Driven: Lancia Delta Multijet Oro (2010)
Hello, petrolheads! I’m back to an Italian playgroung again, this time with the Lancia Delta, perhaps one of the most controversial family hatchbacks on sale today. The current Delta is, for many, an unknown car, almost like the Lancia brand itself these days. A few may still recall the phenomenal Delta Integrale from the eighties, but from there on, Lancia almost vanished in time. Being integrated in the Fiat Group, a long time ago it was decided that Lancia should be more focused on comfort and luxury, while Alfa Romeo would keep its focus on sportiness. The second generation, launched in 1993, was the first real product of this strategy, but here is the thing: for a car to be “Premium”, it cannot be flawed in key areas, such as design, reliability, comfort or performance. An Audi A3, essentially an overpriced Volkswagen Golf, works because the Golf has good underpinnings. Being based on the Fiat Tipo, a mediocre design even when new, the second-generation Delta was destined to be forgotten, despite its nice looks and great interiors. Production ended in 1999 without anybody noticing, and the Delta name was dropped altogether, the successor being called Lybra.
Fortunately, back in 2007, Fiat presented their new Bravo, a brand-new design with real quality. Lancia took its platform, stretched it 10cm, dressed it with a trademark Italian suit and voilà: the latest Delta was born!
I must recognize I absolutely adore the way it looks, especially in the shown configuration – all black with 17” wheels. I’m not going to further discuss such a controversial theme, but what I can say to anyone considering this car is to have a real, long look. As it’s a very rounded car, its real proportions change a lot while actually seeing it, for the better and – for many people – for the worse. A positive reference for the intensive use of LED technology, which allow for great visibility all-round, and another one for headlight power, which is good.
The interior is way less exotic, but still has a nice atmosphere. It’s very welcoming, partly because of the great leather-alcantara seats, partly because the great-looking fake-aluminium centre console makes such a beautiful contrast with the dark dashboard. Generally speaking, materials are high-quality and they are well screwed together. Another nice point regards standard equipment, very high in this intermediate Oro spec. Actually, the top of the range Platinum only adds a glass sunroof to this Oro spec, so this one has most of the toys as standard – 18” wheels and Xenon headlights are only standard equipment in the 1.9 Diesel and 1.8 petrol, top versions. Interior space is huge, being an absolute reference amongst hatchbacks. It’s versatile as well: the rear seats recline, slide and fold (60:40), so there is always a choice between an enormous legroom or a big boot. Tree adults fit in the rear quite well, but width isn’t referencial: due to safety reasons the doors, especially at the rear, are very thick, stealing a lot of interior space. Height is correct for anyone up to 1,80m tall.
However, the rear seats take me to what’s, for me, the Delta’s Achilles heel: ride comfort. At the front, there isn’t much to say: the suspension is relatively supple and the firm seats don’t bother either. However, at the rear, the story is quite different. The seats are firmer than the front ones, almost hard, and the rear suspension – a classic torsion bar – doesn’t help either. Add low-profile tires and big wheels and the end result is a car which is beautifully insulated, spacious but, on bad roads, almost uncomfortable. A true shame.
The upside of this setup are some roadholding abilities among the best of the class. It’s not as agile as a contemporary Ford Focus, the relatively high weight being the biggest responsible, but it’s very predictable and grip from the tires is also great, even on the wet. The steering could do with more feeling (the wheel is nice) and the gearbox with more mechanical feel and shorter travel though. To summarize, it’s competent and very safe – the ESP is only called upon great abuse – but a bit joy-less. For me, the reference setup is still the 2010 Ford Focus: reasonably comfortable and very fun to drive!
Performance from the 1.6-litre Multijet Diesel seems to be… adequate, but I’m sure the great insulation and ultra-smoothness of its 120 PS are the main reason for the car feeling so pedestrian sometimes. However, its petrol-like behavior is something I have to adore. It almost feels like a naturally-aspirated engine – with the exception of an instantaneous surge when the accelerator is depressed, which is missing, there are no torque fluctuations, it revs happily to its 4500-rpm redline and there is low engine-braking. As the gear ratios are a bit long, I tend to downshift a lot, but by doing so the sweet 300Nm really show what they are made of, so I never had problems overtaking with it. If only the gearbox had a more mechanical feeling to it… The upside of the small engine is that fuel economy is always great, no matter how it’s driven. I average between 5 to 5,5 l/100km (51-56 UK mpg), mostly driving on motorways at 130 km/h (80 mph), with a barely run-in engine. As Fiat engines improve a lot with use – as I noticed with my own Panda’s – I’m utterly curious to see how economical this car can really be!
Verdict: a competent and exotic alternative to the mainstream world of the Family Hatches. Form with function.
Vital data:
Engine and transmission:
1598 cc, inline-4 cylinder, 4 valves per cylinder (diesel)
120 PS (88 kW)/ 4000 rpm 300 Nm/ 1500 rpm
Red line: 4500 rpm
6-speed manual transmission
Dimensions and weights:
Length/ width/ height: 4,520/ 1,797/ 1,499 metres
Turning circle: 10,6 metres
Empty weight (measured): 1480 kg
Boot: 380-465 litres (5 seats)
Fuel tank: 58 litres
Tires: 225/45 R17 Michelin Primacy HP
Official performance:
Top speed: 194 km/h (121 mph)
0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 10.7 seconds
Fuel consumption (urban/extra-urban/average): 5.8/ 4.0/ 4.7 l/100km (49/ 71/ 60 UK mpg)
CO2 emissions: 122 g/km
2000 rpm, 5th gear: 95 km/h (59 mph)
2000 rpm, 6th gear: 115 km/h (72 mph)
Main equipment:
Climate control, twin front and side airbags, radio with MP3 player and aux-in socket, trip computer, 17” alloy wheels, ABS+ASR+ESP+hill holder, leather-alcantara seats, cruise control, automatic windscreen wipers and lights, adjustable rear seat, tinted rear windows, automatic dimming rear view mirror, electric foldable wing mirrors, fog lights with cornering function.
Portuguese price in 2010: 27 400€.
Driven: from December 2011; car left with 8 600 km (5 400 miles).
Rating: 17 out of 20
Hello, petrolheads! I’m back to an Italian playgroung again, this time with the Lancia Delta, perhaps one of the most controversial family hatchbacks on sale today. The current Delta is, for many, an unknown car, almost like the Lancia brand itself these days. A few may still recall the phenomenal Delta Integrale from the eighties, but from there on, Lancia almost vanished in time. Being integrated in the Fiat Group, a long time ago it was decided that Lancia should be more focused on comfort and luxury, while Alfa Romeo would keep its focus on sportiness. The second generation, launched in 1993, was the first real product of this strategy, but here is the thing: for a car to be “Premium”, it cannot be flawed in key areas, such as design, reliability, comfort or performance. An Audi A3, essentially an overpriced Volkswagen Golf, works because the Golf has good underpinnings. Being based on the Fiat Tipo, a mediocre design even when new, the second-generation Delta was destined to be forgotten, despite its nice looks and great interiors. Production ended in 1999 without anybody noticing, and the Delta name was dropped altogether, the successor being called Lybra.
Fortunately, back in 2007, Fiat presented their new Bravo, a brand-new design with real quality. Lancia took its platform, stretched it 10cm, dressed it with a trademark Italian suit and voilà: the latest Delta was born!
I must recognize I absolutely adore the way it looks, especially in the shown configuration – all black with 17” wheels. I’m not going to further discuss such a controversial theme, but what I can say to anyone considering this car is to have a real, long look. As it’s a very rounded car, its real proportions change a lot while actually seeing it, for the better and – for many people – for the worse. A positive reference for the intensive use of LED technology, which allow for great visibility all-round, and another one for headlight power, which is good.
The interior is way less exotic, but still has a nice atmosphere. It’s very welcoming, partly because of the great leather-alcantara seats, partly because the great-looking fake-aluminium centre console makes such a beautiful contrast with the dark dashboard. Generally speaking, materials are high-quality and they are well screwed together. Another nice point regards standard equipment, very high in this intermediate Oro spec. Actually, the top of the range Platinum only adds a glass sunroof to this Oro spec, so this one has most of the toys as standard – 18” wheels and Xenon headlights are only standard equipment in the 1.9 Diesel and 1.8 petrol, top versions. Interior space is huge, being an absolute reference amongst hatchbacks. It’s versatile as well: the rear seats recline, slide and fold (60:40), so there is always a choice between an enormous legroom or a big boot. Tree adults fit in the rear quite well, but width isn’t referencial: due to safety reasons the doors, especially at the rear, are very thick, stealing a lot of interior space. Height is correct for anyone up to 1,80m tall.
However, the rear seats take me to what’s, for me, the Delta’s Achilles heel: ride comfort. At the front, there isn’t much to say: the suspension is relatively supple and the firm seats don’t bother either. However, at the rear, the story is quite different. The seats are firmer than the front ones, almost hard, and the rear suspension – a classic torsion bar – doesn’t help either. Add low-profile tires and big wheels and the end result is a car which is beautifully insulated, spacious but, on bad roads, almost uncomfortable. A true shame.
The upside of this setup are some roadholding abilities among the best of the class. It’s not as agile as a contemporary Ford Focus, the relatively high weight being the biggest responsible, but it’s very predictable and grip from the tires is also great, even on the wet. The steering could do with more feeling (the wheel is nice) and the gearbox with more mechanical feel and shorter travel though. To summarize, it’s competent and very safe – the ESP is only called upon great abuse – but a bit joy-less. For me, the reference setup is still the 2010 Ford Focus: reasonably comfortable and very fun to drive!
Performance from the 1.6-litre Multijet Diesel seems to be… adequate, but I’m sure the great insulation and ultra-smoothness of its 120 PS are the main reason for the car feeling so pedestrian sometimes. However, its petrol-like behavior is something I have to adore. It almost feels like a naturally-aspirated engine – with the exception of an instantaneous surge when the accelerator is depressed, which is missing, there are no torque fluctuations, it revs happily to its 4500-rpm redline and there is low engine-braking. As the gear ratios are a bit long, I tend to downshift a lot, but by doing so the sweet 300Nm really show what they are made of, so I never had problems overtaking with it. If only the gearbox had a more mechanical feeling to it… The upside of the small engine is that fuel economy is always great, no matter how it’s driven. I average between 5 to 5,5 l/100km (51-56 UK mpg), mostly driving on motorways at 130 km/h (80 mph), with a barely run-in engine. As Fiat engines improve a lot with use – as I noticed with my own Panda’s – I’m utterly curious to see how economical this car can really be!
Verdict: a competent and exotic alternative to the mainstream world of the Family Hatches. Form with function.
Vital data:
Engine and transmission:
1598 cc, inline-4 cylinder, 4 valves per cylinder (diesel)
120 PS (88 kW)/ 4000 rpm 300 Nm/ 1500 rpm
Red line: 4500 rpm
6-speed manual transmission
Dimensions and weights:
Length/ width/ height: 4,520/ 1,797/ 1,499 metres
Turning circle: 10,6 metres
Empty weight (measured): 1480 kg
Boot: 380-465 litres (5 seats)
Fuel tank: 58 litres
Tires: 225/45 R17 Michelin Primacy HP
Official performance:
Top speed: 194 km/h (121 mph)
0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 10.7 seconds
Fuel consumption (urban/extra-urban/average): 5.8/ 4.0/ 4.7 l/100km (49/ 71/ 60 UK mpg)
CO2 emissions: 122 g/km
2000 rpm, 5th gear: 95 km/h (59 mph)
2000 rpm, 6th gear: 115 km/h (72 mph)
Main equipment:
Climate control, twin front and side airbags, radio with MP3 player and aux-in socket, trip computer, 17” alloy wheels, ABS+ASR+ESP+hill holder, leather-alcantara seats, cruise control, automatic windscreen wipers and lights, adjustable rear seat, tinted rear windows, automatic dimming rear view mirror, electric foldable wing mirrors, fog lights with cornering function.
Portuguese price in 2010: 27 400€.
Driven: from December 2011; car left with 8 600 km (5 400 miles).
Rating: 17 out of 20
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