Italian stallion - Fiat Doblo Cargo JTD - Brief Article - Product Announcement

There was a justifiable feeling of pride within Fiat when it launched the Doblo Cargo to widespread acclaim. The Fiorino van pretty well defined the PBV (purpose built van) sector when the likes of the Berlingo and Kangoo were merely an idle doodling of their designers' pencils. Yet despite this, the Doblo was launched with a fundamental flaw: its diesel engine.

The new JTD Unijet engine--Fiat's name for common-rail--transforms the vehicle so much that, as far as I can remember, this is the first time Company Van has ever given over a full launch report to an engine upgrade.

There is always a sense of disappointment when a `new' vehicle appears, soldiering on with a power unit that should have been consigned to the history books. So it was with the Doblo Cargo. A simple car-derived van of low payload may have got away with it, but 63 wheezing horses seriously tainted the otherwise excellent Doblo concept and, at almost 2t all-up, it had a performance that many a 3.5-tonner could match.

The new JTD engine powers Alfa Romeo 156s and Ducato 3.5t vans in various forms, with equal efficiency. For the Doblo Cargo, it was worth the wait.

The first thing you notice is the sophistication of the engine. At low revs it is smoother than an HDi-powered Berlingo or Partner, which feel distinctly lumpy when tootling in town traffic. The Doblo's JTD could almost pass for a six-cylinder if you make it lug from below 1500rpm. The peak torque of 200Nm occurs at 1500rpm, and it will pull cleanly from 1200rpm or so, whereas the PSA HDi unit would hunt and demand a downshift. The JTD suffers virtually no turbo lag--although it has to be said that the HDi is good in this respect too--and the Fiat's engine revs just as freely as the Citroen's.

The way that the Doblo covers the ground is a little deceptive--the middle ratios are more tightly spaced than the Berlingo and it doesn't feel as long-legged in fifth --but it has ample performance for motorway long-hauls. Only brisk cross-winds bother it, but that's par for the class.

Where it cannot match the older Berlingo/Partner design is in the cab interior which features too much design and not enough function. The seat adjustment is too coarse, and oddments space --critical to vans like these--trails the French yardstick.

Ours also came fitted with a full telematics system but the navigation component has to be one of the least user-friendly units I've ever used. At one stage on a major A-road it showed the vehicle to be some distance from the highway, in a field and actually pointing in a different direction.

After much whirring of the CD-Rom drive and dissolving of the map display, the thing found its place three miles further on.

Despite this, Fiat has finally got it right. Load access is good and ride levels are acceptable. The JTD has made this van what it should have been, and not a moment too soon.

DRIVER'S LOG

LIST PRICE: 8800 [pounds sterling] to 9545 [pounds sterling] (+VAT)

ON SALE: Now

ENGINE: 1910cc 100bhp four-cylinder Di

TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual

GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT: 1935kg

PAYLOAD: 625-805kg

VOLUME: 3.2[m.sup.3]

COMPANY VAN RATING: 8/10

COPYRIGHT 2002 DMG World Media Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group