The modular platform is named MP1.
Primeiras impressões Fiat Argo - Já aceleramos as versões 1.3, 1.3 GSR e 1.8 HGT
Here's a not direct translation and a few extra comments
It says that Fiat is going through a rough patch in Brasil because their products are too old (ring a bell?
) and saw their sales numbers drop 400,000 units in two years.
They also focused their investment on Jeep and in establishing Jeep in Brasil with the Renegade and Compass duo.
The Argo is considered the most important launch for Fiat in Brasil in the last two decades since the Palio was launched in 1996. Its platform is an evolution of the platform of the latin american Punto (which uses a different platform than the Small-Wide platform used by the european Punto by the way, even though the sheet metal is similar). It's considered a new platform since it only retains 20% of the components of the old platform.
The Argo is 7% more rigid to torsion, 8% to flexing (Not sure if these are the terms used in US english) and it weighs 8% less than the old Punto. Fiat is expecting the Argo to obtain 4 stars in the Latin NCAP crash tests. If this is accurate then I think the car will do great. However, it won't ensure that it can be sold in developed markets like North America or Europe because:
I bet that it would be abysmal in Euro NCAP tests if they didn't account for the extra Euro NCAP tests when developing it. So I consider this will do well in Brasil and India.
It has an internval volumetry of 2806 liters (not sure how that translates to imperial units but it's a subcompact in the US). The trunk has 300L capacity, which for the segment is very good (even in Europe).
It has a Cx of 0.34.
They mention that the interior is very good (for the class mind and by brasilian standards mind you). In their opinion, it is more roomy than the competition (Chevy Onix and Hyundai HB20) but smaller than the Dacia Sandero. Fit and finish is the best they've seen in a sub-compact Fiat in Brasil, easily at the level of the pick-up Fiat Toro (which shares a lot of its interior components with the Renegade). It has the most recent version of the uConnect already present in the Fiat Tipo and Jeep Compass, with Android Auto and Apple Carplay.
The driving position is a bit tall, higher than in the Fiesta and 208 (it has a higher distance to soil than those two - necessary in Brasil because of the shitty roads). Steering wheel only adjusts in depth and height in the 1.8 engine versions, height adjustment only in all other versions. Confortable seating, with electric adjustment in the versions with lateral airbag. The only downside they mention is the big door grabber that digs into the leg of the driver when doing corners.
Driving, they say the suspension is a bit to the firm side and the car is fun to drive with precise steering that gains weight consistently with speed and it has low body roll. The versions Drive 1.3 and 1.3 GSR have the suspension with a setting tuned for confort.
They like the 1.3 engine because they say it is responsive at low revs (but keep in mind this has no turbo and the expectations are different than in the US). The manual shift could be shorter but it is precise.
Summing up, they consider the Argo a candidate to dominate the segment in Brasil. It has good pricing compared to the rivals, pretty, spacious enough, fun to drive and with fit and finish comparable with the Toro (which is to say that it's good for brasilian standards - it's comparable to the Compass from what I've read). It's offers cover the entire breadth of offers from the rivals and the equipment in the accessible versions is very complete.
Primeiras impressões Fiat Argo - Já aceleramos as versões 1.3, 1.3 GSR e 1.8 HGT
Here's a not direct translation and a few extra comments
It says that Fiat is going through a rough patch in Brasil because their products are too old (ring a bell?
) and saw their sales numbers drop 400,000 units in two years.They also focused their investment on Jeep and in establishing Jeep in Brasil with the Renegade and Compass duo.
The Argo is considered the most important launch for Fiat in Brasil in the last two decades since the Palio was launched in 1996. Its platform is an evolution of the platform of the latin american Punto (which uses a different platform than the Small-Wide platform used by the european Punto by the way, even though the sheet metal is similar). It's considered a new platform since it only retains 20% of the components of the old platform.
The Argo is 7% more rigid to torsion, 8% to flexing (Not sure if these are the terms used in US english) and it weighs 8% less than the old Punto. Fiat is expecting the Argo to obtain 4 stars in the Latin NCAP crash tests. If this is accurate then I think the car will do great. However, it won't ensure that it can be sold in developed markets like North America or Europe because:
I bet that it would be abysmal in Euro NCAP tests if they didn't account for the extra Euro NCAP tests when developing it. So I consider this will do well in Brasil and India.
It has an internval volumetry of 2806 liters (not sure how that translates to imperial units but it's a subcompact in the US). The trunk has 300L capacity, which for the segment is very good (even in Europe).
It has a Cx of 0.34.
They mention that the interior is very good (for the class mind and by brasilian standards mind you). In their opinion, it is more roomy than the competition (Chevy Onix and Hyundai HB20) but smaller than the Dacia Sandero. Fit and finish is the best they've seen in a sub-compact Fiat in Brasil, easily at the level of the pick-up Fiat Toro (which shares a lot of its interior components with the Renegade). It has the most recent version of the uConnect already present in the Fiat Tipo and Jeep Compass, with Android Auto and Apple Carplay.
The driving position is a bit tall, higher than in the Fiesta and 208 (it has a higher distance to soil than those two - necessary in Brasil because of the shitty roads). Steering wheel only adjusts in depth and height in the 1.8 engine versions, height adjustment only in all other versions. Confortable seating, with electric adjustment in the versions with lateral airbag. The only downside they mention is the big door grabber that digs into the leg of the driver when doing corners.
Driving, they say the suspension is a bit to the firm side and the car is fun to drive with precise steering that gains weight consistently with speed and it has low body roll. The versions Drive 1.3 and 1.3 GSR have the suspension with a setting tuned for confort.
They like the 1.3 engine because they say it is responsive at low revs (but keep in mind this has no turbo and the expectations are different than in the US). The manual shift could be shorter but it is precise.
Summing up, they consider the Argo a candidate to dominate the segment in Brasil. It has good pricing compared to the rivals, pretty, spacious enough, fun to drive and with fit and finish comparable with the Toro (which is to say that it's good for brasilian standards - it's comparable to the Compass from what I've read). It's offers cover the entire breadth of offers from the rivals and the equipment in the accessible versions is very complete.
