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The What Van? Road Test: Fiat Professional Scudo
Date: Friday, September 16, 2022
Interior and equipment
Slotting three seats into a cab of limited width means you end up getting closer to your fellow travellers than you might ideally like given the lack of shoulder room.
If you are a passenger then do all you can to avoid the middle seat, especially if you are tall.
Even if you are of modest height, you will quickly discover that the way in which the moulding which accommodates the leather-trimmed gear lever bows outwards from the dashboard restricts the available leg space. Your right knee will be pressed up close against it; not a lot of fun if you are travelling any distance.
Shoehorning three seats into a space only suitable for two means – among other things – that the driver’s seat is so close to the door that it is near-impossible to get at anything in the door’s big lower bin when the door is shut. That is the case even if, like the writer, you have small hands. At least there is no shortage of storage space.
Each of the doors has two bins in addition to the one just referred to and you will find a lidded compartment on top of the dashboard.
Further facilities include a small, lidded – but not lockable – glove-box with a large cubby-hole beneath it, and a shelf just above the gear stick with a USB port and a 12V power point close by. You will find another 12V socket in the load area.
Wondering where to put your morning cappuccino? You’ll find a cup-holder at either extremity of the fascia.
While we may have disrespected the middle seat, it offers a valuable trump card. Flip the centre section of its back downwards and it turns into a handy desk, complete with an elasticated strap to hold paperwork in place.
By pulling the seat cushion upwards you reveal a hidden compartment which you can use to conceal your smartphone and other bits and pieces you would prefer not to lose. A nice touch.
The driver’s seat and the leather-trimmed steering wheel are both height-adjustable, but it is a pity that the latter is offset to the left. The seat comes with lumbar adjustment and an armrest.
For your money you get air-conditioning, cruise control, a reversing camera, front fog lights, electric windows, electrically-adjustable, folding and heated exterior mirrors and driver and passenger airbags.
A 7in colour touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard allows you to switch the Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Traction Control, and Stop & Start systems on and off and do the same to the parking sensors. It is accompanied by a DAB radio and sat nav and the cab is Bluetooth-enabled.
Smartphone integration is another feature, with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Aside from LDW, on-board safety systems include ABS, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Start Assist, Emergency Brake Assist, Electronic Brake Force Distribution and speed
sign recognition.
The headlights illuminate automatically when night falls and raindrops on the windscreen trigger the wipers.
Scudo’s suspension employs MacPherson struts and an anti-roll bar at the front along with a trailing arm set-up at the rear. Electric power steering delivers a 12.4m turning circle between kerbs increasing to 12.9m between walls.
Disc brakes are fitted all round and our test van’s 17in alloy wheels wore Michelin Agilis 215/60 R17C tyres.
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