SODA CUBE VAN 1.9D
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,H ow about this one, sir? The Skoda Pick-Me
Up—it's a reasonably priced little Czech number, but it travels well and it leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Oh, you'd like something a bit more full-bodied? I've got just the thing.: The Skoda Cube Van is a rather unusual hybrid: basically a diesel-engined Skoda Pick Up (based on the Felicia hatchback) with a fixed GRP hardtop for the load area (rather than the steel shell we saw at the Amsterdam Show last year) and steel sidehinged rear doors replacing the Pick Up's tailgate.
The idea is that it's a cheaper alternative to high-cube vans such as the Inca, from Skoda's sister company Seat. But it all sounds as if it could be a horribly bodged job; a blueprint for rattles and leaks, and a poor excuse for a properly developed van.
Nevertheless, our test of the petrol-engined Pick Up (CM 1622 May 1996) showed that Skoda no longer deserves to be the butt
of jokes—the Pick Up is a comfortable, refined workhorse which goes straight to the top of its class, with a three-year unlimited-mileage warranty and build quality to match the products of its parent company; Volkswagen. This is only as it should be, because VW also sells it badged as the Caddy Pickup.
The Volkswagen link is tangible in another way: the same
indirect-injection, catalystequipped OHC diesel that powers the Inca/VW Caddy is used here: a competent engine that delivers decent fuel consumption and has always been reliable. All the major ingredients are right, so does the recipe work?
The GRP load box adds around 30kg to the Pick Up, for an unladen weight of 1,025kg and a useful payload (with a 75kg driver) of 500kg. This is among the lowest in its class (the Inca/ Caddy manages 550kg) but commensurate with the Skoda's comparatively light gross weight—most of the Cube Van's rivals tip the scales at around 1,700kg fully freighted. Although the petrol version weighs 90kg less, its gross weight is adjusted so the payload is the same.
The question is, how does the fuel economy compare? The Skoda's laden figure of 44.8mpg (6.31it/100km) round our Kent route is more than acceptable, but no threat to the direct-injection SDI version of the Caddy or to the current class leader, Ford's 1.8-litre Courier, which managed over 50mpg (but which lacks a catalytic converter). The Cube Van's average speed of 66.4km/h is competitive, as is the unladen fuel consumption figure of 48.0mpg (5.91it/100km).
Oil changes come round every 5,000 miles; half the interval for the petrol variant but typical of this claw.
The Cube Van looks a little ungainly—it's shorter and narrower than the Caddy, and around an inch taller—but it's pretty practical.
Behind the rather light rear doors (not a match for the vaultlike items on the Caddy) the load space is stark: a ribbed, painted steel floor with four load eyes raised up to accommodate a mat or load liner. Loadspace is an unremarkable 2.4m3, a little less than the norm, but a one-metre pallet will just fit between the wheelarch intrusions.
Skoda itself offers an alternative to the Cube Van: a £695 GRP hardtop (made by Truckman in the UK) for the Pick Up, or a "deluxe" double-skinned model, costing £785, which retains the tailgate and adds a top-hinged tinted glass hatch. Each gives an effective payload about the same as that of the Cube van and can take a roof load on its integral ladder rack. So you pays yer money (£7,299 for the diesel Pick Up). and you takes yer choice.
The most unusual feature is the bulkhead, formed by the rear of the Pick Up's cabin and retaining the rear window glass. It doesn't permit access to the load area but it can be regarded as a security and safety feature. If it cuts down on noise too, then it does all that a good bulkhead should.
The Skoda is not the most polished performer on the road. The ride is rather jiggly, especially unladen, and is outclassed by the supple suspension of the Ford Courier. It also lacks the poise and grip of the Caddy, although the handling is predictable, and its standard 165/70R13 Barum "Brilliant" tyres can hardly be expected to compete with the VW's 175/65 Continentals on larger 14in wheels.
But the Cube Van showed a couple of improvements over the petrol-engined Pick Up. Diesel models get a front anti-roll bar (stiffer rear suspension might be welcome too, though the Skoda didn't bottom out under load) and they also get power-assisted steering—very welcome, and a little sharper than the manual setup at three turns lock-to-lock. The brakes (discs up front, drums to the rear) are sharp too, and could outperform the tyres under hard application. But the handbrake held the van successfully on a 1-in-3 (33%) slope.
As we expected from previous encounters, the engine was willing and the Skoda managed a very respectable 14.7sec for the 0-80km/h dash. This is one of the best figures in its class, though not quite up to the sparkling 13.7sec we achieved in the lighter pickup with its free-revving 1.3litre petrol engine.
The gearbox on our 3,000-mile example was light in operation but rather spongy and imprecise; again the Courier sets the standard here.
Other aspects of the driving experience are difficult to fault. The Cube Van has an uncluttered, logically designed cabin with a fair amount of room, decent ventilation and goodquality fixtures and fittings.
The Skoda is not short of features, with anti-submarining seats, height-adjustable seatbelts, a removable radio, an engine immobiliser and (praise be!) a headlamp beam adjuster. There's a glove compartment deep enough for drinks cans, too. The cab lacks the ultimate solidity of the Caddy, the space of the Berlingo/Partner or the quality of the Courier, but it works.
The "bulkhead" works, too. It keeps the worst of the wind roar out of the cabin, and noise levels are competitive; around the same as for the Vauxhall Combo.
We like the Cube Van. It's a rather quirky idea, it's not pretty and it clearly isn't quite as flash as a "proper" high-cube, but the concept works and it's a sign that Skoda is serious about the commercial market.
The price is marginal, though, in a sector that has become fiercely competitive. Just £8,135 will buy you the most basic diesel Citroen Berlingo or Peugeot Partner, while £8,330 gets you a Volkswagen Caddy SD. Still, the warranty is matched only by Seat's Inca, you get AA cover too, and the Skoda's price is "on the road", including delivery, fuel, plates and road tax.
So if you're looking at a strict budget for a van, there's no reason to be disheartened, or prejudiced. The Skoda offers a lot of vehicle for your money (including German engineering) and it's clearly anything but a bodged job. Go on, Czech it out...
by Toby Clark