Lancia Kappa SW and Coupé

Car Review by Paul Negyesi

At the 1996 Turin Autoshow two new variants debuted: the Station Wagon and the Coupé.

The Station Wagon

Pininfarina contributed to create the elegant, harmonic lines of the Kappa SW. It's a "bijou-estate": as a start 835 l cargo room is available, but with the rear seats folded down the space increases to 1500 liter. The SW is just 70 kg heavier than the limousine, courtesy of the aluminium roof-frame and other parts. Five engines are available from the basic 2-litre, 5-cylinder petrol-engine to the 2-litre 16-valve sporty. For diesel-lovers there's a 2.4 liter turbodiesel.

The sporty Kappa version is supplied with 16 inch alloy wheels, Alcantra interior. In addition to the manual gearbox, two type of automatic should be selected: a sporty, and an economic with longer gears. The Kappa isn't Your run-of-the-mill limousine, the same applies to the SW: inside, the tailgate is lined with the same grey velour as the upper part of the roof and in boulcé moquette on the lower part. The luggage compartment is lit by two lights. One light on the roof illuminates the entire compartment, while another on the right hand side at waist level is used to light the bottom beneath the load platform. A luggage cover distinguished by a Pininfarina logo is housed in a removable roller. A hydropneumatic suspension helps to keep the balance of the rear when it's loaded. The safety also increased from the old Thema: more rigid structure, twin airbags etc. The Station Wagons will be built at Pininfarina.

The coupé

There is far less information available about the coupé. The specifications are the same as of the Kappa. It'll be available by the end of the year.