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 FEATURE
FACTfile
- Fiat Croma (2005)
The Fiat Croma is likely to be one of the first new Fiats
to be sold again in Australia when the brand returns Down Under next year.
It is a major new vehicle for Fiat and represents a leap forward for this
class of vehicle. Reproduced below is part of the brief from Fiat on the
new model.
THE NEW FIAT CROMA In brief
Fiat presents the new Croma, an evolution of the Station
Wagon concept, which will be on the market in the Summer. Designed by
Giorgetto Giugiaro and built in the Cassino plant, south of Rome, the
new Fiat revives the name of the former model which was a benchmark among
medium-high range saloons from 1985 to 1994, and of which over 450,000
were built. Like the earlier model, the new Croma stands out for the "substance"
of the concepts it embodies:
" generous interior roominess for outstanding comfort;
" technological innovation in the field of diesel engines;
" superior quality for a mass produced model.
The new Croma was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and it introduces an
original "stylistic" formula with innovative architecture and
intelligent features. As the designer explained: "In the last 20
years, technological progress and market expectations have evolved rapidly.
We just have to think of safety and the work involved in inserting airbags
in the most effective points, the services offered by electronics in terms
of individual comfort, active and passive safety, and of information.
I would say that, compared to the 3-box model of 1985, the new Croma has
basically taken onboard the lessons learned with people-movers - tall
cars on which the space can be interpreted freely according to circumstances
- while it maintains the image of a very comfortable saloon": in
other words a Comfort Wagon.
This premise has created a highly original car that leads its class in
certain areas. For example, where access is concerned, thanks to the flat
floor and raised H-points at the front and rear. But the car fears no
comparison in terms of roominess, as we can see from the generous space
above the passengers' heads, the distance between the rows of seats (the
best in its category) and the raised driving position that guarantees
better control over the road and better external visibility. In addition
to the fact that the glazed area on the new model is one of the best in
its segment (3.254 m2) and guarantees excellent acoustic and vibration
comfort, thanks to careful analysis of the passenger compartment and special
suspension setting. And finally, certain outfits propose an innovative
modular system for the luggage compartment which adapts perfectly to a
wide range of individual needs.
Together these features make it the roomiest car in its segment: the new
Croma comes with one bodywork version, 475 centimetres long, 177 cm wide
and 160 cm high, and a wheelbase of 270 cm, measurements that translate
into an extraordinary amount of interior roominess. The new model is in
line with the best competition where length and width are concerned, but
about 10 centimetres higher, and it is the best in its segment in terms
of interior dimensions.
Original outside, spacious and silent inside. The new Croma is a car born
to cater for people with different needs, tastes and lifestyles, but who
all share the desire for a comfortable car. And for those looking for
unbeatable performance, the Croma offers the powerful 200 bhp 2.4 Multijet
engine (combined with the 6-speed sequential automatic transmission),
which leads its class with a specific power output of 83 bhp/litre.
It is where the engines are concerned that the new Croma reveals the second
aspect of its "substance": in addition to the two sparkling
petrol engines (the 2.2 16v that delivers 147 bhp, and the 1.8 16v delivering
140 bhp which will be available after the launch), the model proposes
three Multijet turbodiesel engines (the 120 or 150 bhp 1.9, and the new
2.4 litre unit that delivers 200 bhp), yet another demonstration of Fiat
Auto's technological superiority in this field. The Fiat Group has set
numerous records in the field of diesel cars, starting with the Croma
TDI which was the world's first direct injection diesel car back in 1986.
The new Croma is offered with 5 different gearboxes to exploit the performance
of its engines in full; all the engines meet EU Stage 4 emissions standards,
and the diesel units are fitted with particulate filters. All the petrol
engines are combined with 5-speed transmissions, with the option of the
sequential automatic transmission on the 2.2 16v, and all the diesel engines
have 6-speed gearboxes (the sequential automatic unit is offered as an
alternative on the 150 bhp 1.9 Multijet, and as the standard unit on the
powerful 200 bhp 2.4 Multijet 20v).
The third aspect of "substance" is quality. The quality standards
on the Fiat Croma are extremely high, and were set at the very early stages
of the project. During the various stages of experimentation, prototypes
covered over 3 million kilometres, to test the car in all road and climatic
conditions. The manufacturing processes at the Cassino plant were tested
earlier than usual in the development of the project, and process verification
was carried out right on the plant's assembly lines. Quality controls,
which were already high, were raised even higher by the introduction of
a 100 km test drive for 100% of the pre-production cars.
In other words, everything is in place to ensure that the success of the
previous model is repeated. The new Croma plays the same trump card that
has proved a winner in the past: listening to customers and creating the
product on the basis of their wishes. In other words, the new Croma responds
to the first and most important demand made by every customer when it
comes to buying a new car, by offering "value for money" first
of all, expressed in an extensive range with numerous outfits that allow
a wide choice of customisation and advantages that increase progressively
with the higher specification levels. For example, if he chooses the second
outfit, the Dynamic, the customer benefits from an advantage equal to
40% of the value of the additional features present on this version.
Every outfit has been designed with the right level of equipment, with
materials chosen specifically to create an ideal, comfortable ambience
modelled to the customer's requirements; one example will suffice: the
vast glazed surface of the double opening sunroof that is standard equipment
on some versions. Each outfit is upholstered with a different fabric,
in two shades (dark grey or beige), and there is also the option of leather,
this too in a choice of two shades.
To guarantee the best price-content ratio, the combination of outfits
that the new Croma customer can choose from are all excellent value for
money and above all, they all reflect a concept of the car which Fiat
has played a significant part in launching and developing: the generously
sized but functionally elegant saloon. The new Croma sets off these winning
features with numerous sophisticated devices and systems that make it
a new benchmark for its segment. They include: ESP, Xenon headlights,
large "aspherical" rear-view mirrors, and as many as nine airbags
(in the field of safety); the advanced satellite navigation system (CONNECT
Nav Plus) and the Hi-fi system with eight speakers and sub-woofer (in
the field of entertainment and info-mobility), Cruise Control and a sequential
automatic transmission (for stress-free driving), 4 special 16" and
18" alloy wheel designs which impart an individual stylistic personality
to the car.
A pleasure to drive and travel in
The Fiat Croma surrounds the driver and passengers with technologies that
ensure outstanding acoustic and climatic comfort. The result is a muted,
enveloping environment, free from vibration thanks to the careful soundproofing
of the car and the outstanding torsional and flexural rigidity of the
bodyshell. The Fiat Croma also offers an automatic "dual-zone"
climate system, a suspension system that makes the new model even easier
to handle and "isolate" it from the road, electro-hydraulic
power steering that simplifies every manoeuvre, a powerful braking system
that is effective in all situations, tyres designed specifically for superb
comfort and maximum safety, comfortable, functional seats, a huge panoramic
opening sunroof, a modular luggage compartment and numerous storage compartments.
In other words, the new model is unbeatable where comfort is concerned.
NVH comfort
The Fiat Croma has achieved a high standard of comfort
which translates into quiet, vibration-free driving. The quietness of
a car is expressed by the conversability index and this is an excellent
65% at 140 km/h on the new model. This result was made possible both by
the usual package of sound-deadening elements and the introduction of
no less than 18 expandable partitions (they are positioned inside the
boxed elements where they prevent noise from propagating and isolate the
passenger compartment from the outside world), and by an innovative windscreen.
The 2 sheets of glass are separated by a film of PVB plastic, adopting
multiply technology to enhance acoustic comfort. The different properties
of the multiply material result in optimal damping of the sound waves:
the noise inside the passenger compartment is attenuated, particularly
in the 200 kHz frequency band (the wave frequency in which the most annoying
noises occur on the road). Vibration is limited by a particularly rigid
bodyshell structure. Flexural rigidity is excellent at 960 daN/mm, while
torsional rigidity is 100,600 daNm/rad (outstanding on a car with a tailgate).
Particular attention was also paid to the rigid attachment of all the
mechanical organs: for example, this made it possible to obtain a vertical
vibration frequency for the steering wheel above 38 Hz. This was enhanced
by the large sections of the main boxed elements and the presence of a
"torsion box" that connects the 2 wheelarches behind the rear
seats.
The suspension on the Fiat Croma was designed to achieve the highest possible
levels of comfort and handling, with MacPherson struts at the front and
4-link Multilink suspension at the rear, and comfort is excellent on all
types of surface. Handling is precise and immediate, on a par with the
best competition in this segment. The level of comfort is equally high
on the front and rear seats, in all conditions. The front suspension system
is supported by a frame which is anchored elastically to the chassis,
to separate the incoming stress from the frequencies of the housing, and
to improve the perceptible acoustic response in the car when the front
wheels negotiate an obstacle. The rear suspension is supported by a subframe
that is anchored rigidly to the structure to optimise the precision of
the response of the rear end, guaranteeing immediacy and stability.
Comfort on the road is guaranteed by the outstanding flexibility and generous
suspension excursion. The rear springs are of the variable flexibility
type to maintain the frequency of the housing as constant as possible,
and to adapt to the many possible load configurations. The damper system
was designed to optimise driving comfort on surfaces with repeated rough
patches, and a basically symmetrical setting was chosen. In order to limit
rolling on the Fiat Croma, and to make the car more agile in spite of
its size, the understeer of the centering was limited and neutralised,
by adjusting the stabilising ratio of the front and rear bars.
Front suspension
The front suspension adopts a MacPherson layout and it
is mounted on a hydroformed steel frame. The system is independent and
the dampers act as both damping and bearing elements, working together
with a transverse link to guide the hub during oscillation. The advantages
of the MacPherson system are its small size and the possibility of adjusting
the changes to the suspension trim under load. It also made it possible
to achieve the best possible compromise between handling and comfort right
at the design stage.
Rear suspension
The Fiat Croma incorporates a Multilink suspension system
into the rear axle with four links (three transverse and one longitudinal)
connected to a supporting frame to guarantee excellent dynamic comfort.
Multilink suspension technology is the best available today and solves
the problems related to longitudinal and transverse forces independently.
For example, lateral forces are absorbed by the three transverse links.
The length, layout and rigidity of the wheel supports were specially designed
to maintain the wheels in an optimal position under load, thus influencing
the behaviour of the car when cornering.
And thanks to its longitudinal and transverse links, the Multilink system
allows extremely precise vertical movements of the wheels, while at the
same time limiting longitudinal and transverse displacement; this makes
for excellent roadholding. And finally, light alloys were used extensively
to improve the suspension behaviour, in particular for the front and rear
pillars, and the aluminium front transverse link.
Electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS)
The power steering system on the Fiat Croma is of the electro-hydraulic
type, and its intervention varies with the speed of the car and the steering
lock. The power steering is programmed to decrease its effect as the speed
increases. This means that the driver can turn the wheel very easily when
parking, but maintain a safe contact with the road at high speed. In practice,
the system varies the hydraulic power assist (number of pump revolutions)
according to the steering rotation speed and the vehicle speed, providing
more assistance for parking and very low hydraulic assistance at high
speed. And because the system is only triggered during steering manoeuvres,
it is also advantageous in terms of fuel consumption over a conventional
hydraulic system that is always driven by the engine.
Passenger compartment
Every outfit is available with two interior environments,
one is Dark Grey and known as London, the other is light and called Ghibli.
The colour combinations regard the fabric on the seats and the door panels,
the lower part of the facia and the panels, as well as the carpeting in
the interior and in the luggage compartment.
The large facia has a generous console at the centre which groups together
the main controls: for the infotainment, the climate system and the gearshift.
The facia also contains a large closed 11-litre glove compartment.
There is a generous unit between the 2 front seats with numerous storage
compartments, that incorporates the 3-litre "cold-box", which
can be cooled with air from the climate system. Other compartments have
been created in the front and rear door panels, bringing the total volume
of storage space to about 24 litres. And finally, on the top-of-the-range
version, there is a large armrest on the rear seats, which includes 2
extractable glass holders, the rear door panels are fitted with privacy
curtains and all the windows in the rear of the car have tinted glass.
Climate system
There is a choice between a conventional manual climate
system, and an automatic system with dual-zone control of the temperature
and the air flow: this means that the driver and front passenger can choose
not only individual temperature settings but also which air vents the
air will issue from. This climate system includes an automatic/manual
recirculation function, radiation sensors with an "equivalent temperature"
control strategy and a combined air and dust filter. The air is conveyed
into the passenger compartment through 4 adjustable vents on the facia
and a central diffuser which distributes the air efficiently inside the
car without bothersome direct jets of air. There are 2 more swivelling
vents on the console for rear passengers. And the air for the front and
rear footwells travels through special ducts. The total net area of the
vents and ducts is an amazing 4.6 sq dcm approximately.
Seats
The front and rear seats on the Croma were designed to
guarantee the highest level of comfort for every passenger percentile.
This was made possible by working closely with the best Italian specialists
in ergonomics and sports medicine. And on all versions of the Fiat Croma,
the driver's and front passenger's seats have 4 adjustments as standard:
longitudinal, squab rake, lumbar and vertical. The most lavishly equipped
outfit offers two more adjustments: one tilts the whole seat, while the
second folds the squab of the front passenger seat down into a horizontal
position to produce a flat surface 2.7 metres long from the luggage compartment
to the facia.
Luggage compartment
The capacity of the new Croma's luggage compartment can
be expanded from 500 litres in the closed boot itself, to 1610 litres
up to the ceiling with the rear seats folded down.
The luggage compartment also has an extremely regular shape: a great deal
of attention was focused on it at the design stage to optimise the space
in the boot without penalising the suspension geometry, allowing the motorist
to exploit the interior space better and making it more versatile. The
contents of the luggage compartment are also protected from prying eyes
by a curtain that slides level with the bottom of the windows.
The rear seats fold down separately (40-60%)
The loading floor of the car can be set at two different levels, making
the luggage compartment even more practical. In the higher position the
boot is divided into 2 areas, the lower being 16 cm high for more fragile,
smaller items, while the upper area, level with the bumper, serves for
larger items. With a simple manoeuvre, the shelf can be repositioned on
the bottom of the luggage compartment to produce a single loading area.
Panoramic sunroof
The Fiat Croma is made all the more enjoyable by the optional
large opening sunroof (approximately 1.5 m2); this sunroof covers up almost
the entire area of the roof and comprises two glass panels: a fixed rear
panel and an electrically opening front panel. Inside there are two sunshades
that slide independently towards the rear of the car.
The panoramic sunroof gives occupants a completely new relationship with
the surrounding environment, enjoying the luminosity and the sense of
freedom that this large glazed surface provides. When the driver wants
more light inside, the system lets him keep the sunroof closed but the
blind underneath open. If, on the other hand, he likes the feeling of
driving "in the open", the front glazed panel and sunblind can
be opened completely in just seven seconds, to produce a real "window
onto the sky".
Braking system
In line with the high active safety targets, the new Croma
is equipped with highly effective, extremely modular braking systems.
First of all, the braking system incorporates the most sophisticated electronic
and mechanical aids - ABS, EBD, ESP, HBA (with ESP) and a Hill-holder
(with ESP) - and it is of the power-assisted hydraulic type, with 2 independent
cross-over circuits (each circuit controls one front wheel and the diagonally
opposite rear wheel) to guarantee braking and stability even if one circuit
should fail.
The entire range is equipped with discs all round, ventilated at the front
(and at the rear on the Multijet 1.9 16v and 2.4 20v versions). Because
of the different weights and power deliveries of the various engines,
the braking systems also vary.
1.9 Multijet 8v and 2.2 MPI 16v engines:
" Ventilated disc, diameter 285 x 25 mm;
" Teves brake callipers with piston diameter of 57 mm;
" TRW rear brake calliper diameter of 41 mm;
" non-ventilated disc 278 x 12 mm.
1.9 Multijet 16v and 2.4 Multijet 20v engines:
" Ventilated disc diameter 305 x 25 mm;
" TRW brake callipers with piston diameter of 60 mm;
" TRW rear brake callipers with piston diameter of 41 mm;
" ventilated brake discs 292 x 20 mm.
These features guarantee a braking distance of between 36.2 and 36.9 metres,
depending on the versions (from a speed of 100 km/h), an excellent result.
Tyres
All the tyres for the Fiat Croma have been designed to
optimise performance in all situations, paying particular attention to
comfort but also to the ability to maintain the trajectory on corners
and the capacity to absorb obstacles.
The tyres adopted are: 205/55 R16 (with sheet metal wheels) - 215/55 R16
(with alloy wheels) - 215/50 R17 (with alloy wheels) - 225/45 R18 (with
alloy wheels).
Class-beating safety
The outstanding level of safety on the Croma is guaranteed
by structural measures designed to ensure that the passenger compartment
cell will not deform in a crash, by a standard outfit of 7 airbags and
by active safety devices that include ABS and ESP.
Passive safety
In this context, the Fiat Auto engineers have analysed
all possible types of accident (head-on and side-on impact, overturning,
nose-to-tail and fire), taking into account the different speeds at which
a crash may occur, the different types of obstacle and the protection
of occupants with very different physical characteristics. Some facts
and figures that underline the enormous commitment that the company put
into making the new Croma one of the safest cars in its segment: 18,000
hours of calculation, 120 crash tests, 100 crash simulations on a HyGe
sled, 200 tests on components and subsystems, 10 new types of performance
specifications and test procedures, 8 co-design suppliers with specific
structures for passive safety (2 of whom were involved exclusively in
the design and development of the safety devices).
The tests performed developed a crumple-zone cell to protect passengers
in a head-on impact: the front structure is made up of 3 longitudinal
load lines comprising front struts of high yield material, a mechanical
frame in the lower part and 2 further small beams level with the wing
that deform to block the stress from the upper part of the vehicle.
The magnesium crossbeam positioned between the two front pillars under
the facia, guarantees a strong link between the pillars and with the floor,
which it is connected by two steel reinforcements. This architecture contributes
significantly to preventing deformation in the whole front part of the
passenger compartment during both head-on and lateral impact. It also
acts as a support structure for the steering column, and minimises the
tendency of the steering wheel to retract and rear up in all types of
frontal impact.
Structural changes were introduced to the following to protect occupants
in a side impact:
" the central pillar, made of sheet metal with a very high structural
resistance and filled with structural foam in the area of greatest flexion.
This means that the pillar transfers most of the impact force to the sill
and the roof frame;
" the floor, adding 2 seat crossbeams that unload some of the impact
force on the opposite side of the car;
" the roof, inserting a transverse strut near the 2 central pillars;
" the doors, inserting a boxed crossbeam in the waist area and longitudinal
bars made of material with a very high structural resistance. For rear
impact, particularly at low speed, the presence of a "crash box"
crossbeam that is screwed in place guarantees limited damage and easy
repairs. What is more, to ensure that the fuel supply system is not damaged,
the structure was successfully subjected to the test envisaged by the
strict Japanese legislation. The structural efficiency of the bodyshell
was obtained in part thanks to the use of special steel for over 40% of
the weight.
Where restraint systems are concerned, the Croma offers:
" 2 dual stage front airbags (standard); when impact is of medium
intensity, the electronic control unit only activates the first stage
of the airbags, preventing the influx of energy that is not necessary
to protect the occupant. But with very strong impact, the control unit
activates both stages to absorb the occupant's high kinetic energy before
he or she hits the steering wheel or the facia;
" front seat-belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters;
" decentralised supplementary sensors in the engine bay to detect
head-on impact. These deceleration sensors (ECS - Early Crash Sensor)
are positioned on the ends of the headlight crossbeam, near the light
clusters, and they help the main electronic control unit to speed up airbag
activation compared to a conventional system, particularly in the event
of offset impact;
" driver's side knee airbag (standard): the area under the steering
column has always been the most dangerous for the knees, but it is rendered
innocuous both by the use of the knee-bag and by an electric steering
lock, which has allowed the ignition key to be moved from its usual position
on the side of the steering column to a characteristic position on the
central tunnel console. Polypropylene foam energy absorbers have also
been adopted to protect the steering column and the adjacent fusebox;
" a "passive" anti-whiplash device on the front head restraints,
made up of a "rocker arm" mechanism, that acts between the upper
part of the squab and the head restraint itself. In the event of a rear
impact this exploits the thrust of the occupant's back on the seat squab
to move the head restraint forward, this further reducing the horizontal
distance between the head restraint and the passenger's neck compared
to the static condition defined by the styling;
" front seat-belt sensors (Seat-belt reminder);
" manual switch to disengage the passenger airbag;
" front side airbags (standard); they are of the chest type and together
with the door panels they protect critical parts of the body such as the
ribs and abdomen. Installing them in the seats is a guarantee of greater
efficiency at all times;
" curtain-bags (standard): they are activated together with the sidebags,
and they inflate between the occupant and the side of the car, preventing
the head from coming into contact with highly intrusive objects. Because
they inflate from the front pillar towards the luggage compartment, curtain-bags
protect both front and rear passengers;
" rear side airbags (optional): the sidebags are of the chest type
and together with the door panels they protect critical parts of the body
such as the ribs and abdomen. Installing them on the sides of the seat
squabs always guarantees maximum protection at all times.
Active safety
The new Fiat Croma is fitted with the most sophisticated electronic and
mechanical active safety systems:
" ABS: anti-wheel lock system.
" EBD: electronic brake effort distribution.
" ESP: active control of the longitudinal and transverse dynamics
of the vehicle.
On versions powered by the 147, 150 and 200 bhp engines, ESP is standard
equipment and includes the following supplementary systems:
" ASR: limits drive wheel slip when accelerating, to prevent power
oversteer or understeer and improve acceleration when surface grip is
poor.
" MSR: prevents engine lock when decelerating, opens and closes the
throttle valve, gradually adapting the braking effort of the engine to
the situation at a given moment.
" HBA: electronic hydraulic braking assistant, which automatically
increases the pressure of the braking circuit during panic braking.
" Hill-holder: an automatic device to release the brakes after a
hill stop.
The sophisticated ESP device (Electronic Stability Program) intervenes
when conditions are close to the limit, when the car's stability is at
risk, to help the driver to control the car. ESP constantly monitors tyre
grip on the road, both longitudinally and laterally, and if it detects
a tendency to skid, the system intervenes to recover direction and stability.
Sensors measure the rotation of the car around its vertical axis (yaw
speed), the lateral acceleration and the steering lock set by the driver
(which indicates his chosen direction). It compares these data with the
parameters processed by computer and uses a complex mathematical model
to establish whether the car is taking a corner within the grip limits,
or if it is about to skid at the front or the rear (understeer or oversteer).
To recover the correct trajectory, the system generates a yaw contrary
to the one that is causing the instability, braking the relevant wheel
(inside or outside) individually and reducing the engine power (by adjusting
the throttle valve). This is the peculiar feature of the device developed
for the Fiat Croma. The brake adjustments are modulated so that they are
as smooth as possible (and will not disturb the driver) and the reduction
in engine power is also limited, to guarantee excellent performance at
all times and superbly enjoyable driving. The ESP system is always engaged.
The Hill Holder is an integral part of the ESP device, assisting the driver
on hill starts. It intervenes when the ESP control unit detects a change
in the inclination of the car through the longitudinal acceleration sensor
on the floor under the passenger seat. During a hill start, the control
unit prepares to cut in when first gear is engaged and the clutch and
brake pedals are depressed. The pressure on the front callipers is maintained
for about 1.5 seconds after the brake pedal is released, allowing the
driver to set off more easily. On downhill starts with first gear engaged,
the Hill Holder is not activated. The same is true for hill starts in
which reverse is engaged: downhill the system is activated, whereas uphill
it is not activated.
Technical
Specifications (Adobe Acrobat PDF format)
22/05/05
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