Delta to challenge Focus and Astra

With its Lancia DNA, the Chrysler Delta, now in right-hand drive, aspires to challenge the class-leading Ford Focus and Opel Astra in terms of luxury and performance. Declan O’Byrne assesses its lofty credentials

First, here is the news.

“NAVTEQ, the global provider of maps, traffic and location data-enabling navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising around the world,” (try saying that with a mouthful of spicy meatballs) announced recently that anyone in Ireland buying a new Chrysler Delta with a navigation system will be offered NAVTEQ

MapCare – “a service that simplifies the process of keeping maps up-to-date”.

Whew! Thank goodness that’s out of the way!

Fleshing that out, it’s basically telling us that, as part of the new car package, Chrysler Delta owners are now eligible to receive two annual, pan-European map updates free of charge - simply by registering online.

The service is available through all Chrysler dealerships in Ireland. And NAVTEQ is pretty chuffed about it all, pointing out that it’s the first time cars in the Delta’s price segment have been offered Map Care.

Supposedly, if you’ve ever relied on your existing sat nav to guide you into, say Barrow Street, and you’ve ended up in Barrack Street thanks to road works, reconfiguration of the area in general, a Garda

crime scene, bailout demonstration, or unnavigable potholes, you, in particular, it seems will appreciate Map Care.

As NAVTEQ says, with justification, any sat nav system can only be as good as the map information inside it.

With the addition of new roads, junctions, by-passes, motorway exits and thousands of other details, it points out, even familiar routes can alter year to year (if you’re a Dubliner, or from most any other major city in the country, read ‘day to day’).

So, having Map Care at your disposal, sounds like a pretty good idea.

I mention this, not because I’m on a handsome retainer to speak well of NAVTEQ (though I’m sure we could come to some arrangement) but rather because I’ve just spent a week cruising the highways and byways

in the new Chrysler Delta (for ‘Chrysler’, read a right-hand drive ‘Lancia’).

And one of a number of things I missed in the car was a Sat Nav.

That’s probably because I had just moved my carcass from the much smaller but cute little Yspiron, which was packed with gadgets, including the latest Tom Tom device, to the Delta which, on first acquaintance, appeared to come up short on technological aids.

Actually, as we became good buddies over the course of the seven days, the Delta, in fact, didn’t lack that much.

In the version I drove, the mid-level 1.6 SR 120bhp diesel, a step down from the top of the range Limited, there was Blue & Me Bluetooth with voice recognition, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, a

rear armrest, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and plush leather/Alcantara upholstery, as well as power-folding mirrors, privacy glass, steering wheel remote controls, four electric windows and front fog lights with cornering illumination.

Interestingly it also boasted sliding and tilting rear seats creating extra boot space when required.

The Limited version has Poltrona Frau (ah yes, good old Poltrona, still slaving away) leather upholstery, a leather-clad dashboard with hand-worked stitching, integrated satellite navigation and a two-tone

paint finishing with a gloss black roof, all as standard equipment!

Yes, as it turned out, my Delta had just about everything. Well, except for that sat nav.

In truth, we nearly didn’t become good buddies, Delta and I.

I didn’t like the look of her on our first meeting, though I’m sure she didn’t think me any oil painting either. Her bulbous rear end gave her a frumpy appearance. And, in any event, she looked too much like a pregnant Ford Focus. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Focus; it’s just that there are so many of them about. Just as there are with the Delta’s other main rivals the Astra and Golf.

However, she was well ‘dressed’ in black and, as the week went on, I began to admire her shape and noted that the car appeared considerably bigger on the outside and much more spacious too on the inside than a Focus.

Following its launch in Geneva in March 2008, the Delta was regarded as “a milestone vehicle”, introducing the concept of the luxury compact family car at an affordable price.

Under the bonnet, there’s a full range of high-performance, high-efficiency turbo-charged engines. A single petrol engine is offered, a 140hp, 1.4-litre MultiAir Turbo unit, while the diesel range is comprised of a 120hp, 1.6-litre MultiJet unit (mated to a six-speed manual or six-speed semi-automatic "Selectronic" gearbox) and the flagship 165hp 2.0-litre MultiJet unit.

All Chrysler Deltas fall into VRT Band B, with the exception of the 1.6 MultiJet "Selectronic" which falls into VRT Band A.

The Chrysler Delta also boasts some of Fiat Automobile's latest chassis technology, including a new stability control system, called the "Absolute Handling System", which pre-empts a loss of vehicle stability and uses the car's power steering system to automatically make steering corrections when it senses a critical handling

situation.

Several torque management systems are also employed, including traction control (ASR) and engine torque management (MSR); while Chrysler’s new "Magic Parking" parallel-parking aid, which we enjoyed using in the Yspiron, is offered as an option.

Pricing starts at €22,395 for the 1.4 MultiAir Turbo SE, while the entry-level 1.6 MultiJet diesel SE is priced at €24,395. The top-of-the-range 2.0 MultiJet Limited costs €30,495.

The test car, the 1.6 MultiJet SR, is priced from €26,495, and, with the on-board extras, that rises to €28,795.

It’s not an unreasonable amount of lucre for a lot of car  - but some urgent refinements are required.

The instrumentation in the cabin looks well but is fiddly with the various graphics for different functions too small and indistinct. Heating controls are located too low down on the console requiring the driver to take his or her eyes off the road to regulate. And for a so-called luxury car, the ride is far from smooth on only slightly

uneven surfaces.

On the open road, however, the powertrain is magnificent and really shows its sporty pedigree. To sample that alone, the Delta is definitely worth a test drive. However, even that thrill is somewhat eroded by the alarming level of road noise in the cabin when travelling at speed. It drowns both live and radio chat.

So, overall, while the Delta IS a formidable pretender to the mantle of  ‘luxury chariot’, somehow it doesn’t quite make the grade.