Fiat Croma First Generation 154 1985–1996
| Fiat Croma | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Fiat |
| Production | 1985–1996 2005–2010 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Large family car |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel-drive |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Fiat Argenta |
| Successor | Fiat Marea (154) Fiat Freemont (194) |
Fiat Croma is the name used for two different large family cars produced by Italian automaker Fiat, one a five door liftback built from 1985 to 1996, and the other a crossover station wagon built from 2005 to 2010.
| First generation (154) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Production | 1985–1996 |
| Designer | Giorgetto Giugiaro |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 5-door liftback |
| Platform | Type Four platform (Tipo Quattro) |
| Related | Saab 9000 Lancia Thema Alfa Romeo 164 |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,660 mm (104.7 in) |
| Length | 4,495 mm (177.0 in) |
| Width | 1,755 mm (69.1 in) |
| Height | 1,425 mm (56.1 in) |
| Kerb weight | 1,095 kg (2,414 lb) approx |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Fiat Argenta |
| Successor | Fiat Marea |
The original Croma (Type 154) was a five door notchback liftback penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Ital Design and built on the Type Four platform, which was designed in cooperation between several companies and was also used for the Saab 9000, Lancia Thema and Alfa Romeo 164. It was released in May 1985.
Although the other models were executive cars, the Croma was marketed in the large family car segment, replacing the Fiat Argenta in the Fiat lineup. The Croma was the first large car produced by Fiat to feature a transverse mounted engine and front wheel drive.
Facelift
The Croma received a light facelift for 1988, first shown in Frankfurt in September 1987. The black plastic between the rear lamps was now ridged rather than smooth, the lower portion of the bumpers were body coloured, and the turn signals received clear glass rather than amber.
A more significant facelift was released in January 1991, with an new front design, including changes to the lights, bumpers grille and sheet metal changes to wings and bonnet. Also in 1991, the direct injected diesel engine was equipped with a variable geometry turbocharger ("VNT"). Another facelift was released in June 1993.
Production ceased in December 1996, and Fiat abandoned the large family car segment. Because the Bravo/Brava based Fiat Marea small family car débuted at the same time, it is sometimes said that the Marea replaced the Croma, but in fact Fiat never had a large family car after the Croma (until the resurrection in 2005), and Fiat eventually abandoned this segment of the worldwide market altogether.
Engines
The Croma was available with a variety of petrol and diesel engines, the former from the Fiat DOHC engine family. Base models had the 1585 cc, 83 PS (61 kW) and 1995 cc, 90 PS (66 kW) "Controlled High Turbulence" (CHT) powerplants, followed by two fuel injected 2.0 L units, one with 120 PS (88 kW) and the other a turbocharged and intercooled version giving 155 PS (114 kW).
The later 2.5 L petrol V6 unit was from Alfa Romeo, but as with the 1.6 L engine, was not available in all markets. The 2.0 CHT was designed specifically to provide low fuel consumption under light and medium loads thanks to two separate inlet manifolds of different diameters.
The Fiat Croma was the first passenger car in the world to have a direct injection Diesel (Turbo D i.d.) engine, in 1986. Other diesel engines were the Fiat's 1.9 L fitted with a turbocharger with direct injection, giving 92 PS (68 kW), and the 2499 cc unit supplied by Iveco, with a normally aspirated version giving 75 PS (55 kW) and a turbocharged one with 115 PS (85 kW). This one replaced the original 2446 cc with 100 PS (74 kW). Diesel engined variants of this car were not marketed in the United Kingdom.
Petrol
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Diesel
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