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THE NNEE
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To become Van of the Year the Fiat Dob16 ha gained a new face and a new heart Is that enough to keep it near the front of the pack?
It seems just yesterday that Fiat's contender in the high-cube stakes. the Dob16 Cargo, was launched. In fact,it was in April 2001 that we carried out our first roadtest.
Just as the world was growing accustomed to the Doblo's distinctive face, the latter end of 2005 saw it gain a significant facelift and new engine. The styling changes amounted to a revised, blander grille and a new front wheelarch design with flares to match the rear. The package impressed the great and the good of Europe's road transport press to the extent that it was chosen as Van of the Year 2006.
From a fairly limited line-up at launch. the Doblb Cargo is now a comprehensive range. In the UK, there's still just one wheelbase. but there are three engines, two trim levels, two roof heights and a full selection of apertures. All Doblos are built in Turkey, taking advantage both of a significant local market and advantageous manufacturingcosts.
It is becoming standard procedure for vans in the Dobliis sector to be available with the choice of a small, highly efficient turbo-diesel or a larger. less highly stressed unit, with a petrol engine available to satisfy anyone who should feel the need. Fiat's 1.3 Multijet 16V is an impressive little motor (producing 75hp and 190Nm) which, thanks to the Italian company's ill-fated dalliance with General Motors, also appears in Vauxhall's smaller vans, We'll join the market in effectively ignoring the spark-ignition 77hp. 115Nm 1.4litre, meaning our test is of the 1.9 Multijet.
The Multijet engine is a development of the previous 1.9 JTD. with a more sophisticated version of its common-rail fuel injection. Typica Ily, up to five individual injection events are created on each cycle of the engine, giving significant gains in performance and refinement.Although the latest engine is theoretically a great improvement on the o model, it's performance is actually artificial restricted to cope with design limitations elsewhere. On paper, power is down slightl from the JTD. Output is 104hp at 4.000rprn with 200Nm of torque. and sadly not the 1,2fX)Nm as quoted by the brochure. Howe although the torque is capped and peaks at 1.75Orpm.tnost of that figure remains avail, until it begins to drop off at around 3,50Orp All versions get a five-speed transmission.
The two trim levels are the basic Cargo a the SX, the latter adding two side loading doors and a selection of extra goodies. Our example came with a solid bulkhead. ungla rear doors and two side loading doors. It w; finished in a tasteful dark metallic shade ea 'underground grey'. and had steel wheels v reasonably convincing 'alloy' plastic trims.
Productivity At 43.9mpg laden and 50.8mpg, economy i rather better than the old 1.9 JTD but son way behind the latest 1.3 Multijet.Compat with its external competition, it's pretty we a par with the larger-engined rivals but wel behind the Vauxhall Combo in its 1.3 form There is the choice of an extra 120kg of payload capacity. But even the smallest example breaks the 2.000kgGVW mark h 10kg, putting it into the world of reduced si limits.The low-roof model has a load volur of 3.2m3,with the high roof adding anothei 0.6m3. A .girafon',or rear roof flap, is a less common option. More traditional openin
are asymmetrical twin doors or a top-hinged, glazed tailgate. A full metal bulkhead. with noise-reduction trim on the SX, is standard but a ladder frame is available.
The warranty package remains the same: three-year. 1(10,000-mile cover with AAprovided roadside assistance and loadcontinuation cover.
On the road
We tested one of the first new Doblos to hit UK roads.The timing of its arrival meant that it provided our transport over the Christmas break and got an even more thorough test than usual. Fiat says soundproofing has been improved on the van, a claim we are inclined to believe even though the noise meter shows little difference. Apart from a few moments of diesel clatter from a cold start, the new engine is very quiet, even at motorway cruising speed.
While the enthusiastic 1.3-litre engine is the one if you're after economy in lightly laden or urban operations, the 1.9 Multi jet is the choice if you run at higher payloads and out of town, Although it doesn't feel peaky, its performance is strong.That torque plateau means it is also flexible — the number of gear changes needed is significantly reduced. And there's no real performance penalty when running with a full payload.The five-speed box is controlled by an excellent dash-mounted lever, although the shift occasionally proved to he a hit obstructive.
One thing you can normally rely on the Italians to get right is suspension, but they don't seem to have quite succeeded this time. They've come up with a comfortable ride but we can only assume priority has been given to comfort on Turkish roads at the expense of handling on good surfaces.There's too much roll and a lack of traction. It's all too easy to spin the front wheels and we experienced too much activity from the ABS. Unfortunately none of this is helped by the lack of electronic chassis aids.There is no ESP stability control or traction control.even as an option.The fundamental handling is actually quite good, but marred by the low levels of tyre grip and excessive body roll.The steering also feels slightly woolly but is not sloppy A high driving position serves to exaggerate the body roll. making it feel even less secure than it is.
Cab comfort
The facelift has seen the interior little changed (except for slightly different door panels and new seat material) but it has a more restrained and tasteful feel than some examples we've tested.The trim is well put together. with not a trace of a creak, rattle or groan, but the actual materials used look cheaper than they should.
The instrument panel features a small hut legible rev-counter and speedo with orange backlighting on a black background. Beneath the fuel and temperature gauges sits the central info panel,including a trip computer. a graphic of the headlamp level setting and the odometer. The steering column is fully adjustable. Seats are comfortable and supportive, with the driving seat adjustable for height. Even at the lowest position the seat is too high for our liking, giving a very upright driving position.The driver gets a little armrest on the left, although it has no adjustment. Soft head restraints and heightadjustable seat-belt mounts are included.
The remote-control door mirrors are well placed but are small and flat with no blind-spot facility.They are barely adequate for serious
use on a CV, especially with no interior-mirror view through the unglazed rear bulkhead and rear doors. In wet weather, rain tends to flow along the driver's-side window, obscuring the door mirror further.This apart, visibility through the deep windscreen and side windows is generally good.The sun visors are styled to match the curved edge of the overscreen shelf, so the bit nearest the centre of the van is lower than the outer edge.This means you are constantly having to adjust them.Wipers are good, with three washer jets per side. But on a sub-zero trip to mid-Wales, the jets froze up and it took a long Lime for the engine heat to filter through.The engine was surprisingly quick to warm up even in very cold ambient temperatures There's plenty of storage around the cab starting at roof height with a large over-screen storage shelf incorporating a useful grab
handle at each end.Two open shelves are located in front of the passenger seat, one intended for a passenger airbag. and there's a small glove box by the passenger's shin. Door pockets include recesses at the front which are large enough for a small drinks cup. Small bins, one forward of the gear lever and another beneath, are handy but all the facilities suffer from not having anti-slip/rattle lining.
The most hateful thing about the Doble is the radio-CD. Not only does it have small fiddly controls. it turns down the volume every time it's turned off or the mute button is used. Then a tiny button has to be pressed for a long time to get back to an acceptable level.
Apart from the radio. the large chunky controls are easy to use.The trip computer is controlled by a button on the end of the righthand wiper stalk, the left stalk controlling the lighting functions.The headlamps are pretty effective. A pair of auxiliary 12V sockets is mounted on the dash near the gear lever.
The gear lever is accessible but gets in the way of adjusting the heater. Pedals are well placed but there's no left footrest.As standard, the SX model gets one-click remote-control central locking on all doors,and electric windows which lack one-touch operation. •