PICKUPS
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Winner:
FIAT FIORINO
Other contenders:
HO Pickup Tata Loadbeta Toyota Hilux 4x4 Double Cab Vauxhall Brava 4x4 Double Cab
It was a good year for pickups. We tested five: Fiat Fiorillo, FSO pickup, Tata Loaclbeta, Toyota Hilux Double Cab 4x4 and Vauxhall Brava Double Cab 4x4.
When you look at how they stack up against each other it is clear that you have to need a double cab 4x4 to buy one. While they might carry twice the number of people, they also cost around double that of their rivals— and you are unlikely to be able to reclaim the VAT. So you could buy two of any of the rivals (albeit with only two seats and two-wheel drive) for the price of the Toyota or Vauxhall. This reason consigned the double cabs to the specialist category well beyond the needs (and means) of most pickup operators.
With only about £300 between the list prices of the remaining three, payload could be a deciding factor.
The FSO is the cheapest and has the best payload, at just over a tonne. At the other end, the Tata is the most expensive with just under a tonne payload. In the middle pricewise is the Fiat Florin°, though this only has around half the payload of its rivals.
As expected the Fiat was a clear leader in the fuel consumption stakes, turning in almost 42mpg when laden. It also scored well in the fleet appeal section for its parts prices, downtime and number of dealers. Tata's three-year warranty is a definite bonus for potential owners. In our roadtest reports we commented on the poor stability of both the Tata and the FSO. These counted in the Fiat's favour in the ride and handling section. In terms of driver appeal and innovation we felt there was very little to separate the contenders.
The final consideration was safety. Good mirrors and brakes again helped the Fiat's cause.
An over-sensitive rear end put our testers off the Tata while the load-sensitive Jekylland-Hyde handling of the FSO caused a few raised eyebrows.
Having debated at length the pros and cons of all the contenders, we chose the Fiat