The Fiat Tipo's giant boot saves the day

This month I got the phone call that I’ve been dreading all year – it’s my mother asking to go early Christmas shopping to “beat the rush and make the most of the sales”. Christmas shopping in October Mum – really?

As dutiful daughter number three, I immediately did the only thing I could do in this situation and called my two sisters to rope them in to share in the horror – I know, I’m all heart.

Seeing as Ted the Tipo is still so new and shiny I volunteered to drive and picked up the rest of the victims – I mean family – bright and early on the Saturday morning. I was a bit worried that it would be a bit of a squeeze to be honest, as the Tipo has compact dimensions to say the least. I was pleasantly surprised however, as the clever interior design meant that the whole clan got in with leg-room to spare, and those up front didn’t even need to slide their seats forward – happy days.

I am a pretty confident driver, but on these shopping days when I hit the motorway with essentially my entire family in the car, it always crosses my mind that this would be a really bad time to have an accident. As such, I usually err on the side of over-cautious.

This time was a totally different experience however, as I’ve been reading up on all the safety features of the Tipo – which are some of the most modern on the market today. They not only include six airbags and a tyre pressure monitoring system, but also an autonomous emergency braking feature which warns me of a potential crash risk and applies the brake for me if I do not react quickly enough.

There is also electronic stability control to help the driver maintain steering under extreme conditions and traction control to stop wheel spin. All that coupled with hill start assist and parking sensors and this car is practically impossible to have an accident in. Seriously, it’s almost like the car doesn’t even need me at all.

Having arrived at the shops in one piece, I was ready to do battle with the dreaded multi-story which I consider a major nemesis in my life…is that just me? But the Tipo even managed to make this a stress-free experience as the parking sensors and rear-view camera came into play and made parking a breeze.

After about six hours at the shops – I kid you not – we stagger back to the car totally exhausted and laden like pack-horses with all of our purchases. I was truly delighted to have brought the Tipo as the boot is, frankly, massive and swallowed all our shopping up with ease. Usually we’re driving back with a boot full to the brim and the excess on our laps making the journey home cramped and uncomfortable – not so in the Tipo. We arrived home in comfort with plenty of space to stretch our tired legs, with our precious cargo safely stored in the back.

I would say that my little Tipo saved the day and made what is usually a hellish experience into a safe, easy and stress-free day…well the driving part anyway – I still had to deal with my family!

I would certainly recommend the Tipo for its exceptional safety features which really put your mind at ease – and let’s not forget the truly cavernous boot. I think you could fit a baby elephant in this boot – maybe that’s an experiment for next month?

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH: The parking sensors and rear view camera makes parking the Tipo a joy, even in the tightest of multi-story spaces – and did I mention the boot?!

MODEL: Fiat Tipo Hatchback
PRICE: £17,485
ENGINE: 1.6 Automatic
POWER: 81bhp
TORQUE: 152Nm
MAX SPEED: 119mph
0-60MPH: 11.5 secs
MPG (COMBINED): 44.8
EMISSIONS: 147g/km CO2
MILEAGE (TO DATE): 4,181