The Good, The Bad and the Ugly presents to you the Fiat Doblo. 2005-2009
What’s boxy but not a Maserati Biturbo? Rather wild on the limit, has to be driven enthusiastically, doesn’t wear Abarth badges and comes from Italy?
We are talking about the Fiat Doblo van. A van that, despite its looks, won the 2006 “International Van of the Year” Admittedly that award came some 6 years after its launch with a facelift making the Doblo a grower and not a shower. Like all good things, it eventually it gets there.
Shame about the facelift really because the 2000-2005 model had quite a nice purpose-built front to it. And model maker Norev thought so too. They even made a 1/24th scale model of it that until recently, you could buy from Home Bargains for just £2.99. Probably not one of Norev’s greatest achievements because their models often retail for around 6 times that price.
And so to the real van. And what a van and how very Fiat it is with some of Fiat’s idiosyncrasies missing. Namely, the rubbery gearshift that afflicted Fiats for so long. The gear shift in the Doblo, mounted high up on the dashboard, was within a flick from the steering wheel. Selection of the gears was as good as any race bred machine from its sister company down the road in Maranello.
And things got better with the engine. The lively FIRE 1.4 petrol was an absolute peach. It developed 76hp and my word, it feels like it has more. Its 5 start award is its eagerness to please. A bit like a dog wagging its tail just after it threw up your dinner it stole from the dining table.
And then things get even better for the Doblo. The handling is quite remarkable and highly entertaining, boarding on crazy, dangerous and downright outrageous. You see, the rear end has a solid axle, suspended with some of those old-fashioned leaf springs. What it would appear had been forgotten by the development team, was to soften it for the passenger carrying variety of the Doblo. Instead, it retained the stiff setup from the van. It made it highly entertaining.
The bad thing about the Doblo, though thankfully still keeping with Fiat tradition, was the driving position. It’s not so much a position but a torture, especially for your ankles. Thankfully your feet don’t rest for too long so they are always moving around. That serotonin buzz getting the better of you.
There is no getting away from it and you may have guessed where I’m going with this. It’s no sports car, yet it thinks it is. And with its facelift, it moves it from an ugly car to a good car. Too good in some ways.