The Fiat Multipla Was an Incredibly Quirky (and Ugly) Family Car

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Fiat Multipla review! The Fiat Multipla was weird, quirky, and ugly. Today I'm reviewing the Fiat Multipla, and I'll show you all the quirks and features of one of the weirdest and ugliest vehicles you can find -- and it's a VERY quirky one. Then I'll drive the Multipla and review the driving experience of one of the only Fiat Multipla models in North America.
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[@MrThunderMonky]

if Breaking Bad was filmed in Europe, Walter would have drove one of these instead of the Aztek

[@aperturelabs8552]

Nice, human.... Nice.

[@gabamarsa]

Sure!

[@Hammer0165]

I mean, if the plot wouldn't fall trough at the fact we have affordable healthcare, I'd agree.

[@josephkrisocki6934]

@@Hammer0165 also, I don't think crystal meth is widely available in Europe

[@gabamarsa]

@@josephkrisocki6934 in Czech republic and Slovakia it is

[@Zuroslav]

Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche - I sleep Multipla - real shit

[@N0Xa880iUL]

*Real shit*

[@TenorCantusFirmus]

Multipla HGT Abarth. We needed it!

[@ivankuzin8388]

I don't even watch videos with new cars and supercars :) But this, this is a type of car review where Doug really excels :)

[@pablons2061]

Hahah nice!

[@aintaintaword666]

I unironically like this car, I'd buy it if it had a decent engine&transmission

[@cesarers7372]

I'm a proud owner. Bought as a joke for commuting with co-workers it soon became the family's favourite. Its look make the other cars boring and ordinary. When you go around the streets the kids love the funny design and the people in their 40/50's talks about it. Plus it's very good to drive. All the commands have the right weight and a very good feel, the brakes are strong. Having a long and large wheelbase means that's it's very stable and you can throw it around the corners without worring too much. (Look at one lap heroes lap at the 'ring) Even in the gravel, mud, snow it's a blast to drive due to the good clearance and stability. This year it will turn 20 so this means, here in Italy, that you can register it as an historical vehicle. I'm gonna keep it forever! Update: This spring (2023) i've driven it to Rome fully loaded with my family (yes, 6 people) and luggage. It's a 1200KM (745 mi) trip that the Multipla did effortlessly. Bonus content: i also own a fully tuned 2003 MX-5 Miata (previously a 1990 NA)

[@DumDoger]

“Bought it as a joke” This man has a lot of money

[@guillemlluciagris5072]

@@DumDoger probably bought it for 500€

[@mrmou.4893]

@@guillemlluciagris5072 lmao yeah

[@miracufelix]

@@DumDoger Those sell for like 1000€ lol

[@DroidTSK]

@@DumDoger Here in Italy used Fiat Multiplas are dirt cheap

[@renegade25_banhammertech_40]

Only people who have owned it can understand how practical and genial this car was. Transporting 6 people comfortly in just 4 meters and something more is just incredible and you also could park it literally everywhere (we don't have that much space for cars in Italian/european cities,many of them are too old). I remember growing up on the Italian streets but I still did cheap but long and comfy travelings with my family in a 2005 Multipla. After 10 years, over 250k kms and have moved to a new house only using it, we had to sell it (for a good price actually, they're pretty easy to sell). I miss you little chunky box

[@dna2dna275]

How much was it sold for?

[@renegade25_banhammertech_40]

@@dna2dna275 something around 3-4k, that in 2016 for that car it wasn't bad

[@VictorioLopes]

This is the most Dougy car Doug has ever Dougged

[@asbestos464]

@Peaceful and Tranquility 👇🥰 😳BOT😳

[@TominoCabana]

This and the s-cargo lol

[@Rocketman1583]

The Dougged part....... Ya. Don't wanna picture it

[@doctorvladandhisbluejaysd2802]

I'd buy this car just for the shirts and goggles

[@09RadBoy]

*DOUG*

[@wesleyklomp8705]

This man is more exited to drive a Multipla then a McLaren Senna. That is why we love Doug

[@mikevale3620]

I'd much rather drive the Multipla than a McLaren. At least getting into the Multipla doesn't require the equivalent of a human shoe horn to access the vehicle.

[@wesleyklomp8705]

@@mikevale3620 Come on now mike, We both know you would rather have that sweet senna standing on your driveway buddy

[@kskdtr]

@@wesleyklomp8705 i think both the cars are ugly.... the McLaren wins the chicks effect though

[@wesleyklomp8705]

@@kskdtr True, I dont like the senna personally but used it as a example because its exitement factor. Would prefer a 69' Dodge charger myself lhaha

[@RickTobin98]

I stopped watching a vette video when i saw this! lol

[@ibassnote]

I remember seeing these in Europe. I thought they were so ugly but kind of cool. I love that a company had the balls to go that far with a design and wish we did more of that.

[@nicoloangioni9168]

Sorry, Fiat became worse during last years.

[@ajw9533]

I had one for years. Loved it. Sadly the head gasket went at just 80,000 miles so I got rid of it. It remains part of our family story.

[@techgame_ita]

My family got this car in 2 version one was the old version like this in the video from the 2011 to the 2017,then another multipla a new version of the 2008or low year and terminated his life just in the 2022

[@AverageAlien]

Do you have functioning eyes? Why would anyone drive something like this? There are literally infinite alternatives

[@ajw9533]

@Average Alien 1 You can't see the car when you are driving it. 2 A car is for driving. 3 There was no other six seat car when it came out. There was not a single alternative, let alone an infinite number. Thank you for your comment.

[@RohanSanjith]

It's probably got overheated at some point

[@derkommissar4986]

​@AverageAlien i know right, people just like to be contrarians. Like, ever heard of a Toyota Sienna? If you need a minivan that bad, just get that. Fuck this ugly ass car

[@isakjohansson7134]

"Its looks like it was designed by three guys who never met"

[@TheNorseman]

Or maybe they met, went to the bar, and had their children draw it while they were gone.

[@isakjohansson7134]

@@TheNorseman Hahaha

[@bertrandronge9019]

It really does lol It look like 2 separate cars, like they put the top of a van on top of another car.

[@Charasmatic97]

ahh.. story of Zoom engineers

[@TheGlassgubben]

@@Charasmatic97, they were ahead of their time.

[@FrankB1110]

My uncle had a Multipla just like this one, being in Italy had the seat on the correct side and the handbrake was on your left. He had instead of a middle seat a literal fridge. Fiat would sell you a fridge that fits in place of the middle front seat and he had beverages and sandwiches in there for a long journey we had, I loved that car so much.

[@ZanTheTofushop]

I so wish I could fit that in mine.. Being 4 in the family we never much use the front central seat.. But long journeys make the fridge absolutely luxurious.. And it's not small either, heard it's like 10 liters or more.

[@sudmuck]

So they're like the Pontiac Aztek of Europe?

[@neilhudson7099]

Had 3 multiplas, one with a centre front fridge!

[@FrankB1110]

@@sudmuck Not really, like everybody acknowledged this is not a car ment to be pretty just the same on how fantastic it was to be in one and own one. It sold a lot more than you would think

[@FrankB1110]

@@neilhudson7099 That's awesome, the long journey actual gt car

[@spyke141]

Die Familie eines Freundes aus der Grundschule hatte damals dieses Auto. Ich kann mich noch genau daran erinnern, wie cool ich es fand, dass dieses Auto vorne 3 Sitze hat. Und ich durfte sogar in der Mitte sitzen! Der Innenraum kam mir damals riesig vor.

[@PhilippeMarchand-xw1zp]

There is a youtube channel (in french) called "Vilebrequin" made by two car enthusiasts who created a kind of drag race version of the "Multipla". They called it the "Milletipla" ("Mille" means thousand in french) as they've put more than thousand horse power inside (1294 hp exactly).

[@Kruderinn]

I once sat in a Multipla Taxi and it was really comfortable. Sidenote: I've never seen Doug so excited, it's like his head is about to explode.

[@van_whufc298]

I’ll attest to that, Multiplas are very comfortable cars, taxi cabs or not.

[@itsweetened]

He met his kingdom come I guess

[@unloveableandre]

I used to work as an operations guy for power company and driving for substation to substation was part of the job. In the morning you will get any car left in the parking lot. All cars had to eventually get checked for oil, gas, and I would get the forgotten ones, like old Beetles. My favorites were Chevy C-10 pickups with gear lever on the steering wheel... manual. I was always like Doug, laughing....

[@metalbudsgaming8371]

hes so excited that hes getting progressively sweatier as the video goes on.

[@SanctuaryADO]

Check out his Unimog video, it's like he's literally high

[@cs188]

Did the GameCube get its color palette from the Multipla's interior?

[@nickscapellato8248]

I unironically want one. I'm from America but this design and interior makes me nostalgic about the late 90s/early 2000s. I can't wait until we can legally import them.

[@metalheadgamer6666]

It probably did.

[@N.n.i.k]

@@nickscapellato8248 keep in mind that nowadays Multipla's have high mileage

[@armands3153]

Rover James*

[@SupraStar29]

oh god, cs is going to poop another one

[@cygnusbike]

We had one of the first Multiplas to be sold in the UK. Kept it for ten years. Our two kids loved being able to sit together with dad in the front. Others have commented on the practicality, the roominess, the styling, the removable rear seats, but I particularly remember the public's reactions (good and bad!), the friendly waves between Multipla drivers, and one particular incident when the car was only a few days old (and very rare on UK roads) - a German Porsche 911 driver gave us a thumbs up and big smile.

[@grouchomagic]

When I was in Italy 20 years ago, I saw this thing, and I fell in love with it. As ugly as it is, I thought it was an amazing city car. Our driver had one, and it was just fun. Even my fussy wife enjoyed it. Brilliant design.

[@andysimpson8974]

When my brother sold his motorbike, the guy that came to collect it came in a Multipla and he put the seats down and loaded the whole bike in to the back. True story.

[@ollylewin]

My Dad builds and drives large scale model steam locomotives and he says these cars are the ones to do it with. And trust me he is the harshest car critic.

[@NZdiagnostics]

I had to pick up an engine for my Alfa in the back of mine. With the independent rear and really wide track, I was able to just wheel it right in to place with the engine crane and out again at the other end. It was beyond amazing for transporting stuff.

[@andreasphotiou1886]

Early cars in the UK had a factory sticker in rear window that said “wait until you see the front”

[@jimmyj1969]

Aaaahahaha!!!

[@enricomontanari1390]

Hi, Italian here and yes, we used to have one of them in my family. My father bought the 2 liters diesel one in 2002. I have to say, to this day is one of the most comfortable cars I've ever sat in. Plus, we are a family of five and we used to go on vacation with this car every summer. Considering the 3 + 3 seats design, we had my father, mother and sister sitting in the front row, me and my brother on the sides of the back row with the center seat folded or removed to add space for A LOT more luggage. Not ironically one of the most practical cars we've ever had, despite the horrible looking.

[@sunedan5081]

We had the face lifted version for 10 years. Great car! Doug forgot to mention that the three back seats can be easily removed individually - very practical. Just another example how functional this car is.

[@autostation7035]

Every night before I sleep, I make sure that a Fiat Multipla isn't hiding underneath my bed or in my closet.

[@joe125ful]

Lol yes:)

[@dekelanson5280]

If they ever remake the movie, Christine, they should use the Multipla.

[@rio_thatcarchannel5119]

This comment is funny and underrated definitely deserves more likes 😂😂😂😂🤣

[@lolish1234]

Effing right we all do hahaha. This car is mad

[@dougsmith6262]

🎵Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Nevermind that noise you heard. That's just the Multipla under your bed. In your closet. In your head...EXIT LIGHT!🎵

[@DavidGarcia-nr8pl]

The expression: "If it looks stupid but it works, then it's not stupid", really works for this car.

[@ld1065]

Nah it still stupid af

[@TermlessHGW]

I remember seeing this car first time in the flesh among boring square and grey shapes of that era it definitely stood out.

[@peterkater4292]

Pretty much stupid this multipla.. Even if it works! Just a stupid, ugly, unwell born "car".

[@bogotvorprvovencani]

@@peterkater4292 ugly, yes, stupid, no. If you dont care about people looking at you, the car is very good. Very efficient, very practical, very small.

[@AaronGnaga]

I drove my mate's multipla from Sicily to Milan (with a small 5km boat section) with the backseats and boot full of cheese, wine and olive oil... That kind of experience stays with you for all your life.

[@feasogachsionnach1872]

I live in Ireland, my da has owned a multipla for nearly 30 years now. Its the car I grew up with and I have grown very fond of them. Yeah, they're odd and such, but spend enough time with them and ya work things out and form a routine while driving. Sadly, she had a nasty breakdown in 2018 and has been rotting in our backyard since then, but we have been slowly fixing her up and we hope to have her running again this year. It was a very useful car for us since there are six of us in the family. Still very spacious years later, we took her on holidays to Britain, France and Spain, a sound family car that you work with in terms of its odd layout (We would use the front middle seat as a table for takeaways for example and so). It'll be great to have her running again.

[@cagasbura420]

it's not about not being ugly, it's simply ugly on purpose. it's making a statement "im all about practicality, don't care if i'm ugly". they even advertised it as such, here in italy the billboards said "sarete belli voi", which translates to "so you think you're prettier?".

[@dominic7114]

@@p_m_athe entire point is function over form. they'd have to change the fundamentals of this car to make it attractive. the use of space wouldn't be as efficient and would defeat the entire purpose of it.

[@FokkerBoombass]

First gen multipla: "Jesus Christ what is that horribly ugly thing?" Second gen multipla: "Where did the ugly go? It lacks character!"

[@1994CivicGLi]

Can’t say I don’t agree

[@araujo_jean]

Fiat: -am I a joke to you?

[@Ermy1996]

You here? :3

[@NaBUru38]

The facelifted Multipla's front end is too squared.

[@person.w9780]

2nd is arguably just as ugly in its own way

[@PaoloMenaspa]

This is one of the best cars I've ever owned! I remember the feel of being in a bubble, so much glass around you! Unbeatable visibility from the driver seat! Doug didn't show how easy it is to remove the 3 rear seats, creating an anourmous cargo space.

[@creativecharacters1181]

Growing up in the UK I can confirm that my family owned not one, but two of these cars. We were always given weird looks :'D the three seats in the front resolved many a childhood 'shotgun' debate.

[@tapio111]

This car looks like it was designed by Doug himself.

[@Frejborg]

Hahaha, good one dude.

[@rwd323]

Doug’s the type of guy to call his website “new” for years

[@BillyBob-im7og]

Well his is fairly new for the type of website it is, the competition has been out for a lot longer

[@lorenzor2555]

I love the Multipla. I drove one and was of the most fun trip i ve ever made. I was to buy one. The best and more clever version was methane powered instead of gas

[@debiancool]

My family had this car as a kid, it was really cool for its time. One feature your version didn't have, by the defrost and hazard buttons some models had a "gas change" button. These cars had a full CNG (Compressed Methane) and gasoline fuel tank, and you could basically switch the fuel source mid-drive. Italy has a network of car CNG stations and it works out to basically half the price of gasoline to drive, required a yearly inspection but I think my family saved enormous amounts of money with that. Plus, the gas tank was still big enough to drive a reasonable distance on it alone (was fine to take outside the country where you couldn't get CNG), Using methane did make less power though so I remember my dad swearing at the car sometimes as it stalled in an intersection with AC on, on a hill, and then switching to gasoline or AC off until the road flattened out. Then again I don't know if it's the car's fault or his obsession for keeping low RPM

[@TheSummoner]

My mom owned both the Multipla models and I can confirm a joke I've heard multiple (lol) times in Italy: "A Multipla is like a brothel: you feel ashamed when you get in or out, but it feels good once inside."

[@federicod9729]

just a fact: Fiat wanted to quit Multipla production in the 2005 in order to give space to the new Croma. Well, customers were so pushing that Fiat had to keep on making it until 2010. On top of that, basically Multipla marketing costs were minimal: the car success was based on word-on-mouth. I'm from Turin, and I had a Multipla. Best car ever.

[@strikereureka5081]

I'm sorry mate, but I can't bring myself to drive a car that looks like an american's stomach from the front with a cyst that barely passes for a centre console on the dashboard.

[@florkgagga]

@@strikereureka5081 ah, yes the beloved centre console, the object of admiration by many doug followers. Why would you ever want a driver position with the possibility of contact with the person sitting next to you? Ah, yes you (not you personally, i mean Doug's fellow countrymen) have many motels for that. Just like the cup holders thing.... I just realized that having a coffee means completely different things in the US, Italy and my country which is very close to Italy. So the approach to cup holders is very different.

[@HermanWillems]

The thing is, its good car, its practical. It has practical things other cars don't have. It's just one downside. It's ugly. :) hahaha Though i know a family who had alot of kids, and not alot of money. This car was a gift from heaven, and cheap second hand. (With alot of kids, i mean the also cared for kids that where not their own, just from the goodness from their heart. Lovly people and just wanted to get things done. They didn't care.)

[@zoufmalade]

Couldn't agree more, my dad chose to have 4 of them successively over a period of 8 years as a company car, as we are a family of 5, as his only criteria back then was to fit all of us and our ski gear for holidays without a roof rack nor a trailer, without having to have a full van. He only changed to a 308 SW (with the optional 3rd row) when the Multipla went out of production.

[@andrewduong2740]

And partway through production they restyled the front end to look more conventional. By trying to make the front look less weird but leaving the rest of the car as it was, it ended up, imo, looking even weirder out of inconsistency.

[@adrianciel2154]

Our taxi driver in Slovakia had one...he was really in love with this car...in EU we had 1,6l petrol or 1.9. tdi diesel engines...he had diesel and it had great consumption. And it was so wide you can put mountain bike in a back trunk in width. In Slovakia quite a common car.

[@namenamename390]

The best summary of this car is by Big Car: When you get people to look at it, they realize it's a very clever, practical car, but first you have to get people to _look at it_

[@AlexFreeRide]

The growth of the handles is for protect the door from hitting other cars in parkings. Here in Europe parkings are narrower than in USA, so when you park near a car, you open the door and theres a high chance to hit the other car, they put that rubbery thing to prevent damage in both cars.

[@amg863]

Makes more sense than his strange theory about not wanting to touch the car with your hand. I hate when he tells us something like it's a fact when really he just made it up on the spot. He does it often and he's usually very wrong. Strange that an automotive journalist doesn't know more but then again there are levels to this. He's not a Jason Camisa or a Chris Harris and he's no Jay Leno either.

[@slawekk3163]

Thanks for explanation! I knew it was more to the story than just "not to leave fingerprints " like Doug said lol

[@Cultureshockcrew]

@@amg863 right. I was thinking the same thing. I understand the prolly not a ton of info on weird quirky cars like this but don’t just make stuff up or if you do say this is your theory, don’t explain it as a fact. And same other stuff that he overlooks. But I’m not gonna hate too much I’m a big Doug fan just on the simple fact that he shows us stuff like this that I didn’t even know existed

[@bigisrick]

I feel like hes viewing this as an American minivan and not a European Fiat. It's not necessarily aimed at families

[@btbcc12859]

@@slawekk3163 a car with cheap plastics is afraid of finger prints 😂

[@christianabad9982]

Doug 2 Years Later: "I've bought a Fiat Multipla!"

[@abdulazizmajed8538]

2 days later

[@abdulazizmajed8538]

@@yungboicontigo9278 yeah I know I was joking and saying that as in doug would go to extreme lengths to get one

[@nachetgn7287]

Yes,pretty sure it's gonna happen 🤣

[@adamlewellen5081]

Fix It Again Tony. If you are wondering why your cop car died.......

[@robertschnobert9090]

@@yungboicontigo9278 That's WRONG! There's also the show and display rule for exceptional cars. And you can import it if it follow all the regulations and everything although that can be really expensive. 🌈

[@johnb.8622]

From the front it, with a little bit of fantasy, looks like a Daimler Smart devouring an Opel Corsa in one piece

[@bogotvorprvovencani]

to me it looks like a spider kinda if you ignore the license plate???

[@leonvanderlinde5580]

We have thousands of them on the roads in South Africa. The actual model you have with the right hand drive. Interesting, the Panda we have has the same center console layout as the Multipla.

[@RalfOfBalcony]

Designer 1: "This Car is so ugly, Nobody will ever want to touch it!" Designer 2:"Well, let's add an additional piece to the doorhandles then!"

[@anthonybertrand6529]

Those little pieces prevent the door from hitting neighbouring parked cars. Don’t want to chip the paint on your multipla. Lol

[@f-ckmyr0fil798]

Get a NEW one to 😀😂🤣😄😄

[@f-ckmyr0fil798]

For example the two of 😆😊😎😍

[@f-ckmyr0fil798]

Get a job at your 😙😚🙂😎

[@MrSanietto]

Multipla design top exsposed from moma nyc

[@jayforerunner965]

It’s a good day when Doug post weird cars.

[@Turbo_TechnoLogic]

yeah, and finally the Multipla!

[@yigithan3713]

Indeed

[@Karmy.]

I feel like Doug would enjoy reviewing a Scion xB

[@bartp7969]

every day with a new video of Doug is a good day :) but these are especially good I agree!

[@obidean3964]

I seriously want him to review all the weird cars at that museum haha

[@deinemudda6617]

My dad has one and I drive it every time I get the chance to (I'm 24 btw) and it just puts a smile on my face every time. When my friends first saw me picking them up in it they laughed but the laughter stopped as soon as they sat in it and i showed them all the features it has. Its our favourite car for roadtrips now.

[@dimosk7389]

fiat is probably the only car manufacturer (maybe citroen too) that could get away with such a design. it looks like a toy, but its insanely practical. from certain angles, it looks like they were trying to make it look like a futuristic "passenger pod" sitting on a car frame, the way it seems like its seperated under the windshield.

[@arx3516]

Citroen is much more likely to cone up with a design like this.

[@dimosk7389]

@@arx3516ye citroen comes up with some weird designs too.

[@sssssneaker]

Massive respect to Fiat for signing this off, it's like a design exercise that actually made it to production. I'm not saying it's beautiful or good looking in any way, but it's certainly more unusual and interesting than ugly. That's why it's a charming car even if people bash on it for not following the norm.

[@randolfo1265]

You are so right. And I actually dig the weird interior and the crazy centre control stack!

[@80s_Boombox_Collector]

Bold, unconventional styling was common for Italian, French, and Spanish cars. Unlike American cars that feel they have to look fast and macho all the time.

[@Neopumper666]

It's uglier than anything

[@enforcement2]

In regards to your first sentence, I agree that practical aspects such as the use of space, the seating layout and the somewhat higher ceiling can be seen as unconventional. However, the relatively disproportional bulge at the base of the windshield and the disconnection which it creates with the remainder of the front, in my view it remains an unnecessary design decision bordering on capriciousness.

[@s.m.2868]

7:00 That, my friends, is the best example of Italian engineering I have ever seen. They knew that one day the taillights would fill with water and condensation but they didn't want to fix it, so they just decided to make it look like they're filled with water from the factory. Genius.

[@LewisRhymes]

Yes just brilliant i was just about to post this comment and then u beat me to it! 👌

[@St4vKa]

It definitely works, in the side profile earlier with about 20 sec I thought they were filled with water, only to find out it was an actual design element.

[@lucabottazzi7608]

About the tail lights..... If you had to change one, you could do it in 5 minutes using just your hands, no tool needed. Every detail was designed for practicality

[@teddycorwin6254]

I was just in Florence Italy today, and I saw a blue one for the first time ever. Let me tell you I was so excited to see such a quirky cool car in person 😂😂

[@davidmack9842]

I've never seen Doug so excited about any other car, ever.

[@vesh]

This car unironically looks like a space ship

[@gdsupreme5040]

@YourTypical Asian wow 23 seconds ago.

[@doctorvladandhisbluejaysd2802]

I see you everywhere. Tell me, oh wise one, how I can farm thousands of likes by making garbage comments

[@jeraldgamersyt205]

Lol

[@siri5826]

@YourTypical Asian yes

[@siri5826]

dubaba

[@IRguyIR]

One quirk more: There was a popular option available. Instead of front middle seat you go for a large box using that space. It was divided in two parts. Refrigerator and storage compartment.

[@steffenrosmus9177]

The way better choice than the seat.

[@patrickdoyle174]

@@steffenrosmus9177 if you don’t need all the seats then yeah definitely the better option

[@bobbabai]

I rented one of these in September 2000 to drive around in Rome and then to drive from Rome up to a villa we rented in Tuscany. It was a turbo diesel with a 5-speed manual. Ugly as sin but it was very practical, clever and fun to drive. Power was pretty decent and its fuel mileage was great. And now that I look at it again in this video, I think the exterior has the kind of weird, quirky looks that will endear it to people as it ages. But the interior dash - just weird. No excuse.

[@DanielJaegerFilms]

I was just at this museum recently and they mentioned you had been there to review that vehicle, so I had to watch the video lol. Pretty cool museum!

[@JetNix]

People: -"Duuuuh, the cars look so boooriing, they all look the saaaame." FIAT: *makes a radical and cute Multipla* People: -"Eeeewwww, it's so ugly, whyyy is it so different? FIAT: *changes the design to normal* People: -"Soooo disappointing, it looks so normal..."

[@kaitlyn__L]

Soo fucking true lol

[@randolfo1265]

Yeah, that's humans for you

[@yamcha111]

same thing happen to citreon cactus

[@gianfavero]

@@yamcha111 hey don't touch the 🌵 I have one!

[@saulgoodman7509]

You can be different without being ugly. There is a spectrum from beautiful to boring to ugly as a multipla.

[@falken_gt4]

Jeremy Clarkson said of the Multipla - “it is as if all the designers never met up”

[@liquidmakor6793]

Zoom wasn’t invented back then

[@lemonadegumdrop9458]

He also said it was the perfect family car

[@TheAeroAvatar]

Simon Cowell: "It's like....the car has a disease."

[@tonycatman]

It actually won Top Gear Car of the Year 2000.

[@DenUitvreter]

I don't agree at all, it's great design, same language throughout the car, it's form follows function. It's is butt ugly but that's because the form follows the function. It's ugly in a convincing, unapologetic way because the exterior shows it's about interior space. They decided not to hide it's proportions but emphasize them, and it still looks better than all the ugly cars that try to hide their ugliness in bland anonimity. It's place in the MoMa is just as well deserved as it's topping the list of many ugliest car of all times competitions.

[@philipread8733]

I've never seen Doug so enthusiastic about a car. Amazingly practical car. I notice it's a UK car as well.

[@xrimn9294]

I love how Doug didn't even acknowledge that this is a right hand drive car until 11 seconds from the end lol!

[@raphaelsantana1114]

Dude reviews divos and the most limited Hyper cars there are, and yet he seems more enthusiastic about presenting the quirks and features of a multipla :D gotta love him.

[@Downsh1ft]

"One giant panel of cheap plastic" GM's interior design philosophy for years...

[@camogap7392]

Cheap plastic everything

[@benjamin.alons0]

Hahahahhaha

[@themagicboy6548]

*chrysler

[@alexerdman1310]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKvFqWdvZ92Fgrs

[@mudman6156]

Still is…the interior of Chevy trucks is all cheap plastic.

[@nunoribeiro5245]

He forgot the part where the rear seats can be easily removed and transform the multipla into a huge cargo van.

[@PKWeaver74]

I have one wife and one daughter (who gets travel sick in the back seat of a car) and we take a lot of gear camping. I want one for this reason.

[@PcDoc5897]

That is correct.

[@barcodezombies4862]

The things that my Multi has carried 😃 . It'll take 2.4mtr lengths of wood no problems. Motorbikes will go in . All the furniture seems to fit . 6 People , supplies and tool for a weekends racing and two bikes on a trailer....still returned 38mpg

[@ZanTheTofushop]

If you're shorter than 6 feet tall you can fit a mattress in it and SLEEP in the car! No jokes.

[@timweber4318]

Okay, hear me out.... Fiat had the Coupé with the 2.4l inline 5 and the 2.0l 20V inline 5 turbo.... So you could swap the turbo engine in. Maybe Upgrade that with the 2.4 Block and head etc. Give that thing a bit of a tune up and boom: you'd have yourself 250hp and great amounts of torque without much further issues using only Fiat parts and you'd get great inline 5 sound. Imagine the fun you'd have. Just having a multipla that goes fast. Like at least a lot faster than everyone else would expect! I want that.....

[@makeminecount]

I was one of the team tasked by Fiat UK to market this car. We came up with a campaign only featuring pictures of the rear of the car... the strapline for the campaign was "Wait until you see the front". Props to the client who approved it, owning the ugliness.

[@marottacarlo]

In Italy we also had a popular advertising campaign about this car with copy like "You think you're the pretty ones, huh?" or "I wonder what I've been drinking" (widespread urban legend that the designers of the Multipla were drunk when they worked on it)

[@Chdo971]

Actually the door handles are designed this way so the metal doesn’t bump into walls or cars while you open the doors but the plastic does

[@fabreezethefaintinggoat5484]

big car made a video about it and,looks aside,it's an extremely advanced design with fantastic ergonomics and practicality

[@nabeelmohamed2520]

Lol the way Doug makes up a random function for them.

[@re8672]

To make the door easier to open with that 10' pole!

[@hanselmanryanjames]

Yeah I was suspicious about his explanation. He always makes stuff up without researching if he's even right about it. Kind of annoying.

[@Timico1000]

Doug grew up in America, he doesn´t know about tight parking spaces. ;)

[@AndrewSowerby]

Built by Fiat, styled by Fisher Price. It's weird, but I kind of love it. There were a few Multipla taxis around Dublin at the start of the millennium, and I took a few trips in them. Weird as they were, they made a lot of sense as a taxi, and you have to give the engineers huge credit for making it all work somehow.

[@TopG800]

Little tikes concept car

[@SirMrShanks]

Love that there's still some multiplas floating about here. Seen ola few in Dromòre a while back 😁

[@mobilnistudio]

Damn, its hard to listen to this Doug fella, like half an hour listening to a hostage explaining in what woods is she buried alive...

[@markhealey9409]

Fisher Price styling!! So true! Or Little Tykes!🤣🤣

[@charliekahn4205]

The only question I have is if they ever offered a center-drive option

[@Yorgos2007]

5:03 the NSU has no pressure in its tyres and 9:33 your knee is sooo dirty 🙂anyway, an unbelievably good video again, it's nice to discover all your videos after so many years, I am new on this channel

[@karthikpatra]

My first car was a Fiat Palio GTX and it had the same exact engine -1.6L 4-cyl DOHC which made about 100HP. Back in the early 2000s when it was launched, it was the "hottest" hatch you could buy in India. Extremely well-built and had a vault-like feeling when sitting inside. Brings back a lot of good memories! Thanks Doug

[@jonjohnson4981]

"My car has a 3-across seating" "Wow, you got a McLaren Speedtail?" "No." "A McLaren F1!?!" "No, a Fiat Multipla." "..."

[@GamEmpire1]

Lololololol

[@alexdrouillard2153]

Or a Crown Vic.

[@mikey_bb]

Or a Honda FR-V...

[@pooer382]

Or an Oldsmobile custom cruiser

[@auch_fabio8429]

Or a Mercedes Sprinter

[@calebmcdowell9094]

The Multipla was so quirky, Doug didn’t even notice how dirty his knee was in filming.

[@rocega3290]

I didn’t notice it either 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@ILikeCheesesticks]

He was on the ground during the video

[@bigchef06]

That’s what I’m sayyyyyyiiiinnngngnnngng

[@godboy114]

was probably thanking the owner

[@bonzobonanza]

Doug "Dirty Knee" DeMuro

[@MrFireandrescue]

He didn't mention that rear seats has two positions if you need more trunk space and also it can be competely removed in just two clicks. I had one with a diesel engine and when I sold it my wife and kids were crying for weeks and didn't want to talk with me. Definitely will buy one again in the future.

[@paulgrant7221]

We had a Multipla and I firmly believe it was the best family car ever. Gearbox/clutch were a bit shonky, but the body/seats/interior were unbeatable. Take all the rear seats out and you had a van for taking rubbish to the recycle centre! Amazing.

[@lafeelabriel]

A aunt of mine used to own one of these. Nobody in the family disputes its uglyness, and nobody that was ever inside disputes how practical and good at it's job it was.

[@BineGorjanc]

My father has one and that about sums it up :) Also it has about 500.000 km on the clock and it just keeps on running...

[@ViezeKnuf]

I live in Europe. And I still think this is a great car. I'm surprised he didn't mention the rear seats can be easily removed all together. And it was designed to fit an electric power train from the start. To think this designer went on to 'save' fiat by leading the fiat 500 team.

[@styre]

love the Italian automotive stories. Whats that designers name?

[@ViezeKnuf]

@@styre en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Giolito

[@ViezeKnuf]

@@styre last time I heard he was head of fiat heritage.

[@roxythefoxsayfurismurderan3187]

That’s what I was thinking. So there was an electric version too?

[@ViezeKnuf]

@@roxythefoxsayfurismurderan3187 Not that I know. I read somewhere the platform (presses etc) got sold to china with this in mind. But that's still not the same as having an electric multipla.

[@k0walsk]

One of my favorite videos of yours Doug! Great to see you geek out over this bizarre contraption

[@wvpiowetrfine]

Just another former owner who goes around YT videos to shed a tear remembering those days... One important story about how the car came to be. (by heart, cant find the book i got it from) Fiat and other two EU builders (Renault and vW maybe?) had signed an agreement to only produce one model each on the >4m length range. different enough to cover the whole spectrum (a 6ppl family - a 9ppl van - a big working van) without competing with each other. Fiat had the big working van, so later that day went to his best designer with a brief: a spacious, 6ppl (plus luggage) comfortable and CHEAP car to fuck with the renault Scénic (the one Renault chose as per agreement)... In no more than 3,99 meters length. It took a daring and thorough rethinking of how cars are designed. It was big. on the personal note: It brought me (my girlfriend, friends and dog) around Italy so nicely for long and cheap. with the 5 mins effort of clicking the backseats out and shoving my beds mattress in it became a room with a view. I once woke up in front of a volcano overlooking Naples bay. It is ugly? well the memories it gave me are very beautiful. Bring me an actual owner who has found a better car, i'd be happiest know...

[@tinkywinky6847]

They slaughtered my brothers and sisters to make that interior option...

[@Jo7or]

😂😂😂😂

[@peterlustig6888]

Finest teletubby leather

[@trabantadmirer9881]

@@peterlustig6888 Leather....sure....

[@jobansingh8297]

😢😢

[@TarantinosNightmare]

lol goddamit

[@MrEinstain]

Another weird quirk: The strange bonnet shape was inspired by dolphins, and contributes to the unusually low drag coefficient of (reportedly) 0.32 for such a tall vehicle.

[@nobodysfavourite6953]

Beluga whale of a car

[@romus3550]

A former colleague who used to work at the Fiat HQ, told me a fun fact about that. Apparently as many brands with this kind of car, Fiat was trying to appeal to kids. The marketing team had a "great" idea: What do kids like ? > favorite shape : cube > favorite animal : dolphin So they basically merged the two things and tried to stick to it ... Idk if this is 100% true but it makes sense and sounds like a perfect 90's marketing job.

[@MaltAndPepper]

I thought the concept was a sorts car with a people carrier merged on top

[@randolfo1265]

@@romus3550 - I am totally buying into that

[@TheSummoner]

@@romus3550 I actually convinced my mother to buy it when I was 8 or 9 so it's a totally believable story lol

[@Eric_Malbos]

Very nice review with much enthusiasm. Just like the Renault Twingo I or Espace, the huge glass surface makes sense once inside because it gives a pleasant viewing access to the exterior and nature during a voyage and a real feeling a space. Now the question is why 2020s car have the reverse philosophy making windows smaller and smaller giving the impression of being enclosed or constrained within the car with less visibility on the outside and less pleasure contemplating the landscape ?

[@sharonbraselton4302]

twiZy beter éktrç

[@joaquindubini3681]

The Multipla is perfectly described by that scene in Ant Man: "Its so ugly!! I love it!!"

[@metusaalemi]

The plastic "growth" at the end of the door handles were supposed to mitigate damages to other cars when kids slam their doors open while coming out of the car. I think that was pretty clever design feature.

[@kubek555]

I felt straight away Doug's version was a bit idiotic

[@ilvron7515]

Of course!

[@im100percentg]

Slam open? Huh

[@fondu-design]

He does this so much. He loves finding a weird-ass reason behind something and just stops questioning/thinking. It's maddening. But God love him.

[@metusaalemi]

​@@im100percentg​*Fling open, but might slam the door nonetheless :D

[@wooferjr169]

This looks like the type of car that would be in a Jimmy Neutron universe.

[@emanemanresuresu]

Finally a good car on this channel

[@lexanderscott5100]

Will fit well for Rick and Morty

[@farhan8905]

Or even in Futurama LOL

[@am4793]

I rented one of these from a local garage for a camping holiday as a uni student many years ago. It was fantastic and it had plenty of room for us to sleep on a particularly rainy night.

[@grantfraser3156]

I’m not reading through 10k comments to see if also pointed out but the rear 3 seats seats were purposefully intended to be quickly removed turning the Multipla into a van for even more cargo/boot space. I owned one a loved it. Nice review Doug 👍.

[@kr1ss00]

Doug after 1 year : *THISSSSSS….IT’S MY NEW CAR, AND YES, IT’S A MULTIPLA*

[@theskig]

I hope so.

[@kbhasi]

Yeah, and I can imagine him tracking down a left-hand drive variant too.

[@AlexandreG]

I don't doubt him for a second that he's really thinking about it

[@WhenItsHalfPastFive]

This is the only car I've ever seen that looks like a fucking alien.

[@siri5826]

Yeah

[@ultraguy8771]

I guess you could say it's an *Italien*

[@cheemsdoge977]

@@siri5826 aztek ?

[@thiongoa]

Yea this will make Doug's list at the end of the year

[@PoloDaBear]

I always thought it looked like it has man tits

[@MrAquinas1]

Doug, you get so enthusiastic about so many vehicles, you should have a personal garage as large as that museum and enough vehicles to fill it!!😃😄😄

[@leventenagy1933]

Italian ergonomics at it's best, and Italian design at it's worst.

[@antiuser]

It's the pinnacle of function over form.

[@mr.aleximer]

i heard this car was made inside out so they "didnt care" about the outside design...

[@writenamehere0000]

How they made this cars is like this, they put the passengers on the seats without car body, and then they modelled the body based on those passengers and maximum comfort and visibility. True story, I was reading this back in the day when this car showed up. It was ugly even then !

[@zsoltpapp3363]

I liked these a lot more than the conventional rivals of the era like Renault Scenics etc. and all those were only 5 seaters

[@afcgeo882]

@@zsoltpapp3363 As opposed to today, when most of them are, realistically, just 4-seaters?

[@nathanielclark8725]

Looks like a car Nintendo would've made during the game cube era

[@josejacobo]

I think it´s like a mixture of Virtual Boy and Wii

[@lil0of]

The inside color scheme is very gamecubey

[@Frejborg]

Or the Super Nintendo! Which wasn't curvy but it had the exact same colors.

[@paulcorvus]

Thanks for this great review of a very weird car! Surely someone mentioned it but i recommend watching Vilebrequin's channel. They have a 1249hp (for now) heavily modded multipla called the Milletipla. It has a tweaked Corvette C7 engine, it is a monster and a good looking super car. Very original project to the say the least.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

biy ot

[@larkinflight]

still looks better then the newest BMWs

[@dr.pepper9893]

If he likes the Fiat Multipla then he would really like the Renault Avantime

[@nedharris]

Good idea

[@simonbeck1164]

Yes!!!

[@nedharris]

@@simonbeck1164 awesome!!!

[@dragospahontu]

@@nedharris The Fiat is actually a cheap reliable and practical car. It's a no brainer.

[@nedharris]

@@dragospahontu but the 500 is common here in the USA, Dragos, not the Multipla

[@tallblokesam]

The exterior door handle extensions are also there to protect the door edges if you open the doors against a wall. It stops the painted edge getting damaged.

[@richardhardy3166]

That is actually the main purpose of these things.

[@tonybucca5667]

I'm going to craft my own...it's a great feature

[@Thetoboss]

We had this car for a few year :D and i never opened the door like doug did :D

[@arnauddupont7170]

Vilebrequin tried it, it was useless.

[@fidan2fast]

yep, I have something similar on my Peugeot 207, the plastic trim extends beyond the door... it saved me a lot of times when I slammed my door to other cars, poles and walls

[@ZopcsakFeri]

You didn't mention, but I guess the jutting-out empannage of the plastic door handles there is to protect the edge of the door panel from getting smashed into walls and parking cars when you open it. Clever solution!

[@danke4051]

This car must have had some kind of accident in the past: no logo at the back. And the front panel with fiat logo comes from a younger car. The fiat logo was used from 2000. The plastic/rubber part on door handle is to prevent the dor from being damaged in narrow garage/ parking place. For Europe the Multipla was a wide car. A nice feature everyone has forgotten: by collision the engine will be forced to go underneath the cars flor.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

wr9ng gaot best car

[@nobodysfavourite6953]

If you ever feel useless, think about anti-theft protection in Multipla

[@mrducky179]

same thing with a lada

[@Stevieboy130664]

Or indicator wand on a BMW.

[@bluruckuscrx8124]

@@mrducky179 ladas like the early 2101 and 2103 are really valuable so they might get stolen

[@michelebicc6983]

It’s actually one of the most stolen car in Italy 😂

[@nobodysfavourite6953]

@@Stevieboy130664 Audi rather, or a Panamera

[@theoferal]

Small detail: the plastic protruding from the handle is also used to prevent the door knocking.

[@charliekahn4205]

From what i can see, this thing was designed specifically to be enjoyable to drive in cities and college towns. It has a standard-size radio so you can easily replace or upgrade it. You can fit enough in the back to basically move apartments while still having three people in the car. The visibility is insane while still abiding by 1999 safety regulations. It has a standard engine so people can get it repaired cheaply. And six adults and some of their stuff can fit comfortably, so you can do small road trips with your friends. If i had one, I'd want to install a surround sound system, disco lighting, and maybe a cooler on the back of that mid front seat.

[@andersemil5541]

My dad's old Fiat Uno also had the snap on cover on the gearstick. Apparently it's a common thing on Fiats from that era. The parking brake next to the driver's door was also on my 1977 Jaguar XJ-S

[@sharonbraselton4302]

jagaure beyer car

[@seybertooth9282]

Funny that these things are in museums in America, as they can still be seen driving around reasonably often in Europe. Also, the car was actually fairly successful - in spite of its looks - not least due to its insane cargo space of 1900 liters of flat floor space (with the rear seats removed) which is crazy for such a small car. Ugly? Yes. Practical? Yes!

[@Mauro41180]

Absolutely right! All owners of Multipla I met were absolutely satisfied by the car's practicality. It still has a decent presente in second hand market (and even third).

[@LeonWpr]

@@Mauro41180 My parents had one, when I was like five years old. For a family with three children, this car was practical and perfect for small european roads :)

[@LittleEmoDancer]

Tragically that incredible practicality is why many ended up living as delivery vehicles and have now been beaten to hell. Importing a good one is going to be tricky

[@seybertooth9282]

@@LeonWpr ​ @Andrea Milnes Petersen Good points. The huge space (sans back seats) in a small car may seem useless to North Americans (who'd say "get a bigger car") but anyone who has spent time driving around cities and towns in continental Europe in general and Italy-Spain-France in particular knows that big cars aren't very compatible with streets that were designed for a horse in the middle ages.

[@LeonWpr]

@@seybertooth9282 Also, they were quite cheap because of their looks. This was one of the most practical cars for a lot less than their competitors. The cheap plastic on the inside wasn’t nice, but it held up to careless kids.

[@danielwggudan2]

This is the epitome of 90’s style and design. Everything is roundy, oval, curved, bubbly, asymmetrical, offset, odd shapes, random alternating colors, everything was like this n the 90’s. Fair enough most car makers didn’t quite take it to this extreme, but all products and design was like this to varying degrees.

[@legoferrari14]

I think this quote from audio-tech reviewer Dankpods best sums this car up: "Smells like the early 2000's, where everything just has to be _a shape,_ and just be Metallic Silver, and a shade of Purply-Blue."

[@tastysnivel]

Nice quote Billy

[@danielwggudan2]

@@legoferrari14 looooooove Dankpods! My daughter introduced me to his channel a couple weeks ago and I’ve binge watched his whole channel since lol 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@QuintusAntonious]

It's like if Nintendo of the late 90s developed a car.

[@MHammonds18]

Catfish camero...

[@normanedwards7220]

I worked on the launch of these things , moving them around the country from venue to venue , one of these moves was from Bolton wanderers stadium , on Friday evening , they had to be in Edinburgh by the Monday morning , no big deal , we had them in Edinburgh by Saturday afternoon at a venue which I think was called ....atmosphere...or something like that , we normally park at the venue untill the road show people turn up , not on this occasion, the atmosphere people did not want these things on their property, they contacted the organisers to see if they could cancel the event

[@demetriskaraolis8429]

never…. ever ever EVER again say “1 point something” on your videos Dug…. NEVER !! you are famous and maybe the greatest on what you do because all the details you go thru…. we love u !! keep posting good videos for the world !

[@stefanozanotti4083]

I am italian, and I can guarantee you that everyone who ever owned a Fiat Multipla remembers it as the most comfortable and practical car they've ever driven.

[@angelocalderaro16]

Ce l'ha un mio amico(seconda serie) e non posso che confermare.

[@amandokoenders1]

Although being peculiar I think it has been designed very well

[@jonashitter8838]

My mom has one, also the second generation, and it is a great family car

[@tom4775]

I sold my Land Rover to buy a Multipla

[@paoloviti6156]

It was a very good and reliable car. So much that many owners of the big Mercedes in Italy got fed-up as it had so many problems and preferred the Fiat Multipla!