The Tipo turns homies’ heads – a hatchback hottie
this hatchback was hot. I did not even try to find out what he personally thought of the car. I was immediately sold.
I honestly didn’t expect such a gorgeous look from Fiat. I was blown away. But wait, I got the car on a Friday afternoon, and when I laid my eyes of this silver-grey babe, I was ready to pack my bags and hit the road. But I had to complete my work before I could allow the excite- ment to get to my head.
My excitement was a bit uncontainable. So, everything was flawless. It felt like time was moving at a snail’s pace.
Eventually, it was time to head home to see my niece – Nnene, as we affectionately call her – who I hadn’t seen for three weeks. That hasn’t happened before.
On arrival, my sister heard the loud sound, with BeBe and CeCe Winans singing Tonight, Tonight. That song was dedicated to my gorgeous niece who I found sleeping.
But her mom (my sister) did not hold back. Without greeting me, she articulated exactly what I’ve been trying to say about the car.
“Malome wa Nnene (Nnene’s uncle), is this car a Fiat? Wow, This brand is not known for its flattering designs. But I trust you to always show me a different side of a car. You are the only person who can revive my hopes in a car brand. I had not seen a good-looking Suzuki, and you came home with the Baleno and I was impressed. Now I am seeing this Fiat. I’m impressed. It is really beautiful,” my sister gushed.
Well, if you are reading my car review for the first time, let me tell you this. My sister is my car guru. If she gives a car a thumbs-up, it means it ticks all the right boxes. If she is not impressed, she won’t hold back either.
She’s always honest about what she thinks of a car. And oh, she also said I looked very good in the car. That again is an honest opinion from her. Trust me, I’ve heard unthinkable things from her about cars, and by unthinkable I mean the kind of stuff you wouldn’t want to be associated with a car.
I don’t particularly like how slowly the car picks up speed. There is some lag in the transmission changes, which however came as a bonus navigating through the streets of our village. People were turning their heads. They stopped what they were doing as we passed intersections and speed humps.
I already knew this car was a looker, and all I was witnessing in my village of Pankop was affirmation of this.
On the Saturday, I took a drive to the neighbouring community, Mmametlhake, to check on the boys from the Young Men Movement, the organisation I founded.
On arrival, I was greeted with cheers for the car.
“Yoh, Bra KayBee, we thought it was a German car from a distance. It is a Fiat? They have outdone themselves. Honestly, this is the best Fiat we have seen.”
I realised something again. This is a car that is not about speed. It is really not about how fast you get there, but how people are going to welcome you when you get there.
Normally, grand entrances have to come from really expensive cars. But this Italian hottie that is priced at R269 000 needs no bank robbery for you to glide around, as it gives people a moment’s pause to admire it as it comes.
I didn’t quite understand why it was giving me a return of 7.2 litres per 100km. Smaller cars are known for their leisurely sips of fuel, but it was fairly close to the brochure figures.
I couldn’t complain; it was the other elements of the car that had me happily overlooking that.
So, with such a nice experience in the Tipo, I think the question my boss should have asked is: “Would you buy a Tipo for yourself ?”
I would answer with a resounding “YEEESSS!”