What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide

Fiat Professional’s facelifted Doblo Cargo light van, which it revealed at the Hanover CV Show last September, went on sale in the UK in March.

The Doblo has been the jewel in the crown of the brand’s portfolio in the UK, its enduring excellence illustrated by its four- year winning streak until 2014 in the Light Van category of the What Van? Awards.

The model impressed with its tidy looks, a wide range of derivatives – which now stretches to 1000 configurations, according to the manufacturer – solid build quality, low running costs and more than decent driveability.

Fiat won plaudits for introducing bi-link rear suspension into the Doblo Cargo, and the lightweight compact system improves ride quality while also lowering load height. Bi-link suspension allows a rear-axle load of up to 1450kg, and the Doblo, as well as the Vauxhall-badged Combo it spawned, offer astill class-leading maximum payload of one tonne, although Ford has now matched this with the Transit Connect. Not surprisingly, the bi-link system is retained in the 2015 van.

The new model will also be the first LCV in the range to carry the Fiat Professional logo, which distinguishes the products in the CV division it established in 2007 from Fiat’s passenger cars, although the logo was not attached to the early vans on the launch event. Henceforth, all new LCVs will wear the badge.

Fiat launched the Doblo Cargo in 2000, added the long- wheelbase Maxi in 2005 before introducing the next-generation model five years later.

The cornerstone engines in the line-up remain the 1.3- and 1.6-litre turbo-diesels, but the brand claims it has improved efficiencies by up to 12%.

In the case of the 1.3-litre Multijet II engine, for example, Fiat says responsiveness has increased by 40% compared with the model it replaces and we found this has, as Fiat claims, resulted in greater flexibility for more relaxed and efficient driving as well as livelier performance.

The 90hp 1.3 Multijet II and 105hp 1.6 Multijet II engines are also now available in new Ecojet versions, priced £500 more than basic models at £14,445 and £16,245 respectively.
These offer a reduction in fuel consumption and emission levels thanks to the use of stop- start, low rolling-resistance tyres, low-viscosity oil, an intelligent alternator, a variable- displacement oil pump, and a new aerodynamic pack.

The manufacturer says the 1.3 Ecojet achieves fuel consumption of up to 64.2mpg (60.1mpg for the 1.6) with emissions of 115g/km.

Fiat has given the revised Doblo a more muscular design in line with its larger stablemate, the Ducato. The bonnet and headlamps are more bulbous and sculpted while the grille is bolder and the front bumper sleeker than before. At the rear of the van are new light clusters.

The interior will look familiar to anyone who knows the current Doblo because it has not been altered in right-hand drive mode. Fiat admits this is due to cost restrictions because Vauxhall is not yet updating its Combo model, which runs alongside the Doblo on the production line in Turkey. However, this is not necessarily a drawback – the cabin is functional with plenty of storage space including an overhead shelf, cup holder, lockable glove box and decent-sized door bins.

Having driven the new Doblo with both the 90hp and 105hp engines, we can attest to the effectiveness of the additional soundproofing, which Fiat claims has cut cabin noise by 3dB.

The 2015 van also benefits from a crisper clutch action coupled with a more precise and shorter gear change that has resulted in a more responsive driving experience.

The introduction of mandatory electronic stability control (ESC) to the pre-facelift van in June 2014 brought on board electronic brake force distribution (EBD), anti-slip regulation (ASR), hydraulic brake assist (HBA) and hill- holder assist, which stops the van rolling backwards on hill starts. A passenger airbag, lateral airbags and, new to the facelifed Doblo, a tyre-pressure monitoring system are available as options.