Tempra is a luxury space traveller
- Publication: The Times
- Date: 1991-01-18
- Author:
- Page: 31
- Language: English
LIKE Dr Who's Tardis, the Fiat Tempra's external dimensions give few clues to what is inside.
Dr Who steps into a huge high-tech room when he opens the door of his police box. Open the door of the compact Tempra and there is a big car struggling to get out of a small shell (Kevin Eason writes).
The Tempra is a newcomer to the crowded segment of the market that includes models such as the Rover 200 series and Ford's Escort and Orion, aimed at fleet buyers but also trying to tempt private customers who enjoy luxury in a small car.
Fiat, despite its huge sales at home in Italy, has not been able to cultivate such an impressive following in Britain. Sales fell last year from more than 70,000 to just short of 55,000.
This is puzzling for a company that produces the impressive Tipo range and other big European sellers, such as the Uno. Yet the Tempra proved to be one of my most pleasant surprises of the new motoring year.
The Tempra 1.6SX model I test-drove offers all the virtues of a well-heeled compact car, nippy in town, quiet at motorway cruising speed and handling corners with competence.
Cabin and boot room is so generous that the model could have been one class bigger. The dashboard will also capture the imagination of sonic of the Dr Who generation. Conventional analogue dials are dispensed with for an eye-catching digital display. I found the constant changing of the large, yellow speedometer number distracting, but other drivers found it clearer and easier to read.
The overall impression is of a mid-range, mass-produced car designed with care and attention to detail and pleasing to the eye.
The Fiat Tempra 1.6SX. Price — £10,600. Engine — 1.6-litre with twin-choke carburettor developing 86 brake horse power through five-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive. Performance — Omph to 62mph in 12.3 seconds; top speed 110mph; fuel economy 30.1 miles to the gallon of unleaded petrol for driving in town.
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- APA 6th ed.: (1991-01-18). Tempra is a luxury space traveller. The Times p. 31.
- MLA 7th ed.: "Tempra is a luxury space traveller." The Times [add city] 1991-01-18, 31. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Tempra is a luxury space traveller." The Times, edition, sec., 1991-01-18
- Turabian: "Tempra is a luxury space traveller." The Times, 1991-01-18, section, 31 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Tempra is a luxury space traveller | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Tempra_is_a_luxury_space_traveller | work=The Times | pages=31 | date=1991-01-18 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Tempra is a luxury space traveller | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Tempra_is_a_luxury_space_traveller | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 March 2025}}</ref>
