All-purpose Fiat looks a winner
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FOR URBAN delivery work many operators employ chassis cabs or chassis cowls with bodies specially built on to meet their individual needs even though there are several good examples of integral factory-built models available.
The Fiat 55 F10, the replacement for the 0M55, is one such vehicle which has an all-steel body integral with the cab and looks very similar to the older model it replaces. The main difference is in the fivebearing, 4.57-litre (27cuin) four-cylinder water-cooled diesel engine rated at 70.9kW (95bhp). Although the same capacity as fitted to the previous model, Fiat has found an extra few horses to give it a power to weight ratio of 12.4kW /tonne (16.9bhp/ton) fully laden.
Fitted with a five-speed synchromesh gearbox giving a top speed of about 67mph, it should be considered for more than just urban delivery work, so for this test we chose to take it over our Midlands test route.
Starting from Hemel Hempstead I drove up the M1 and along the M45 to just south of Coventry. For all of the motorway section the van stayed in top gear to return a fuel consumption figure of 12.51it/ 100km (22.6mpg) while maintaining a cruising speed of 50 to 60mph.
Over all sections of the route the fuel consumption remained consistent, resulting in a final
figure of 11.51it/ 100km (24.6mpg). Although the 55 F10 is a large slab-sided vehicle, it was not affected unduly by crosswinds nor by the air dams created by other larger vehicles.,
At the much lower speeds encountered on the A-road sections, the gearbox came more into demand. With four of the five speeds synchromeshed and a stick biased to the centre position, it proved light and easy to use.
Both the brake and clutch pedals are located much too high above the floor. Not only did it require extra effort for every gear-change and check brake, but it also restricted room for leg movement beneath the steering wheel. The hand-brake, reminiscent of the old multi-pull brake, was a little unusual in that the lever not only had to be lifted to apply it, but the action had to be repeated before the brake would release.
Three wiper blades serve to keep the large curved one-piece laminated screen clear of rain. As far as the limitations of the design allow, they work fine but they fail to clear more than the lower half of the glass. Even on a dry day this can be noticed, for to provide a clearer view the film of insects occasionally needs to be removed. Visibility at T-junctions is assisted by a window located behind the nearside door, but it is not duplicated on the offside, as here it would seem to be of little benefit. The cab doors are situated low down and to the front of the wheel arches. A step is provided to make access easier.
Inside three seats fill the full width of the cab. A hand brake and gear stick are positioned so as to allow a clear passage from one side to the other. Behind the nearside passenger seat a sliding door in the full-height bulkhead, providing entry through from the cab to the load area, is accessible only when the nearside seat is folded forward. A sliding door on the nearside gives access to the load area from the pavement.
At the rear, double doors open a full 270 degrees to expose the full extremities of the load area. This model had the added advantage of a high roofline, giving an interior head height of 1.9m (6ft 23/4in). The ribbed floor area is restricted by two flat-topped wheel arches, leaving usable floor width between them of only 1.0m (3ft 3in).
The large side-panels are braced with slotted supports that can be utilised as fixing points for racks or shelving. All inside surfaces are coated in a rubberised anti-corrosive material, which must also help reduce drumming, for it turned out to be a very quiet vehicle to drive.
A fixed rear step eases the entry to the low 0.84m (2ft 11 in) high load platform while the step at the side door could be safer if the platform were cut away inside the door, but this would create a disadvantage by reducing useble floor space.
I found the steering to be light and responsive but the vacuum-assisted brakes seemed heavy, much more so than larger and heavier vehicles that I have driven equipped with full air brakes. During maximum application under test conditions the load-sensing device protected the drive axle, allowing only the front axle to lock up and resulting in straight stops.
At one point along the route where the road narrowed due to road works, I drove too close to a row of trees lining the roadside and on contact with a protruding branch knocked the nearside mirror back along the side of the vehicle, but without any damage to the glass — proving to me on this occasion the worth of the "knock-back" type of support arm. Although the impact was quite hard, at about 20mph it suffered no permanent damage and required only to be repositioned.
Through the twisty and sometimes hilly Cotswold lanes the vehicle handled well. Roll bars fitted to the front and rear axles were effective in limiting roll to the minimum. Hillclimbing ability showed up well here. It took only 3min 7sec to complete the timed climb, over Fish Hill out of Broadway, at an average speed of 40km /h (25mph) for the 2.1.km (1.3miles) ascent.
Later we were able to make good time over the final and hilliest part of the journey from High Wycombe to Hemel Hempstead, so by the end of the day we had recorded a very satisfactory journey time and fuel return.
Servicing
Below the front grille, which hinges upwards, the oil filler can be reached easily. The filler for the radiator is situated further to the rear, behind a small flap located behind the passenger door. Lower down the batteries are mounted on runners so that they may be slid out as an aid to service.
A combined clutch and irake reservoir is placed beieath the centre panel of the lash alongside a large bank of uses. The engine is situated ielow the middle seat which nust be folded double before he engine cover can be raised ideways. There is however no teed to go through this procedire, just to dip the oil, as the aye! can be checked visually on lash-mounted oil level indica
For laundry, baking or similar ypes of delivery operation, or inywhere where a large cargo irea is needed, this integral iteel-bodied van will suit. From
he driving point of view the cab s quiet and comfortable. The /an proved as easy to drive as -nany smaller vehicles.
I took the opportunity to dis-_,-uss some of my criticisms with 3 company representative. It seems that I am alone in my conclusion that the brake pedal Is biased to being heavy. I was assured, however, that the nydraulic system is progressive: that is to say, as the pedal is pressed harder, the brakes work proportionally more, but no figures were immediately available.
The pedal height is a longstanding criticism; since nothing has been done to correct it one can only assume that Fiat engineers do not believe it to be one. At some time in the nottoo-distant future, the windscreen wipers will be changed for a two-blade system which. I am told, will cover 75 per cent of the front screen area.
I also asked why the steps at the side door were so arranged and, as I had thought, it is simply to make the most of the available floor area, Large wheel arches are a feature which any manufacturer would like to be able to dispense with to give a clear floor area.
The problem here is that their width is determined by the double-wheel figuration. The height could be a little lower for the UK without raising the floor height, but on the Continent the clearance between the wheels and the arches is provided to allow for the fitting of snow chains. The arches are at least flat-topped, which to some degree allows them to be used as part of the load platform.
Overall, I liked thi machine: it is comfortable, has good vision and returned a good fuel consumption. The load area offers a high volume, making it ideal for parcel-type delivery work.
The price as tested was 7,440 offering a payload of 2.5 tonnes (2 tons 9cwt).