1995 Fiat Tempra S 1.6i.e

Summary:

A car that requires a hard hand and foot

Faults:

Paint work is bad, already in 40000 km and two years. It seems to be too soft paint.

Exhaust pipes (all), exhaust gas recycling valve and rear shock absorbers changed at 90000 km.

General Comments:

This car is "blowing in the wind", it is very sensitive to hard winds of any direction.

Suspension is too soft.

Powerful it is, but not easy to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th July, 2002

10th Oct 2002, 16:34

In the car you can feel the wind as it interacts with the car, especially with strong sidewinds and if you pass big trucks on the highway. That is unavoidable for a car this size and weight I believe.

The matter of suspension is a matter of taste. My Tempra's suspension is just good for sporty driving, but not too rigid for comfortable driving. I do not deem the suspension too soft. But my front shock absorbers are quite new.

1995 Fiat Tempra S 1.6 ie

Summary:

Roomy and economical family car

Faults:

Radiator replaced after the one year warranty period. Probably because of a manufacturing error. This was due to the request of the dealer and only half of expense was for me to pay.

Exhaust system fully replaced due to corrosion.

Some suspension parts replaced. All dampers replaced.

Otherwise normal periodical maintenance. This included an expensive change of the timing belt.

Cold starts below -25 C temperatures are not reliable enough (for me), even when car was new.

Seat upholstery did wear out, but after all it was under heavy use because of a dog.

General Comments:

Good reliable basic car, giving good accommodation also for backseat passengers, and huge trunk space.

Car has good handling characteristics, even in winter conditions.

Cheap to buy, economical to maintain.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th September, 2001

29th May 2003, 07:45

What do you think about radiator problems? Tempra has a very hot engine, about 100°C (normal traffic), 105° (traffic jams), it makes damages to the radiator!!! The temperature bulb cans be replaced for Alfa Romeo 155 temperature bulb!

Sorry about my poor English!

Leonardo Maretti (Brasil)

19th Jul 2026, 12:12

Cold-start issues likely arise because the car isn't built for such extreme temperatures (it's Italian, and the climate in Italy is very different from Finland's). While this might be normal for a Finnish winter, -25°C isn't exactly ideal. Cars should be kept in garages to avoid starting problems in such unusually low temperatures.

I owned a Tempra years ago and never had trouble starting it in the cold, though, admittedly, mine was always kept in a garage. Still, it spent many years in temperatures below 0°C without ever giving me a problem.

In reply to 19th Jul 2026, 12:12

19th Jul 2026, 21:15

Some of these carburetor setups, pre fuel injection, could be pretty temperamental in extreme temperatures. Early fuel injection like on these cars could have some of the same problems. Some systems were pretty rudimentary and -25 would be outside of program parameters. They could for example work perfectly until say -10, but when colder it would be more and more temperamental and in the end you would get a no-start situation. Dealers typically couldn't help you, however there were third party specialists that could help. In some cases as simple as replacing the ROM chip with a new one containing a new map.