Fiat Qubo review
by Tom Stewart (21 January 2009)
Despite the financial benefits of running a small car, and the practical advantages of owning an MPV, there are precious few small MPVs in the current new car marketplace. With good headroom, easy access and a raised seating position, an affordable MPV is just the ticket for young families and senior citizens alike. Toyota's odd-looking Yaris Verso was one, but it never really caught on. Fiat isn't expecting to sell its new and equally odd-looking Qubo in huge numbers – about 1000 per year – but it should prove a tempting proposition for those prepared to look just a little beyond the norm.
I drove the Qubo with both engine variants available at launch – the 73bhp 1.4 petrol and 75bhp 1.3 MultiJet turbo diesel – and neither is a scintillating performer. Both feel a little unwilling in anything but precisely the right gear, while even the torquier (140lb/ft) MultiJet often struggles when in top gear and is faced with any kind of uphill gradient. And this is with just two aboard and no luggage. (An optional Dualogic auto transmission is available on the 1.3 MultiJet.)
Both have similar performance figures: 0-62 in 16.2 seconds (petrol) and 16.5 (diesel) with a max of 96mph for both. Of the two the 1.4 petrol feels smoother, quieter and more refined, but its combined mpg of 40.4 falls some way short of the 1.3 MultiJet's impressive 62.8mpg.
And therein lies an all too familiar conundrum. With prices ranging from £9750 for the lower-spec 1.4 Active to £12,350 for the higher-spec 1.3 MultiJet Dynamic, the diesel is, annoyingly, a full £1200 dearer than the petrol version. By my reckoning the petrol version will drive about 11,110 miles on that price difference alone, but from there fuelling the diesel will cost about £26 less per 1000 miles at current fuel prices, and have the convenience of a 600-mile range rather than a sub 400-mile range on a full 45-litre tank.
While we're on the subject of fuel, the Qubo has Fiat's eco:Drive system. By transferring a memory stick from the car's USB port to their own computer, reasonably computer-savvy drivers can help themselves drive more efficiently.
The Qubo has a compliant and comfortable ride; its suspension absorbs B-road bumps pretty well and feels composed at speed on a fast dual-carriageway, although it falls just short of being describable as plush or luxurious. The steering is well-weighted and amply responsive, while the handling is decently composed.
I drove quite a few miles on cold, damp and muddy roads but didn't experience any slithery moments. The brakes are strong, although the pedal needs a light touch, at least at low speeds with little weight aboard.
This is a small MPV, sized somewhere between a Panda and the Doblo or Multipla, but there’s no shortage of space inside unless you need to fit three grown men abreast in the rear, in which case they'll find it a squeeze.
It doesn't take rocket science to work out that the Qubo is fundamentally a van with windows – a seam running across the roof lining is one small giveaway – and so there's yards of headroom, ample legroom and 330 litres of bootspace up to the parcel shelf, or 650 litres up to the roof. With the split/fold seats tumbled forward there's a massive, flat-floored 2500 litres.
There are also cupholders and stowage bins aplenty, as well as hard-wearing fabric upholstery and washable rubber flooring. And those tall sliding rear doors are a real boon if there are kids in the rear, whether for good access to babies and toddlers, or you have tearaways who may be unconcerned by the close proximity of other parked cars as they make their speedy exits.
There are no Euro NCAP crash test results to report thus far, but the Qubo is reasonably well equipped with ABS and Electronic Brake Distribution, driver, passenger and side airbags, auto door locking (at over 12mph) and Isofix child seat anchor points. Remotely operated deadlocks are standard too, but an alarm is optional, as are parking sensors.
An electronic stability control system is not currently available, but other standard equipment on all variants includes a trip computer, electric front windows, a 40-watt radio/CD/mp3 player and Fiat's Blue&Me Bluetooth communications system, while the Dynamic adds 16" alloys, climate control, foglights, roof bars and more.
There was a time quite recently when the marketing for a car like this would have centred around those largely imaginary lifestyle types who supposedly spent their entire lives mountain biking, windsurfing and base jumping. Now the emphasis is on space, practicality and economy, and on those simpler, more realistic considerations the new Qubo scores pretty well.
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