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Fiat's Doble is a serious contender
Page 18
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• by Colin Barnett CM recently had the opportunity to drive Fiat's new DoblO range in its native Italy, ahead of its UK launch next spring. The DoblO is already on sale in Italy, where its distinctive face is beginning to stand out from the crowds. We sampled both the fully glazed car and the Doble Cargo van versions.
Apart from the fact that rather a lot of painted metal is visible, the cab is comfortably trimmed. The dashboardmounted gearchange works well, but strangely there is a small central hump which hinders cross-cab access slightly.
The interior is certainly unconventional, but not to the point of being needlessly quirky. All controls are logically laid out. and the overall feeling is of impressive build quality.
The car version featured Rat's Connect system, which incorporates radio and CD, GSM telephone and GPS satellite navigation with a 5in colour display and full voice activation, but we don't expect too many UK van drivers to shell out for this option.
On its home ground the DoblO Cargo features a wide range of body options. It can be had with one, two or no sliding Side doors, and either double asymmetrically split side
hinged rear doors or a tailgate. In the bulkhead department there are choices of solid or glazed, full height or mesh, as well as an innovative bulkhead with a folding half-height section which works with a foldaway passenger seat to carry long items securely.
Add a rear roof hatch, highroof version and two trim levels, and the DoblO becomes a highly versatile prospect—and that's just the van. Access to its larger-than-class-norm load space through three large openings is excellent.
Sadly, the best isyet to come in the engine bay. We drove the 1.9-litre naturally aspirated IDi diesel, producing 63hp and I113Nm; for now the 1.2-litre 65hor102Nm petrol variant is the only other choice. A 1.6litre 16-valve petrol engine is due to join the range later, but is unlikely to make it to the UK. What will probably be the most Popular engine is the 100hp/200Nm 1.9JTD with common-rail injection. This stands more chance of arriving over here; it's due to be introduced next summer.
Having said this, the 1.9D is a very flexible and willing performer, given its lack of outright power. On the climb up our mountainous test route above Lake Maggiore it coped with all but the tightest uphill hairpins in third gear. For a fairly old-tech engine it demonstrates a surprisingly refined installation, marred just slightly by some gentle diesel knock under certain loadings.
Revelation
If the 1.9D engine was no great revelation, the Doblb's chassis most definitely was. Should you arrive at a tight bend slightly too quickly you might expect a van of this type to get a little untidy, but the Debit' just scampered around with virtually no loss of grip or body roll. The suspen sion is fairly basic stuff, with MacPherson stilts at the front and a leaf-sprung beam at the rear, but its performance belies its spec, the Dodo behaving like a true thoroughbred Italian.
Fiat has aimed for little dynamic difference between unladen and laden handling: on the basis of our drives in an unladen DoblO car and a twothirds laden Doblb Cargo it seems to have succeeded. Ride on the van is firm but smooth, and the steering and brakes are a match for the handling.
Although we sampled the DoblO range only briefly, that was enough to convince us that it will present a serious threat to its French rivals when it arrives in the UK early in 2001.