is compellingly different if you can afford its hefty pricetag and considerable thirst for unleaded. Sensible buyers will opt for one of the excellent JTD turbodiesel engines, with the 120 bhp 1.9 litre version being the pick of the three units on offer.