Fiat Marea

Fiat Marea
Overview
Manufacturer	Fiat
Also called	Fiat Marengo (panel van)
Production	1996–2002 (Italy) 1998–2007 (Brazil)
Assembly	Mirafiori, Turin, Italy Cassino, Piedimonte San Germano, Italy Betim, Minas Gerais, Brazil Bursa, Turkey (Tofaş) Tychy, Poland[1]
Body and chassis
Class	Small family car
Body style	4-door saloon 5-door estate
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Platform	Type Three platform (Tipo Tre)[2]
Powertrain
Engine	1.2 L I4 (gasoline) 1.4 L I4 (gasoline) 1.6 L I4 (gasoline) 1.8 L I4 (gasoline) 2.0 L I5 (gasoline) 2.4 L I5 (gasoline) 2.0 L I5 (t/c gasoline) 1.9 L I4 (turbodiesel) 2.4 L I5 (turbodiesel) 1.6 L I4 (BiPower)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,540 mm (100.0 in)
Length	4,391 mm (172.9 in) (saloon) 4,490 mm (176.8 in) (estate)
Width	1,740 mm (68.5 in)
Height	1,420 mm (55.9 in) (saloon) 1,535 mm (60.4 in) (estate)
Curb weight	1,085–1,385 kg (2,392–3,053 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Fiat Tempra
Successor	Fiat Linea Fiat Stilo Multiwagon (for estate)

The Fiat Marea (Type 185) is a small family car available as a saloon and an estate, produced by the Italian automaker Fiat. Launched in 1996, the Marea models were essentially different body styles of Fiat's hatchback offerings, the Bravo and Brava. The Marea replaced the earlier Tipo-based Fiat Tempra, as well as the larger Croma. While the Fiat Stilo Multiwagon is the successor of the Marea Weekend estate, the Fiat Linea replaced the saloon version in 2007.

Production and markets

Rear view of the Fiat Marea

The Marea was originally manufactured in Fiat's Cassino and Mirafiori plants in Italy.^[3] Later the Marea also superseded the Tempra in Brazilian (Betim) and Turkish (in Bursa, with Tofaş) plants,^[4] which make vehicles mostly for local and other developing markets.

In Europe, production and sales of the Marea ceased in 2002, a year after the Bravo and Brava were replaced with the Fiat Stilo. The Marea Weekend was replaced by the Stilo Multiwagon, while the saloon was dropped altogether due to relatively low popularity of compact saloon cars in Europe. Nevertheless, the Marea (in both body styles) was still manufactured in Turkey and Brazil for local (and other Latin American) markets. The Brazilian version was facelifted in 2001, when it gained a redesigned rear end with taillights taken from the Lancia Lybra.^[5][6] For 2006, the Marea was mildly revised again, gaining a new rear end, and a new grille, similar in style to other current Fiat models.^[7]

In mid-2007, Brazilian production of the Marea and Marea Weekend ceased. Their successor, the Fiat Linea, is produced from mid-2008 on, only in saloon body style.

Engines

The Marea petrol and JTD engines 1.6 L, 1.8 L and 2.0 L petrol and 1.9 L were sourced from the Brava and Bravo, and a 2.0 20v turbo option from the Fiat Coupé was also available. For a short time there was also a 2.4 turbodiesel available, dropped in 2001, which has become sought after. A BiPower 1.6 L dual fuel engine was later added to the range. It can run on either petrol or compressed natural gas.

• 1.6 L straight-4 1,581 cc 103 PS (76 kW; 102 hp)
• 1.6 L straight-4 1,581 cc 99 PS (73 kW; 98 hp)
• 1.8 L straight-4 1,747 cc 114 PS (84 kW; 112 hp)
• 2.0 L straight-5 1,998 cc 155 PS (114 kW; 153 hp)
• 2.0 L straight-5 turbo 1,998 cc 182 PS (134 kW; 180 hp)
• 1.9 turbodiesel straight-4 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp)
• 1.9 turbodiesel straight-4 100 PS (74 kW; 99 hp)
• 1.9 common-rail (JTD) turbodiesel straight-4 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp)
• 1.9 common-rail (JTD) turbodiesel straight-4 110 PS (81 kW; 108 hp)
• 2.4 turbodiesel 2,387 cc straight-5 126 PS (93 kW; 124 hp)
• 2.4 common-rail (JTD) turbodiesel 2,387 cc straight-5 132 PS (97 kW; 130 hp)

Brazil

Fiat Marea Weekend

Rear view of the Fiat Marea Weekend

The Marea was introduced in 1998 onto the Brazilian market with only one engine: the 2.0 20v. Due to Brazilian production taxes the 2.0 20v engine had its electronic fuel injection remapped to limit the engine power to 128 bhp (95 kW) in the Marea SX and ELX models of 1999. The engine retained its full power (142 bhp) on the more expensive Marea HLX model. Simply exchanging the SX or ELX fuel injection chip with the HLX chip would bring back the original engine power. Fiat initially claimed it to be untrue explaining that other modifications had been made in the SX/ELX models for cost-savings, but this was revealed to be false.

In 2000, the 2.0 20v engine was replaced with the 2.4 20v (160 bhp) engine in the HLX model, and the SX model started using the 1.8 16v engine (130 bhp), while the ELX injection was mapped as it had originally been for the HLX to give the 2.0 20v engine the original engine power (141 bhp).

Later the 2.0 20v engine was dropped and the 1.6 16v (105 bhp) engine was introduced; this engine was the only one produced for model year 2007, when the Marea production has been discontinued. All engines for the Fiat Marea in Brazil were petrol-based, with no diesel variants. This is due to federal legislation prohibiting diesel-powered passenger vehicles, effective since 1976.^[8][9]

There is also the 2.0 20V Turbo (Garrett TB28/10) with 182 bhp, sold from 1999 to 2006.

References

1. 10 million vehicles produced in the former FSM and Fiat Auto Poland factories
2. "Curiosidades Tipo". Fiat Tipo Portugal. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
3. "Press release". PR Newswire UK. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
4. "Fiat Marea". Global Autoindex. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
5. "Comparativo Sedãs Médios". Revista Quatro Rodas. February 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-03.
6. "Comparativo Completo". Best Cars. 2002-01-15. Retrieved 2006-08-03.
7. "Novo Marea 2006" (in Portuguese). Fiat Brazil. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
8. "Porque não temos automóveis movidos a diesel no Brasil" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2014-10-18.
9. "A Probição Carro Diesel no Brasil" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2014-10-18.

External links

Media related to Fiat Marea at Wikimedia Commons