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By
EWAN KENNEDY
21 November 2005
Fiat has introduced the short-wheelbase variant of its Ducato van,
bringing it in at a respectable $35,990 which should appeal to the
business manager was well as the driver. It joins the existing medium-
and long-wheelbase Ducatos, as well as low- and high-roof variants to
plug just about every gap in the Euro van market in Australia.
There are also cab-chassis Ducato models for
those who want to do their own thing with specialised vehicle
bodies.
Interior volume in the short-wheelbase Fiat
Ducato is 6.7 cubic metres, compared with the 12 cubic metres on
the largest high-roof model in the range. The payload can be up to
1.5 tonnes. Access is excellent as the SWB Ducato has doors on
both sides as well as the large ‘barn’ doors at the rear.
European vans typically carry a load of about
1.5 tonnes, a fair bit up on the 1.0- to 1.2-tonne payload of most
Asian vans. In this day and age when more is considered better
this extra payload can be very appealing.
Ducato's front compartment is large and
practical, with reasonably comfortable seats and good sized door
pockets. Inside, the Ducato's stylish dashboard shows you don’t
need an industrial look inside your vehicle, air conditioning and
a CD stereo are standard. The cabin trim received a revamp last
year and the new look works well.
The ergonomics aren’t the best, a long-time
problem in many Italian vehicles, though Ducato is certainly
better than some Fiats of the past. The Ducato's steering wheel is
offset towards the centre which gives a slightly awkward feel, and
it’s relatively easy to catch two pedals at once as the brake
and accelerator are pretty close together. Long-term owners would
soon become accustomed to these idiosyncrasies, but rental users
could have real hassles in their first few minutes behind the
wheel.
The large Italian vans come with a good range of
safety items; anti-lock ABS brakes with electronic brake-force
distribution (EBD) lets you keep it all under control no matter
what load is in the back or the state of the road surfaces.
Power-operated door mirrors are especially
useful in vans such as this and Fiat has specified them for all
Australian Ducatos.
Power for the new Ducato SWB comes from a
high-tech 2.3-litre 81 kilowatt four-cylinder turbo-diesel. This
is down on the 2.8-litre unit in the existing vehicles in the
range, but should prove adequate for the smaller variant. The
front wheels are driven by way of a five-speed manual gearbox with
a shift lever protruding from the dashboard. We haven’t had a
chance to road test the SWB at this stage but will bring you
impressions when we are able to organise a vehicle.
Ride comfort is good, even with the Ducato
unladen and, in the European manner, the steering and handling are
most competent in the long-wheelbase variants that we have tested
in the past and are most pleasant to live with on a long-term
basis.
Australian delivery drivers are finding the
larger size of European light commercials compared with the Asian
offerings makes them very handy in Australian cities and suburbs,
and they’re highly competent on the open road as well.
Light commercials, such as the Fiat Ducato, Ford
Transit, Mercedes Sprinter and Renault Master are making real
inroads in our light commercial market. This further offering from
Italian Fiat will further impress Australian owners.
The complete Ducato range is:
Maxi SWB 2.3-litre JTD Dual Seat Van: $35,990
Maxi MWB 2.8-litre JTD Dual Seat Van: $39,975
Maxi MWB 2.8-litre JTD Bench Seat Van: $40,725
Maxi LWB High Roof 2.8-litre JTD Dual Seat Van: $44,000
Maxi LWB High Roof 2.8-litre JTD Bench Seat Van: $44,750
Maxi LWB High Roof 2.8-litre JTD Glazed Van: $45,250
Maxi 2.8-litre JTD LWB Cab Chassis: $40,000
Maxi 2.8-litre JTD Extra LWB Cab Chassis: $40,940
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Marque Publishing Company
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