Although the motor industry showered it with awards, it seems Fiat's original Multipla was just too extreme to find widespread favour. The rather bizarre exterior detailing was loved by some but hated by many others in a marketplace where conservative always made the numbers. As a result, in commercial terms at least, the Multipla has been something of a missed opportunity, despite a 2005 facelift that toned down the styling hoping to make the Multipla a whole lot more palatable.

I must admit to being slightly irked by the '05 makeover. I loved the way the original Multipla looked, with its gargoyle visage and roll of puppy-fat sitting just beneath the windscreen. It was so avant garde and bold that it seemed impossible that it was given the green light by a major manufacturer, weaned as they are on the cold logic of corporate bean counters. It was even exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Score one for the stereotype of the happy-go-lucky Italian, in other words. That said, it's not too easy to maintain a nod and a wink when the opposition are shifting huge quantities of stock and your rather eccentric offering is resolutely glued to the showroom floors.

Although in profile the current car (priced from £13,945) could be nothing but a Multipla - same low waistline and huge, airy glasshouse - the '05 changes saw it adopt the look of the now discontinued Idea supermini-MPV. The designers at Fiat Centro Stile fitted a corporate-style Fiat grille and lamps with the bonnet rising up a little awkwardly to meet the windscreen. The rear lights are these days more conventional square items and the wraparound bumpers are a good deal cleaner than the original ones. As a result of the changes, one can't help but feel the Multipla has become that tad more anonymous. Still, Fiat will gladly trade a little of the old car's big personality for a healthier bottom line and this model is no less competent than its excellent predecessor.

"Fiat will gladly trade a little of the old car's big personality for a healthier bottom line"

One thing that hasn't changed a great deal is the interior. The dashboard still looks like something from the set of Alien, with a rev counter trying to burst out from the magnificently lumpen centre console. Yes, some of the minor controls are haphazardly located - who'd instinctively think of looking for a door mirror adjuster on the roof? - but otherwise it's something you'll get a real buzz out of using. It's almost as if Fiat's designers could only accept so much watering down of their bold styling, striking a deal that the exterior could be bowdlerized as long as the interior stayed much the same.

The Multipla's USP is still alive and kicking insofar as it offers three-abreast seating layout front and rear. Since six people can therefore be accommodated in only two rows of seats, the overall length of the car can be kept short - four metres to be exact, half a foot less than a VW Golf. Getting in and out is easy, courtesy of high, wide doors and seats that are comfortably but not excessively high. All six seats are identical and equally comfortable, all have three-point seatbelts and all are light (16kg) and easily removable. The middle seat up front can be folded flat (to give three extra cupholders) or replaced completely by a console including an 18-litre cooled or heated box.

It's the same in the rear, where the middle seat can be either folded or removed to accommodate a small fridge. Rear seat leg and headroom is outstanding for such a small car - almost limousine-like in the rearmost of the two mounting positions on offer. Even with the seats set this far back, there's still as much luggage space (430 litres) behind them as you'd find in a Mercedes C-class, or 540 litres if you click them forward a notch (sacrificing little in terms of ride comfort). This is, in other words, the only mini-MPV you can buy with a decent amount of luggage space - as much as 1300 litres if you treat the Multipla as a three-seater.

Although keen drivers will prefer something like a Ford C-MAX, the Multipla is nevertheless great fun to drive. Although all the mechanicals come from the old Brava family hatchback, the wide stance, the long wheelbase and the more rigid body mean that the Multipla handles better. Certainly, the direct, beautifully-weighted steering helps, as does a slick, snappy gearchange manipulated via a stick protruding from the fascia. And what a fascia: with various satellite areas for the ventilation controls, the air vents and the built-in stereo. Perched on top is a crescent-shaped speedometer incorporating a fuel gauge, warning lights - but no rev counter. Fiat think most buyers won't want one - and they're probably right. There are only two engines on offer and neither is particularly rapid..

Most customers will opt for the 120bhp 1.9-litre turbo diesel - and understandably so. It's just as fast as the alternative 1.6-litre petrol unit (0-60mph in 12.2s on the way to 111mph) yet much torquier and considerably more frugal (43mpg on the combined cycle). Nice touches include split door mirrors that enable you to watch the kerb at the same time as oncoming traffic and storage compartments everywhere, including neat bins that fold out of the roof above the sunvisors. Drawbacks include a slightly high level of wind noise at speed and a steering wheel that adjusts for rake but not for reach.

Perhaps it's still not too late for the Multipla to come of age. It deserves a little more buyer recognition in its twilight years.

TOP 2 MULTIPLA DEALS

The results below show the top MULTIPLA deals on buyacar

	Fiat Multipla 1.9 Multijet Eleganza 5dr People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £248	Saving £3,838	Price £13,967
	Fiat Multipla 1.9 Multijet Dynamic Plus 5dr People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £232	Saving £3,585	Price £13,220

typical 10.71% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000