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Chrysler Ypsilon (2011 - 2015)

SMALL BUT SMART (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 367

Once upon a time, size suggested the price you'd pay for your car. The bigger the model you chose, the pricier it would be. That's no longer necessarily true. Spiralling fuel prices, emissions-based taxation and ever-more congested city streets have left many buyers no option but to choose a very small runabout, but sales of models like the MINI have proved them quite willing to pay premium prices, provided the package on offer is stylish enough. This was an approach perfected by Italian brand Lancia long before the modern era MINI turned up, the Latin maker offering style-conscious European city folk a succession of comfortable, chic and responsible city runabouts wrapped up in cutting edge technology. Cars like this one, the Ypsilon, a Lancia, but not as we know it. In this case, this model is badged as a Chrysler: in 2011, the Fiat group decided on this approach for the UK market. Elsewhere in Europe at the time, the Ypsilon design was being sold as a Lancia but that brand left the British market in 1994. Rather than re-introducing it, the Italian conglomerate decided it was easier to re-badge the Ypsilon and sell it as a Chrysler, a brand they'd just purchased. Chrysler had an established UK dealer network to sell and maintain the car - and that marque badly needed a small car in its model line-up. Whatever you call this vehicle, under the skin, it's based on established underpinnings. The Ypsilon platform is borrowed from Fiat's Panda and is a slightly stretched version of that found in the diminutive Fiat 500 city runabout. Chrysler claimed that this platform was big enough to give this Ypsilon the versatility of a Fiesta-sized supermini at the same time as offering the small, urban chuckability of a Ford Ka or a Toyota iQ. And they reckoned that this car had the style and interior class to tempt buyers of the premium, fashion-conscious high cost models we mentioned earlier - cars like the MINI or the Audi A1. Big claims that didn't quite translate into sales reality during this model's time on the UK market that came to an end with Chrysler's exit from the British market in 2015.

Modelsword count: 11

5dr Hatch [1.2 petrol, 0.9 TwinAir turbo petrol, 1.3 MultiJet diesel]

Historyword count: 67

If you're looking at the entry-level 1.2S model, prices tend tio range between around £4,500 and £5,500, but it really is worth finding £300 or £400 more for the plusher 'SE' variant, for the 'S' really was sparsely-equipped. The Ypsilon to ideally have though is the pokier 0.9-litre turbocharged petrol TwinAir model, which tends to command a premium of around £600 over and equivalent 1.2 SE variant.

What You Getword count: 572

The designers behind this Ypsilon tried to create a product sitting between the Ford Ka-like Citycar and Ford Fiesta-like Supermini sectors in terms of size, passenger accommodation and bootspace. It was priced though, at the higher Supermini end of the spectrum, justification for which was provided by what Chrysler called 'segment-leading luxury' and 'eye-catching design'. Certainly, if you want to stand out from the small car crowd, this Ypsilon's distinctive design will provide you with the means to do just that, powerful projector headlamps sitting either side of Chrysler's shield-like front grille. Like the brand's larger Delta hatchback, it's a design of two curves, the first taking the line of the bonnet, following it along the waistline, then rising into the rear pillar. The second rising with the front A-pillar to designate the roofline before dropping at the rear to follow the outer edge of the tailgate window. You can see why it appealed so much to the young, fashion-conscious ladies who accounted for most of this car's Italian sales, though the trendy looks didn't translate onto British streets quite as easily. At first glance, you'd probably think that this model was a sporty three-door, but closer inspection reveals rear door handles concealed in the C-pillar. Use them and you'll find in a cabin that, thanks to the tall shape of this design, is fine for adult headspace but (as you might expect given a total vehicle length of just 3.8m) a little tight on legroom, despite the use of 'slim seat' technology for the chairs up-front in a bit to try and improve the lot of those behind. Plusher Ypsilons rather hopefully provide seat belts for three at the back, but you'll only really want to use all of them if you've a trio of kids to transport. Behind in the boot, the extra 3.5 inches in wheelbase length that this Chrysler enjoys in excess of its Fiat 500 donor design makes all the difference, luggage capacity rising from the 185-litres you'd get in the Fiat to a much more useful 245-litres, though that is still 40-50-litres less than you'd get in a Fiesta or a Corsa. As usual, you can push forward a set of split-folding rear seats (divided 50/50 in the base model but 60/40 otherwise) if that's not enough. Take a seat up-front and inevitably, the first thing you notice is the unusual situation of the instruments on top of the centre console, rather than straight in front of you. It's a distinctive feature you adjust to quite quickly and, no doubt, it usefully reduced the cost of engineering this car for right hand drive markets. More of an issue for us is the much darker feel of this cabin in comparison to the light, airy atmosphere you get in a Fiat 500, especially with the optional 'piano black' shiny centre console finish many plusher variants featured. It's all supposed to make it feel more up-market and a variety of soft-touch materials are on hand to try and emphasise the point. It was all reasonably well screwed together by the same Polish factory that put out the Fiat 500 and ergonomically, everything's pretty sound once you master all the switch gear. Though rearward visibility could be better, you should also find it pretty straightforward to get yourself into a comfortable driving position, thanks to a height-adjustable driver's seat and a wheel that adjusts for both rake and reach.

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Pictures (high res disabled)

Scoring (subset of scores)

Category: Small Runabouts

Performance
70%
Handling
80%
Comfort
70%
Space
70%
Styling, Build, Value, Equipment, Depreciation, Handling, Insurance and Total scores are available with our full data feed.

This is an excerpt from our full review.
To access the full content library please contact us on 0330 0020 227 or click here

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