Fiat Multipla

Our verdict

The Fiat Multipla is a former Car of the Year at Top Gear, courtesy of its mad, ingenious and unquestionably brave styling. Still too wide to park on a narrow residential street however, its usefulness as family transport is debateable.

Comfort

The Multipla is well damped, keeping its passengers nicely insulated from the road. And with three seats in each row it tends to be pleasantly empty in there most of the time.

Performance

Of the two engine options the diesel is marginally faster, courtesy of more low-down torque. It'll be Christmas by the time you've hit 60mph either way, but you'll be too busy trying not to knock off the wing mirrors to care.

Cool

The Multipla was cool when it was ugly enough to frighten bouncers. Now it's ordinary looking as well as impossibly wide, so you look boring as well as a bit stupid.

Quality

Slightly older Fiat fodder this, so more likely to lack the apparent quality of newer designs. Also sure to get ripped to bits by all the kids you're going to put in it, so beware.

Handling

A car as wide as this, with a wheel in every corner, is bound to be quite stable, so giving a Multipla the beans can be a lot of fun, especially six-up. But you'll need a lot of road to do it.

Practicality

You can't argue with a car that seats six in two rows and has more storage solutions than Ikea, but if it's too wide to fit in a normal parking space there are going to be problems.

Running costs

Multiplas are competitively priced these days, what with it being a bit last season. The diesel also manages 43.5mpg, which betters some considerably newer stuff out there.