Fiat Doblo Cargo Maxi Autogas LPG conversion review

A small display is fixed on the dash with a row of green lights to show how much gas is left in the tank

WHAT’S HOT

Quite a lot actually. Leaving aside the fact that the Fiat Doblo Cargo is one of the best small vans on the roads today, lets look at the conversion itself.

• A peep under the bonnet reveals a neat job – in fact you’d hardly notice anything was different from the petrol van. All the gubbins looks to be of the best quality, which is hardly surprising as Autogas Ltd is about as good as it gets when talking of LPG conversion jobs. Not a peep of BluTack, duct tape of double-sided sticky tape in sight!

• Switching from gas to petrol is done without a whisper. We tried changing between the fuels a few times while on the move and the engine didn’t miss a beat.

• We’ve already mentioned the fuel savings but might as well reiterate them as they are pretty spectacular. After 60,000 miles, subtracting the cost of the conversion, a user will save £2,800 in fuel alone.

• On the emissions front the conversion scores highly. CO2 is down 17%, NOX is down 20% and there are no particulate emissions as with diesel engines.

• We don’t drive many petrol vans nowadays and it is astonishing how much smoother and quieter they are with petrol engines under the bonnet rather than diesel ones. And under way with gas, the story is the same.

• The conversion comes with a booklet showing where all the LPG refuelling sites are in the UK. There are 1,400 of them altogether and with the option of filling with petrol if necessary, you’d have to be a complete moron to run out of fuel.

WHAT’S NOT

• As stated above, Autogas can only convert petrol vans, which cuts out the conversion of any larger vans as no-one makes petrol-powered 3.5-tonners. However, with all the hoo-hah going on at present regarding emissions from diesel vans, some manufacturers like Fiat, Ford, Citroen and Peugeot are now offering petrol alternatives in their smaller vans. Volkswagen is rumoured to be offering a 1.4-litre petrol variant when the new Caddy arrives later this year. Incidentally, Mercedes-Benz offers a petrol-powered Sprinter ready converted for CNG and Autogas is at present in talks with the manufacturer in a bid to get them to put the petrol version on the price list for LPG conversion too.

• Sadly LPG no longer qualifies for a reduction in the London congestion charge, despite its environmental properties. Thanks Boris!

• One of the problems with tinkering around with a brand new vehicle is that it will inevitably affect the warranty if anything goes wrong. Although Autogas reckons there have been no problems with its conversions to date, buyers can take out an extra warranty against any faults, which costs £245 for three years. We reckon if Autogas is so confident about its product it should offer this warranty as part of the package, even if it was hidden in the conversion price. Such a move, we think, would help boost sales.

• The gas tank is placed where the spare wheel should be so you’ll have to find room for the spare in the cargo area, which could potentially cause problems.