Bonjour Patrick,
I don't own a Croma myself but I've heard from my Fiat-dealer that
reliability of the new Croma is very good!
I've read a few postings on the net that some Croma's have already done
100.000 km. or more without any major problems. This seems to be for the
diesel- as well as the petrol-engined ones.
I do drive one occasionally (2.2 petrol engine) and I have to say the ride
is extremely comfortable. The car is very quiet, even at some higher speed.
Acceleration is not ground-breaking, but sufficiënt.
Fuel consumption (if you don't drive like Schumacher) is around 1:12 (one
liter for 12 kilometers that is). Buildquality seems to be above average.
Nice materials inside and no rattles, big gaps etc. in interiorfinish. Oh,
and the interior is very spacious too. And yes, you still get a lot of car
for your money!
Ciao, E-Cie.

I bought a new pre-reg one last week at a great price.  At a fiver under
£10,000 for a 2.2 litre Eleganza petrol auto, reliability becomes less of an
issue with me.  There are some great deals on these cars on eBay.