Fiat DOBLO RANGE
Fiats Improved Doblo May Look Rudimentary But Underneath That Unconventional Body Are Some High-Tech Features. Andy Enright Reports
How we laughed when
Fiat first launched the Doblo. One of Europes major car manufacturers was playing catch up with a vehicle that was competing in a tiny market and which boasted a rather feeble range of engines. It seems the last laugh was on us. Over the past couple of years, Fiat have continuously updated the Doblo and its now one of the strongest offerings in a class that has thrived.
The latest version is more sophisticated than ever before and is a car to be taken very seriously.
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The big news is that Fiats remarkably lousy 1.9D diesel engine has been ditched from the Doblo line up and replaced by the 70bhp 16-valve Multijet diesel. The contrast is just night and day and excises the Achilles heel from the Doblo line up. Weighing just 130kg, the 1,3 Multijet is good for 133 lb/ft of torque at a mere 1,750rpm.
Noise, fuel consumption, vibrations and emissions are all hugely reduced. So good is the 1.3-litre Multijet engine that the additional expense of the 1.9-litre JTD might at first seem hard to justify, but
Fiat have increased the power of this unit to a healthy 105bhp to maintain the hierarchy.
Torque is up to 151lb/ft at 1,750rpm and, probably of more importance to cash-strapped mums and dads, fuel consumption is down 10% to 48.7mpg on the combined cycle. The 1.9 JTD is a very accomplished diesel engine but the more recent addition to the line-up is more advanced still.
A few years back, buying a car with a 1.3-litre diesel engine would have been like buying a washing machine powered by an aging hamster on a wheel. Today its different, Fiats 1.3-litre Multijet unit may be small but it has power that belies its size.
Theres 70bhp to play with and the combined fuel consumption of 51.4mpg is top notch. Where the 1.9JTD takes 12.
5s to reach 60mph, the 1.3 Multijet takes 16s. The diesels are really the engines to go for even if youd normally prefer the petrol option. The 65bhp 1.
2-litre powerplant is rather thrashy and takes 18 seconds to reach sixty amid some frantic gear swapping. Despite this, on the road, the Doblo is surprisingly good fun to drive. A combination of very quick steering and a crude but effective rear suspension set-up means the Doblo is far more capable in the corners than its ungainly appearance would suggest.
"Its a refreshingly unpretentious approach."
What will be of more relevance to prospective purchasers is the cavernous load bay. That rudimentary rear suspension comes into its own here, as it allows for a near perfectly flat floor, and the almost vertical sides of the Doblo help to create a 750 litre load space with the seats in place and a gargantuan 3000 litres with the seats folded. Opt for the Family version and all that space is partially filled by two extra seats albeit seats that are really only suitable for smaller children. Thats a 7-
seat MPV for under £11,000 and that cant be bad.
The interior styling is more conservative, and the latest revisions have brought things further up to date, successfully masking the Doblos commercial vehicle origins. Theres a two-tone dash and a choice of hard-wearing cloth trim but Fiat have resisted the urge to tinker with the seats which were always amongst the most comfortable in the class. Standard equipment is generous with base Active trim including electric front windows, remote central locking, twin airbags, a split folding rear seat, three rear seatbelts and head restraints all round. Go for the Family version and theres ABS and front fog lights amongst other things while the Dynamic adds air-conditioning, a CD player and alloy wheels.
To get a perspective of where the Doblo fits into the marketplace, its probably best to consider its rivals. These include the
Renault Kangoo and
Citroen Berlingo Multispace. Whilst these are still by no means common sights on UK roads, sales in this class have rocketed over the last four years. In many ways, this is good business for Fiat.
Built using low-cost labour in Turkey, the Doblo is the last Fiat to utilise a conventional steel chassis rather than the more advanced spaceframe system used for the Multipla. As such, it represents rugged and, above all, cheap engineering that keeps the basic costs down. Two variants of the Doblo design are available: the Doblo car, as we have here, and also the Doblo Cargo, a commercial van with numerous different body permutations. To further emphasise the Doblos status as a world car, a factory in Brazil produces Doblos to cater for the huge South and Central American markets. If you are trying to build a reliable, bulletproof mode of transportation, you need low maintenance, dependable workhorse engines. This was both the Doblos greatest asset in emerging markets and its Achilles heel in the eyes of more sophisticated Western European consumers, accustomed as they are to more refined fare.
And two of the three the engines available in the Doblo couldnt really be described as either the first nor last word in refinement. Now, though, things have changed. In the latest round of revisions the old agricultural diesels were consigned to the scrap heap and the engine range has taken on a refreshingly modern tone. The improvements to the Doblo may well be missed by many customers who took a look at the original model and didnt fancy what they saw.
This will be their loss. Both diesel engines are excellent units and the equipment count has gone up significantly across the line up. Couple that with some genuinely big car options and distinctly manageable prices and youll appreciate quite what a strong package this years Doblo represents. Fiat seem to have twigged that those who laugh last laugh loudest.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Fiat Doblo range
PRICES: £9,095-£11,295 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 3-4
CO2 EMISSIONS: 147-153g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.3 Multijet] 0-60mph 16s / Max Speed 90mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.3 Multijet] [urban] 42.2mpg / [extra urban] 57.7mpg / [combined] 51.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags / 3-point seatbelts
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4159/1714/1800mm
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