Plumbing Connection 1-2015

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P L UMB I N G CO N N E C T I O N

A U T UMN 2 0 15

fter years of deliberation, Fiat Professional has

finally launched its Doblo van in Australia, pitched

at established compact cargo carriers such as the

market-leading Volkswagen Caddy, Renault’s Kangoo and the

Citroen Berlingo.

Priced from $22,000, the front-drive Doblo has arrived with

petrol and diesel powertrain options, two wheelbase lengths

(4,390mm and 4,740mm), plenty of standard equipment for the

money and claims from the Australian subsidiary of the Italian

manufacturer that it sets “a new benchmark in the commercial

vehicle sector”.

At the $22K entry level is a 70kW/127Nm 1.4L four-cylinder

petrol engine, paired exclusively with a five-speed manual

gearbox, while an extra $5,000 will bring diesel power into

play with a stronger and more economical 77kW/290Nm 1.6L

Multijet engine combining with a six-speed manual.

A five-speed Comfort-matic automatic (more accurately

defined as a clutch-less manual) is available $2,000 further

upstream from $29,000, although the gearbox convenience

comes at the expense of engine output, which is pegged back to

66kW/200Nm.

On the flipside, this variant has a fuel-saving engine idle-

stop system and the lowest consumption at 4.9L/100km on the

combined cycle, down from 5.4L with the manual and 7.3L with

the petrol engine.

At the top of the range is the longer-wheelbase Maxi, priced

from $31,000 and offering more muscle with a 99kW/320Nm

2.0L Multijet diesel that returns 5.9L/100km. It is only available

as a six-speed manual.

Fiat claims class-leading payload capacity for the Doblo,

which manages 750kg in SWB guise or 1,000kg for the Maxi.

The load compartment length is 1,820mm in the SWB, with the

Maxi stretching a further 350mm (to 2,170mm), while on all

models width is 1,518mm (1,230mm between the wheel arches)

and height 1,305mm.

Overall cargo volume is 3.4m³ for the SWB and 4.2m³ for the

Maxi. Access to the cargo area is made via a sliding door on

each side of the van and rear doors (side-hinged or tailgate).

All models have air conditioning, remote central locking, a

trip computer, Bluetooth connection, height/reach-adjustable

steering wheel and a large lockage glovebox capable of holding

a 14" laptop, while cruise control and rear parking sensors are

found across the diesel range.

Standard safety equipment includes four airbags, electronic

stability control, a hill-holder and ABS brakes with EBD.

Fiat

www.fiat.com.au

FIAT DOBLO

CITROEN BERLINGO ETG LONG BODY

Citroen has upgraded the long-bodied version of its Berlingo

van with a new ETG automated manual transmission for its

66kW/215Nm 1.6L turbo-diesel engine, offering a clutch-less

alternative to its five-speed manual.

It is priced from $28,990 plus on-road costs and returns

fuel economy of 4.7L/100km on the official combined cycle

– 1L down on the conventional manual, thanks in part to the

inclusion of an automatic engine idle-stop system. Traction

control and hill-start assist are also fitted standard.