Fiat Fiorino Combi Car Review

Facts At A Glance MANUFACTURER: Fiat MODEL: Fiorino Combi BHP: 73bhp - 75bhp PAYLOAD CAPACITY: 175-293kg LOAD VOLUME: 2.5m3 GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT: 1,680kg – 1,700kg LENGTH: 3,959mm WIDTH: 1,589mm HEIGHT: 1,721mm July 24th 2009

SPATIAL AWARENESS

Our Rating: 7.7 / 10

Fiat has a small van that can seat five and hold their luggage. Steve Walker takes a look.

Combi is a common term in commercial vehicle circles. It’s used by a number of manufacturers to indicate a van that has had some extra seats installed in its load bay. You might expect to see it attached to a panel van or some other suitably roomy model but Fiat’s Fiorino? This is one of the smallest purpose-built vans on the market, yet a Combi version there is. Once the default reaction of "I’m not getting in the back of that" has subsided, the Fiorino Combi might just surprise a few people with its capacity and versatility.

The Fiorino is Fiat’s smallest purpose-built van. The Italian firm will also supply you with a commercial version of its Punto supermini but its teeny load carrying capacity precludes it for many. The Fiorino delivers a reasonably spacious load bay coupled with micro dimensions that should make the cuts and thrusts of metropolitan motoring that bit easier to avoid. The van, like the mainstay of Fiat’s light commercial vehicle range, was created in partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroen. This means that prospective buyers can obtain vehicles that are borderline identical to the Fiorino in the shape of the Peugeot Bipper and Citroen Nemo. This Combi version also has a close relative in the shape of the Qubo, a model from the Fiat passenger car range that also amounts to a Fiorino with seats but is more opulently appointed than the Combi.

The engine line up is unsurprisingly made up of small, economical units. As well as a 1.4-litre petrol engine, Fiat has installed its acclaimed 75bhp 1.3-litre Multijet oil-burner, an extremely compact and lightweight affair that gives rise to excellent fuel economy and with 190Nm of torque, it feels strong as well. With that maximum torque produced at 1,750rpm, the Fiorino has the punchy element to its performance that’s perfect for darting in and out of traffic. It also has the accurate steering and tight turning circle that operators want when space is tight.

The 1.4-litre petrol alternative has 73bhp. Here torque of 118Nm is produced at 2,600rpm so there’s less urgency at low revs but the petrol is smooth, refined and, crucially, costs less. Petrol tends to be routinely avoided by van buyers but the low-mileage, urban usage for which the Fiorino was designed might make unleaded a viable option for some. All models get a five-speed manual gearbox as standard but the diesel is available with the 6-speed ComfortMatic sequential manual transmission which can operate in automatic mode.

From the outside, things don’t look promising. The Fiorino Combi shares the pleasantly chunky styling of the van version with the only visual clue to its additional seating being small extra side windows behind the front ones. It’s just hard to imagine five people and even a little bit of cargo fitting comfortably inside when you view the thing from across the street. Happily, the Fiat Fiorino is bigger than it looks and five occupants do fit. Getting three across the rear bench seat might be difficult if they’re of the burlier persuasion and access is hindered by the presence of only one sliding side door (a second is optional) but legroom is OK and there’s loads of fresh air overhead. With the seats in use, there’s a handy 360-litres of cargo space behind. When they’re not, the backs fold down and the bases tumble forward to yield 2,500 litres, which is only 300-litres down on the capacity of the Fiorino van.

The interior of the Fiorino will feel a little confined to those familiar with full size compact vans but there’s reasonable space for driver and passenger. The driving position is upright and affords a good view of the Fiorino’s surroundings with the seat and the steering wheel offering a good range of adjustability. Storage space is less generous than in models from the next class up but with 12 compartments to choose from, there should be room for most of the essentials. Lots of the switchgear in the Fiorino will be familiar to ow