Category: Compact MPV 
Price Range: £14,555 to £18,335
Innovative six-seat layout, value, good 1.9-litre diesel, fun and easy to drive.
Small boot, relatively weak 1.6-litre petrol unit, not quite as smooth as the best.
You don't have to be daring anymore to buy one of these pleasing, good-value compact MPVs.
The Multipla didn't fare so well in the Euro NCAP crash tests when it was tested in 2001, scoring just three stars out of five. Fiat insists that it's now added enough safety kit to warrant another star, however. Every new Multipla receives ABS anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution. Base models get airbags to protect all three front occupants. Pairs of side 'bags for the front are optional here, though standard safety fare on Dynamic Plus and Eleganza models. Top-spec Eleganzas also benefit from window 'bags for rear passengers. The front-seat passenger airbags can be deactivated for children, while both front 'bags feature 'Smart 2' sensors, adjusting deployment force depending on the passenger's weight. All six seats have three-point safety belts, and in the back there's ISOFIX attachments for child seats.
Security measures include remote central locking, an alarm and immobiliser (but no deadlocks), while the stereo is now integrated into the dashboard, unlike on the first Multiplas, making theft a pointless exercise.
