If you did an overall power/speed test, the Nissan would
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come last with the Scudo entering a photo finish for the first places.
The worst aspect of the driveability is the visibility. Anything which reduces this on a van must be a had thing and the raked front end does just that The extra post by the wing mirrors reduces three-quarter vision which is a particular problem at junctions.
The mirrors themselves are a bit stingy with no wide angle section.
• CAB COMFORT The most important feature in the cab is that coded immobiliser which, frankly, doesn't do anything for us. It may be a good idea but (Wily in a kind of Yale-lock way: ie good until you lock yourself out. The frustration with this is that you have to enter the code every time you start up—no good if you are constantly hopping in and out In this situation you are bound to leave the panel down—and then bang your knee on it when you get in.
The facia appears quite stylish—in van terms—and is well laid out We liked the small removable panel from the Phillips radio which is better than the bulkier alternatives. Storage space is reasonable with an overhead document holder and a door-mounted drink container. The only thing it lacks is dashboard storage space. If you like your seats firm you may have to look elsewhere, but our tester found them comfortable enough. We were surprised to find such a small ashtray particularly from a combined design team from France and Italy—both likely medal winners in any smoking olympics. A final gripe goes to the red kilometre markings on the speedo. In the dark these outshine the white mph marks and can lead to confusion in the UK market.
• SUMMARY
For a van that's heralded as something for the car driver to move up to, the Fiat Scudo does well. It would have done very well but for the problem with driver visibility.
And it's ironic that this is due to the very thing that's supposed to make it car-like: that raked front end. Apart from that, the steering, gears and pedals could have come straight out of an executive mile eater, with good fuel consumption to match. Where the van doesn't do so well is in the load carrying stakes. The load area itself—although accessible should be better, particularly when you consider the competition. And it's when you start doing this that the Scudo loses ground.
We've already mentioned what the Transporter and Vanette offer for similar money but what we didn't mention is the Transporter is also very nice to drive. Sorry Scudo but Transporter really is the one to beat.