The biggest news on the Lancia stand at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show was the launch of the facelifted Musa compact MPV. The Musa is a success story in its own right, representing Italy’s best selling compact people-mover over the past two years. Although officially previewed at the Venice Film Festival a few weeks ago, the Frankfurt Motor Show symbolised the first major international debut of the new MPV to the automobile world.

Launched in 2004, the Musa now receives a complete revision, and not just a mild facelift which one would normally expect from a winning formula. The Musa has now grown slightly in length, but remains a compact vehicle. Its outer dimensions measure slightly over 4 metres in length, 1.70 metres wide and 1.66 metres tall. The wheelbase remains the same at 2.51 metres. Despite being a compact family car, the Musa presents a luxurious interior, representative of a flagship model.

The biggest changes to the car include an impressive 22% increase in luggage volume, with the boot volume now increased by 70 litres to 390 litres. This can be expanded to 460 litres when the sliding rear seats are pushed fully forward. This loading capacity now puts the Musa at the very top of its class. The boot floor has also been lowered by 4 cm generating an easier loading bay for bags and cases.

The new Lancia Musa also presents numerous styling revisions which were applied by the Lancia Style Centre. In order to provide the Musa with a more upmarket look, a number of chrome elements have been introduced, including a finishing strip which runs around the waistline of the car. From the front the new Musa introduces a new bumper partly inspired by the recent Ypsilon Sport by Zagato. Other features borrowed from the Zagato Ypsilon Sport concept include the new alloy wheels.

Numerous features also aim to bring the Musa up-to-date with the new Delta HPE C/D segment hatchback which will be launched next year. Details include a similar front grille with new logo and chrome detailing around the side-windows (side DLO). At the rear the Musa has been totally remodelled. The design brief here was to create a new and more upmarket look in order to differentiate the model from its sister car, the Fiat Idea. As a result the tailgate has been totally redesigned, introducing a rear window which now expands further below providing a stylish backdrop for the Lancia logo. Other novelties to the rear include new lighting clusters incorporating the latest LED technology. Lancia prides itself as being the first manufacturer to present this beautiful and technological rear lighting system in the compact MPV market. The intensity of this lighting system also improves safety, as well as enhanced looks, and is usually only found on upmarket cars.

One of the Musa’s most individual strengths is the ‘made to measure’ option list, providing the customer with a tailor-made car. There are over 80 possible alternatives that come from combining 5 different interior outfits (Argento, Oro and Platino both available in hot and cold colour themes), 14 bodywork colours (10 of which are new to the range) and 4 new ‘b-colore’ liveries. This provides the Musa with the broadest range of colour and trim options in its market segment.
 

The interior, which is trimmed in technological materials, comfortable Alcantara or fine leather upholstery, is furthermore enhanced by the luminosity of the ‘GranLuce’ full-length transparent sunroof. Other interior features include dual-zone climate control, Bose Hi-Fi, as well as the optional DFN semi-automatic gearbox which is available on the 1.4 16v and 1.3 Multijet 16v engines.

The new Musa also has an advanced interior in terms of acoustics. The car can be equipped with the ‘Blue&Me’ system which allows the driver to telephone and listen to music safely. The new Musa also incorporates the best soundproofing material available today, with a new sound-absorbent ceiling made from an innovative polyester-based material. This material reduces the sound inside the passenger compartment by approximately 2 dB, an improvement which is perceptible to occupants.

In order to guarantee a good balance of performance, consumption and respect for the environment, the new Musa comes with a range of fitting engines. Firstly there are three Multijet turbodiesels: the 1.9 delivering 100 bhp, and two 1.3 units delivering 70 and 90 bhp respectively. The 90 bhp version is also available with a diesel particulate filter. Two petrol engines are also offered: a 1.4 offering 77bhp, as well as a 95 bhp 1.4 Fire unit.

The new Musa is available with a broad and comprehensive range of trim levels, aimed at customers with very individual tastes and requirements. Five different outfits are offered: Argento, Oro and Platino, both available in two hot and cold colour shades. The standard and optional equipment varies to some extent from market to market. In general the Argento version offers airbags for the driver and passenger as standard equipment, with a manual climate system and pre-wiring for a radio. The use of technical fabrics create an airy and pleasant interior.

The Oro specification adds new 15” alloy wheels (depending on the market), exterior chrome strips on the side windows. Other features include curtain-bags, triple headrest in the rear, sliding and folding split rear seats, and electric wing mirrors. The choice of Bianco or Giallo fabric shades give the customer the option of cold or warmer interior tones. The Platino meanwhile offers a lavish level of equipment including the GranLuce sunroof, and Blue&Me system, as well as a radio-CD player with steering wheel controls. New 15” alloy wheels, privacy glass, leather trimmed steering wheel and gear lever gaiter. Similarly, the choice of Bianco or Giallo fabric shades give the customer the option of cold or warmly toned, leather and Alcantara interior upholsteries.

by James Granger