Fiat South Africa has released details of the new Strada bakkie called the Strada Working, an apt name for a vehicle expected to do a lot of that. It is built at Fiat’s plant in Brazil. Power is sourced from a 1.4-litre petrol engine with 8 valves that replaces both the current 1.2-litre and 1.6-litre plants. It produces 60kW at 5500rpm and 120Nm of torque at 2250rpm, and can help haul up to 715kg in the standard cab model and 700kg for the X-Space Adventure. Working with it is a 5-speed manual gearbox.
The EL and ELX models are now a thing of the past, now replaced by the Working and soon-to-come Life. Some refinements accompanying these changes include a new interior trim, new Fiat badging and a new instrument cluster. The Life and X-Space Adventure get alloy wheels while the Working makes do with new wheel caps.
“Detail changes, most notably the adoption of the more powerful 1.4-litre engine across the range,” says Oscar Rivoli, Managing Director of Fiat Group Automobiles “as well as the shift to Brazilian production in the state-of-the-art Betim plant which is renowned for its quality, will ensure that the Strada remains highly competitive in the smaller pick-up arena.”
Standard features from the baseline Working include tinted windows, a 12V power point, power steering and central locking. The X-Space Adventure is fitted with alloy wheels, air conditioning, a stereo sound system, colour-coded exterior, front and rear fog lamps, electric windows and a driver’s airbag.
Safety is taken care of by a strengthened body shell, side impact bars on the doors, a fire prevention system that locks the fuel pump to prevents fuel from escaping and an immobiliser system.
The new Strada comes standard with a 24-month Manufacturer Warranty, unlimited mileage and an additional 12-month Dealer Extended Warranty or up to 100 000km in total, three years on paintwork and five years on rust anti-perforation.
Fiat Strada pricing
Fiat Strada Working 1.4 (R105 500)
Fiat Strada Life 1.4 (R129 500)
Fiat Strada X-Space Adventure 1.4 (R164 500)
