Fiat Albea

Fiat Albea: Which Version Should You Buy?

The Fiat Albea is a Sedan offered in one generation, including a restyled phase, with production dates in the supplied catalogue running from 2002 to 2012. Choosing among its versions is mainly a question of priorities.

The Fiat Albea is a Sedan offered in one generation, including a restyled phase, with production dates in the supplied catalogue running from 2002 to 2012. Choosing among its versions is mainly a question of priorities. The 1.3 MT diesel has the lowest listed combined consumption at 4.7 l/100 km, the 1.4 MT gasoline version follows at 6.2 l/100 km, and the 1.6 MT delivers the quickest acceleration at 10.8 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. The two 1.2 MT versions share their displacement and version name, so they must be distinguished by output: 60 hp or 80 hp. All versions use a 5-speed Manual gearbox and FWD.

Fiat Albea generations: original or restyled?

The original 1 generation ran from 2002 to 2005 as a Sedan with 4 versions: 1.2 MT with 60 hp, 1.2 MT with 80 hp, 1.4 MT with 77 hp, and 1.6 MT with 103 hp. Its fuel tank is listed at 47 litres for every version. Front brakes are disc, while the rear brakes are Drum. The rest of the core chassis formula is consistent across the range: independent spring front suspension and semi-independent spring rear suspension.

The 1 generation, restyling ran from 2005 to 2012, also as a Sedan. It retained those 4 gasoline choices and added the 1.3 MT diesel, bringing the phase total to 5 versions. Tank capacity increased from 47 to 48 litres, a difference of 1 litre. The listed front brakes changed from disc to Ventilated disc, while the rear brakes remained Drum. Where the same gasoline engine appears in both phases, its listed power, torque, acceleration, top speed, consumption, kerb weight, and ground clearance do not change. On the supplied figures, the restyling therefore offers a later production window, 1 litre more tank capacity, Ventilated disc front brakes, and access to the diesel version rather than higher gasoline performance.

Fiat Albea engine specs compared

The two 1.2 MT choices demonstrate why the power figure matters. The 80 hp version produces 20 hp and 37 Nm more than the 60 hp version without increasing the 1,242 cc displacement or the 1,040 kg kerb weight. Its specific output is approximately 64.4 hp per litre, compared with approximately 48.3 hp per litre for the 60 hp engine. Weight per horsepower falls from approximately 17.3 kg/hp to 13.0 kg/hp.

The 1.4 MT makes 77 hp from 1,368 cc, or approximately 56.3 hp per litre. Its 115 Nm torque figure is 1 Nm above the 80 hp 1.2 MT, but it develops maximum torque at 3,000 rpm instead of 4,000 rpm. The 1.4 MT also has 2 valves per cylinder, whereas every other listed engine has 4.

The restyled 1.3 MT combines 95 hp and the range-high 133 Nm with 1,248 cc. That equals approximately 76.1 hp per litre, the highest specific output in the catalogue. It is the only Diesel and Turbo version. Its maximum torque arrives at 1,750 rpm, earlier than in every gasoline option.

The 1.6 MT has the highest power at 103 hp, although its listed 107 Nm is 26 Nm below the diesel and 8 Nm below the 1.4 MT. It uses Direct injection (direct), while the gasoline 1.2 MT and 1.4 MT versions use Distributed injection (multi-point).

Fiat Albea performance and fuel economy

For the strongest gasoline performance, the 1.6 MT is the clear choice. It reaches 100 km/h 2.7 seconds sooner than the 80 hp 1.2 MT and 1.4 MT, and 4.7 seconds sooner than the 60 hp 1.2 MT. Its 180 km/h top speed is 18 km/h higher than the 80 hp 1.2 MT and 1.4 MT, but its 8.3 l/100 km combined consumption is also the highest.

The 1.4 MT is the balanced gasoline option in the listed figures. It matches the 80 hp 1.2 MT at 13.5 seconds and 162 km/h while using 0.8 l/100 km less fuel on the combined cycle. Against the 1.6 MT, it gives up 26 hp and 18 km/h of top speed but saves 2.1 l/100 km combined.

The 1.3 MT has the best economy. Compared with the 1.4 MT, it uses 1.5 l/100 km less combined, 2.2 l/100 km less in the city, and 1.1 l/100 km less on the highway. However, its 14.5-second acceleration is 1.0 second slower, and its top speed is 2 km/h lower.

CO₂ output is not measured for any version. A listed emissions class is available only for the 1.4 MT, where it is Euro 4; for every other version, the emissions class is not measured.

Fiat Albea dimensions, weight, clearance, and tank capacity

Exterior length, width, height, and wheelbase are not measured in the supplied data. Wheel sizes are also not measured for every version.

The 1.4 MT is the lightest version at 1,015 kg, but its 150 mm ground clearance is 30 mm lower than the 180 mm specified for the other versions. The 1.6 MT is the heaviest at 1,100 kg and has the highest measured gross weight at 1,575 kg. Weight per horsepower is approximately 10.7 kg/hp for the 1.6 MT, compared with approximately 11.4 kg/hp for the 1.3 MT and 13.2 kg/hp for the 1.4 MT.

Which Fiat Albea version should you buy?

Choose the 1.3 MT if fuel consumption and low-rpm torque matter most. It has the lowest combined consumption at 4.7 l/100 km, the highest torque at 133 Nm, and the earliest torque peak at 1,750 rpm. It is available only in the restyled phase.

Choose the 1.4 MT for the strongest economy-to-performance compromise among the gasoline versions. Its 6.2 l/100 km combined figure beats both 1.2 MT variants, yet its 13.5-second acceleration and 162 km/h top speed equal the 80 hp 1.2 MT. The trade-off is its lower 150 mm ground clearance.

Choose the 1.6 MT if acceleration and top speed take priority over consumption. Its 103 hp, 10.8-second acceleration, and 180 km/h maximum are the best performance figures, while its 8.3 l/100 km combined consumption is the highest.

Between the identically named 1.2 MT versions, the 80 hp model is the stronger numerical proposition: it adds 20 hp and 37 Nm, cuts 2.0 seconds from the 0–100 km/h time, and raises top speed by 12 km/h, with exactly the same listed city, highway, and combined consumption. The 60 hp 1.2 MT has no measured economy advantage.

Finally, choose between the original and restyled cars by equipment-independent catalogue differences rather than engine output. Matching gasoline versions have identical listed performance and weight, while the restyling provides a 48-litre rather than 47-litre tank and Ventilated disc rather than disc front brakes. Reliability, problems, service-manual availability, prices, and sale listings are not measured in the supplied data, so they cannot support a version recommendation here.