The Cheapest SUV in Brazil for R$ 99,990 and Fuel Economy Above 16 Km/L: Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 2026

Written by Roberta Souza Published on 25/09/2025 at 19:21

Fonte: Isadora Carvalho, QuatroRodas.com/Google imagens.

More than Low Price: Updated Design and Optional Package Try to Revitalize the Pulse Drive 1.3 2026

The Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 manual returns in 2026, once again occupying the title of the cheapest SUV in Brazil. Now priced at R$ 99,990, the Fiat model positions itself below rivals VW Tera MPI and Renault Kardian, which have become even more expensive.
But not everything is perfect. The price increase has brought the Pulse closer to R$ 100,000, requiring consumers to carefully analyze what it truly offers compared to the competition.

Updated Design, but Still Simple

The changes in the 2026 line of the Pulse are subtle, focused on the front end. The SUV now features the same bumper as the Fiat Fastback, with vertical openings on the edges. The grilles have received new designs, but full LED headlights remain absent, appearing only in more expensive versions like the Impetus Hybrid and the Abarth.

At the rear, no news. The trunk still holds 370 liters, a number that seems competitive but falls short in real space compared to the VW Tera (410 L) and the Renault Kardian (407 L), which use the VDA measurement considered more accurate.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Equipment: Hits and Misses

Among the positive points, the Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 delivers an 8.5″ multimedia center compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, digital air conditioning — an item that is not always available in rivals — and electric mirrors.

But there are worrying gaps. The model has only four airbags (front and side). The VW Tera MPI and Renault Kardian each offer six airbags, as well as technologies like autonomous emergency braking and fatigue detectors.

In this regard, the Pulse clearly shows where it cut costs. The consumer gets a cheap SUV, but sacrifices safety features that have already become standard in the segment.

Engine and Consumption: Fair Performance, but Stagnated Evolution

The 1.3 aspirated engine delivers 98/107 hp and 13.2/13.7 kgfm (gasoline/ethanol). The five-speed manual transmission is precise but calls for a sixth gear to reduce noise at higher speeds.

In tests, the SUV went from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.4 seconds — nothing brilliant, but acceptable for the category.

Fuel consumption stands out:

City: 13.3 km/l

Highway: 16.2 km/l

Although good, the numbers have worsened compared to the launch in 2022, reflecting changes to the engine to meet Proconve L8 standards. Still, the Pulse remains competitive against rivals.

Is It Worth Buying?

For R$ 99,990, the Fiat Pulse Drive 2026 continues to be one of the most accessible entries into the SUV segment in Brazil. It offers advantages such as digital air conditioning and the TC+, a traction assistant exclusive in the segment.

On the other hand, it loses important points in safety and interior space, in addition to requiring consumers to invest in an additional package to avoid looking too basic.

It’s a typical case where the wallet weighs as much as the equipment list.

Performance Tests – Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 MT

Acceleration

0 to 100 km/h: 12.39 s

0 to 1,000 m: 34.40 s / 149.48 km/h

Re-accelerations

40 to 80 km/h: 7.13 s

60 to 100 km/h: 11.02 s

80 to 120 km/h: 23.48 s

Braking

60 km/h to 0: 14.21 m

80 km/h to 0: 25.25 m

100 km/h to 0: 39.92 m

120 km/h to 0: 57.07 m

Consumption

Urban: 13.3 km/l

Highway: 16.2 km/l

Internal Noise (without air conditioning)

Neutral / Max RPM: 42.5 / 73.7 dBA

80 km/h: 67.1 dBA

120 km/h: 73.9 dBA

Technical Sheet – Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 MT

Engine: Gasoline/Ethanol, front, transversal, 4 cylinders, aspirated, 8 valves, 1,332 cm³

Power: 107 hp (ethanol) / 98 hp (gasoline)

Torque: 13.7 kgfm (ethanol) / 13.2 kgfm (gasoline)

Transmission: Manual, 5 speeds, front-wheel drive

Suspension: McPherson (front), torsion beam (rear)

Brakes: Ventilated disc (front), drum (rear)

Steering: Electric, 10.5 m turning diameter

Wheels and Tires: Alloy 16″, 195/60 R16

Dimensions:

Length: 4.095 m

Width: 1.777 m

Height: 1.550 m

Wheelbase: 2.532 m

Weight: 1,140 kg

Ground Clearance: 18.9 cm

Trunk: 370 liters

Fuel Tank: 47 liters

RPM at 100 km/h: 2,850 rpm

Actual Speed at 100 km/h: 97 km/h

Steering Wheel: 2.5 turns

And you? If you had R$ 100,000 today, would you prefer the Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 as the cheapest SUV or invest in a better-equipped competitor, even if it costs more?

Leave your opinion in the comments.

1 Comment

most recent

older Most voted

Aloisio dos Santos Oliveira

#181380

29/09/2025 14:41

Compraria até no escuro porque já tive um 147 1979 azul tireno.
Sou fã da fiat antes de 1977 no Brasil em Betim.
Preciso ganhar na Mega para colecionar toda linha FIAT de 1977 até o último 2026

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The Cheapest SUV in Brazil for R$ 99,990 and Fuel Economy Above 16 Km/L: Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 2026

More than Low Price: Updated Design and Optional Package Try to Revitalize the Pulse Drive 1.3 2026

Updated Design, but Still Simple

Equipment: Hits and Misses

Engine and Consumption: Fair Performance, but Stagnated Evolution

Is It Worth Buying?

Performance Tests – Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 MT

Technical Sheet – Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 MT

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Is It Worth Buying?

Performance Tests – Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 MT

Technical Sheet – Fiat Pulse Drive 1.3 MT

In the cold desert of Ladakh, where it hardly rains, engineer Sonam Wangchuk created the ice stupa, a tower that freezes winter water and stores it for irrigating crops in the spring, a simple engineering feat that mimics nature.

Almost 6,000 residents live concentrated along a single street nearly 9 km long in the interior of Poland. Houses form a continuous row, and behind them, narrow agricultural strips emerge, creating one of the most unusual rural patterns in Europe.

They planted a sea of eucalyptus to produce cellulose, but the monoculture turned into a green desert, dried up springs and rivers, and pushed families out of regions in Minas Gerais and Bahia.

Júlia Pimentel, an 11-year-old from Minas Gerais, independently invented a new formula to calculate the square root using simple addition and multiplication, and her method was published in one of the most important mathematical scientific journals in Brazil.

Chinese woman planted trees for decades while sand buried part of her house, received $5,000 from an American in 1999, and helped transform the desert into a forest of 8 million trees in China.

Heir bought 23,000 degraded acres in the Scottish Highlands, fenced the area, planted nearly 1 million native trees, and transformed empty mountains into a forest officially recognized after meeting 15 evaluation criteria over 20 years.

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