Nowadays, the Fiat Strada is synonymous with success and sales. After undergoing a visual redesign, the remarkable little car from the Italian automaker should gain even more momentum to maintain its leadership and continue winning the hearts of its admirers. 

The model's renewal came at an opportune time and is highlighted by experts as a automaker's trump card To maintain good sales levels during the pandemic!

Those who see the model shining in recent years often forget that the days of the small pickup truck weren't always glorious.

Taking advantage of the Strada's current stardom, we at Senhor Carros are going to tell you today the whole story of the evolution of this model, which is one of Brazilians' favorites. 

To learn about the evolution of one of the best vehicles in Brazil, just keep reading this article. Ready?

Before we talk about the Strada, we need to go back in time to understand that its success began a long time ago. 

The Italian automaker pioneered the pickup truck segment when it created the 147 Pickup in 1978.

At the time, it was the ideal solution for those who needed a pickup truck but didn't have the space or money to buy a Chevrolet D10 or a Ford F-1000.

The competition quickly reacted, and models like the Ford Pampa, Chevrolet Saveiro, and Volkswagen Saveiro emerged.

All developed from existing models as a way to facilitate the creation process. 

Over the years, the automaker changed the platform, and the 147 pickup was discontinued, giving rise to the Fiorino. It wasn't until 1998 that the Fiat Strada emerged as a member of the Palio family. 

Although the Palio never managed to establish itself against its sibling, the Uno, the Strada quickly found its place and established itself as the leader in its segment.

Like everything else, the Strada had a basic beginning. When launched, it only had a single cab and leaf spring suspension. 

Because it had a larger cargo bed than its rivals, it could carry a greater volume of cargo, and the 1.5-liter, 76-horsepower engine of the Working version met the expectations of those who needed to drive with a fully loaded pickup truck. 

In addition to the 1.5-liter, 76-horsepower engine, the Strada also featured the 1.6-liter 8V engine with 92 horsepower and the powerful 1.6-liter 16V engine with 106 horsepower. 

Inside, the pickup truck replicated the Palio's layout, which was very sophisticated for the time. Thus, the Strada offered features such as a radio with cassette player, air conditioning, and power windows. 

In the late 1990s, the Strada had two fierce rivals: the Corsa pickup truck and the second generation of the Saveiro. Both had more modern lines and were more successful with the younger audience.

The Saveiro even had a rear window opening. Although this gave the appearance of more space behind the seat, it was simply a feature used by the manufacturer to accommodate the front doors of the Gol and Parati, since they all used the same platform.

However, Volkswagen's trick served as inspiration. In 199 Fiat He had the idea of reducing the rear volume of the cabin and extending the cargo bed, creating an internal luggage compartment above the fuel tank.

The ability to carry belongings inside the cabin appealed to consumers who were simultaneously looking for a vehicle for work and a car that could be used daily. 

The compartment could hold up to two medium-sized suitcases. This solved the problem for those who needed to travel and didn't want to leave their luggage exposed in the truck bed. This was the key to definitively taking the lead in the segment. 

In 2001, Fiat began restyling the Palio line. The hatchback received a series of exterior and interior updates. 

Externally, the changes included new headlights, taillights, bumpers, hood, and trunk lid.

Inside, the main update was to the dashboard. In addition, the inclusion of the CD player was a significant leap forward in terms of evolution and restyling. 

Although changes began in 2001, the Strada only received the updates in 2002.

The restyling also reached other versions, as was the case with the Strada Adventure.

Around this time, the new 1.8 8V engine with 108 horsepower also emerged, the result of a technical partnership between Fiat and GM. This power unit gave the already powerful pickup truck more torque. 

Two years later, and already established as the leader, in 2004 the Fiat Strada received another update, following its siblings from the same manufacturer. It was the beginning of the "bubble generation" era. 

The nickname was a direct allusion to the headlights, which had a double parabolic shape. New bumpers and taillights completed the pickup truck's redesign. 

Inside, the Strada also underwent renovations, but maintained the layout of equipment such as the sound system, diffuser controls, and cooling controls near the storage compartment.

After all, you don't change a winning team.

The following year, Fiat introduced the 1.4 Fire engine with 85 horsepower. This engine was very successful due to its power and fuel efficiency and remained under the hood of many of the automaker's models for many years. 

In 2008, the Strada underwent its third restyling, which was marked by updates to the headlights, bumpers, and taillights that extended to the tailgate. 

The Adventure version gained aesthetic elements that made its appearance more robust and intimidating, with new moldings on the bumpers, a framed roll bar, and running boards.

Inside, the dashboard underwent simple facelifts that did not alter the instrument layout.

The main new features were the longitudinal and lateral inclinometers and a compass. The new model also received a differential locking system called Locker. 

The Locker was a feature to enhance the Strada's capability on uneven surfaces and dirt roadsIts sister game, Weekend Adventure, also gained this feature. 

Even with consolidated leadership Fiat didn't stand still.Just as in 1978 it mirrored the large pickup trucks of the time, in 2009 the inspiration came from mid-size pickup trucks with the launch of the double-cab version. 

This was a solution not only for those who had a pickup truck as a family car and needed to use the vehicle for work or for weekend recreation.

Although the rear seat only accommodated two occupants and not three as in traditional vehicles, the solution was satisfactory. 

The model became a success, and the double-cab option was also offered for other versions of the small pickup truck. 

In 2010, Fiat incorporated E-torq engines into many models. The 1.6 16V unit with 116 horsepower and the 1.8 16V unit with 132 horsepower arrived to replace the old and outdated 1.8 from GM. 

The Strada received the more powerful engine and ended up gaining a new version, the Sporting. This new version followed the pattern adopted in models such as the Punto, Stilo, Siena, Palio, and Idea.

The result was interesting, with the pickup truck receiving new fender moldings integrated into a side skirt. New bumpers and headlights with black bezels gave it a more aggressive look. 

The following year, the Fiat Strada received the Dualogic transmission, which would later become a headache for the manufacturer due to its problems and expensive maintenance.

Other models from the brand, such as the Stilo and Punto, were also equipped with the problematic transmission.

Even though the double cab was a satisfactory solution, access to the rear seats was impractical. After all, Brazilians were unaccustomed to driving two-door cars. 

But adding two more doors to the pickup truck would require extreme modifications that could affect the entire project and even the development of a new body. Something out of the question for the brand. 

The solution was to look for a solution on the market. Thus, in 2014, the adoption of a third door that opened at the opposite angle on the right side solved this problem, since it opened a large access opening. 

The inspiration came from the Ford Ranger Crew Cab, which had adopted a third door a few years earlier. 

To make the "contraption" viable, Fiat needed to make structural reinforcements to the Strada to prevent body twisting. That's why the Strada still has the third door today. 

In a short time, adopting the third door proved to be the right decision.

With this, Fiat expanded the option to the work version, the Hard Working equipped with the Fire 1.4 engine. As a result, the model reached an incredible sales figure. 

Just to illustrate the pickup truck's popularity: In March 2015, the Fiat Strada was the best-selling model in Brazil with 9,946 units registered, according to data from FENABRAVE – the National Federation of Automotive Vehicle Distribution. 

This sales volume surpassed models like the HB20 and Onix, which began its reign in 2015, as well as the Palio, which was the best-selling car in 2014. 

And as happened with many other vehicles, the new generation of the Fiat Strada had its Release delayed. by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Completely restyled in terms of both visuals and functionality, the pickup truck features the new 1.3 Fire Fly engine and the familiar, yet functional, 1.4 Fire Evo engine.

In total there are five versions available with prices starting from R$ 63,590 and going up to R$ 79,990.

With these changes, Fiat intends to keep the Strada as the leader in its segment for many, many more years. 

As you can easily see, the Strada isn't the leader in its segment for nothing. It's very difficult to find someone who doesn't like this small pickup truck.

But we want to know from you: Do you like this model or do you prefer another one among its competitors? Tell us in the comments. 

After learning about the evolution of the Fiat Strada, how about checking out the automaker's best-selling models in 2020?

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