Fiat Stilo Schumacher

Not a totally Coupe related post but may be some knowledge around. I sold my LE about 3 weeks ago (not sure it was the right decision) and thinking what to replace it with. I'm considering a Stilo Schumacher and the tuning it. They have very low standard output for a 2.4 engine. Anyone have any experience of these cars should I bother or not?

I looked at them new and asked what the difference was - I was told the colour and the plaque so don't hold out for one instead of an Abarth IMO

A Flea re-map will get you another 10 bhp over the stated 170.

I've worked on a couple of Shumachers and own a manual Abarth 2.4 which was bought cheap for it's engine.

Imo they're a little boring, plastic and have the dreaded can-bus system so warning lights/bells are always going off on mine, meh!

Take a test drive of one and then think about that nice LE you just sold

One of the reasons for going for the Schumacher version was bcause all the stanadrd Abarths I'ved looked at were semi-automatic. Didn't realise some were manual

i had a 'prestigio' a few years back, which was the 2005 facelift / rename of the 5 door abarth.
tweaks to rear light clusters / bootlid, and interior modifications, before fiat canned it a year later.



this was a 'selespeed' car (semi-auto), but these were also available in manual form along with the 3 door and prefacelift models.

in 2007, it was a dreadful car, ahead-of-itself gearbox, thirsty engine, underpowered for size, costly to fuel/tax/service, and - as pointed above - one that had you wincing at each bong / ping / alert!

however - could be a good buy now they're all sub £2k, and they are fairly well equipped (nav / phone / heated leather etc) for a car of that era.

check tax on model year - seem to remember £400 being banded about as i sold up.

just dont expect fireworks for the 2.4L engine, particularly if you're stepping down / across from a turbo.

i tend to - rightly or wrongly - think of the schumacher edition like the LE is in relation to a standard 20VT - has exterior / interior tweaks, plus a numbered plaque. there are no variations in power, although a different backbox was fitted to these cars. they naturally command a premium over the standard car, so its all about what you 'want' from the mid-to-long term ownership.

hope those views help.

Your not selling this car to me
My other consideration the more expensive and uneconomical Alfa 147 GTA is becoming more appealing

GTA would get my vote any day over a Stilo 2.4

i averaged 19mpg in my stilo, best ever 24.2mpg on a motorway run. the alfa would give more looks, performance and driving dynamics for only a little more, if any, increase in fuel.

dont get me wrong, the stilos are cheap(ish) and well equipped, but dont deliver upon a 2.4L 20v expectation...

Mine too

Hell Yeah. 170 vs 250 bhp..... and an Alfa V6???? It's no contest.

Alternative = the 156 GTA - same engine..
Alfa GT also perhaps?
Dare I say Mk 4 Golf VR6?

I had a Stilo Abarth a few years ago.

I liked the interior & the handling was OK. At the time it seemed quick but that was before I'd driven a coupe.

In the end it was in the garage more often than not with various warning lights ranging from passenger seat weight sensor faults to gearbox failure when it was still drivable.

I wouldn't buy another.

The 147gta is in a different league in power, looks, performance and for me appeal.

Had a 2.4 abarth (3 door) with the silly speed. The 2.4 seems underpowered and has a massive drinking problem, handling wise it was detached and numb.
It was a nice place to sit and well kitted out but I would strongly advice against it if your after anything more than a commuter car.

Yep the GTA has got to be the best choice of the two!

Engine wise it likely a 16v jtd is the way to go along with a remap. Near on 40-50 mpg with same or more power and more torque. Gat is better though

PS,

Looking back at Flea remap data. The two NA (VIS 155bhp)I am aware of came out at 165 and 169bhp (mine) post remap.

That equates to 7 - 9 % increase.

Assuming similar for the 2.4 engine, would equate to 182 - 185bhp. With a better exhaust, it may be possible to get 190bhp which is what the original 16V turbo Coupe had, albeit with more torque. Go for faster cams, and close to 200bhp is possible. I think Joe Country C did similar on a 2.4.

Joes last 2.4 conversion got around 200bhp, it was running cams, and I believe they ditched the VIS to go back to a metal plenum

Yes it's 202bhp on 95 ron fuel but it does have quite a few extras making it a little unfriendly as a daily driver and also drinks fuel.

If I had the choice of driving a GTA or my 2.4 I'd take the GTA, it's a superior driving experience.

Absolutely agreed on that one.

Thanks for all your comments. No-one seems to have much positive to say about the Stilo. I thought they looked quite smart and had considered making a 2.4 turbo version, however I won't be bothering now.
The main thing that was putting me off the GTA was its fuel consumption, but it appears the 2.4 Stilo probably not much better.
So it looks like a GTA then

Good choice

What a choice eh ? Oh no, I'll have to have a 250bhp Alfa.

Our still was a fab car albeit jtd though. Was a tank that we couldn't kill, the Alfa 147 on the other hand.

Gta though would be a fab car especially with those seats and that engine. It will feel so much more special

You could buy two maybe three stilo Schumacher's for one decent gta.
Id be buying a stilo and converting it to a turbo with the money id save.

As above the Stilo Schumacher although alot of car for the money are £400+ a year to tax!

I'd have one of those Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo jobs over both...

Don't be silly. Them's rust buckets. You want something Japanese.

I've had 3 fancied a change

I personally would go for the stilo ,its a fraction of the price,well equipped and doesn't have that crap suspension that the 147 has.
The vague steering of the 147 doesn't inspire confidence and anyone criticising the electrics of the stilo should also bear in mind the 147 is much worse.

If they both fetched similar money then agreed the 147 would be the choice especially on performance however there's just not enough in it to warrant the extra money IMO.

I still think the stilo is a steal. It just never really stood a chance. I don't know why its slated so much?
Okay I've never driven one but it's not a bad car to look at and with a coupe engine in it would really fly. The handling could be sorted I'm sure.
And there will be ways round the canbus to get a turbo engine running surely.
I might look out for one myself they're so cheap. And the tax can be paid monthly now right?

Fiat tried to beat VW by copying VW looks and they still got slated for it However, the 5 door looks awful IMHO, but the 3 door is OK.

Yeah. I remember thinking they had sold out when they tried to copy VW. Stick to what you do best. Quirky small feisty fun cars.

With soul !

Oddly though, the Stilo has aged quite well, especially the 3 dr.

They got a slating because of peoples experience with the selespeed boxes and there tendance to light up the dash like a Christmas tree.
The first issue they had was belts letting go, then fiat changed the specified service interval for them, then you had a rash of the bottom ends letting go (maybe due to top end rebuilds after belts letting go)

Fiat towards the end of its production run simplified and toned down the spec, it lost its nav+ I believe, and the digital read out on the dash.

The Schumacher is the spec to go for but getting suspension related parts in a nightmare due to such a small production run.

I cant put in to words how hard the auto box is to live with in these. It could never decide on a run up to a junction to be in 1st or 2nd. God forbid you tried to get out of the junction quickly as you could never be sure if it was going to drop in to 1st and launch you in to traffic or just bog down in second. There is no creep with the gearbox, hill starts are even harder as you just cant balance anything. The boxes are getting to an age now where there going pop and no one really seems to have any idea about how to fix, rebuild ect.

I had a three door JTD manual. Not a bad car. The three door looks so much better than the 5 door. In fact, I would say the 5 door is just plain ugly.
But these cars are definitely no match for the 147 GTA in style or performance unless they are modified.
In that case, just go for a GTA. Believe me, wether it's exterior or interior looks, the GTA is head and shoulders above any Stilo.

Slightly of topic but does anybody know if the Stilo schumacher 18" oz wheels fit the 20vt without spacers or if with spacers, how big do they need to be?

Cheers

You'll trash the ride on 18 wheels, they're bad enough on quality shocks and springs without losing tyre give.

As for the stilo, 3 door yes, 5 pot yes, performance not so much. Better off looking for a bravo hgt!

If any one finds a bravo HGT in yellow, let me know!

Not yellow but with a bit of TLC, this looks like an epic sleeper.

Id want to do the conversion my self, that and this one looks like its been parked at the bottom of a golf range! for the money though. you cant go that wrong!

I want my hgt back.

I've just bought a GTA

Not yellow, but one of the last HGT's (made and left, I think)! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Bravo-HGT...=item1c4b2aa9c1
I bought a non-vis HGT for £200. Got it through it's test for £60, changed the cambelt (belt only, it WAS a £200 car after all), caned it for a year including a 400 mile round trip to Leeds, then sold it for £300. Yep, I'd have another one.

Nicely slotted in there, but unnoticed by many

Which one? 156 or 147? 147 is my favourite

Photos please

Nice one!

How's life with the Gta, Ecrab?
Went out in my mates Gtv v6 today to the classic autojumble at Malvern. Epic car.
And the Gta has even more power and sounds just as good

Ps. Stilo Schumacher for sale near me - £3500 and had belts just done.
Cough cough. May blag a test drive though....

In the real world (driving/track not stats) there is absolutely nothing performance wise between the GTA and GTV V6 having attended a few Alfa meets.

How about this Stilo Schumacher, Annie?

Anyone know how a cam-belt change can cure a judder though?

I do like them still.

Yes, looks very nice, I love red cars.

Got to see this car today. I do like the look of them so I wanted to look a bit closer.
The dealer threw the keys at me, explained he was selling it for a customer who had bid on, and won two Stilo Schumi's (as you do) and wanted to sell one on. He invited me to make an offer.
God, they are so plain inside. Nothing special at all. I was really underwhelmed. The engine mumbled into life and sounded flat like an old 850 10v, not crisp like my old na. It was reluctant to rev and didn't sound appealing.
I couldn't take it for a drive as I had the kids with me but it didn't entice me to.
This particular example had issues too. The remote c/l didn't work, the gear change was stiff, the bonnet release didn't and I couldn't get into the boot.
There's a Stilo Schumi on ebay now with troubles for £1300 which I was half interested in, but not any more. Shame