Fiat Doblo Cargo

Good seating and a quieter cab are two of the internal updates

What’s hot

  • We always thought the Doblo was rather let down by its looks, which are a tad brutal and chunky. The new model has been completely reworked at the front and is now a lot more like the chic products you’d expect from an Italian firm. The headlights have also been put in a higher position, which should help protect them from low speed bumps, while the bumpers are now bigger, which will also aid crash protection
  • The cab and the rear end haven’t been altered but nothing wrong we that, we say. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! There is another reason for not altering the rear end too – Fiat offers the Doblo as a chassis-cab so that outside converters can turn it into niche products such as ambulances, box vans, fridge vans et al. Any alteration in dimensions would have caused serious problems for these converters who would have to go right back to the drawing board and then get their new designs type approved under the EU’s strict regulations.
  • Build quality has been tweaked in various ways, mostly small but all important. For example the door handles are now stronger and are designed to be opened with a single finger, which will be a boon to delivery drivers struggling with heavy parcels. We tried the one-finger test at the launch drive in Birmingham and can confirm that it does work.
  • The Doblo is now three decibels quieter in the cab. That might not sound a lot but that’s equivalent to having a vacuum cleaner buzzing away near you while sitting at home – and we all know how annoying that can be.
  • Fiat is also boasting best in class comfort and handling for the new Doblo and indeed on our test drives we were impressed with the driver and passenger seats, which both feature plenty of lumbar support to keep your back upright for extra support on long journeys.
  • The new Doblo also features different suspension set-ups for lighter and heavier models to further improve ride and handling, which Fiat reckons is now even more car-like.
  • Fiat is offering a new Gateway fleet management system, which is placed in a box under the seat and records any number of driving data such as mileage, braking and speed, allowing fleet managers to keep an eye on their vehicles while out on the roads. There will also be other new paid-for options such as powered folding mirrors, a removable torch, interior loading bars and roof flaps.
  • With all those engine configurations on offer just about everyone should be catered for, whatever their needs. We tried the perky little 1.3 90bhp and were pretty impressed with its performance. The 135bhp was a real buzzbomb, but if you are buying this van for someone else to drive we’d stick to the lower powered models.

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