Chrysler YpsilonLaunched alongside the rather larger Delta, Chrysler’s new Ypsilon is a 5-door small hatchback that breaks new ground for the Chrysler name here, better known as it is for larger motors like the Voyager and 300C. Fiat now owns the majority of Chrysler, so there’s plenty of Fiat to be found under the skin of the new Ypsilon.You might, as I did, wonder about the name. No surprise that they’d go for a Greek letter, and in fact the Lancia Ypsilon has been around for the last fifteen years, though not of course in the UK from which Lancia withdrew in 1994. The original choice of Ypsilon rather than Epsilon – the letter that follows Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta in the alphabet – is the surprise, especially when some people are pronouncing the name the ‘E’ way. As to the new car being a Chrysler, well that does avoid any mention of the Lancia word, with what are still some unfortunate UK memories.Anyway, back to the car itself. It’s a good looking competitor in what these days is a very competitive market. At first glance its doors would appear to number three, but handles for the rear ones have been neatly hidden at the back of the window – an old Fiat trick. Once in through those back doors, the leg room isn’t too bad, bearing in mind the body is 11cm shorter than a Fiesta, and as you can see it’s a fairly tall car, so head room is no problem.Engine choice is of course very much Fiat-based. Diesel is the 1.3 Multijet, while petrol-heads can choose between the 1.2-litre Fire engine and the very interesting two-cylinder 875cc TwinAir, with which a 5-speed semi-auto transmission is an option. All three engines are fitted with Start&Stop to minimise consumption in heavy traffic. The diesel, called 1.3 but actually a 1.2, is naturally the choice for those wanting maximum mileage from their fuel money, and indeed it’s marginally the quickest of the three as well, but the TwinAir – with a combined figure of 67.3mpg – runs it close. However, the real under-bonnet surprise is that the wee TwinAir has better performance figures than the petrol 1.2. A hefty foot on the throttle produces an 11.5-sec 0-62 time, accompanied by just the sort of sound you’d expect from a pair of cylinders – not exactly raucous, but certainly noticeable. One extra advantage of going for the TwinAir rather than the 1.2 petrol engine is the CO2 emission figure; like the diesel it’s 99g/km, which means no road tax and, for the time being anyway, free travel in London.On road the Ypsilon feels composed, with a ride that’s an excellent compromise between firm for decent roadholding and soft for comfort. The overall effect is that the Chrysler claims for hedonism – “Luxury has a new size” and so on – are to some extent solidly based. For the driver the view to the outside world is pretty good thanks to a high seating position and large rear window. Lack of reach adjustment for the steering wheel is disappointing, though the wheel has been set fairly well for taller occupants.Boot volume is a minimum 245 litres (8.7 cubic feet), which is not far short of the Fiesta’s, so impressive enough. Folding the rear seat backs gives a useful increase on the figure, but as so often with new cars these days the seat cushion is fixed, so there’s an annoying ‘step’ to contend with when loading your bags.Interior design is novel and distinctive. That’s chiefly on account of the centrally placed instrument pod, which does of course save Chrysler the bother of converting for right hand drive, but does also mean the driver has a fair turn of head required to check on the speed, which is the leftmost gauge. Passengers can of course check the speed easily, which won’t necessarily appeal to all drivers. An attractive range of fabrics and plastics, including quite a few soft-touch ones, gives the interior an upmarket look. Safety equipment is impressive: a minimum four (most have six) airbags, anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC – standard on Auto, optional on SE and Limited), Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), traction control and Hill Holder. There’s also a huge range of options to enable a high degree of personalisation, for example a range of exterior paint trims including bi-colour, which allows owners to specify varying bonnet and roof colours. Sixteen colours are available, including four bi-colour, four metallic, four mica, two tri-coat and two pastel.Size: 3.84m x 1.68mEngines: Petrol: 0.9 & 1.2 litres – 85 & 69PS Diesel: 1.2 litres – 95PSGearbox: 5-speed manual FWDBest consumption: Diesel – 74.3mpgPrice at Nov ’11: from £10,695Full details of the Ypsilon are available on the manufacturer’s website: www.chrysler.co.ukPeter Cracknell – Nov 2011
Chrysler Ypsilon
Launched alongside the rather larger Delta, Chrysler’s
new Ypsilon is a 5-door small hatchback that breaks
new ground for the Chrysler name here, better known
as it is for larger motors like the Voyager and 300C.
Fiat now owns the majority of Chrysler, so there’s
plenty of Fiat to be found under the skin of the new
Ypsilon.
You might, as I did, wonder about the name. No
surprise that they’d go for a Greek letter, and in fact
the Lancia Ypsilon has been around for the last fifteen
years, though not of
course in the UK from
which Lancia withdrew in
1994. The original
choice of Ypsilon rather
than Epsilon – the letter
that follows Alpha, Beta,
Gamma and Delta in the
alphabet – is the
surprise, especially
when some people are
pronouncing the name
the ‘E’ way. As to the
new car being a
Chrysler, well that does
avoid any mention of the
Lancia word, with what
are still some
unfortunate UK
memories.
Anyway, back to the car itself. It’s a good looking
competitor in what these days is a very competitive
market. At first glance its doors would appear to
number three, but handles for the rear ones have
been neatly hidden at the back of the window – an old
Fiat trick. Once in through those back doors, the leg
room isn’t too bad, bearing in mind the body is 11cm
shorter than a Fiesta, and as you can see it’s a fairly
tall car, so head room is no problem.
Engine choice is of course very much Fiat-based.
Diesel is the 1.3 Multijet, while petrol-heads can
choose between the 1.2-litre Fire engine and the very
interesting two-cylinder 875cc TwinAir, with which a 5-
speed semi-auto transmission is an option. All three
engines are fitted with Start&Stop to minimise
consumption in heavy traffic. The diesel, called 1.3
but actually a 1.2, is naturally the choice for those
wanting maximum mileage from their fuel money, and
indeed it’s marginally the quickest of the three as well,
but the TwinAir – with a combined figure of 67.3mpg –
runs it close. However, the real under-bonnet surprise
is that the wee TwinAir has better performance figures
than the petrol 1.2. A hefty foot on the throttle
produces an 11.5-sec 0-62 time, accompanied by just
the sort of sound you’d expect from a pair of cylinders
– not exactly raucous, but certainly noticeable. One
extra advantage of going for the TwinAir rather than
the 1.2 petrol engine is the CO2 emission figure; like
the diesel it’s 99g/km, which means no road tax and,
for the time being anyway, free travel in London.
On road the Ypsilon feels composed, with a ride that’s
an excellent compromise between firm for decent
roadholding and soft for comfort. The overall effect is
that the Chrysler claims for hedonism – “Luxury has a
new size” and so on – are to some extent solidly
based. For the driver the view to the outside world is
pretty good thanks to a high seating position and
large rear window. Lack of reach adjustment for the
steering wheel is disappointing, though the wheel has
been set fairly well for taller occupants.
Boot volume is a minimum 245 litres (8.7 cubic feet),
which is not far short of the Fiesta’s, so impressive
enough. Folding the rear seat backs gives a useful
increase on the figure, but as so often with new cars
these days the seat cushion is fixed, so there’s an
annoying ‘step’ to contend with when loading your
bags.
Interior design is novel
and distinctive. That’s
chiefly on account of the
centrally placed
instrument pod, which
does of course save
Chrysler the bother of
converting for right hand
drive, but does also
mean the driver has a fair
turn of head required to
check on the speed,
which is the leftmost
gauge. Passengers can
of course check the
speed easily, which won’t
necessarily appeal to all
drivers. An attractive
range of fabrics and
plastics, including quite a
few soft-touch ones, gives the interior an upmarket
look.
Safety equipment is impressive: a minimum four (most
have six) airbags, anti-lock brakes with Electronic
Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Vehicle Dynamic
Control (VDC – standard on Auto, optional on SE and
Limited), Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), traction control
and Hill Holder. There’s also a huge range of options to
enable a high degree of personalisation, for example a
range of exterior paint trims including bi-colour, which
allows owners to specify varying bonnet and roof
colours. Sixteen colours are available, including four
bi-colour, four metallic, four mica, two tri-coat and two
pastel.
Size:
3.84m x 1.68m
Engines:
Petrol: 0.9 & 1.2 litres – 85 & 69PS
Diesel: 1.2 litres – 95PS
Gearbox:
5-speed manual FWD
Best consumption:
Diesel – 74.3mpg
Price at Nov ’11:
from £10,695
Full details of the Ypsilon are available on the
manufacturer’s website: www.chrysler.co.uk
Peter Cracknell – Nov 2011
l
l
l
l
Home
New Models
Industry
Green News
Odds n’Ends
