Lancia Thesis (2002)

The result is a sculpted yet integrated front end without the normal protruding bumpers and the consequent overhang from the car body that divides the front into 'above' and 'below'. The imposing, distinctive motif is destined from now on to become an obligatory reference point, a new family look for Lancia designers to follow.

The Lancia Thesis side also features clean, uncluttered form. The side line starts from the front wing and runs unbroken along the car's waistline from headlamp to tail-light. It helps reinforce the limousine effect by lengthening the car. This view gives a better idea of the car's long wheelbase (2.80 metres) and generous dimensions (4.88 metres in length and 1.83 in width), essential features when plenty of interior passenger space is required.

The car's well-proportioned and striking rear end features an integral bumper that leaves room for vertical body traits. Most important of these are the Flaminia-like fins that set off the subtle and innovative led tail-lights to perfection. By day, these look like two understated chrome decorations; by night they are red and orange stripes that make the car unique and immediately recognisable even on the motorway.

The Lancia Thesis passenger compartment is luxurious, roomy and protective. The resulting space provides a most relaxing setting for passengers, whose knees encounter only soft surfaces covered in luxurious materials. A big central column under the facia on the middle seems to support and divide the two front seats, keeping them apart to leave room for a high, wide arm rest. This means that both front occupants can use the armrest simultaneously without getting in each other's way.

The technological brain of the Thesis is also housed in the same place: a seven-inch colour screen flanked on either side by switches for direct access to the various menus and completed underneath by a row of reconfigurable keys.

The Lancia Thesis seats also represent the current state of the art in terms of comfort and ergonomics because we solicited the help of Professor Dal Monte, the internationally-renowned physiologist. The front seats feature rounded, soft shapes that ensure maximum comfort and the aesthetic appeal of a luxury environment. Double, riveted seams add a touch of craftsmanship and elegance, while saddle-shaped head-restraints are unmistakably Italian in style. In the Comfort version, the Lancia Thesis front seats are fully electrically-adjustable and also offer intriguing and revolutionary functions such as ventilation, heating, adaptivity and massage. Rear seat passengers will also enjoy all the comfort and gratifying well-being of their own living rooms. The new Lancia flagship offers one of the best rear passenger room ratings in the segment.

A space is also reserved for customers who do not drive their Thesis themselves and must be able to travel with sufficient style and dignity in the rear. Hence the need for individual air outlets and the possibility of choosing an air temperature and flow that may be different from that imposed at the front. A big fold-way armrest in the middle of the back seat can house a remote control that is used to adjust the TV and Hi-Fi system.

The top-quality materials include leather, ultra-soft Poltrona Frau leather, Alcantara and wool, an unusual trim material that brings to mind the famous Lancia cloth trim of the past. These cover the seats and a central band that encircles the passenger compartment without a break. The quality of this trim is set off to perfection by an understated insert made out of wood: an open-pored untreated mahogany in which the natural grain is apparent. Lastly, the central console and tunnel are made out of pressure cast magnesium.

The result is an environment made out of top-quality, warm, exclusive materials - an emotionally involving place where top-quality materials have been chosen for their tactile and acoustic qualities to create a multisensorial whole that represents the final frontier of the Lancia world.

The concept of comfort has been superseded by that of well-being, in the sense of mental and physical gratification. When aboard the Lancia Thesis, well-being is truly multisensorial, because the air and sound (as well as the light) always reach occupants in an indirect manner without ever being over-invasive. Air is diffused slowly from a broad band of micropores located in front of the front passenger. Sound comes from the 11 speakers that form part of the ultra-sophisticated Bose® Hi-Fi system.

On-board instruments and controls are naturally analogue and feature large, round, clear, 3-D faces with numbers that apparently float in space (the reference is to the Aurelia and the Flaminia, two cars that play an important role in brand history). One glance provides all the information required. When the lights come on, the dashboard combines the simplicity of the past with ultra-new electroluminescent technology that makes the instruments easier to read by setting them against a soft blue background. Similar care has gone into the courtesy lights that offer functionality - with spot lights that come on and light a specific area so that passengers can read or work - and also an indirect, diffuse light that adds three-dimensionality and makes the interior look more pleasing by night.