Fiat Doblo Easy 1.6 MultiJet - no pretense
Modern cars should be prestigious, exclusive and well-designed. Fiat Doblo does not claim anything. It offers a very spacious and reasonably furnished interior, adequate equipment and efficient engines for a reasonable price.
Doblo beefed up Fiat's offer 15 years ago. The combivan appeared in many modifications. Both personal and commercial vehicles received recognition from customers. The product model turned out to be an excellent offer for entrepreneurs and craftsmen. The advantages of the passenger car Doblò - a very spacious interior and an excellent price-quality ratio - have been appreciated by families and lovers of an active lifestyle. Nothing unusual. Opening the huge trunk lid, inside it was possible to pack everything you need. Without restrictions and sorting of luggage, which cannot be avoided in the case of minivans or compact station wagons.
In 2005, Doblo underwent a rejuvenating procedure. Five years later, Fiat introduced an entirely new model to the market. The key change in terms of vehicle functionality was the widening of the body by as much as 11,5 cm. The Doblò was also lengthened and raised, which in the Cargo version gave 3400 liters of luggage space, and in the Cargo Maxi version with an extended wheelbase up to 4200 liters - Raised roof, custom chassis or passenger Doblò. car with seats for five or seven people. Given the extensive offering, excellent sales results should come as no surprise. In 15 years, 1,4 million practical Doblos have been registered.
It's time to upgrade the Doblo II (Fiat is talking about the fourth generation). The body with a redesigned front looks more attractive and mature than the body of the previous model. It's worth adding that the new Doblò has a twin offered overseas as the Dodge Ram ProMaster City.
The interior received significant changes, including a new instrument panel with more well-placed air intakes, updated background gauges, a more attractive steering wheel, and new audio systems. Uconnect DAB multimedia system with 5-inch touch screen, Bluetooth and navigation (in Uconnect Nav DAB) is available as standard or at an additional cost.
The designers made sure that the interior of the personal Doblo did not frighten with gloomy shades of gray and black. Buyers of the Easy version can choose seats with red side panels at no additional charge. The Lounge level, on the other hand, offers an alternative in the form of upholstery, dashboard and door panels with beige accents.
Fiat says the modified sound deadening materials have reduced cabin noise by 3 dB. The human ear perceives this as a twofold decrease in the intensity of unpleasant sounds. It can really be quiet in the cabin - provided that we are not driving too fast and there is no badly broken road under the wheels. It is impossible to cheat physics. The box body is the source of many air turbulences, and can also act as a resonant box, amplifying the sounds of the suspension by choosing the most uneven. However, it must be admitted that the noise level never gets annoying, and the factory in Bursa, Turkey, did a good job of tweaking Doblò. Annoying buzzing or creaking elements did not accompany even very bumpy sections.
The interior space is impressive. At the first contact, we will definitely pay attention to the width of the cabin and the high roof line. The impression of spaciousness is enhanced by the vertically arranged side walls and the windshield - extended far and with a large area. The body shape and frontal surface are noticeable when trying to go faster. Above 90 km/h, when the air resistance starts to increase rapidly, the noise level in the cabin clearly increases, the dynamics decrease and the fuel consumption figures jump to the level known from the urban cycle.
Sliding side doors provide easy access to the cabin. Their presence can be assessed, among other things, by attaching children to child seats. Lockers make it easy to keep organized. More than 20 lockers are at your disposal. The shelf between the roof and the edge of the windshield holds the most.
The interior is better than you would expect from a passenger car. Hard plastics are ubiquitous but don't feel sticky. With the exception of the top of the tailgate, there is no bare metal sheet to be found. Even the trunk is fully padded, has a 12V socket, a light point and compartments for small items. The only thing missing was bag holders. Plus for placing the spare wheel under the floor - its replacement does not require unloading the trunk. It is a pity that a full-size "stock" increases the price of the car by 700 PLN. A flat tire repair kit is included as standard.
In the 5-seat Doblò, you can enjoy a 790-litre boot space with a low sill. Folding the sofa takes a few seconds. We recline the backs, raise them together with the seats vertically and get 3200 liters of space with a flat floor. This is the best indicator in the segment. The rear of the cab can be adjusted to individual preferences. We offer two additional armchairs (PLN 4000), folding windows for the third row (PLN 100; part of the family package) or a shelf that replaces the roller shutters (PLN 200) that can hold up to 70 kg.
Replacing the damper on a double door costs PLN 600. Worth paying extra. Of course, split doors are reminiscent of the solutions used in vans, but extremely practical. We will appreciate them, for example, when packing a large amount of luggage - just open one door and throw the bags. In Doblo with a hatch, items must be stacked in such a way that they do not fall out until the fifth door is closed. It takes a lot of effort to close the sunroof (read: slam), and it can only be opened in the parking lot when we have a lot of free space in the back of the car. In a garage or underground parking, make sure that the edge of the fifth door is not covered by objects attached to the walls or ceiling (shelves, pipes, etc.).
Doblò's strength is its independent rear axle suspension, which Fiat calls Bi-Link. Other combines have a torsion beam, the optimal setting of which is a rather tricky business. In many cases, you can observe the nervousness in the back and the average driving comfort with a significant change for the better after loading the trunk. Doblo performs well even without a load and also effectively absorbs asphalt imperfections. Stabilizers with the right diameter do not allow the body to roll in faster corners. It is a pity that the power of the hydraulic booster is not lower - the pleasure of driving on winding roads would be even higher.
In Poland, petrol engines 1.4 16V (95 hp) and 1.4 T-Jet (120 hp) will be available, as well as turbodiesels 1.6 MultiJet (105 hp) and 2.0 MultiJet (135 hp) . Under the hood of the tested Doblò, a weaker diesel engine was running. This is a sufficient source of driving forces. On paper, 13,4 seconds to 164 and a top of 290 km/h don't look promising, but the subjective driving experience is much better. 1500Nm at just 60rpm means the engine is almost always ready to go, and the addition of throttle results in more speed. Acceleration from 100 to 1.2 km / h in fourth gear takes about nine seconds. The result is comparable to the Polo 1.8 TSI or the new Honda Civic 6. To reduce overtaking time, you can try to reduce the gear - the 5,5-speed gearbox is characterized by good accuracy and short jack strokes. MultiJet engines are renowned for their fuel economy. Fiat is talking about 100L/7,5km on the combined cycle. In fact, about 100 l / XNUMX km is lost from the tank. Reasonable considering the size of the car.
The new Doblò will be offered in three trim levels - Pop, Easy and Longue. The latter is optimal. The Easy specification includes Pop-specific components (ESP, four airbags, bi-directional adjustable steering column, body-color power windows and bumpers), the addition of power heated mirrors, manual air conditioning, and an audio system with USB and Bluetooth . In severe frosts, it can take up to 30 minutes to warm up a roomy interior. For your own good, it's worth spending PLN 1200 on heated seats, and in the case of diesels, PLN 600 on a PTC electric air heater. The above items are available in all trim levels.
The debut of the new Doblò is supported by an advertising campaign. As a result, the 1.4 16V Easy version can be purchased for PLN 57, the 900 T-Jet for PLN 1.4 and the 63 MultiJet for PLN 900. This is a very interesting proposal. Only Dacia offers a cheaper combo, but if you choose the Dokker, you'll have to put up with a less finished interior, fewer amenities, and weaker engines.
The Fiat Doblò passenger car is aimed at a wide audience, from families, through active people, to drivers looking for a car with a raised seat that gives a sense of security and makes it easier to see the road. In fact, we can talk about a rational alternative to vans, compact station wagons and even crossovers and SUVs - 17 cm ground clearance and reinforced tires (195/60 R16 C 99T) do not force you to be especially careful when crossing curbs. Doblo is slower, less finished and slightly less comfortable. However, one cannot speak of a gap that would justify a difference in purchase price from a dozen to even tens of thousands of zlotys.
