It's as average as a pair of blue jeans, but the Tipo is precisely what Fiat needed to add to its European lineup. It comes in three body styles, including hatch wagon and sedan, but a hot version with some Abarth zing is reportedly on the way.
Currently, the Tipo range tops out at 120 horsepower. However, a recent report from German magazine Auto Bild claims that the Abarth version would have at least 180 HP from the 1.4-liter turbo used in a bunch of other cars. But a 1.8-liter like the one found in the hot Alfa Giulietta would be even better.
We don't want to get your hopes up, especially since Fiat was supposed to produce an Abarth version of the 500X crossover. It even made the test prototypes, but never approved the thing for mass production.
Still, the Abarth Tipo makes all the sense in the world, since right after the scorpion-tuned 500 came out, they also offered a Grande Punto Abarth with 155 HP from the same 1.4 T-Jet.
In fact, the Tipo rendering put together by the Germans kind of reminds us of that car. It has the same combination of white paint, black plastic skirts, red stickers, and gunmetal alloy wheels.
The Grande Punto Abarth wasn't popular, not because they didn't have a standalone brand, but due to other cars offering better performance for the money. We're looking at you, Clio RS.
The market has changed a bit since then. Turbo engines are the norm, but small pocket rockets have become more expensive as well. We think a no-name car like the Tipo needs to start at the bottom end, competing with the cheap Suzuki Swift Sport.
And yes, we do know the classic Tipo came in 2.0 Sport form, known as the Sedicivalvole, but almost nobody remembers it. So what's it going to be Fiat - a cheap Abarth or one with all the bells and whistles?
We don't want to get your hopes up, especially since Fiat was supposed to produce an Abarth version of the 500X crossover. It even made the test prototypes, but never approved the thing for mass production.
Still, the Abarth Tipo makes all the sense in the world, since right after the scorpion-tuned 500 came out, they also offered a Grande Punto Abarth with 155 HP from the same 1.4 T-Jet.
In fact, the Tipo rendering put together by the Germans kind of reminds us of that car. It has the same combination of white paint, black plastic skirts, red stickers, and gunmetal alloy wheels.
The Grande Punto Abarth wasn't popular, not because they didn't have a standalone brand, but due to other cars offering better performance for the money. We're looking at you, Clio RS.
The market has changed a bit since then. Turbo engines are the norm, but small pocket rockets have become more expensive as well. We think a no-name car like the Tipo needs to start at the bottom end, competing with the cheap Suzuki Swift Sport.
And yes, we do know the classic Tipo came in 2.0 Sport form, known as the Sedicivalvole, but almost nobody remembers it. So what's it going to be Fiat - a cheap Abarth or one with all the bells and whistles?