The Fiat Strada is a coupé utility produced by Fiat since 1998. It is mainly built in Brazil and sold throughout Latin America, while the first-generation Strada was also assembled in South Africa and exported to Europe from Brazil. It has a unibody chassis with front-wheel drive and shares its platform with several Fiat subcompact cars such as the Palio, Siena and Uno.
Fiat Strada at a glance
| Production | from October 1998 |
|---|---|
| Project | 278 (first generation), 281 (second) |
| Built in | Brazil; also South Africa in the first generation |
| Layout | unibody, front-wheel drive |
| Platform | shared with the Palio, Siena and Uno |
| Payload | 700 kg |
| Cargo floor | 1,770 x 1,314 mm |
| European launch | April 1999 |
| First engines in Europe | 1.2 Fire 73 hp, 1.7 turbodiesel 70 hp |
| Brazilian sales | more than 1.4 million by 2018 |
| Rebadged | Ram 700 in Mexico |
History of the Fiat Strada
First generation, 1998
Launched in October 1998 in Brazil, the first-generation Strada was the cargo-carrying derivative of Project 178, the same programme that produced the Palio. It replaced the Fiat City, a pickup version of the Fiorino, itself a commercial derivative of the Uno. The Strada had a maximum load capacity of 700 kg and a cargo floor of 1,770 by 1,314 mm. In Europe it was launched in April 1999 with two engines: the 1.2 Fire petrol of 73 hp and a 1.7 turbodiesel of 70 hp.
2001 and 2004 revisions
The first facelift came in 2001, styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, with a new front and interior; the Mark II series also introduced an extended-cab version. In 2002 Fiat do Brasil launched the first Strada Adventure, with off-road looks. The Mark III of 2004 took a revised front and interior from the Fiat Palio, again by Giugiaro, and a second version of the Adventure appeared with the features of the Weekend Adventure. In Europe it was offered with the 1.9-litre JTD diesel, but later only with the 1.3 Multijet 16-valve diesel of 85 hp and Euro 4 emissions. South Africa had four variants — 1.2 Fire MPI EL, 1.6 Torque MPI EL, 1.6 Torque MPI ELX and 1.7 turbo diesel EL — plus the X-Space, which stretched the cab by 30 cm and came as the standard X-Space and the X-Space Adventure, both with the 1.4 Fire MPI engine.
Mark IV, 2009–2013
The all-new Mark IV was unveiled in summer 2009 and went on sale at the end of that year. Although it shared its name with the earlier Strada, many of its components were new, including the bodyshell, and its design took inspiration from the Fiat Grande Punto with elements of the latest Palio and Siena. It was built in four versions: Working as the basic model, Trekking with more equipment, Sporting with an aero kit, and Adventure with a locking differential for off-road use. In 2010 Fiat do Brasil added a double-cab version with four seats on the same wheelbase. Engines were the 1.4 16-valve Fire Flex of 85 PS, the 1.8 8-valve Ecotec Flex of 114 PS and the 1.3 16-valve Multijet diesel of 87 PS. The Strada was relaunched for Italy and selected European markets in 2012.
2013 to the second generation
At the end of 2013 Fiat showed the latest facelift as a 2014 model, with a new front and new rear lights and a double cab available with suicide-style rear doors; the South American range had Working, Trekking and Adventure versions in four body styles. For 2015 the Strada was rebadged by Ram Trucks for Mexico as the Ram 700, and in 2018 Brazilian sales passed 1.4 million. The second generation, project 281, was presented on 26 June 2020 in Brazil on the new MC-P modular platform derived from the Fiat Argo, with MacPherson front suspension, part of the cabin from the Fiat Mobi and the rear suspension of the Brazilian Fiat Fiorino. For the first time there was a four-door double cab with five seats. The new car introduced a large silver Fiat logo, a small Italian flag in the grille and LED light clusters; the two-door version carried 720 kg and 1,354 litres, the four-door 650 kg and 844 litres, ground clearance was 211 mm and the approach angle 24 degrees. Inside there was a Uconnect 5 system with a 7-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, wireless connectivity and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. From 18 November 2020 the Ram 700 for Mexico was renewed on the same basis in SLT, Bighorn and Laramie trim.
Design and features
- Unibody pickup: a car platform rather than a separate ladder frame.
- Palio family: the same basis as the Palio, Siena and Uno.
- 700 kg payload: with a 1,770 by 1,314 mm cargo floor.
- Adventure versions: off-road styling and later a locking differential.
- Double cab: an extended cab from 2001 and four doors from 2020.
Fiat Strada versions
- Strada Working: the basic version.
- Strada Trekking: better equipped.
- Strada Sporting: sportier style with an aero kit.
- Strada Adventure: off-road model, from 2002 and with a locking differential on the Mark IV.
- X-Space: South African version with the cab stretched by 30 cm.
- Ram 700: Mexican rebadged version from 2015.
The Strada shares its platform with the Fiat Palio and replaced the pickup version of the Fiat Fiorino. More cars are in the Fiat collection.
Sources
- Fiat Strada, English Wikipedia: generations, payload, revisions, versions and the 2020 redesign
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