Fiat Doblo L1 Diesel 1.5 Multijet 100 H1 Van Primo

  • Manual
  • Diesel
  • Other
  • 3 yrs Warranty
  • 24 mths Service schedule
  • 2,390 kg Gross vehicle weight
  • 982 kg Payload
  • 1,200 mm Load height
  • 1,817 mm Load length
  • EURO 6 Standard euro emissions
Salary Sacrifice Estimator

Ten Second Review

The third generation version of Fiat's Doblo van has evolved - particularly in all-electric form. Much about this now-smarter design is now shared with competing brands in the sector for compact LCVs, but this one still deserves a look if you're seeking a modern value-based package.

Background

For the first time in a long time, the Fiat Professional van range is looking properly modern and cutting-edge. All three of the LCVs the Italian brand offers have been significantly refreshed in recent times - including the smallest member of the line-up, the little Doblo van we look at here. Like the larger Scudo and Ducato models, it has shared Stellantis Group underpinnings, specifically here the EMP2 chassis already used by the Peugeot Partner, Citroen Berlingo, Vauxhall Combo Cargo and Toyota Proace City. Which means there can be a (now-improved) all-electric E-Doblo model too. There's inevitably good and bad in this. Good in that it brings us a much more sophisticated Doblo than businesses have ever had access to before. And bad in that it also brings us the priciest Doblo we've ever seen here. Value was always this Fiat van's calling card. Can this one still deliver in that regard?. Let's take a look.

Driving Experience

One day in the not-too-distant future, you won't be able to acquire a new van of this size with a combustion engine, but for the time being, fossil-fuelled powerplants are very much alive and well in the Doblo range. There's no longer a petrol option, but Fiat still offers two 1.5-litre units, one with 100PS and manual transmission, the other with 130PS and an automatic. A neat touch is Fiat's 'Grip Control System', designed to aid traction on slippery surfaces. And for those awkward deliveries on building sites, there's a Hill descent control set-up for gradients of over 3%. Your Fiat Professional dealer is also going to want you to consider the option of the alternative all-electric E-Doblo, which uses exactly the same now-improved powertrain as its Peugeot E-Partner, Citroen e-Berlingo, Vauxhall Combo Electric and Toyota Proace City Electric segment cousins. This sees a 100kW motor drive the front wheels powered by a 50kWh battery, which when fully charged can now take the E-Doblo up to 205 miles. As usual with this powertrain, there are three driving modes, 'Normal', 'Eco' and 'Power'.

Design and Build

This Doblo might be a re-badged version of an existing Stellantis Group small LCV design but at least from the front end, it doesn't look it. The nose (smartened up for this revised model) gives this van its own sense of urban style, with Fiat's latest retro brand badge where you'd normally expect the grille to be: cooling is taken care of by a large intake lower down. As you'd expect, there are long and short wheelbase van and 5-seater Crew Cab versions. Sadly though, there's no option for the kind of high roof variant that was so useful to operators with the previous generation Doblo Cargo. Inside, the dash and instrument layout is of course as you'll find it with this model's other Stellantis cousins. You'll like the 'Magic Cargo' feature, which enables the van to carry up to three people in the front seats or, alternatively, increase the cargo area's length and loading volume. The passenger-side seat can be raised and the compartment underneath used for boxes or fragile items. On the E-Doblo, one neat touch, unique at launch, is the 'Magic Plug', which makes it possible to use the battery energy to power tools or other electrical appliances.

Market and Model

Prices start from just over £21,000 for the combustion variants and from around £26,000 for the E-Doblo (the latter figure following subtraction of the government's £2,500 Plug-in Van Grant). There's a choice of standard or plusher 'Primo' levels of trim. The base price just quoted is for the short wheelbase L1 version. It's probably worth stretching to the long wheelbase L2 variant, which only costs £950 more. With base trim and the L2 body shape, there's also a Crew Van variant with a second fold-out seating row, available from around £24,000 in combustion form - or from around £29,000 in EV form - ex VAT after grant deduction. With all E-Doblos, a 7.4kW on-board charger is standard with an optional 11kW one as an alternative. This Doblo might be a re-badged version of an existing Stellantis Group small LCV design but at least from the front end, it doesn't look it. The nose (smartened up for this revised model) gives this van its own sense of urban style, with a prominent Fiat brand badge. As you'd expect, there are long and short wheelbase van and 5-seater Crew Cab versions. Inside, where this revised model offers a smarter Fiat-branded steering wheel and upgraded fabrics, the dash and instrument layout is of course much as you'll find it with this model's other Stellantis cousins. You'll like the available 'Magic Cargo' feature, which enables the van to carry up to three people in the front seats or, alternatively, increase the cargo area's length and loading volume. The passenger-side seat can be raised and the compartment underneath used for boxes or fragile items. On the E-Doblo, one neat touch is the ePTO 'Magic Plug', which makes it possible to use the battery energy to power tools or other electrical appliances. With plusher trim, you get 10-inch screens for the instruments and the infotainment, the latter one with 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring. There is no lack of storage space in the cab: 16 storage points according to Fiat, these including a 15-litre area in the centre console.

Practicalities and Costs

The dimensions are perfectly in line with the segment, with a length of 4,403mm for the short wheelbase version, ensuring an optimum effective usable length of 1.81m and a 3.3m3 capacity, sufficient to accommodate two Euro pallets. There are slide-opening side doors and twin side-hinged rear doors that open to 180 degrees. Plus the payload is up to one tonne. The long wheelbase version, which is 4,753mm long, provides even greater load capacity - 3.9m3. Yet more space can be freed up with the clever 'Magic Cargo' feature. This uses a folding front passenger bench to add an extra 0.4m3, while also increasing the maximum load length by 1.3m. Payload across the range is up to 1,000kgs. And there's a 1.5-tonne towing capability that's un-bettered in the class. And running costs? Well here, there's little for operators to worry about. Returns from the various turbo-charged, direct injection diesel engines are competitive, CO2 emissions starting from 111g/km and fuel economy of up to 67.3mpg possible for the 1.5-litre 100PS diesel. The 1.5-litre 130PS diesel manages 65.7mpg and 113g/km. Both these powertrains meet the stringent Euro 6d-TEMP emissions standard. On the move, an engine stop-start function supports fuel economy and lower emissions. The E-Doblo is available with a 'Rapid Charge Mode', which allows 80% of the battery to recharge in 30 minutes when hooked up to a 100kW public charger. On all Doblos, maintenance schedules are up to 25,000 miles/two years. All Doblo vans are covered by a comprehensive five-year/100,000-mile manufacturer's warranty along with five year's roadside assistance.

Summary

We'd be disappointed if Fiat stopped fundamentally designing its own cars, but it does seem logical in the current climate for the brand to be sharing the design of its vans. As it's done for decades with its medium and large-sized models. Even the city-shaped tiny Fiorano van was a shared design. But the Dobo LCV has always been a stand-alone Fiat - until this third generation model arrived. At least in this revised form it still has its own unique front-end look. And the E-Doblo's improved driving range and its clever 'Magic Plug' might be selling points that make you think once more about a switch to a full-EV fleet. Either way, combustion or EV, the Doblo's worth a place on your shortlist.

  • Automatic headlight control and rain sensing wipers
  • Connected services
  • Reverse parking sensors
  • Black side protection mouldings
  • Body colour door handles
  • Body colour front and rear bumpers
  • Body colour sliding door rail cover
  • ECO painted body colour
  • Short Antenna
  • 12v Front plug on dashboard
  • Audio Controls steering wheel buttons
  • Hard plastic floor protection in cabin
  • Mica cloth upholstery
  • Overhead storage shelf in cabin
  • Reach and rake adjustable steering column
  • Sport steering wheel
  • City pack with dynamic surround view - Doblo
  • Acoustic vehicle alerting system
  • Automatic activation of hazard warning lights on major deceleration
  • Driver's airbag
  • Front passenger airbag
  • Row-1 side curtain airbag
  • Row-1 side thorax airbag
  • Seatbelt unfastened audible warning and warning light
  • Seatbelt with action
  • Dashboard mounted central locking push button and auto locking above 7mph
  • Deadlocking for passenger and cargo area
  • Immobiliser
  • Perimetric alarm
  • Primary and spare folding keys
  • Remote control central deadlocking
  • Remote control ultrasonic security alarm system
  • HC: N
  • Standard Euro Emissions: EURO 6
  • WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Comb - TEH: 161
  • WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Comb - TEL: 136
  • Automatic Transmission: False
  • Bore: 75
  • Catalytic Convertor: True
  • CC: 1499
  • Cylinder Layout: IN-LINE
  • Cylinders: 4
  • Engine Layout: FRONT TRANSVERSE
  • Engine Make: N
  • Fuel Delivery: COMMON RAIL
  • Fuel Type: DIESEL
  • Gears: 6 SPEED
  • Manual Transmission: True
  • Number of Valves: 16
  • Stroke: 84.8
  • Valve gear: DOHC
  • EC: False
  • WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Comb - TEH: 6.1
  • WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Comb - TEL: 5.2
  • WLTP - MPG - Comb - TEH: 46
  • WLTP - MPG - Comb - TEL: 54.4
  • Alternative Fuel Qualifying: False
  • Any aspect of the vehicles safety cause concern: False
  • Badge Engine CC: 1.5
  • Badge Power: 100
  • Based On ID: N
  • Chassis Engine Number: N
  • Clutch: SINGLE DRY PLATE
  • Coin Description: N
  • Coin Gross Vehicle Weight Code: N
  • Coin Power Output Code: N
  • Coin Series: N
  • Coin Wheelbase Description Code: N
  • Coin Wheelbase Name Code: N
  • Exhaust System: N
  • Front Brakes: VENTILATED DISCS
  • Front Suspension: MCPHERSON STRUT
  • Generation Mark: 3
  • Ghost model for valuation purposes: False
  • Insurance Group 1: N
  • Insurance Group 2: N
  • NCAP Adult Occupant Protection %: N
  • NCAP Child Occupant Protection %: N
  • NCAP Front/Side Impact - Discontinued February 09: N
  • NCAP Overall Rating - Effective February 09: N
  • NCAP Overall Rating - LCV: Gold
  • NCAP Pedestrian - Discontinued February 09: N
  • NCAP Pedestrian Protection %: N
  • NCAP Safety Assist %: 62
  • Rear Brakes: DISCS
  • Rear Suspension: COIL SPRINGS
  • Relative Height: H1
  • Relative Length: L1
  • Running Cost League Headings: SMALL
  • Service Interval Frequency - Months: 24
  • Service Interval Mileage: 25000
  • Special Edition: False
  • Special Order: False
  • Standard manufacturers warranty - Mileage: 120000
  • Standard manufacturers warranty - Years: 3
  • Steering: PAS
  • Timing Belt Interval Frequency - Months: 120
  • Timing Belt Interval Mileage: 125000
  • Vehicle Homologation Class: N1
  • Vin/Frame No.: N
  • 0 to 60: N
  • 0 to 62: N
  • BHP: 102
  • Engine Power KW: 75
  • Engine Power RPM: 3750
  • Engine Torque LBS.FT: 184
  • Engine Torque MKG: 25.5
  • Engine Torque NM: 250
  • Engine Torque RPM: 1750
  • PS: True
  • Top Speed: 103
  • Emissions Test Cycle: WLTP
  • RDE Certification Level: RDE 2
  • Alloys: False
  • Automatic Clutch: False
  • Plated 3rd Axle: N
  • Plated 4th Axle: N
  • Space Saver: False
  • Tyre Make: N
  • Tyre Size Front: 205/60 R16
  • Tyre Size Rear: 205/60 R16
  • Tyre Size Spare: TYRE REPAIR KIT
  • Wheel Style: N
  • Wheel Type: 16" STEEL
  • Front Overhang: 892
  • Height: 1796
  • Height (including roof rails): N
  • Length: 4403
  • Load Height: 1200
  • Load Length: 1817
  • Load Space Width Between Wheel Arches: 1229
  • Load Width: 1630
  • Lower Rear Door Width: 1241
  • Rear Door Height: 1196
  • Rear Overhang: 726
  • Side Load Door Height: 1072
  • Side Load Door Width: 641
  • Turning Circle - Kerb to Kerb: 10.8
  • Turning Circle - Wall to Wall: 11.3
  • Upper Rear Door Width: 1087
  • Wheelbase: 2785
  • Width (excluding mirrors): 1848
  • Width (including mirrors): 2107
  • Boot Capacity Saloons: N
  • Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres): 50
  • Gross Train Weight: 3390
  • Gross Vehicle Weight: 2390
  • Load Space Volume: 3.8
  • Luggage Capacity - 2nd Row Seats Removed: N
  • Luggage Capacity - 2nd Row Seats Up: N
  • Luggage Capacity - 3rd Row Seats Down: N
  • Luggage Capacity - 3rd Row Seats Removed: N
  • Luggage Capacity - 3rd Row Seats Up: N
  • Luggage Capacity (Seats Down): N
  • Luggage Capacity (Seats Up): N
  • Max. Towing Weight - Braked: 1000
  • Max. Towing Weight - Unbraked: 730
  • Minimum Kerbweight: 1408
  • No. of Seats: 3
  • Payload: 982
  • Plated 2nd Axle: 1400
  • Plated Front Axle: 1200