The Fiat Marea, type 185, is a small family car produced by Fiat from 1996 to 2007. It was available as a saloon and as an estate called the Marea Weekend, and was essentially a different body style of the Bravo and Brava hatchbacks. It replaced the Tipo-based Fiat Tempra and the larger Croma, and became officially available on 11 September 1996.
Fiat Marea at a glance
| Production | 1996–2007 (Europe to 2002) |
|---|---|
| Internal code | Type 185 |
| Bodies | four-door saloon, five-door Weekend estate |
| Related | Fiat Bravo and Brava |
| Engines | 1.2 to 2.0 petrol; 1.9 and 2.4 turbodiesel |
| Top petrol | 2.0 five-cylinder 20v turbo, 182 PS |
| Predecessors | Fiat Tempra and Fiat Croma |
| Successors | Fiat Linea and Stilo Multiwagon |
| Plants | Cassino and Mirafiori; Betim in Brazil, Bursa in Turkey |
| Brazilian production | 54,781 cars to November 2007 |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article.
History of the Fiat Marea
The Marea was originally manufactured in Fiat’s Cassino and Mirafiori plants in Italy. Later it also superseded the Tempra in the Brazilian plant at Betim and the Turkish plant at Bursa, run with Tofaş, which built vehicles mostly for local and other developing markets. In Europe, production and sales ended in August 2002, a year after the Bravo and Brava were replaced by the Stilo; the Marea Weekend was replaced by the Stilo Multiwagon unveiled in January 2003, while the saloon’s successor, the Linea, appeared in 2007.
The petrol and JTD engines of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litres and the 1.9 diesel came from the Brava and Bravo, and a 2.0 20-valve turbo from the Fiat Coupé was also available. For a short time there was a 2.4 turbodiesel, dropped in 2001 and now sought after, and a BiPower 1.6-litre dual-fuel engine was later added to the range, able to run on petrol or compressed natural gas. Smaller units were sold in selected markets only: a 1.2-litre 16-valve of 86 PS and a 1.4-litre 12-valve of 80 PS, both offered in Greece and Portugal. The main petrol engines were the 1.6 of 103 PS or 99 PS, the 1.8 of 114 PS, the 2.0 five-cylinder 20-valve of 155 PS and the 2.0 20-valve turbo of 182 PS; the diesels were the 1.9 turbodiesel of 75 or 100 PS, the 1.9 JTD of 105 or 110 PS and the 2.4 five-cylinder turbodiesel of 126 or 132 PS.
In the United Kingdom the Marea saloon was offered in SX, ELX and HLX trim. The SX could be ordered with the 1.6-litre petrol engine of 103 PS or the 1.9-litre turbo diesel of 75 or 100 PS. The ELX offered four engines: the 1.6, the 1.8, the 2.0-litre 20-valve petrol or the 100 PS 1.9 turbo diesel. The top HLX came with either the more powerful 2.0-litre 20-valve petrol of 147 PS or the 124 PS 2.4-litre turbo diesel.
The Brazilian-built Marea was available in saloon and estate form and reached dealerships in June 1998. It was launched with two trim levels, the mid-level ELX and the high-level HLX, while the Weekend estate was imported from Italy in small numbers until local production began in September 1998. A 142 PS 2.0-litre petrol engine was standard, with a lower-output 127 PS version added later the same year for the base SX model, a change that cut Brazilian excise tax on industrial products from 30 to 25 per cent for that model. A sporty Turbo trim with the 182 PS 2.0-litre engine was also offered, and prices ran from 27,582 BRL for a base SX to 41,748 BRL for a Turbo. No diesel engines were available in Brazil, as local legislation prohibits diesel-powered cars.
In 2000 the 2.0-litre engine was replaced by a 2.4-litre of 160 PS for the ELX and HLX and by a 1.8-litre of 132 PS for the SX. The following year the Brazilian car was facelifted with a new front grille and tail lights borrowed from the Lancia Lybra, and a four-speed automatic transmission became available. For the 2005 model year there was a minor facelift and a new entry-level engine, an Argentine-built 1.6-litre of 106 PS, the only Marea engine not brought in from Italy. A total of 54,781 units were built in Brazil before production ended in November 2007.
Design and features
- Bravo and Brava base: saloon and estate body styles of the same hatchback range.
- Weekend estate: the five-door version, replaced by the Stilo Multiwagon.
- Five-cylinder petrol: a 2.0-litre 20-valve engine of up to 182 PS in turbo form.
- JTD diesels: common-rail 1.9 units of 105 and 110 PS.
- BiPower: a 1.6-litre engine able to run on petrol or compressed natural gas.
Fiat Marea versions
- Marea saloon: four-door model in SX, ELX and HLX trim.
- Marea Weekend: five-door estate version.
- Marea 2.0 20v turbo: 182 PS petrol engine from the Fiat Coupé.
- Marea BiPower: dual-fuel petrol and compressed natural gas model.
- Brazilian Marea Turbo: 182 PS petrol version sold in Brazil.
The Marea was the saloon and estate member of the Fiat Bravo and Brava family and replaced the Fiat Tempra. More cars are in the Fiat collection.
Sources
- Fiat Marea, English Wikipedia: launch, body styles, engines, UK trims, Brazilian production
