The Fiat Tipo takes festive duties in its stride

This month I have been utilising my long-termer Tipo for a lot of motorway driving, both for work and ‘doing the rounds’ pre-Christmas. Why is it that everyone feels the need to meet up when it’s already the busiest time of the year?

But Ted the Tipo and I have been eating up the motorway miles just fine. In fact, I would say that the motorway is where my Lounge edition really comes into its own.

Firstly, the ride is comfortable – arguably the most important thing on a long journey. The driving position is great for visibility and it’s all fully adjustable so you can really make yourself at home. There’s even an electric lumbar support, which you can adjust as you drive to give the right level of support for.

My Tipo, as with all the different Tipo models is not only roomy but also comes with air conditioning, a central armrest, a DAB radio with Bluetooth and all the audio controls right there on the steering wheel, so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road. The DAB radio can be quite embarrassing, though, when you’re stuck in traffic and you get caught singing at the top of your lungs to your favourite ‘80s radio station!

My Lounge edition also has climate control, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, a touchscreen audio system and sat nav, all of which make the driving experience more pleasurable.

The 1.6 litre automatic engine does rev particularly highly through the gear changes, especially when accelerating up to motorway speeds and out of junctions.

This can be quite unnerving at times, as it feels like the gear change might not happen, but it always does in the end. It could also do with a touch more torque to get you up to speed that bit quicker, and the Autonomous Brake Assist sometimes has a mind of its own, but once it gets up to speed it actually has very few issues.

As I might have mentioned before, there’s bags of space inside the Tipo for people and shopping, etc. But this last month I’ve also really noticed all the hidden compartments and pockets inside the car – perfect for the piles of drink bottles and car-snack debris that come with long journeys. I’ve been reliably informed that there is, in fact, a whopping 12 litres of additional storage capacity in the cabin.

But where the Tipo really comes into its own is affordability. It was always designed to be a low-cost, affordable option, but it’s also incredibly economical, with both great fuel economy and low emissions. The automatic that I have emits 147g/km of CO2 with a claimed economy of 44.8mpg. That’s pretty accurate too, as even with all the motorway driving I’m getting over 40mpg.

If these figures mean nothing to you, I can simplify by saying that, even with the crazy fuel prices in the UK, the Tipo takes about £50 of fuel and that will last me at least a week, even with a heavy driving schedule. Plus, it’s good to know that you’re not doing quite as much damage to the environment as the emissions levels are nice and low.

All in all, the Tipo is both comfortable and cost-effective, both on long journeys or just driving about town. The few issues it has can easily be overlooked when you take all this into account. It also comes with a three-year warranty, which gives added peace of mind that if anything goes wrong you’re be covered.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH: The fuel economy is great and emissions are low, so even when you have lots of driving to do you won’t break the bank or contribute to global warming.

MODEL: Fiat Tipo Hatchback
PRICE: £17,485
ENGINE: 1.6 Automatic
POWER: 81bhp
TORQUE: 152Nm
MAX SPEED: 119mph
0-60MPH: 11.5 secs
MPG (COMBINED): 44.8
EMISSIONS: 147g/km CO2
MILEAGE (TO DATE): 5,613