FIAT Auto's new Multipla, which went on sale in the UK on Saturday August 27, is the second generation of Fiat Auto's unique, award winning mid-size MPV. It remains the only car currently available here to combine true multi-purpose vehicle flexibility with full-sized seating for six adults in two rows of three, together with class leading luggage space in a surprisingly compact package, just over four metres in length. Since its UK introduction four years ago, the remarkable Multipla has received accolades from all quarters of the UK motor industry media.

To date, this innovative MPV has won some 14 UK media awards, including BBC Top Gear Magazine and Top Gear TV programme's Car of the Year 2000 and Best Family Car 2000, 2001 and 2002, Fleet World and Channel 4 Driven's Best MPV 2000, Auto Express and Diesel Car magazine's Best Compact MPV 2001, MPV Towcar of the Year 2001, Used Car Buyer magazine's Best Used MPV and Used Car of the Year 2002 and, in April this year, What MPV and 4x4?'s MPV Mastermind 2004. Building on these important awards, the new range features an enlarged, six model line-up offering new exterior styling, revised interior trims, new colours and enhanced equipment.

The new Multipla model UK line-up, priced from £13,295-£16,495 on-the-road, embraces three new trim levels - Dynamic, Dynamic Plus and Eleganza - and a choice of engines: a spirited Torque 1.6 litre 16-valve 103 bhp petrol unit, or Fiat Auto's renowned 115 bhp 1.9 litre JTD common rail direct injection turbodiesel, both mated to 5-speed manual transmissions.

The flexibility of the new Multipla's ground breaking, three-abreast seating configuration not only allows for extensive adjustment of the front seats and the removal and relocation of the rear seats into numerous practical formats, but also affords a class-leading 430 litres of luggage space - increasing to a cavernous 1900 litres of flat-floor loadspace with the rear three seats removed from the vehicle. Even at entry level, standard equipment specification has been carefully considered to simplify and enhance life on board.

This includes power assisted steering, a 6-speaker RDS stereo CD player, remote central locking, driver and double capacity front passenger airbags, electric height adjustable driver's seat, and electric front windows and heated folding door mirrors. A wide range of options includes satellite navigation, parking sensors, a fridge, a twin screen DVD player, 17" alloy wheels and, from next year, Bluetooth connectivity and CONNECT NAV - Fiat Auto's unique communications system which is the most advanced infotelematic package on the market.

Allied to powerful, ventilated front and rear disc brakes, every version of new Fiat Multipla is fitted, as standard, with ABS anti-lock braking complete with electronic brakeforce distribution. On board, the fitting of up to six airbags including Smart 2 front airbags and window bags, three front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, three inertia reel safety belts in the rear, six full-sized head restraints ISOFIX child seat attachments and an FPS Fire Prevention System, further contributes to making the new Multipla one of the safest MPV's available today. In addition to a radical interior design solution offering the ultimate in flexible practicality, one of Fiat Auto's key design objectives for the Multipla was to produce a mid-range MPV that would handle as well as an equivalent saloon.

As a result, in a class of competitors which often tend to be larger-bodied versions of existing hatchbacks whose suspension is inevitably compromised by existing dynamics, the purpose-built, spaceframe chassis, wide track and comparatively long wheelbase of the new Fiat Multipla combine with independent MacPherson strut front and trailing arm rear suspension to offer superior high speed stability, class leading roadholding, and handling of a tenacity more usually associated with a sporty hatchback. While retaining all its highly praised interior design features, the new Fiat Multipla has undergone significant exterior styling changes.

A brand new front end featuring large, jewel-bright headlamps, an understated, chrome highlighted grille and a deep, purposeful air dam beneath an integral, colour coded bumper reinforces the new Multipla's exceptionally wide stance (1870 mm) and makes the new car instantly recognisable as the latest addition to the Fiat family. In profile, the high roofline (8" taller than a conventional saloon) emphasises the Multipla's extensive glazing which makes up 50% of the vehicle's sides, providing exceptional visibility as well as creating a light and spacious interior.

The near vertical sides of the new Multipla fulfil three important functions; window seat passengers are afforded maximum head and shoulder room, solar gain is reduced to a minimum when the car is parked in hot sunlight for prolonged periods, and the doors may be opened without rainwater dripping into the seats. The new Fiat Multipla is available in a choice of nine exterior colours, including three new shades: Batik Orange, Crystal Green and Lagoon Blue.