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2009 Lancia Musa Poltrona Frau Edition Review

September 2009
Filed under: LANCIA Car News | LANCIA Headlines

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The theme of affordable luxury continues with the Lancia Musa Poltrona Frau. This top-of-the-range version of the "city limousine" that has been the best-selling MPV in Italy for two years is equipped with the new 120 hp 1.6 Multijet engine. The exclusive configuration, available in 11 exterior colours (of which four are two-tone) and three interior shades (grey, natural leather and red), also offers seats and a dashboard upholstered entirely in Pelle Frau® leather as well as a wealth of standard equipment including:Granluce sunroof, ESP system, radio and CD player, 16" alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, six airbags and fog lights.

This special series of the Lancia Musa, featuring the Poltrona Frau logo on the central pillar and embroidered on the leather dashboard, is a unique car that combines two renowned names of Italian design. The style, attention to detail and crafted two-tone paint finish typical of Lancia cars are combined with the exclusivity and sophistication of leather and the craftsmanship of Poltrona Frau. For an automotive manufacturer such as Lancia, attention to detail and top-quality materials is crucial. Because the interior environment of all its vehicles is an emotionally involving space featuring great craftsmanship, Poltrona Frau is the ideal partner. Poltrona Frau offers a wealth of knowledge and tradition, superlatively expressed through the way the leather has been worked to preserve its softness, colour and feel. Attention to quality, a quest for the most innovative materials, exclusive manufacturing processes and compliance with specific resistance standards ensure the leather is suitable for use in the automotive industry.

Let us not forget that the partnership between Lancia and Poltrona Frau goes back a long way. It began with Vincenzo Lancia, who in the 1920s asked Renzo Frau to dress the cars he built for VIP customers, and continued in 1984 when Poltrona Frau and the Lancia Centro Stile produced the interior of the Thema 8.32, the saloon with a Ferrari engine. More recently, the partnership has extended to the entire Lancia range: from the Dedra to the Y10, and from the Thesis to the Musa and the brand new Delta. The new Lancia Musa Poltrona Frau version is also fitted with the new 120 hp 1.6 Multijet, a cutting-edge turbodiesel engine with Multijet, multivalve technology that underlines the technological excellence of the Fiat Group in the field of diesel engine design and development.

The new engine perfectly combines the best features of Multijet turbodiesel engines with tax breaks and other advantages deriving from the new downsizing philosophy. It is therefore the ideal solution for those who seek an effective compromise between respect for the environment and low running costs, without sacrificing power and flexibility, for real driveability. Compared with the tried and tested 100 hp 1.9 Multijet, the 1.6 Multijet offers better performance, comfort, emissions and running costs, in addition to considerable benefits: torque is nearly 15% higher at the same power (300 Nm at 1,500 rpm) and fuel consumption is 6% lower (measured over an NEDC cycle). All this comes with much improved driveability, due above all to useful torque values at low speeds. These aims have been achieved through a comprehensive optimisation of combustion that exploits the potential of the engine's new injectors to the full.

The 1.6 Multijet delivers an excellent absolute torque, especially considering the cubic capacity: the figure of 300 Nm puts it right at the top of the performance charts for engines of 1.8 litres and below. If we then consider specific torque (i.e. divided by the cubic capacity), the 1.6 is the highest performing engine in the category of power outputs up to 200 hp, with the sole exception of supersport power units. That is not all. If we take into account that the maximum torque is delivered at just 1,500 rpm, we are able to immediately appreciate the extent to which the 1.6 Multijet represents a revolutionary advance on present-day diesel engines: no other, not even a next-gen engine, can deliver such high torque at such low revs. All things considered, the new 1.6 Multijet offers exhilarating driveability that is difficult to match. This is proven by the acceleration (from 0 to 100 km/h in just 9.9 seconds) and the top speed (190 km/h).

Combining the new injection system with next-generation variable geometry turbochargers completes an absolutely outstanding technological picture. In the same way, the 120 hp 1.6 incorporates the most advanced exhaust gas treatment technologies, namely a Close Coupled Diesel Particulate Filter and a built-in EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system that improves control of temperature and gas flow, simultaneously guaranteeing lower emissions and reduced fuel consumption. All this put together enables the engine to comply with Euro 5 standards: this is the best example of the great commitments made throughout the Fiat Group to ensure environmentally friendly motoring.


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