Chrysler Ypsilon hatchback (2011 – ) expert review

1. Exterior

We’ll let you into a secret – the Ypsilon isn’t really a Chrysler, but a Lancia. If you’ve been on holiday to Italy recently, you’ll have seen it running around everywhere. Both Lancia and Chrysler are now wholly or partially owned by Fiat. Because Lancias aren’t sold in some important markets, like the UK and America, Fiat is introducing the Ypsilon to them as a Chrysler. It’s a boldly styled small car, and is even available with two-tone paint finishes in case you don’t think it’s already noticeable enough.

Our rating: 4

2. Interior

The Ypsilon’s cabin is a triumph of form over function. It certainly looks and feels stylish with its super-soft dash and door cappings and – if you by-pass the sole S-level model – posh upholstery and bits of leather trim. But for some reason Fiat/Lancia/Chrysler have put the instruments in the centre of the dash rather than ahead of the driver, so they’re not easy to see at a glance and some important information, such as the display advising you of the best time to change up a gear, is hidden by the steering wheel rim.

Our rating: 3

3. Practicality

The Chrysler Ypsilon is based on the platform of the cutesy Fiat 500, but slightly stretched so that’s it’s around 30cm longer overall. Not that this makes much difference to rear-seat space. Knee room is tight and headroom is not much better because of the way the sides curve inwards towards the top of the doors. The Ypsilon S has only two rear seats while SE and Limited models have three. There’s a good, rectangular boot which can be enlarged by folding the rear seats, but they leave a big step in the floor.

Our rating: 3

4. Ride and handling

If you want a small car you can have some fun in, buy a Ford Fiesta. If you want one that’s mature and effortless, the Ypsilon might fit the bill – it even has a button to make the steering lighter for parking, though it’s already light enough in its standard setting. Ride comfort is pretty good most of the time without making the car too floppy in bends and roundabouts, but the side is rather let down by the high levels of road and wind noise at quite modest speeds.

Our rating: 3

5. Performance

There are 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre turbodiesel engines delivering par-for-the-class performance with reasonable refinement, and there’s also a two-cylinder 875cc petrol option. This is not some relic from a lawnmower introduced purely to grab a few fuel economy headlines, but a modern turbocharged unit with ingenious valve control so that’s it’s both lively and efficient. It’s almost as quick as the diesel if you ignore the gearshift indicator urging to you change up to save fuel.

Our rating: 3

6. Running costs

Once you’ve paid the steep price to get into a Chrysler Ypsilon, it should be all plain sailing. There’s no road tax to pay in the first two years with the diesel and the two-cylinder engine, and the 1.2 is exempt in the first year. Servicing is needed at two-yearly intervals (18,000 miles with the petrol engines and 21,000 for the diesel), and every model has stop-start and a gearshift indicator to help you stretch every gallon of fuel, though you’ll need to drive like the proverbial vicar to get anywhere near the official figures.

Our rating: 3

7. Reliability

The current Ypsilon was launched only earlier this year, so it’s too soon for any reliability pattern to have been established, and because the previous model was not sold in the UK there are no reports from any agencies here. But Germany’s TUV, an official government organisation, found a failure rate of around 5 per cent in the first three years rising to just over 9 per cent in years four and five.

Our rating: 3

8. Safety

The Chrysler Ypsilon has yet to be Euro-NCAP crash-tested, but it’s a fair bet that the best it can expect is a four-star rating. Stability control is standard only on models with semi-automatic transmission and not even an option on the S version, which also has no side airbags.

Our rating: 3

9. Equipment

Let’s forget the sole S-spec model, which is the equivalent of a supermarket’s loss leaders – something to get you in the store so the sales staff can try to sell you a more expensive alternative. SE and Limited are much better equipped, though quite expensive and still lacking stability control. It’s things like this which undermine the Ypsilon’s claims to be a luxury small car.

Our rating: 3

10. Why buy?

To stand out from the crowd. The Ypsilon certainly turns heads, partly because it’s so new in the UK and partly because it will be sold in small numbers. That, says Chrysler, will keep secondhand values high.

Our rating: 3