Fiat rolled out a facelifted version of its Idea small MPV initially for Brazil and then throughout South America. It remains to be seen if Fiat will also update the Idea in Europe. The South American model gets a new appearance that brings it line with Fiat’s more recent models such as the Linea and Bravo, as well as a revised engine lineup.

The design upgrades are mainly to the front with larger headlamps, Fiat’s new company grille and a redesigned bumper.

At the back, the rear lights are new while the tailgate is more sculptured and bumper has been reprofiled. Inside, the Brazilian Idea drops the European market model’s center-mounted instrument cluster in favor of a more conventional layout.

The Idea will be offered in four different guises – Attractive , Essence, Sporting and Adventure. The latter is blessed with extra ground clearance and some rugged styling elements such as the heavy body cladding to the car’s lower portions, chunkier front and rear bumpers, more prominent roof rails, off-road tires, skid plates, and externally mounted spare wheel and tire.

In Brazil, buyers will have a choice of three engines, a 1.4-liter petrol and the Flex-Fuel 1.6-liter and 1.8-liter units.