1997 Fiat Ulysse 1.9 diesel

Summary:

Great, no frills (with comfort) versatile vehicle

Faults:

A few bulbs needed to be replaced for the MOT, that's all.

Illumination for the temperate control gauge has gone, but one can easily get round this by just pressing the + or - button until the required temperature is reached.

General Comments:

This car is no sports car, and handles like a truck on bends, but you wouldn't buy a Ulysse if you wanted to go fast.

Fuel economy is excellent, and will give me about 31 mpg around town and about 38 mpg on motorway driving, and I don't drive slowly either. I consider this excellent for a vehicle of this size and age.

The climate control is excellent, and even comes with an economy setting to stop excessive waste of fuel associated with air con.

The seats come out, easily turning the vehicle into an excellent van or sleep in/surf wagon. Great for a couple of nights camping.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th September, 2011

26th Nov 2012, 17:05

As an update to my comments above, I've now done 99,000 miles and things aren't as happy as they were when I wrote this review. It has an oil leak from the crankshaft housing. Now the damp weather is here, it won't start in the morning without using easy start. The second gear's synchromesh has gone, so the revs have got to be very low before it goes into that gear.

I would have expected more from a vehicle that has been serviced regularly. If you are going to buy one, make sure the price is low and it might be quite a good buy. Alternatively, stick to Japanese for reliability.

7th Dec 2012, 14:17

Update on the starting problem. 2 of the 4 glow plugs had packed up completely. The glow plugs were replaced, and the starting problem is over. Be warned, two of the glow plugs are tricky to access.

2000 Fiat Ulysse JTD S 2.0

Summary:

Poorly made, inferior quality and not reliable

Faults:

Dual mass crankshaft pulley.

Dual mass flywheel.

Fuel pump.

Hard diesel pipe was leaking.

Power steering rack was worn at an early stage.

Coolant hose disintegrated and leaked, causing a breakdown, which was clearly because it was made of inferior materials.

Throttle sensor.

General Comments:

I have not enjoyed ownership of this vehicle. There is an awful company behind this vehicle.

For example, I had to wait 4 weeks for a simple replacement water hose, whilst this was replaced under warranty, to be told afterwards that the warranty didn't cover hoses and therefore I had to pay for the repair.

Service charges were very high.

The day to day living with the car was OK at first, but became stressful mainly due to the low acceleration available, which made town driving quite difficult. However it was a good tourer on the motorway.

The interior fittings were prone to damage and rattles with low standard fittings.

The gear change lever makes you feel as if you are driving a tractor (there is a large amount of play in the cable gear linkage).

I did not intend to be so negative, but the list of breakdowns shows the unreliability of the vehicle.

I will definitely not buy or recommend another FIAT vehicle to anyone ever.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th November, 2008

1996 Fiat Ulysse S 2.0 petrol

Summary:

Average, but I miss it!

Faults:

More or less everything plastic is brittle.

Car refused to start in damp weather.

Low quality door handles.

General Comments:

A contradiction in terms as I loved the car, when it was working!

Good on fuel considering the size of the car.

Extremely versatile.

Handled like a giant go kart!

Nippy, with good, precise gearbox, clutch heavy but precise too, either "on" or "off" it seems!, don't worry, that's a characteristic of this car and you will get used to it.

Good roadholding.

Very well rustproofed, typical Peugeot trait, I believe these are assembled at a Peugeot factory.

Airfix grade interior plastics.

Anything plastic on the dash will break.

If you buy one, check the heater controls, these are brittle too.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 4th October, 2008