by David Finlay (23 March 2010)
The Fiat Doblo is one thing, and styles itself another. To look at it, you might suppose that Fiat had decided to create a compact MPV by the method, much favoured by the French, of taking an existing van, knocking some windows into each side and sticking in a few extra seats. But no. In fact, the Doblo is based on the same floorpan as the
Punto Evo. Appearances to the contrary, it has no van history whatever.
There is no doubt, though, that it is a true compact MPV, and a very effective one. Its success is due partly to its vannish shape, which gives it great height and correspondingly impressive luggage room.
The Doblo can carry five occupants and still have 790 litres' worth of space for their chattels, and if you fold down the rear seats the capacity increases to 3200 litres. On more expensive models you also have the option of a third row of seats, raising the possible passenger count to seven.
Those extra seats, which can be removed again if necessary, are suitable for children only, and if you ask me they are uncomfortably close to the front bumper of whatever vehicle is following the Doblo. There's less legroom than you might expect in the "normal" back seats too, but the driver and front passenger have a decent amount of this, and everyone gets a quite startling amount of headroom.
The tailgate is absolutely colossal, so loading things into the back is easy enough, but I can't help wondering if it might be a bit unwieldy for the short and/or not fully fit among Fiat's potential customers. Another minor gripe is that although all the windows are very large, the pillars surrounding them are too, so visibility is either brilliant or ho-hum depending on which way you're looking.
From launch the Doblo is available with a choice of three engines. The only petrol option is a 95bhp 1.4-litre unit which Fiat has not yet made available to the UK press. Apart from that, there are 105bhp 1.6 and 135bhp 2.0 turbo diesels, and I would unhesitatingly recommend the 1.6.
It's not that there is anything wrong with the 2.0 - on the contrary, it's very good, and gives the Doblo an amusing turn of speed. It's just that the 1.6 provides just as much performance as the Doblo needs, and in particular it's remarkably strong at low revs (meaning 1500rpm - it falls asleep if you let it drop below that).
At 54.3mpg combined it's the most economical engine, beating the 2.0 by 3.7mpg, though I suspect that the difference would be greater in real life. The petrol Doblo uses much more fuel (39.2mpg) and has the highest CO2 emissions (166g/km), making it the most expensive to tax, but it does have the advantage of being nearly £3000 cheaper than the 1.6.
The Doblo's car heritage becomes apparent as soon as you start to drive it quickly. Despite what must be rather a high centre of gravity, certainly in comparison with that of the Punto Evo, it doesn't lean unduly in corners, and if you're really in the mood it can be made to spank along a twisty country road far more rapidly than its looks suggest. The more relevant way of putting this is that its handling limit is a long way beyond what most owners are likely to reach in anything other than an emergency situation, so it should be safe enough unless driven by a complete idiot.
Both the 1.4 petrol and the 1.6 diesel are available in Active, Dynamic and Eleganza trim levels, though there isn't a 2.0 diesel Active. All versions come as standard with ESP, a Start&Stop engine function, hill start assist, remote central locking, sliding rear doors and electric front windows.
For an extra £800 the Dynamic specification includes hub caps for the 16" steel wheels, air-conditioning with a pollen filter and a 12v rear power socket, while Eleganza models get 16" alloy wheels, foglights, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearlever, electric rear windows and door mirrors, an adjustable rigid parcel shelf, a radio/CD/MP3 player and Fiat's Blue&Me hands-free system for a further £800.
The entry-level model is the 1.4 Active at £12,295, and the 2.0 diesel Eleganza tops the range at £17,145. Extra-cost options include the third row of seats, anti-whiplash front headrests (which you might have hoped would be fitted as standard), cruise control, rear parking sensors and a proper spare wheel to replace the silly tyre repair kit.