Driveability, technology, electrification and elegance. These are the four pillars on which the development of the new one was based Lancia Ypsilonor rather what the Turin car manufacturer itself wants to define as the best Ypsilon ever. Why? Best efficiency, best offer in the standard version, best ADAS equipment for every type of journey, uncompromising quality. All in a car completely revolutionized compared to the one we were used to knowing, designed to appear like a higher segment car.
Two engines under test
We had the opportunity to test the new Lancia Ypsilon on the streets of Turin and the Langhe, both in the fully electric version and in the mild-hybrid version. Yes, because the range of the new Ypsilon marries electrification in different sauces. The full electric version is equipped with a 115 kW engine and a 51 kWh battery, making it best in class in the premium B hatchback segment. Autonomy is around 403 km in the WLTP combined cycle (they become more than 500 in an urban environment), while fast charging requires 24 minutes to go from 20% to 80% or just 10 minutes to restore 100 km.
From electric to mild-hybrid
As for the MHEV, however, the heart of the car is represented by a new generation hybrid engine with a 1.2 L 3-cylinder displacement, 100 HP of overall power and 48 Volt hybrid technology: the top speed reaches 190 km/h, while the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 9 seconds flat. In terms of consumption and emissions, the numbers speak of 14.3-14.6 kWh per 100 km for the electric version and 103-104 g/km in the WLTP cycle for the MHEV version. The latter also stands out for one reason in particular: it guarantees a he drives electric for about 25% of his distance, thanks also and above all to a series of electronic support functions such as e-Start, e-Parking, e-Queueing and e-Creeping. Final gloss: a 6-speed e-DCT automatic gearbox is offered in combination.
Distinctive exterior design
Before finding out how the new Lancia Ypsilon drives, let’s take a closer look at the car, both inside and out. Let’s start with the external design, immediately recognisable both because of the front which recalls the historic Lancia grille, the glass, with three LED rays which make it iconic and unique, and because of the round LEDs present in the rear, a tribute in this case to the Stratos, legend of the Rally, and which contain the letter Y arranged horizontally and framing the new Lancia writing. Interesting element: the Lancia logo effectively disappears both internally and externally (except for a couple of appearances in the wheel hubcaps and in the C pillar), often replaced by the LANCIA lettering. Granite Grey, Slate Black, Marble White, Lance Blue, Jade Green and Gold are the shades available for the external liveryto which are added the two-tone variants characterized by the combination with a black roof. Three setups available at launch: standard, LX and Cassina Edition.
Tech and elegant interiors
Let’s move inside the passenger compartment, which Lancia prefers to call “living room“. There are many elements that recall this concept, although two stand out above all the others: first of all the Sound Air Light Augmentation system, whose acronym is not by chance SALA, and which consists of infotainment that centralizes the audio, air conditioning and lighting, allowing the driver and passenger to adapt the interior environment at the touch of a button; the second is a sort of “small table” placed in a central position, used for the first time inside a car and made of bio-based plastic, which houses the wireless smartphone charging area but which can also be used to simply place an object on it. As for the materials, special attention was paid to both elegance and durability sustainability: to give an example, the covering of the door and dashboard panels of the LX version is quite refined, and was created by Limonta and the Startup FILI PARI in MARMMORE, an innovative material, recycled fabric, made with natural colours, soft to the touch touch and waterproof.
![Interior of the new Lancia Ypsilon](https://storage.googleapis.com/fp-media/1/2024/05/lancia-ypsilon-test-drive-990x557.jpg)
Prices with and without incentives
Chapter technology: the standard parking assistance system deserves a mention, but also the dual 10.25″ display for infotainment and the standard digital instrument panel with a best-in-segment total display surface and the level 2 Autonomous Driving system in standard equipment. All of this, of course, has a price: the new Ypsilon will be available on the Italian market with a price list starting from 24,900 euros in the hybrid version, which becomes 20,900 euros with a government eco-incentive in the event of scrapping a vehicle up to EU2, and 22,900 euros in the electric version, considering the incentives in course and in case of scrapping of a vehicle up to EU2.
![Rear seats of new Lancia Ypsilon](https://storage.googleapis.com/fp-media/1/2024/05/lancia-ypsilon-test-drive-3-857x662.jpg)
How does the Lancia Ypsilon go on the road
Our test drive took place on two different routes, of similar duration although of different length: we put the 100% electric version of the Lancia Ypsilon in the Cassina Edition to the test for approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes on a route of 117 kilometres, while we squeezed the MHEV version in the LX trim on an itinerary of just over 80 kilometers but which took us the same amount of time. Element to take into account: we didn’t even tackle a stretch of motorway, and apart from about ten kilometers of ring road our test was conducted only on urban and extra-urban roads where the speed limits were rarely higher than 70 km/h (rarely reached 90 km/h). Taking these into account parameters, Lancia Ypsilon in BEV version required around a third of the battery to travel almost 120 kilometres. Translated: maximum autonomy it is indeed around the 403 km declared by the company, but it is clear that if we had tackled even just one stretch of motorway then we would be faced with smaller numbers.
![The internal table of the new Lancia Ypsilon](https://storage.googleapis.com/fp-media/1/2024/05/lancia-ypsilon-test-drive-2-883x662.jpg)
Silence and comfort at the top, but also some flaws
Having said that, driving comfort is an aspect that has been highly praised by Lancia and that we actually found: the silence of gear is a fundamental point of the car’s qualities, not only in its 100% electric version but also in the MHEV version (even if when you press hard on the accelerator pedal, obviously, the combustion engine makes itself felt), when instead they hit potholes or the asphalt is simply more uneven, the BEV variant of the model is less annoying and “shaky” than the MHEV version. From the central tunnel you can easily interact with both the gearbox and the driving mode selectorthree for both versions of the new Ypsilon: Eco, Normal and Sport. To be reviewed instead the positioning of the electronic handbrake button, actually at the bottom right behind the steering wheel support, as well as the integrated navigation system which is not always precise in locating the roads and the selected route.
![Cockpit of new Lancia Ypsilon](https://storage.googleapis.com/fp-media/1/2024/05/lancia-ypsilon-test-drive-4-990x557.jpg)
Evident refinement, in the future…
The selection of materials for coverings and finishes is also extremely appreciable to the touch: the plastic in certain points it is not lacking, but it is an aspect that all manufacturers must deal with. In conclusion, we are talking about a revolutionized car compared to its ancestor and which perfectly represents Lancia’s ambition of “Renaissance“, which will take its next steps with the Gamma which will be introduced in 2026 and with the Delta which will make its debut in 2028, but which has taken its first steps with the new Ypsilon.
#wheel #Lancia #Ypsilon #road #test