Lancia Thesis Road Test & Review by Drivin Ivan Katz

[@ponjebach]

The problem seems to be, that the people never get the styling of the Thesis...they all say"oh it's just ugly at the front" and "I would never buy this car, because it's so ugly". But the point is that most of the attention in styling this car was at the front, designers went several times through the Lancia museum and tried to bring that vintage look of Lancia and combined it with modern lines. Every line was carefully chosen and nothing is a coincidence(those who think they put it quickly together). This car is far more sophisticated for an average car owner...Italian craftmanship combined with extreme luxury, technology, elegance and they put strong personality in this car. you have to look this car several times to understand the philosophy of their design and what they wanted to show us with that "weird" design. Like I said, the car is very sophisticated and people with no artistic senses cannot get it. It's like an idiot criticizing Plato, because he doesn't understand him. But when people see my car a bit closer and they sit in, they all change their minds very quick. The shape is just outstanding and after 15 years it looks like it came yesterday from the factory...what a shame they didn't build the second generation. I didn't like front lights and bumper for one year, but when I read more about the Thesis project I began to understand it and then everything changed. Once Jay Leno said: "Lancia build cars, that were just to good for the people."

[@ponjebach]

Make a few arguments why is it ugly?

[@proflaudeo]

You are right. This is my fav. car too.

[@NikoKourouklis]

Same goes for the Fiat Multipla. Everything they designed in it, both interior and exterior, was excellent. Cars like the Thesis and Multipla had a lot of thought put into it, a lot of innovative ideas, and both didn’t get the respect they deserved. 2 of my favorite cars.

[@9atalanta]

Not all people thought this car was ugly, of course the jerks who don't have an aesthetic sense did, among them I include critics of a well-known British program. Those who do not have an aesthetic sense do not understand the difference between beautiful and ugly but only between conformist and no one knows what. If you ask them to explain the line of a Mercedes they have great difficulty in doing so.

[@9atalanta]

The Japanese looked at the lines of the Toyota Century and learned to design their own cars. The designer of this Lancia was an American and did an excellent job.

[@whocoulditbebutme7350]

I think it is absolutely gorgeous: the clean front, the tail lights, the interior, the sound of the turbo engine... thank you for the video!

[@utubeleplague]

Thesis, Vel Satis, C6, 166. Luxury at cheap prices now.

[@drivinivan]

Probably, but we certainly don't have them, or at least an abundance of them in the US 8( Thanks for watching and commenting, and please share my videos with your friends and family and on social media and of course Subscribe! Drivin' Ivan

[@tamimahmed7857]

You forgot the Renault Safrane

[@aidaaliten8817]

Rover 75

[@NToddMusic]

I dont understand todays people..This car is everything you NEED from an luxury car and design! For small ammount of money! And people still belive that AUDI ,BMW,MERCEDES are everything

[@vladnickul]

In europe you can find one for about 1000€+ they have many problems :) specialty poor electronics.

[@counterfan90]

This is why Lancia, Saab, and Rover disapeared. People still want german cars.

[@vladnickul]

beacause they were really shitty cars? just loook at their reviews from their time on the road. BTW Lancia makes cars even today :)

[@gracz24PL]

Not really, form 2014 thye are making only Ypsilon , and only to Italian market @@vladnickul

[@vladnickul]

@@gracz24PL that's sad i see often Ypsilons and Deltas as beginer/woman cars... and I kinda like them, I hoped that Lancia did something to improve their situation... and maybe use their heritage to sell some cars. Still I remember my fathers Lybra bought new from Auto Italia that catch fire in a parking lot.

[@TC-jf6dn]

Just for the record, the Thesis is equipped with electronically controlled shock absorbers and does not have air suspension as mentioned. It’s exactly the same system used in the Maserati Quattroporte of the time (also a Fiat brand) The 5 cylinder Turbo has 185hp and the 3 liter V6 (Alfa Romeo engine) has 215hp - if that is still not enough, the 3.2 litte V6 has 250hp. Added trivia: the center console is not plastic but actually cast magnesium. The little holes seen in the dash between the center and passenger side vents are also part of the ventilation system designed to provide a draft free climate control. There are many more cool features the Thesis offers that have not been mentioned. But for now I will leave it with that. Nice review.

[@ponjebach]

3.2 V6 has power output of 230 bhp, remap is 250 :) I had 3.0 V6 sodl it in two years...after one year of mourning I bougth mint 2,4JTD. First was a bit lemon, lack of maintenance, but hypnotic sound...second is smooth as butter...no sound of diesel wahtsoever :=)

[@petterpettersen7976]

There is more thsn 185hp.....don't forget the two stage turbo 😁 I don't think Lancia went DOWN in power from the original Fiat 20vt engine. It feels like 225hk, and has been messuered that if i am not wrong.

[@lovinDaMusik]

Can you please tell me everything you know about this car?

[@idkctk]

Also a freaking solar roof

[@Nelle996]

Even Lancia Lybra was way ahead of C class and 3 series back in the day! I have one with 1.9jtd engine and all i can say is *bulletproof*!

[@Jojohan2512]

Great car, and yes I have one!

[@gracz24PL]

Did you import it? btw. I wounder that was your reaction after first 2 h of driving that car

[@petterpettersen7976]

Me too😁

[@NikoKourouklis]

@@gracz24PL He might not be from America, and he won’t respond as his channel seems abandoned.

[@matei-bh4od]

@@gracz24PL i have 2 right Now and drive-in them is like a dream cuz is of the suspension and the Bose sound sistem is brilliant btw this is is like a tank my oldest base 400k km and the engine is silent

[@number2001]

The Lancia Thesis is still a fabolous car, but unfortunately sales were poor because it was to ahead of its time and buyers sticked to BMW or Mercedes sedans. Oddly enough the Thesis is somehow rare even here in Italy, where a vast majority of them were purchased by the government as courtesy fleet cars for politicians, judges, army executives, etc. Rome is full of state-owned Thesises with a small revolving blue light on the roof that make them look like undercover police cars.

[@Passionitaly]

Macchina unica nel suo genere , non capita ahimè. Ma è giusto ricordarsi che questa fu l'ultima ammiraglia Lancia 🎉

[@uroskostic8570]

I own Lancia Kappa 2.0 20VT , same engine as this on Thesis, and it came 5 years before Thesis, also very luxurious but more sharp front side. It came with xenon lights .

[@BeukerHarriede]

One of the most beautiful cars ever made !!!! Had the 3.2 liter V6 myself for a few years....... GREAT !!!

[@TheKilroy1980]

I still like the extreme styling it will turn a head for shure...

[@batu1385]

you said it have 215hp but then it must be the 3.0 liter six cylinder because the 2.0l five cylinder had 185hp.

[@lucasworktv]

Such a pity that Lancia discontinued vehicles like this 😢

[@Passionitaly]

Concordo pienamente

[@minibus1351]

I like the Lancia Fulvia.

[@mrdaykurutakuchannel]

I like it esp the dash and the unique nose that made similarly aged 5 series and A6s look downmarket

[@acetvr6]

Love it, always loved the styling. Not the usual run of the mill

[@Passionitaly]

Meravigliosa 🎉

[@minoanlight4545]

How reliable is this thing? It looks nice, but looks aren’t everything.

[@tino897]

Its a d manual. He says its really rare. In europe 90% are maual diesels hahaha. But really good review and really rare for the States. Good job.

[@mustasheolll2020]

Is this the first car to display the radio on the gauge cluster? And yeah for when it came out this is a very high tech car, so is the 7 series from the same time period.

[@st_us]

only 960 views for a lancia thesis .. people just listen too much to the T.V ads and forget to look around and find the nicer stuff to buy .. if this car were on new york times square billboards and some famous ass actor owned one then everybody will be running to get one ..

[@drivinivan]

True, but I only posted it less than 3 months ago. Please share all my videos and spread the word! Thanks for watching! Drivin' Ivan

[@mengugreg]

the big boys of mercedes, bmw and audi are having their share of reliability problems these days, so this thesis is not worse really..

[@cimbaivlaganbuseten3672]

I like this car

[@christophe77700]

Fiat killed Lancia. I hope that one day the brand will live again and make new splendid Italian road ships

[@AdrianoCROST]

Im tired of Fiat killed this and that. If they were standing good before they would not be in Fiat ownership in the first place. Why Fiat didn't kill Alfa Romeo or Ferrari ? Alfa is now better than ever with Fiat and they are sold in U.S.A. again.

[@uroskostic8570]

@@AdrianoCROST Lancia is luxurious car, not meant for ordinary man, because ordinary man could never afford new Lancia. This car was like 80,000$ new. In Europe, ordinary people couldnt afford it new.

[@AdrianoCROST]

@@uroskostic8570 Lancia was wannabe luxurious car. Only modern luxurious model was Thesis. Fake wood and leather doesn't make luxurious car. What fool would buy Lancia for 80 000$ ?

[@frontier_conflict]

Just can’t get over that front end 😂😂

[@umaspianolessonsinvirginia8115]

why regular US residents can't buy this car? Why do we need to wait until 2027? Great ride btw super classy!

[@vladgladkov8135]

I had lancia thema 8.32 in seattle sold

[@kingmikayel]

Is this car good for a first timer? I'm inlove with the exterior and the interior, good reviews as well, hope it's good!

[@paulfed2257]

Was considering that too where are you located

[@tino897]

Lets say you have to work. And work for alot of cash.

[@petterpettersen7976]

Nonono!!! This car is ONLY for experienced car fanatics......😎

[@petterpettersen7976]

Hmmm.....Get one, it's much more fun, better built, had a E38 pretty loaded I restored, when I was finished with it, and was driving to the store for a test drive....I turned around, and took the Thesis, and sold the E38 the day after. Had the Thesis for 3 years now, skall take a small restoration now. Don't know what else I shall drive, so I gave up finding a car as equal good to drive. I don't understand what they where thinking about, but I love it. Everyone that has one, do so😁 be aware of the frame under the engine, rust problems. Grounding problems in back of the engine. That easily can be chipped to 300hp with no problem. Use the Dutch Company.they make the best chip. Find a good Fiat mechanic, and you are good. Great Bose is a pluss! Take the 20vt. Its 225hp, not 185 as stated. This is much more fun than bmw and Audi.

[@NoDiPietroDay]

you should take a 3.2 V6 24V fantastic Alfa Romeo motor

[@ristekostadinov2820]

That busso v6 have really exotic sound and the power is good for the displacement.

[@ChopsGarage]

Just bought one for just £300 that I'm getting up and running on my KZbin channel!

[@c88rrado]

Very nice review!! Thank you very much!!

[@andreawars]

I own one from 2002 and compared to a rival of the same year (a BMW x5) .....the only perfect part of this car are the seats.....but the handgrips inside sticky, the chromium parts consuming inside and outside the car. the plastic finishings around the seats get sticky aswell...I changed the 4 handgrips 1 year ago, and now they got sticky aswell! The electric part is horrible! the hood sensor and the boot door sensor jams and says that the doors are open. The Door for the CDs stays open and it's a common problem on this car, and happened the same to the drink bottle storage door. Till 3 years i'm not able to solve out problems about car turning off! Changed alternator, battery and this car has more elettronic than engine. No way to fix this car out. It's a beauty but born badly! Diesel Engine sound is great!! Since now, the BMW x5 2002 that is 250.000 KM against 156.000 KM on the Thesis, had none of the problems listed above, and looks perfect as new.

[@fmac6441]

That was a beautiful car, was a shame that have be replaced by a 300

[@febrinnastv2377]

Does anyone know safety rating?

[@matei-bh4od]

4 airbags 5 stars

[@visionist7]

3:18 the Quattroporte had this same window switch panel, but the centre spline thingy was plastic, where here on the cheaper car it was metal 🤔 Isn't it funny how the Thesis didn't sell because it was weird at the front, but nowadays absolutely hideous "cars" sell like hotcakes? Just a funny old thing

[@lextuga]

not 215bhp but 180bhp. not air suspension, but a normal coil with electromagnetic shocks.

[@tmanepic]

is this car more reliable than the germans of the same period?

[@VictorDachev]

Definately not.

[@ponjebach]

@DroidTech It's easy...you buy one with full history in a garage or one for 2000$...first one will work like new, second one...hope you never drive it.

[@paulfed2257]

I for a while now was considering on purchasing a lancia thesis fro my daily driver in Canada they have surpassed the 15 year old mark and can be easily imported to Canada pls tell me more about maintenance /climate /cost of ownership of this magnificent car

[@lcfs3565]

Paul Fed to be honest with you, you gonna have huge trubles with this car. Lancia is almost dead, here in europe its start to be very difficult too find spare parts for these model, special suspension parts, axels etc.. im from Portugal, and here we have only a few, and even in france/italy they have troubles to fix several stuff. But to be honest if you really want one buy a 2.0t 5 cylinder manual, more reliable, dont buy it in north europe (belgium, holland, germany) they use salt at winter.. so the best way is buy it from italy or france/spain, they cost between 4/5000€ for a 2.0t emblema version and 8/9000€ for a 3.0v6 automatic (no reliable autobox) Maintenance its not very high if you take care about the car a lot, oil and filters every 10/12k kms.. and in canada the only solution for you for major repairs I think maserati/fiat dealership I had one a few days so if you need some help just ask ;) Now I have a Renault Vel Satis, maybe you gonna like it also!

[@paulfed2257]

Luis Silva was considering it too never thought we had any in Canada

[@ponjebach]

It's true, spare parts are hard to find sometimes. I have just bought 2,4 JTD(diesel) emblema from an older person. I have to say that car is in perfect condition...jtd is the most reliable engine, no doubt about it. Well in Slovenia you can easily find a thesis that is selling for parts, USA another story...beside of that, man that car drives like in a dream, once you drive it, you get addicted.

[@paulfed2257]

Luis Silva how much kilometers and what are the cars problem areas??

[@Nelle996]

If you want one go with 2.4jtd displacement. They are reliable, they last with propper care and frequent services 👍🏻

[@number2001]

Interestingly enough, the Lancia Thesis was designed by an American (Mike Robinson). I own one in Italy but I admit the one in this video looks bad. Those full, heavy wheels and that green... no way! Mine is automatic, dark blue, has bigger alloy wheels... totally different car! The front is unusual but it's damn good-looking and stylish seen on the street, on a computer screen it can be misinterpreted. Try to google "2007 Lancia Thesis Limited" to see its best configuration ;)

[@number2001]

***** Yes, absolutely I'd suggest you to buy one. Preferably a diesel version, which is equpped with a very strong and reliable engine (2.4 TD, the same of Lancia Lybra, Alfa Romeo 156 and 166). The electronic system is fine, just make sure that everything electric works and, above all, that there are no error lights on the dashboard. If it's automatic, be sure that the gears change smoothly without problems. This car will give you a lot of satisfaction and people will turn their heads when you pass by. :)

[@paulfed2257]

number2001 I live in Canada any tips and do you have to replace much

[@Impostor82]

This car is beautiful

[@marcin17101982]

i have , lancia lybra, and i want to buy second lancia-thesis , its a fantastic cars

[@knipdlo]

Did this ever sell?

[@user-kw9qu2gz8v]

nope 16000 over nine years

[@francoriva55]

Thesis is fantastic car .. i bought Vw Phaeton .. ungirtunately !!

[@robertblake8609]

love that car,thx

[@AdrianoCROST]

Dear americans it's pronaunced LUN-CHA !

[@vladgladkov8135]

I have lancia beta

[@francoriva55]

Thesis is much better than Wv Phaeton !! Viva Lancia . Viva Italy. From Varenna , Como lake ...!@

[@vladgladkov2792]

I like lancia thema 8.32 Ferrari motor

[@vladgladkov8135]

I have peugeot 405 for sale

[@vladgladkov2792]

I have pujo for you pininfarina style

[@TriangularTurdz]

If you love Lancia why are you unable to pronounce it? It isn't Lanchia.

[@boersjoe]

It is pronounced Lanchia

[@giansantomosconi5846]

Actually, "cia" sounds more like the spanish "cha" (e.g. "cucaracha")...

[@judethaddaeus9742]

I’ve always heard it as “Launch-ya”

[@AdrianoCROST]

@@boersjoe No it's not ! It's LUN-CHA

[@raunoraudjarv5048]

Just look at the front end of this thing, it looks like a nuclear disaster

[@ivan9066]

2L turbo meh. The right engine is the 2.4 JTD multijet.

[@Nelle996]

My dream is 3.2L V6 230hp ! I have Lybra with 1.9jtd!

[@mirticmarko90]

I respect this car...but is so ugly...

[@danielmcmanus5460]

That car is horrifically ugly

[@MarkfromNewYork]

Hideous.

[@danielmcmanus5460]

That car is horrifically ugly