The subcompact sedan Fiat Albea, developed on the basis of the four-door "Siena", debuted in 2002 at an auto show in Warsaw, after which it entered serial production at the facilities of the Turkish plant of the brand.
In 2005, as a result of a planned renovation, the car got a retouched exterior and a slightly improved interior, and in 2006 (already in an updated form) its assembly started in Naberezhnye Chelny ...
In 2012, the Italian "state employee" left the assembly line without acquiring a legal successor.
"Albea" looks like "a typical people's car" - a classic three-volume body (with a pronounced "branch" of the trunk) is dressed in a simple (but pleasant) design, which is diluted with pretty lighting equipment and emblems of the Italian brand.
The overall dimensions of the Fiat Albea fit in with the European B-class: 4186 mm in length (at 2439 mm distance between the axles), 1703 mm in width and 1490 mm in height. The sedan's ground clearance is a solid 180 mm.
The "travel" weight of the three-volume box varies from 1015 to 1085 kg (depending on the equipment option).
The interior here is extremely rational - uncomplicated design with square air deflectors and three "washers" of the climate system, "simple round" dashboard with bright orange illumination and a "plump" three-spoke "donut" of the steering wheel.
The interior trim is really budget-friendly - hard dark plastic dashboard, terribly "synthetic" (tactile) door upholstery and the usual fabric dressing the seats.
For the front riders in "" there are unsophisticated seats with distinct lateral support and sufficient adjustment ranges, but with not the most comfortable profile.
The rear sofa of the car is quite acceptable for two passengers, but even for them the space is limited, especially in the legs.
In the standard position, the Italian three-volume cargo compartment holds 515 liters of useful luggage, and this includes a full-size spare wheel in an underground niche. The back of the rear sofa is transformed into two asymmetric parts, forming an almost flat floor, but the modest width of the opening does not dispose to transport large-sized luggage.
On the Russian market, "Albea" was offered with a non-alternative gasoline unit - an inline atmospheric "four" with a volume of 1.4 liters (1368 cubic centimeters) with an 8-valve timing and distributed fuel injection, producing 77 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 115 Nm of torque moment at 3000 rpm.
Combined with a 5-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive, the engine provides the budget sedan with a top speed of 162 km / h and acceleration from start to 100 km / h in 13.5 seconds.
Fuel consumption declared in the "passport" is 6.2 liters for every 100 km of track in mixed mode.
In other countries, the car was also equipped with gasoline engines with distributed and direct injection of 1.2-1.6 liters, producing 60-103 "mares" and 102-145 Nm of peak traction, and a 1.2-liter diesel "aspirated" with a capacity of 95 horsepower and recoil of 133 Nm.
The three-volume Fiat Albea is based on a front-wheel drive chassis with a transversely placed power unit. The car uses an independent suspension with MacPherson struts in front and a semi-independent architecture with a torsion beam at the rear.
The steering of the "Italian" is expressed by a rack and pinion mechanism with a hydraulic booster. The front wheels accommodate ventilated discs of the brake system, the rear wheels are drum-type devices.
In the "top" version, the four-door "flaunts" the ABS system with a brake force distribution function (there are no such chips in the "base").
In 2018, a large number of Fiat Albeas are sold in the secondary market in Russia, the cost of which varies from 150,000 to 300,000 rubles (depending on the condition of the car).
The positive features of the sedan include: ergonomic interior, balanced and "omnivorous" suspension, low maintenance cost, large trunk, high ground clearance and good workmanship.
Among the negative points are: a noisy engine, poor sound insulation, weak dynamics and pronounced windage.
