| Manufacturer | FSO Nasr |
|---|---|
| Also called | FSO Polonez Caro |
| Production | 1978-1986 (MR'78/MR'83/MR'85) 1986-1991 (MR'86/MR'87/MR'89) 1991-1997 (Caro) 1997-2002 (Caro Plus) |
| Assembly | Warsaw, Poland Cairo, Egypt |
| Predecessor | Polski Fiat 125p |
| Class | compact car |
| Body style | 3-door Hatchback 4-door Sedan 5-door Hatchback 5-door Station wagon 2-door coupé utility (pickup) 2-door coupé utility (pickup, extended cab) 4-door coupé utility (pickup) 5-door Van |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Engine | 1.3 L OHV I4 1.5 L OHV I4 1.6 L OHV I4 2.0 L Fiat DOHC I4 2.0 L Ford SOHC 1.4 L DOHC K16 I4 1.9 L XUD9A I4 diesel |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual 5-speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 2,509 mm (98.8 in) |
| Length | 4,318 mm (170.0 in) |
| Width | 1,650 mm (65.0 in) |
| Height | 1,420 mm (55.9 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,075 kg (2,370 lb)-1,115 kg (2,460 lb) |
| Related | Fiat 1300/1500 Fiat 125 |
| Designer | Giorgetto GiugiaroWalter de Silva Zbigniew Watson |
The FSO Polonez is a Polish motor vehicle produced from 1978 to 2002. The car name comes from the Polish dance, polonaise.
Contents |
The Polonez is a rebodied Polski Fiat 125p that Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (FSO) built under license from Fiat. The internal components, including a modernized engine, (pistons and carburetor), the chassis, and other mechanical, were from the Polski Fiat 125p, but the body was an entirely new hatchback body designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The car was meant to be equipped with Fiat's DOHC engines in the 1980s, but financial problems at the time made the purchase of a license from Fiat impossible. This is also why the 125p was produced simultaneously with the Polonez for more than a decade. Moreover, mechanical modernization only took place when it could be applied to both cars. This situation finally changed after the production of the 125p ended in 1991.
An advantage of the Polonez is its passive safety. Crash tests were performed in 1994 according to EU safety regulations so that the Polonez could be exported worldwide. They proved the car to be very safe. The Caro 1.9 GLD hitting a concrete block (without an energy-absorbing metal cage) with 40% of the front at 50 km/h (31 mph) survived very well. All doors could be opened without any difficulty, there were no critical injuries for passengers, and no fuel leakage occurred.
The Polonez range was expanded to encompass a wide range of bodies. These included:
There were also many prototypes including: pickup made using rear part of Fiat 125p pick-up, native-looking pickup (w/o frame in the rear like actual Truck), 4x4 offroader (Analog), hydro-pneumatic suspension, Sedan (much different to Atu/Celina), 4x4 Truck w/o offroad suspension.
FSO Polonez 1500 X - top version, with AB 1,481 cc engine, 60 kW (80 hp), 5-speed gearbox, final drive ratio 4:3, radio. Sold in the domestic market mostly for U.S. dollars.
The new naming system for FSO cars, produced models: FSO 125p: 1.3 L, 1.3 ML, 1.3 ME, 1.5 C, 1.5 L, 1.5 ML, 1.5 MS, 1.5 ME FSO Polonez 1.3 C, 1.3 CE, 1.3 L, 1.3 LE, 1.5 C, 1.5 CE, 1.5 L, 1.5 LS, 1.5 LE, 1.5 X, 2000.
FSO Polonez 2.0 D Turbo with an Italian VM Motori HR 488 engine of 1,995 cc, producing 62 kW (83 hp) at 4,300 rpm and 163 N·m (120 lb·ft) at 2,500 rpm. Final drive ratio is 3,727, for a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 20,0 s, and a top speed of 146 km/h (91 mph). Fuel consumption is 7,1/10,6/10,0, approximately 100 cars were produced to this specification.
FSO 125p 1.6 D with a 1,588 cc Volkswagen diesel engine, producing 40 kW (54 hp) at 4,800 rpm and 100 N·m (74 lb·ft) at 2,300 rpm. 0-100 km/h acceleration took 25,2 seconds, and top speed is 125 km/h (78 mph). Fuel consumption was reported as 5,4/9,3/7,4, with the price in Poland being about $4,500 at the time.
FSO Polonez - first cars with additional rear-side windows in the C-pillar.
FSO 125p 1.6 ME with Polonez CB 1,598 cc engine, 64 kW (86 hp) at 5,200 rpm, 132 N·m (97 lb·ft) at 3,800 rpm, 157 km/h (98 mph), very few cars made.
FSO Polonez modifications: stamped rear spoiler instead of plastic one, new model labels on the sticking foil, new version coding system, the 'S' should have meant the car with additional rear-side windows in the C-pillar, rule often broken in practice, produced versions: 1,3 SCE, 1.3 SL, 1.3 SLE, 1,5 CE, 1.5 L, 1,5 LE, 1,5 SCE, 1,5 SL, 1,5 SLE, 1,6 SLE, 2.0 SLE
FSO Polonez 1.5 SLE Turbo with AA engine, compression ratio 8.5 to 1, 1481 cc, 78 kW (105 hp) at 6,000 rpm, 180 N·m (133 lb·ft) at 3,200 rpm, 11,0 s, 180 km/h (112 mph), built in rally version only (group N), on special request a Turbo-kit was installed in mass produced cars.
FSO Polonez 1500 Turbo with AA 1,481 cc engine, 140 kW (188 hp) at 7,000 rpm, 240 N·m (177 lb·ft) at 3,200 rpm, 8,5 s, 220 km/h (137 mph). This was a rally version only, built to group A specifications.
The end of FSO's 1295 cc engine production. The UK. FSO import temporarily stopped. FSO Polonez Caro - face lifting: new nose with headlamps and grill (makes the front a bit similar to FSO Wars, prototype car supposed to be successor to Polonez), new front and rear bumpers, steering wheel, new rooflet over instruments, improved front crash safety FSO Polonez Caro 1.9 GLD with Citroen's 1905 cc diesel engine, 50 kW (67 hp), 120 N·m (89 lb·ft), 140 km/h (87 mph), sold across mainland Europe. The other versions in pricelist:
(December) FSO Polonez 1.4 GLI 16V with Rover 1396 cc engine, 76 kW (102 hp) @ 6000 rpm, 127 N·m (94 lb·ft) @ 5000 rpm, 11,9 s, 178 km/h (111 mph), with or without catalytic converter.
FSO Polonez Sedan prototype - later produced as the FSO Atu - with 4-door limousine bodywork, with completely new dashboard and upholstery (project by FSO), new rear suspension: rigid rear axle with longitudinal wishbones, reaction bars and coil springs. Rear lamps same as in Caro version.
Two prototypes of the FSO Polonez Kombi (station wagon). The next prototype: FSO Analog 4WD, light off-road car with 4-door pick-up bodywork and four wheel drive.
Export to the UK restarted: FSO Caro (Polonez 1.6 and 1.9 D) and FSO Pick-up (Truck)
Lucas brakes introduced.
Production of the FSO Polonez Caro 1.9 GLD stopped.
(summer) End of export to the Netherlands, the last foreign market for Polonez passenger versions; the last offering in the Netherlands consisted of:
(August) The first Daewoo-FSO Lanos 1.5 S 4d leaves the FSO assembly line.(December) FSO Polonez Caro Plus and Atu Plus 1.6 GSI - with Delphi (Multec XM) multi-point fuel injection, 1598 cc 62 kW (83 hp), 130 N·m (96 lb·ft), ca. 155 km/h (96 mph), new door handles introduced.
FSO Truck sold in Italy by Daewoo dealer network.
Polonez was exported to many countries, including Netherlands, Argentina, Bolivia, UK, China, Greece, Italy, Finland, Egypt (Complete knock down (CKD) were assembled in Egypt, and Polonez was still popular in Egypt through 2008), Spain, Portugal, and others. In the late 1980s a batch of 150 Polonez hatchbacks was exported to New Zealand. They were also exported to Chile and Colombia (in the latter country as police cars and taxicabs) from the late 1980s to early 1990s. In some countries the FSO Polonez was sold as FSO Celina, FSO Prima, or FSO Caro.
Imports to the UK ceased in 1997, though sales continued in some parts of Western Europe - including France - for at least a year afterwards. They were withdrawn from those markets largely because of more stringent emissions requirements.
The FSO Polonez suffered from relatively poor performance (except those with Fiat 2.0DOHC, Ford 2.0 SOHC and Rover 1.4MPI 16V). Polonez parts were relatively cheap and readily available. After 1992, quality began to increase, especially after 1995 when Daewoo started its cooperation with FSO. The last production models, the PLUS series since 1997 offered new features such as ventilation systems.
Production ended, 24 years after it had begun. The relatively low price of the Polonez was seen as the main advantage over other cars. Demand slumped and the last versions of the Polonez produced were the Truck versions, valued for their low price, reliability and high load capability (up to 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) depending on the version).
The Polonez is a common sight in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in its home country of Poland, but since Poland joined the European Union in May 2004, the car was rapidly replaced by relatively cheap, tax free, and more modern used cars from Western Europe.