Damning the Caro with faint praise Over the years we've
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driven some pretty ghastly eastern European CVs, so it was with some trepidation that we embarked on a test of the FS0 Caro pick-up in 1995.
Although the truck was launched at the 1990 British Motor Show as the FS0 One Tonne, it didn't actually go on sale here until 1993.
The driveline was a mix of FSO, Fiat and PSA. A Peugeot 1.9-litre naturally aspirated diesel engine, matched to a fivespeed manual gearbox, drove the rear wheels. We discovered the performance to be acceptable when unladen, but with the maximum 925kg payload in the back it was a very different story. On the test track it took more than 22 seconds to reach 50mph, leading us to suggest that FS0 source a turbo diesel instead. We found the gearbox sluggish too, but were impressed with the 34.6mpg the laden truck managed on our test route.
The steering felt sloppy, but the worst driving characteristic was the laden handling. "With a load on the back, the Caro turns into a vague, unwieldy beast that is prone to wander at higher speeds," we said.
The brakes were "no more than adequate" and the handbrake was ineffective.
Uniquely, the Caro came with a dropside body as standard, and for that it received some praise. But we didn't like the 800mm load height, and noted that it was lacking loadbed tie-down points, ladder lashing above the cab and a proper tonneau cover.
Amazingly we discovered that the cab's interior was almost agreeable. The seats were "comfortable" and the driving position was "OK". We found the switchgear to be a "mess" though, and didn't like the "unpleasant odours given off by the dashboard in hot weather". Storage space was pathetic and visibility was marred by small door mirrors and wipers that left large areas of the windscreen unswept.
In conclusion the best we could say about the £6,299 Caro was that it was better than a Tata Load beta, but not as good as a Skoda. Faint praise indeed.
How many left?
In 1997, at the peak of its popularity, there were 1,900 FS0 Caros on Britain's roads. According to www.howmanyleft. corn, there are just 16 left today. Not a good survival rate.