I've had my marea for 2 months now, and I really am at odds with the motoring press view of the car. It is both robust and well screwed together. It makes me consider again something I've long suspected: that wealthy (often German) car makers must have some sort of masonic or financial link with the car magazines and TV. For years I've heard them hark on and on about german build quality, but upon my experience of the last 10 years, what may have once been true appears to be twoddle.

Take this example: I own a MK2 golf GTi 8v with 180k, and I really like it as a fun car. It was described in any road test of the time you care to mention as having vastly superior build quality than its rivals. My friend has a mk2 astra GTE from the same time, with more miles on it, and being unbiased, I have to say the Vauxhall is every bit as well put together as the golf, and is noticably smoother. What is more, the astra has had less rust problems and the gearchange is simply leagues ahead of the golf. For a supposed hero car, the Gti mk2 gearchage is simply abysmal and disappointing in the way that it would be to find that after getting her to bed, Cameron Diaz was non-orgasmic and wore your Grandmother's Knickers. Ok, not quite as bad as that. But I've driven many over the years. Golfs that is, not Camerons. Look back through the road tests and there's scarecely a mention of this rather huge and obvious flaw.

And that brings me back to the Marea. The indicator switches feel precise, expensive in action. Better that a VW I think. The car has no rattles with 110k miles. The shutlines are tight and consistent and the whole thing feels as if it'll shrug off another 110k. So the plastics finish is a bit low grade, but its as solid as a mondeo. Not far off as good in build as a passat from the same year I'd say, bar the less shiny plastics.

Take those 2 cars worst aspects: the passat's steering has less feedback than a Rock concert on the moon. The marea has great steering but a ride as choppy as a Kung-Fu convention. Aside from that, I think they're comparible cars, apart from the fiat is much more stylish. But the VW was praised as if the sun shone out of its tailgate, and the fiat was declared below par like a blind tiger woods.

I don't get it, and feel there's something fishy afoot and its not the admirals pie I've just stepped in.

Special handshakes? Secret subsidies? Hmmm.

Weird how in some of the other countries of europe, my Marea weekend is worth up to 2.5 times what it is here. Perhaps they heard different stories to the ones we did. We should never underestimate media power, and how it affects reputations, be it cars or people.

Does anyone concur?

:yeahthat: The Marea is a particularly well built car with quailty fittings and trim, I have run BMs Audis and Mercs when someone else was paying for them and in many ways the Fiats i have had have been better cars.

I've driven Audi's and VW's, I think my Marea handles the corners better than any of them. The last Passat I drove was soooo uncomfortable and wallowed through corners like the leaning tower of Pisa. The stalks and switches in the Marea feel more expensive and better put together than most German cars of the same era. The sound of that 20V Fiat engine can't be matched by any Golf GTI. Don't believe everything you read in car magazines, test drive a Fiat today

The reason that Marea's are so cheap is that they never really caught on, the company fleet buyers stuck with Ford and Vauxhall (YAWN). Big Fiats have never been as popular, new or used, in the UK as they are in Europe. Even with the modest number of Marea's in the market today there are not enough people buying them so the price drops.

Lancia disappeared completely from the UK a few years ago because nobody was buying them, go to France or Belgium and you'll see loads of Lancia's driving about. I used to lust after a Lancia Delta as a teenager, my first flitation with Fiat.

1997 Marea HLX 2.0 20V saloon

the punto bravo brava marea range was a giant leap forward for fiat's build quality and engineering. they obviously tried hard to change people's perception of the brand. however the press dont change their tune overnight, and i think that explains a lot of the reviews in the mid90s.

then again punto and bravo/a won car of the year in 95 & 96 so the range did not go unnoticed.

the mid90s range has stood the test of time surprisingly well, and i think it has done a lot of good for the fiat brand's reputation, but the old myths of rust and electrical nightmares remains in the press, and in consumer's minds. thats ignorance for you, i dont mind it means used fiat's are a true bargain to buy.