Automotive Review: 2015 Fiat Novo Uno

Thursday, February 12, 2015

2015 Fiat Novo Uno

A new phase. Yes, the charming successor of the legendary Uno is launching the 2015 line with evolution, sophistication and bringing leading-edge technologies affordable for Brazilian consumers.

Novo Uno has an even more modern exterior design, a brand-new interior, with more comfort and sophistication on board, as well as new technologies – some unprecedented in its segment and even in the Brazilian market. Follow the major evolution below:

The 2015 Novo Uno is the first national car to use the Start&Stop technology – one more example of the pioneer spirit of the brand Fiat in Brazil. It is also the first time this innovation comes on a flex engine, running both on gasoline and ethanol. The last-generation Start&Stop turns the engine off and on again automatically during traffic stops, and also becomes a national benchmark in fuel saving low emissions of CO2.
The model was also chosen by Fiat to offer the new concept of the brand’s renowned Dualogic® transmission. Now, the new gearshift is controlled by buttons in the central console and by “butterflies” (paddle shifts) behind the steering wheel to shift gears manually. An unprecedented sophisticated item in national cars, only found in the most luxurious vehicles.
These are not the only new technologies. The 2015 Novo Uno now has an instrument panel with high-resolution 3.5” LCD display, electric external rearview mirrors with Tilt Down function, rear parking sensor, radio integrated to the dashboard with bigger display and new functions, direction indicator switch with Lane Change function, among other features.
The revolutionary design of Novo Uno has gained important enhancements from Fiat’s Style Center. The success of its round square shapes has evolved, gaining new, more prominent and robust lines, as well as more refined design elements, such as fractals in headlights and lamps – never losing the model’s identity.
The interior of the 2015 Novo Uno has plenty of new features. Completely reformulated, it brings a new concept in design, with more refined and modern finishing.

The 2015 range was also renewed. Now, there are seven versions for the Fiat Uno, equipped with the renowned, reliable and low-fuel consuming Fire Evo Flex 1.0 and 1.4, engines. The versions are: the new Attractive 1.0 and Evolution 1.4 Start&Stop, plus the versions Way 1.0 and 1.4, and Sporting 1.4. All versions have four doors. The two- and four-door Vivace 1.0 versions also join them, maintaining the former body, but as a 2015 line.

A technology leap

Technology is definitely a major highlight at Novo Uno. With the incorporation of new equipment items, several of them unprecedented, the 2015 model made a major technology leap. More sophistication, more comfort, safety and, especially, more fuel saving and lower emission of pollutants. Follow the new contents of Novo Uno, such as Start&Stop, and the new concept of the Dualogic® Plus transmission, which make a major difference among its competitors.

Start&Stop: unprecedented in national cars

Pioneer once more, Fiat is the first manufacturer to equip a national automobile with Start&Stop. It is also bringing the first Flex engine with this technology, running both on gasoline and on ethanol. This last-generation “green” feature turns the engine off and on again automatically. A reduction of up to 20% in fuel consumption can be noticed with the system turned on, especially on constant stops common in major city traffic. It also helps reduce considerably the emission of gases, contributing to the environment, and also improves the car’s acoustic comfort, since there is no characteristic noise of the engine in slow speed.

Start&Stop (S&S) comes as a serial item on the new version Evolution of the 2015 Novo Uno. It has an intuitive, very simple operation, with fully electronic and smart control. On heavy traffic, simply stop the car on idle gear and the engine turns off automatically. To move, simply step on the clutch pedal and the propeller turns on again immediately, and Novo Uno Evolution is ready to move.

On the car dashboard, after the engine turns off during a stop, a symbol shows when the system is active and operating. In case of longer stops, exceeding 165 seconds, the engine resumes operation without the driver’s intervention, ensuring the battery charge is protected. The S&S system can also turn the engine back on automatically if the brake booster vacuum lowers or if the car reaches a speed over 3 km/h (for example, on a ramp up and down situation).

Behind this simplicity of operation there is a lot of engineering work by Fiat, which also added new technologies to achieve this excellent result. The car startup system was reformulated, from the starter motor – especially developed to work more frequently – to the electronic management of the new equipment.

The 60-Ah battery, with Mix Acid Element (electrolyte mixer), as well as energy cells with Heavy Duty technology, ensures faster startups and recharges. There is also an Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS), which monitors not only the electric charge of the accumulator but also the car’s electricity consumption while the engine is turned off by S&S. This IBS sensor works directly connected to the vehicle’s electronic management system, ensuring the S&S only runs when the battery is above 75% of charge.

Also to ensure faster battery recharges, the alternator is special, with 120 Ah. Also, a voltage stabilizer maintains constant electric current to the entire vehicle even during restarts.

With the air conditioning on, the system turns the engine back on automatically after 60 seconds to maintain the internal climate. While stopped, the internal air conditioning fan remains operating, but the compressor is turned off, since it depends on the engine running. If the driver wants to keep the cabin air colder, the Start&Stop system can be turned off anytime by pressing a button on the front panel.

For the operation of S&S, the electronic management checks several parameters, such as closed door and hood, driver’s seatbelt buckled, if the engine ended its warm-up cycle and if the speed has exceeded 7 km/h for more than 2 seconds, transmission in idle gear, as well as brake pedal pressed and car stopped. Only after this electronic checkup does Start&Stop start running. However, all of this is done in milliseconds.

This management is highly efficient, since the 2015 Novo Uno line brings enhanced electronic architecture and the new system CANbus, which went from 11 bits to 29 bits. This makes the model’s electronic/electric part faster, supporting new features, including comfort and safety ones.

New Dualogic® Plus Transmission: sportiveness when driving

In another demonstration of technology and pioneer spirit in the Brazilian market, Fiat is launching a new concept of the Dualogic® Plus transmission in Novo Uno, with buttons on the console, one of the main new features in the model’s 2015 line. This automated, intelligent transmission ensures the comfort of automatic transmission with all advantages and fuel saving of a manual transmission.

Launched in 2008 on Fiat Stilo, it was renamed as Dualogic® Plus when it gained new functions in 2012 with Fiat Bravo. Now, it comes with a major differential on the 2015 Novo Uno, bringing the unprecedented and sophisticated command via buttons on the central console and the manual gear shifting on butterflies located behind the wheel.

The new Dualogic® Plus transmission will equip the versions Way 1.4 and Sporting 1.4 of Novo Uno. Now, it is fully controlled by buttons on the model’s new central console, dismissing the use of a lever. It is the same sophistication found in the Fiat 500 Abarth and in other European sports models.

In the central console, the five buttons allow easy activation of the new transmission: A/M (Automatic/Manual), D (Drive), N (Neutral), R (Reverse) and the key S (Sport), which activates the sports driving mode. Behind the new steering wheel, two butterflies (paddle shifts) allow changing gears manually for the five gears even when the transmission is in the automatic position. Again, a feature only found in upper category vehicles.

This new transmission also allows greater comfort. Every time the driver starts the vehicle, regardless of the operation conducted before, the vehicle automatically repositions the transmission in neutral “N”. Additionally, to start moving the car and shifting to first gear, the driver has two options: press the button Drive “D” on the console or activate the butterfly behind the steering wheel.

And more: the Dualogic® Plus system was reprogrammed for Novo Uno, offering softer and faster gear shifts. It also maintains the Creeping and Auto-Up Shift Abort functions, which ensure more comfort when driving, as well as more safety when maneuvering.

With the Creeping functions, exits and maneuvers are now much more comfortable and safer, also in slightly ascending roads (up to 8% of inclination). Simply take the foot off the brake pedal and Novo Uno moves slowly, as if it was a conventional automatic transmission.

Another major advantage of Dualogic® Plus is the Auto-up Shift Abort, an intelligent system that identifies quick speed resuming and aborts shifting to a higher gear, maintaining more vigorous accelerations, also when passing other cars, with the engine in higher rotation. In normal situations, the system prioritizes the shift to higher gears to ensure fuel saving with the engine in lower rotation.

This is the new Dualogic® Plus, offering drivers leading-edge technology, with more sportiveness and pleasure when driving.

The technology showcase continues

In addition to Start&Stop and to the button-controlled Dualogic® transmission, the 2015 Novo Uno was equipped with several technologies that facilitate driving, and also increase the comfort and safety of passengers.

Thanks to the electronic architecture CANbus with increased speed from 11 Bits to 29 Bits, this new launch by Fiat crosses the frontiers of its category and incorporates new features from most luxurious vehicles. They range from the indication switch with the Lane Change function to a high-resolution 3.5” LCD display, with countless functions and new information. Check them below:

A 3.5” display on the new dashboard. In LCD with white lighting, it is thorough, showing several types of information to help the driver. On the most basic versions, it brings indications such as, for example, gear shifting (Shift) to a more economical driving. When the display is High (a serial item on the versions Way 1.4, Evolution 1.4, and Sporting 1.4), it presents several other types of information, such as: Trip A and B with consumption, distance traveled and autonomy, audio info, vehicle review, speed with digital reading, temperature (engine and external), digital economy meter, burnt lamp indicator… in sum, dozens of data, including the number of hours of operation of the engine. There is also the option of configuring functions, which offers more information in the display, such as the song track executed when the radio is synchronized with the mobile phone via Bluetooth®.
New radio with dimension of 2DIN, integrated to the front panel, bringing a bigger display and much more information and connectivity. It has a USB/AUX port in the central console. Since it alternates radio functions plus USB / iPod / AUX / Bluetooth Audio, it allows synchronization with mobile phones to receive and make calls. The audio system on Novo Uno also presents acoustic improvement thanks to the adoption of new speakers installed in the metallic structure of the front doors, which were modified to avoid sound interference and improve the reproduction of low sounds, adjusting the sound to the taste of Brazilian consumers.
New direction indicator lever incorporates a highly useful function for changing lanes: Lane Change. It allows a slight touch on the indication switch to activate the blinking light function five times.
Emergency Stop Signaling (ESS) – On sudden braking, the alert lights are activated along with the braking lights, offering more safety.
The electric external rearview mirrors now have a highly useful technology for parking maneuvers, called Tilt-Down. Simply shift to reverse gear and the right external rearview mirror automatically repositions itself downward, showing sidewalks and unevenness.
The rear parking sensor can also equip the 2015 Novo Uno line, starting at the version Attractive 1.0.
The new model now also has power windows for the rear doors, bringing one-touch, anti-crushing and rear command inhibitor functions.

To sum up, the 2015 Novo Uno brings leading-edge technology and electronics to offer much more information on board. In addition to leisure, this Fiat model offers more comfort, safety and sophistication.

New lines and more striking and sophisticated contours

The design of Novo Uno reflects the new phase of the model: evolution. It changed, but did not lose the revolutionary concept round square, its unique and differentiated design. Keeping its youth, it has entered the maturity phase with new visual elements – such as the presence of fractals in the rear headlights and lamps – that highlight lines and contours, conveying robustness and more sportiveness. Its new external design combines and visually reinforces its brand-new interior, more practical, cozier and more comfortable.

The 2015 Novo Uno gained new headlights, lamps, hood, upper grille, front bumpers and fenders. It has also gotten new handles with integrated lock and external rearview mirrors with indicator light repeaters, increasing safety and practicality. No detail was left behind. Even the windshield wipers have flat blade technology, which, in addition to aesthetical gain, are much more efficient and silent. To complete the evolution executed by the Fiat Automóveis Design Center, light alloy wheels and hubs now have more exclusive designs, with motifs directly derived from round square. Check the main external changes on the 2015 Novo Uno:

New headlights – Bigger and with more visual impact, they bring the new concept of fractals in the front side indicator lights, forming a single object that is extremely tridimensional and pleasant to see. The new headlights can also come equipped with black mask (Way, Sporting or in the customization kit), giving an even more aggressive and exclusive look to the car.
New hood – With higher laterals, the lines of the new hood give the car a taller, stronger, more prominent look.
New front bumper – More robust and with new applications, it reinforces the model’s look, increasing the feeling of modernity and beauty. The Sporting version gained an exclusive bumper that further highlights its sportive spirit.
New front grilles – Now separated from the bumper, the new upper grille conveys more grandeur to the front design of the 2015 Novo Uno, and also gives personality to the versions. The new lower grilled and the new side air inlets offer support and complement the front group.
New rear lights – With the same visual concept of the front indicator lights, the rear lights have a fractal effect on its new lens set. In addition to beauty, they indicate directions more efficiently.
New rear bumper – Its lower, more prominent part offers solidity and sportiveness to the car. Once more, the Sporting version has gained an exclusive bumper, with double central exhaust and diffuser outlet.
New handles with integrated lock – The lock left the door and is now integrated to the door handle, becoming more practical and easier to locate and use.
Indication repeater integrated to the external rearview mirrors – This new safety features comes with rearview mirrors painted in the same body color in some versions.
New wheels and hugs – The 13” and 14” steel wheels have hubs with new patterns, just like the 14” light alloy wheels, with two different looks. For the Novo Uno Sporting, there are bigger light alloy wheels as a serial item, in 15”. Each wheel has an exclusive design, but all are based on the round square concept.

The new external look can also be complemented with the customization kit, including from headlights with black mask, rearview mirrors in gray to front grille and rings in black. Additionally, the rear spoiler and adhesive bands on the hood and rear door give even more sportiveness and personality to the 2015 Novo Uno.

Revolution inside the car

The interior of Novo Uno is completely new, from the design and functionality of the panel and dashboard to seats, door panels, commands and object holders. It is surprising on its new contents, the quality of the material, the comfort, sophistication and elegance. It was not only an evolution, but a revolution.

With a lot of care and refinement, the interior of the 2015 Novo Uno was reviewed even in the smallest details, such as the new and exclusive texture of the front panel and the door panel, with the model’s trademark – using the UNO word randomly, as a decorative element.

The new panel has more elements and also a horizontal band that customizes each version. The new central air outlets are now arranged vertically beside the radio; the lateral air outlets remind of turbines and contrast with the smooth surfaces that are predominant on the panel.

Also, the dashboard is completely new, adding even more technology. Following the model’s evolution, a bigger and new 3.5" high-resolution LCD display facilitates the driver’s interface with the car, giving more clarity and comfort when reading. It offers several indications on the display. Depending on the version, it ranges from the most basic, such as fuel level and engine temperature, to information to shift gears, messages on the Start&Stop technology, Dualogic® transmission, Trip A/B, radio and Bluetooth connection. This gives more pleasure in being on board of the 2015 Novo Uno.

AUX, USB ports and 12V plugs were repositioned on the brand-new central console, much more accessible and practical. At the center of the new panel, the audio equipment was enhanced with larger space, now in 2DIN.

The new multifunctional steering wheel was especially created for the 2015 line in three different finishes, all with more pleasant texture and grip. It can bring radio commands, onboard computer functions, and the two butterflies of the Dualogic® transmission, and have its height adjusted.

Another new feature on the 2015 Novo Uno is in the power window commands (including the rear windows) that are easier to reach, now located on the door panels. The electric external rearview mirror commands are now also on the driver’s door, facilitating their handling.

New seats with bolt cutouts carefully lined by sewing comprise each surface, increasing comfort and better accommodating the passengers. They also bring new and exclusive fabrics for each version of the car. The driver’s seat can also be equipped with height adjustment and armrest.

The Novo Uno now can have a split backseat (60/40), with three headrests and three-point seatbelt also for the central passenger. It allows 16 different configurations for different needs.

And there is more: the backseat has a new flip & fold tilting mechanism, allowing seat and backrest to be folded and coupled with the front seats, increasing the trunk’s luggage capacity (690 liters).

This set of new seats, panel, steering wheel and commands, added to the new design of the gearshift lever knob for better grip and more pleasant gear shifts, result in great ergonomics, with good accessibility, usability and visibility and more pleasure of being on board of Novo Uno.

But the small details also make a difference in the 2015 line. The windshield wipers have the Flat Blade technology – they are more efficient and silent, and also aesthetically more pleasant. It also offers up to 18 object holders in different spots to keep all kinds of objects with practicality, from bottles to keys, from documents to mobile phones. Even the internal trunk lid allows keeping newspapers and magazines. To complete, some versions also offer roof console and eyeglass holder.

With such an extensive upgrade, simply get into the 2015 Novo Uno and drive it for a few minutes to notice the practical and quality results. Comfort, sophistication and practicality are easily perceived on the first few minutes inside the fully-renovated car.

Silence and more comfort on board

The 2015 Novo Uno line is equipped with the renowned four-cylinder engines Fire Evo Flex 1.0 and 1.4, reliable and with low fuel consumption. However, they offer a differential: their anchorage and body noise insulation got important innovations – all to enhance silence and comfort on board.

The numbers prove this major evolution:

Reduction of approximately 17% of the vibration sensed in the steering wheel with the air conditioning turned on;
Improvement of up to 20% in the articulation level inside the vehicle. This means that the communication inside the car has greatly improved. In other words, the 2015 Novo Uno now has an ambience with the sound comfort of an upper category car.

How has the Fiat engineering department come to this result? The enhancement to better isolate the cabin from noises and vibrations of the engine/transmission set happens with small changes in the body’s front structure, with reinforcement on the front longitudinal bar, especially on the left side, where the brand-new pad is supported, changing from a radial pad to a prismatic pad. Now, the engine is supported on the pad on the horizontal side, forming a more rigid set, which ensures higher filtering of noises and vibrations from the engine in the cabin.

This offers a much more pleasant and silent internal ambience in the 2015 Novo Uno.

More complete range: seven versions and much more equipment items

Novo Uno is introducing an even more thorough range for 2015. Now, there are seven versions. Let’s start with the two brand-new ones, Attractive 1.0 and Evolution 1.4, with the exclusive Start&Stop, then we will go to the Way versions (1.0 and 1.4), and conclude with the model’s top version, Sporting 1.4. All of them have four doors and flex engine. The two versions Uno Vivace 1.0 Flex (with two and four doors) join them, keeping the current body, but in the 2015 line.

Among the serial or optional equipment items, several of them are unprecedented and exclusive in the category. This is the case of the three different steering wheels (including several important commands), through the Start&Stop technology, Dualogic® transmission, parking sensor and the backseat, which now has exclusive sophisticated features: when the backrest is split, it comes with three headrests and three-point seatbelt for the middle passenger. Additionally, the versions can also be equipped with two customization kits. Check how the 2015 Novo Uno line and its equipment items are.

Novo Uno Attractive 1.0 – Even the most affordable version comes with many serial equipment items, such as power steering, double airbag, ABS, Lane Change, rear window wiper and demister, new steering wheels in graphite color, economy meter, ESS (emergency braking signaling), Welcome Moving, brake light, bumpers in the same color as the vehicle, among others.

This version comes with a long list of optional equipment items, such as: air conditioning, parking sensor with graphic viewer, electric external rearview mirrors with Tilt Down function, front and rear power windows with one touch and anti-crushing features, Connect MP3/WMA radio integrated to the panel with RDS, USB/AUX port, Bluetooth hands-free feature and Audio Streaming function, electric locks, internal trunk opening and fuel tank lid command, split backseat, 14” light alloy wheels, and much more.

Novo Uno Way 1.0 – It brings all serial equipment items found at Attractive, plus the specific items for this version: longitudinal bars on the roof, black mask headlights, front grilled in shiny black with rings in silver, rearview mirrors with direction indication lights in the color of the vehicle, wheel hub frames in gray, horizontal strip in the panel with Soft Coating technology and Linio theme, tachometer, lateral door friezes with the ‘Way’ inscription. The optional items are the same as for the Attractive version.

Novo Uno Way 1.4 – It is equipped with all items from the version Way 1.0 plus footrest for the driver, internal commands to open the fuel tank lid and the trunk door, A/B onboard computer, console for object holder on the ceiling, eyeglass holder, preparation for sound, dashboard with high-resolution display, front power windows with one touch and anti-crushing features, electric locks on the doors, steering wheel with height adjustment. This version also has as an optional item the Dualogic® Plus transmission and butterflies on the steering wheel to shift gears.

Novo Uno Evolution 1.4 – This version includes as a serial item the unprecedented Start&Stop system, in addition to all items from Attractive 1.0, plus footrest for the driver, internal commands to open the fuel tank lid and the trunk door, A/B onboard computer, console for object holder in the ceiling, eyeglass holder, dashboard with high-resolution display, front power windows with one touch and anti-crushing, electric door locks, steering wheel with height adjustment, and USB/MP3 radio. It is also equipped with front grille in shiny black, door handles and rearview mirrors painted in the same color as the body, and incorporated indicator lights.

Novo Uno Sporting 1.4 – The top version of the range brings all serial items from the Evolution version (except for Start&Stop and USB/MP3 radio), plus exclusive 15” alloy wheels with 185/60 tires, fog lights, internal ambience in black, and also bumpers with exclusive design – the rear bumper has double chrome-plated central exhaust outlet. In optional items, just like the version Way 1.4, it brings the Dualogic® Plus transmission and butterflies on the steering wheel to shift gears.

Additionally, all versions can also be equipped with two customization kits:

Black&White Kit – for inside the vehicle: exclusive fabric, internal cabin in black, internal handles in shiny black, internal details in white (steering wheel, dashboard), horizontal band in the panel with Soft Coating technology and Urban theme, and exclusive carpeted mat cover.

Dark&Grey Kit – for outside the vehicle: customized adhesive on the hood and rear door, rearview mirrors in matte gray, rear door spoiler in matte gray, external rearview mirrors with integrated indicator lights, headlights with black mask, external lining on the door pillar, handles in the same color as the vehicle, front grille in matte gray with rings in shiny black.

The 2015 Novo Uno brings a thorough range of versions, with many equipment items and customization kits, all of them very exclusive and sophistication, as well as a varied color palette: Banchisa White, Kalahari White, Vulcano Black, Alpine Red and Modena Red (solid); Netuno Blue, Maserati Blue, Scandium Gray, Ruggine Orange, Bari Silver, Vesúvio Black and Amazon Green (metallic).

The 2015 Novo Uno also has a contractual warranty of one year without mileage limit and 36-month warranty for engine and transmission components, as well as 24-hour Confiat assistance, providing emergency services such as towing and mechanical assistance. There are more than 600 Fiat service points, among dealerships and assistance shops, throughout Brazil to offer the necessary support to owners of Novo Uno.

MOPAR celebrates one year with broad range of accessories for Novo Uno

The 2015 Novo Uno is coming with many innovations, leading-edge technology and elegant, but the consumer can make it even more complete and sophisticated. MOPAR, which is celebrating one year of development and commercialization of accessories for the Fiat product lines in Brazil, offers 120 customization items for Novo Uno. Among them, a multimedia center, a reverse gear camera with image in LCD display coupled to the internal rearview mirror, and the brand-new Easy 4 U radio with unprecedented interactivity with smartphones.

Offering more comfort and safety when parking, MOPAR introduces the rearview mirror with reverse gear camera. With a 3.2-inch LCD display integrated to the vehicle’s central rearview mirror, the system transmits real-time images of the rear side of the car, when the reverse gear is coupled, which makes the drivers life much easier when maneuvering.

MOPAR is also introducing in the Brazilian market the brand-new concept of the Easy 4 U radio. This device has an adjustable support for several models of mobile phone, and allows integration with different smartphones, including the iPhone. Easy 4 U, an exclusive accessory by MOPAR, offers connection via Bluetooth and allows the reproduction in your car of several contents from the mobile phone through an app (developed exclusively for Easy 4 U), such as audio files, makes phone calls through the car’s audio system, offers radio memory, internet radio access, among other features. Additionally, it has a USB port that also works as a battery charger for your mobile phone.

The full multimedia center comes completely integrated to the Novo Uno dashboard. With a 6.2” touchscreen LCD display, it offers several functions, such as GPS, Digital TV, DVD Player, USB port, Bluetooth, rearview camera, which can be controlled by commands on the Novo Uno’s steering wheel, offering more comfort and safety to the consumer.

Additionally, MOPAR introduces several other accessories that offers comfort, sportiveness and even more entertainment to Novo Uno, from convenience kits to maintain and care for the car, to customization, safety and sound items, to over 15 options in wheels and hubs for Fiat’s new model.

With all of this, MOPAR’s full accessory line is available at a competitive price in Fiat’s dealerships throughout Brazil to equip and further enhance the 2015 Novo Uno line, maintaining the quality and warranty of the Fiat brand.

One year of MOPAR

Introduced to the public for the first time in September 2013, MOPAR arrived to Brazil with the proposal of taking to the Brazilian market over 77 years of tradition in the development of accessories for Chrysler worldwide.

In this first year, MOPAR presented more technology, customization and exclusiveness to Fiat’s vehicles. Currently, consumers can find in Fiat dealerships throughout Brazil several equipment items with a full range of radios, bed extender for the pickup Strada, multimedia centers, parking sensor kit integrated to the radio display, as well as many different types of accessories aiming at comfort, safety, customization and sportiveness for the entire Fiat range.

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