Fiat Tipo LPG: by popular demand

© FiatWith the new engine, the Tipo sedan can finally become a driver's car as much as it is the beholder's car

As we pointed out in our review, the naturally aspirated 1,4-litre unit, good for 95 PS, isn't powerful enough to motivate the Tipo. Not the way expected of a modern car, that is. The turbocharged T-Jet engine, also displacing 1,4 l, offers 120 PS and considerably more torque than its sibling (215 versus 127 Nm), but until now it was altogether unavailable for the sedan body style of the Tipo. Now it is, but only combined with an autogas system, which actually suits us just fine. If, for whatever reason, wht you desire is a Tipo running on petrol only, there's a 1,6-litre, 110 PS E-Torq engine waiting for you, mated to automatic transmission. Just saying.

Fiat's decision to add the sedan to Tipo's factory-converted range comes as hardly a surprise, given that approx. 10% of hatchbacks and estates sold have been ordered with the T-Jet engine and an LPG system. Since the sedan is the most affordable body style of the brand's bestseller, the autogas variant may and probably will prove even more popular – in Poland the converted sedan is still cheaper than a petrol-only hatchback. But irrespective of the car's basic price, the autogas system is among the most affordable factory conversions on the market anyway.

The 1,4 T-Jet engine isn't exactly cheap in its own right, though – it bumps the Tipo sedan's price (compared to the 95 PS 1,4 16V version) by over 20%. But unless you want to use a calendar instead of a stopwatch for measuring acceleration times, grab the T-Jet variant without hesitation or a shadow of a doubt. We haven't tried it out ourselves yet, but we will the first chance we get.