Fiat Doblo 1.2 SX

The Doblo turbo-diesel is a very fine machine. To call it a van with windows sounds like damning with faint praise, but if all vans are as quiet, quick, comfortable and crisp to drive as this one is then what's the point of conventional cars?

This is not a noisy beast and although there is faint diesel clatter when it's cold this quickly subsides to virtually inaudable, and the road and wind noise is well suppressed too, leading to a very relaxing drive, particularly at speed. The seats are very special, the driver's having a sensible lumber adjustment and a relationship to most of the controls, particularly the gearbox, which is unsurpassed. Unfortunately this excellence is marred slightly by a pedal arrangement which puts the accelerator too close to the clutch.. I am geting used to this, but cannot understand why the designers didn't just place the go pedal an inch further over, there is ample room. Also, the brakes, although perfectly adequate, are spongy. this I am getting used to easily, but my last car had firm anchors which I preferred.

The Doblo has the usual contemporary assemblage of see you home lights, auto volume increase to the (good) stereo and excellent interior lighting. However, the car's greatest achievement is to have oodles of space for luggage and passengers, with ample storage. It feels very solid and rattle free and the steering and throttle response are so immediate and precise that every journey is a delight for a keen driver. The handling isn't bad either, indeed, it is fun. The engine is lovely and its on-paper performance figures don't do justict to the immediate throttle response and real push-in-the- back overtaking ability it can deliver within the (admittedly narrow) diesel power band.

No, on balance this is one very fine motor. The looks are great, not dullsville like the French competition, it seems very well put together, it is wonderful to look out of, it has room for all my stuff, and more and, of paramount importance, it is fun to drive. I was even waved at by a fellow driver yesterday, which says alot about the car. This is no bland box but a well engineered Italian driving machine that dares to be different in the interest of common sense. Well done Fiat.

I've had our Fiat Doblo for about 3 months and already driven over 5000 miles, read all the reviews i could find (there wasn't many) and most of them didn't rate the vehicle, i found it to be a very comfortable drive with excellent visability and the vehicle is very nippy it only has a 1.2 engine but the vehicle is large so expected it to be quite slugish and I'm getting about 40 miles to the gallon on a long run and about 32 around town. The vehicle seats 5 easily, have been away to Scotland and there was even enough room for two of us to sleep in the back with the rear seat folded up. I recently bought a garden patio set comprising of 6 chairs that don't fold a large table, parasol and sun lounger, all of this fitted in the vehicle with ease, plus myself and two of my daughters. The Doblo is not actually a car but a van with extra seats, it sound like a van when your driving although its not noisy. The gears change easily and its is very light on the stearing there is even a rear sensor for when you are reversing. I would recomend this vehicle if you have a large family and use prams, pushchairs, wheelchairs the boot is hugh. So if you can stand people telling you what an ugly car it is, test drive one today, I think you'll be surprised