Fiat Freemont Crossroad new car review

It’s as Italian as a hot dog but Fiat’s people more has space and value on its side.

Stephen Ottley

04:4816 September 2014

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Fiat Freemont Crossroad new car review

3.5 stars

Is it American or Italian? Is at an SUV or people mover?

The Fiat Freemont, a car that started life as the Dodge Journey, is a car with identity issues.

It is officially classified as a people mover but only some models come standard with seven seats. It also looks more like an SUV, with its tall, rugged and boxy body.

Up until now it has only been available with four-cylinder engines (a 2.4-litre petrol and 2.0-litre turbo diesel). But Fiat has just added this new model to the line-up, the Crossroad, which is powered by a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine.

WHAT DO YOU GET?

Priced from $36,500 plus on-road and dealer costs the Freemont Crossroad makes a compelling value argument with its generous list of standard equipment.

Included in the price are seven seats, satellite navigation, Bluetooth, keyless entry and ignition, cruise control, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, electrically adjustable driver's seat, front and rear fog lights, tri-zone climate control and 17-inch alloy wheels.

It also includes a 386W Alpine sound system with a huge 8.4-inch touchscreen.

On the safety front the Crossroad comes with front, side and curtain airbags (which crucially extend to cover the occupants in the third row seats) as well as stability control, anti-lock brakes, rollover mitigation and tyre pressure monitoring.

However, the Freemont only carries a four-star crash test rating from ANCAP. A diesel example was tested in Europe by Euro NCAP and scored "good" or "acceptable" in most tests but only "marginal" in terms of leg protection in the front offset crash test.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

Perhaps the greatest strength of the Freemont is its well thought-out interior, which has a number of clever features that makes it a convenient family hauler.

The seats are finished in a combination of leather and fabric and the front chairs are heated. The front passenger seat comes with a storage compartment underneath the base, which is surprisingly spacious.

There's another clever feature in the second row, with two integrated booster seats for children, and the seat backs recline for greater comfort.

The second row also offers underfloor storage for items you want to keep out of sight, with deep covered boxes on both sides.

Space is good in the second row with more than adequate head and legroom for adults.

Room in the third row seats is surprisingly generous too with good headroom for adults and legroom can be traded off with the sliding second row seats.

The third row seats fold completely flat into the boot floor making for decent luggage space in the rear. The boot measures 167-litres with the third row up and expands to 784-litres with the third row stowed.

Generally there is good storage throughout the cabin with plenty of places for your odds and ends, including a deep central glovebox and (American, not Italian, sized) cup holders and a storage tray just ahead of the gearshift.

UNDER THE BONNET

The new engine is Chrysler Group's 3.6-litre V6 unit - the same as that found in the base-model 300 sedan - which produces a respectable 206kW and 342Nm.

It is paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox which sends the power to the front wheels; Fiat skipping any soft-roader pretensions by steering clear of all-wheel drive.

The engine offers decent performance when provoked, but needs to be in the sweet spot above 3000rpm to access its useful pulling power.

Our test didn't include loading the Freemont with seven-people and luggage, but the engine feels strong enough to pull along a loaded vehicle at sensible pace.

However, weighing over 1800kg the V6 has to work hard and that results in a thirst for unleaded.

Officially Fiat claims it uses 10.4-litres per 100km on the combined cycle but in our (mostly urban) experience we returned 13.5L/100km.

ON THE ROAD

While the interior of the Freemont suggests the designers spent a lot of time getting the details right, the same cannot be said for the driving experience.

The Freemont isn't a bad or unpleasant car to drive, but it isn't a great one either.

The ride is reasonably compliant but the suspension lacks control so it can get easily unsettled by imperfections in the road and move around more than is desirable.

The steering lacks feel and the power of the engine tends to tug at the wheel under acceleration.

That's not helped by the Kuhmo tyres which offer limited grip at times, particularly in the wet.

Overall the Freemont's handling is uninspiring but it is predictable and secure.

VERDICT

While the Freemont is a dynamic let down it offers a lot in terms of space and value - which is arguably more important to family buyers.

It may have a confusing heritage and blur the lines between an SUV and people mover but whatever it is the Freemont is a good value, spacious and practical family hauler.