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By
EWAN KENNEDY
10 September 2007
Fiat's big new Ducato is a large van that takes the boxy look too
new heights – and lengths and depths – yet it does so with a fair
bit of style as well. The Italians are like that, tell them to design a
practical, sensible vehicle and they’ll do so, then bung in a bit
style as well, because ‘style’ and ‘Italian’ have been synonyms
for centuries.
Just check out the double-deck front end of the Ducato to see
what we mean; examine the swooping line that goes from the roof at
one side of the windscreen all the way down, under and back up to
the other roof corner; at the headlights with their cheeky upward
kicks that go almost to the full height of the front.
Then we get to the serious, but still stylish, stuff. Is that
the biggest front bumper you have ever seen? There are probably
Mack trucks out there with less bumper area than the Fiat Ducato.
If you have ever seen an Italian van driver in action in Rome
during peak hours you will understand the need for that bumper.
Note also that this bumper goes virtually all the way around
the body as part of the protection package. Yet, cleverly, it’s
divided into three sections for easier, lower cost repairs.
The latest Ducato, introduced to Australia in 2005, comes in a
huge variety of models. Wheelbases in the vans are medium 3000 mm;
long 3450 mm; and extra long 4035 mm. The cab-chassis has a 3800
mm wheelbase.
Two van heights are offered, 2254 and 2524 millimetres. There
are payload volumes of between eight and fifteen cubic metres.
Cargo lengths can be as much as 4070 mm and the 1422 mm between
wheelarches means standard pallets and the like can be transported
with ease.
Loading has been further improved over the already-good
previous model by a lowering of the floor height to just 530 mm.
The doors go all the way to the roof and can be opened out against
the sides to permit access to skinny loading docks.
Carrying capacities range up to 2000 kg and Ducato has a gross
vehicle mass of up to 4000 kg, depending on model. So this is more
of a light truck than a large van.
Engines are all turbo-diesels with a modern common-rail,
twin-cam,16-valve design for reduced consumption and emissions.
There are two engine options in most of the new Ducato range, the
first one has a capacity of 2.3 litres for 88 kW, and 320 Nm at
2000 rpm. The latter revs aren't particular good for this day and
age, but there is good torque output from not much more than idle
so the number isn’t really representative of on-road reality.
A 3.0-litre four-cylinder powerplant provides just that, power.
With 115 kW, and 400 Newton metres at only 1700 rpm it can be
quite a rocketship when unladen.
Six-speed manuals are fitted to all models. The in-dash change
lever is easy to reach and its operation is pretty slick for a
vehicle of this type.
Being designed to cruise at up to 150 km/h on the European
motorways means the Ducato needs good brakes. Thus there are
ventilated discs at all four corners. The diameter and other
specifications depend on which model/payload configuration you
specify.
Our test vehicle for the last week came with the longest
wheelbase, highest roof, longest body and biggest engine. There's
some sort of a message from the Fiat PR man to motoring journos in
that fact!
We were most impressed with the cabin space and layout. Seating
consists of three same-size bucket seats, one for the driver and
two joined seats for the passengers. The person sitting in the
middle seat has limited legroom, there's stretch out space for the
other two. Stowage space is excellent with a large centre pullout
bin, a good-sized glovebox and voluminous door pockets, as well as
several other smaller knick-knack areas.
Seat comfort is good and we were able to spend a couple of
hours at the wheel with no sign of backache or any other twinges.
Visibility through the huge windscreen and side windows is good,
and the double-section door mirrors give excellent warning of
what's happening beside and behind the big van.
On the road the big Fiat Ducato has plenty of performance and
can keep up with cars without even coming close to breathing hard.
There's the expected turbo lag, but once the engine has spooled
itself up the response is good, strong and pretty quiet.
Ducato is a major player in the Australian motorhome market,
with several major conversion companies producing handy vehicles
that have been gaining increasing public acceptance since the
original Ducato launch in Australia five years ago. Fiat imports a
special model with a 2.3-litre turbo-diesel producing 97 kW just
for the motorhome market. It gives a nice compromise between
performance and economy that suits the different needs of those
who like to carry their home behind them.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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