It's the car maker's nightmare: you want to rock the world with a new model, but you need to sell it, too. So your design has to be individual and turn heads, but it must also fit in. Step off the catwalk of four-wheeled fashion and you have a dud.
Take the original Fiat Multipla. Half Renault Scenic, half Modigliani, it was built from blueprints scribbled by a demented toddler. Leering like a manic dolphin in your rear view, it had an elephant's skull for a roof and lights sprouting from freak angles. Wackier still, on the inside, the seating was configured for two lots of threesomes - one trio fore and one aft. Just what were those kinky Italians thinking?
Sounds like the Devil's own work? Well, if you ride out with just the one husband or wife, it might look that way. But Fiat's bravery paid off, kind of. The Multipla scooped awards across Europe and showed bold design can put (at least media) bums on seats. It also had a secret weapon: day to day, this was a sensible and immensely practical car - okay, the boot was a little confined but you sit nice and tall and, thanks to the deep waistline, there's a wonderful feeling of space - much enhanced by the fact that those central seats can be folded down and turned into tables. Truth is, very few of us ever need a car that can carry six, but that's not the point... put four into a Multipla over a long journey and they'd arrive feeling relaxed and uncrumpled with ne'er an elbow bashed.
OK, so what of the new one? Well the bad news, in a way, is that Fiat lost its nerve. So the car that once stood out like John Merrick at a Baywatch pageant now blends fairly seamlessly and rather blandly into the cloned ranks of people carriers. Gone are those scattily misplaced light units and unusual curved headlamp surrounds; in their place sit facial traits that show much more loyalty to Fiat's corporate uniform.
But surely that's good? Well yes - the thing was that Fiat might have been getting back-slapped senseless by gongs galore, but Multipla 1 wasn't selling like it should. In the UK, it stuttered from the starting block and Fiat rightfully concluded that the basic reason why we've failed to jump in is purely aesthetic. If British drivers wanted individuality they'd not buy Vauxhalls. Or live in three-bed semis. So here it is: a Multipla that can hum in tune with the rest of the traffic.
Any changes beyond cosmetics? In practice, the charming eccentricity is still there. It's still wide, still tall, still has windows that (elbows beware) don't fully drop because of the shallow doors and still has that lovely feeling of space, thanks to the three-three configuration. The boot remains a little perfunctory for sizeable suitcases (for six? You're joking), and, despite an interior makeover, the centrally-set instrument binnacle could do with clearer, less feint graphics.
So you're marking it down? Far from it. Light but accurate steering, decent brakes and a joy-to-glide gearstick (which, for extra 'walk-thru' cabin space, sprouts directly from the dashboard) make this surprisingly fun to drive. Factor in Fiat's stalwart 1.9-litre multijet turbodiesel engine - by far the wiser choice against the weedy 1.6 petrol alternative - and you find yourself piloting a top-notch family car with well-planted handling and commendable overtaking oomph.
Conservatism wins then? It certainly looks that way. At �14,495, the Dynamic trim diesel comes in at a stingy �1,200 more than the petrol, but the running costs (51.4mpg is claimed on average) and higher resale value should pay off. Dynamic spec includes ABS, six-speaker CD radio, electric folding and heated door mirrors and rear door release, though you'll have to go up to Dynamic Plus spec for climate control, fogs, side airbags and an alarm - all yours for another �1,000.
Tiscali verdict: 7/10 A decent choice. Go forth and Multipla
