2012 & 2013 Lancia Coupe Reviews & Ratings

Earning the distinction of being among the pioneers of auto manufacturing in all of Europe, Lancia of Turin, Italy turned out their first auto as far back in 1906. Since these early days, Lancia have established a reputation of making quality cars that ran well and looked good. A reputation that was not harnessed when they were acquired by the key player in the Italian motor industry, Fiat, in the late nineteen sixties. Fiat have always found their place in the lower to medium end of the car... (full review continues below)

Earning the distinction of being among the pioneers of auto manufacturing in all of Europe, Lancia of Turin, Italy turned out their first auto as far back in 1906. Since these early days, Lancia have established a reputation of making quality cars that ran well and looked good. A reputation that was not harnessed when they were acquired by the key player in the Italian motor industry, Fiat, in the late nineteen sixties. Fiat have always found their place in the lower to medium end of the car industry and saw Lancia as complementing them excellently in the upper quality sector.

One of the best examples of Lancia's ability to turn out a good looking car with a small footprint has to be their Ypsilon Coupe launched in 2004. For those of you who ever wondered, the Ypsilon gets its name through Lancia's long running tradition of naming each of their models after letters from the Greek alphabet.

The three door Series Three Lancia Ypsilon Coupe, launched in late 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show shares much of its external characteristics with the Delta Sedan, especially its distinctively crafted chrome framed grille, dominated by the coupe's oversized headlights. The Ypsilon's hatchback rear end is also unmistakably Italian, sloping down deceptively all the way to the rear bumper.

The Lancia Ypsilon Coupe comes with a choice of three engines, two of them petrol powered and one of the diesel. The opening petrol engine is a 0.9 Twin Air powered job, providing 84 horsepower. The first and only conventional petrol engined version is a 1.2 liter offering just 84 horsepower and will be at its best for city driving only. The best choice of engine for the Ypsilon will probably be the 1.3 liter Multijet Diesel that will be the most economical and can provide 94 horsepower. Transmission pairings comes with be either manual or automatic dependant on the engine specified.

The 2012 Series Three Lancia Ypsilon Coupe is really a compact. At just 151 inches long, by sixty five inches wide and 59 inches high, the Ypsilon is a five seater in name only, with even two back seat passengers might possibly finding the whole experienced a little cramped. Befitting its image as a classic town car, the Ypsilon offers up very little in the way of baggage space and anyone looking to transport anything other than the minimum will find it an uphill struggle.

Lancia obviously designed their Ypsilon to fit the demands of a city car, and as a result have compensated for the lack of a large footprint by packing the coupe with all the indulgences, technological or otherwise, that this long running quality car maker has always been known for.

Lancia are well aware that they have little chance of competing on price in the crowded compact coupe niche, and have depend on their strengths of quality, finish, design and comfort with the Ypsilon. In the face of opposition from the best in their class including Peugeot, Seat, Subaru, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Renault, and Citroen, Lancia are holding their own.