Fiat Qubo 1.4 Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Fiat Qubo 1.4
Prices: £9,755-£11,155 – on the road
Insurance Group: 2
Emissions: 157g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 16.2s / Max Speed 97mph
Fuel Consumption: (urban) 33.6mpg / (extra urban) 49.6mpg / (combined) 42.2mpg.
Safety: ABS, EBD, Driver, passenger and side airbags.
Dimensions: length/width/heightmm 3959/1716/1735

VAN-TASTIC?

Our Rating: 6.7 / 10

Has the van-based MPV become trendy? Fiat thinks its Qubo is the car to revolutionise this utilitarian market niche. Steve Walker reports on the 1.4-litre petrol version.

Despite the barely bridled success of van-based MPVs over the last decade or so, many doting parents would still wilt at the prospect of bundling their treasured offspring into the back of a van. That’s the kind of attitude which the Fiat Qubo is battling to overcome. Based on the Fiat Fiorino van but sporting exotic passenger car niceties like side windows, rear seats and carpets, the Qubo sets out to fill the small family car role at a low cost but also with a bit of style.

Fiat’s previous entry into the van-based MPV sector was the Doblo and very commendable it was too, for a van-based MPV. The Qubo slots in below the Doblo size-wise being based on the Fiorino van which operates in the sub-compact sector of the light commercial vehicle market beneath the Doblo Cargo’s compact van sector. Despite its size, the Qubo pulls off the van-based MPV party piece which involves cramming lots of interior space into a small package. It’s this and the practicality that the space offers to families which is likely to determine the Qubo’s success or otherwise but as is the fashion for small car manufacturers today, Fiat is also attempting to position the Qubo as a trendy option for switched on city dwellers. Is the van-based MPV ready to become cool? Here, we’ll try and find out at the wheel of the 1.4-litre petrol model.

Hopes of even moderately nippy performance from the Qubo will be immediately dashed as soon as you learn that neither the 75bhp 1.3-litre diesel or the other option, the 73bhp 1.4-litre petrol unit on test here, can break the 16-second barrier for the ‘sprint’ from 0-60mph. Still, family buyers probably won’t be unduly concerned.

The commercial vehicle underpinnings of the Qubo might give some prospective buyers cause for concern from a handling and comfort perspective but they needn’t worry. The Qubo’s Fiorino donor van drives very neatly with decent ride quality. It’s particularly good at negotiating congested streets and tight manoeuvres where the good visibility and compact turning circle are of particular benefit.

The Qubo has all the key design elements of a roomy small car nailed down. The wheels are pushed right out to each corner of the vehicle, the bonnet is stubby and the roof is tall. The commercial origins of the Qubo don’t lead you to expect too much from a design standpoint but Fiat’s stylists have done some neat work in jazzing-up the exterior. The oversized bumpers and wheelarches are carried over from the Fiorino van and work well but the Qubo includes roof rails which add to its chunky, almost 4x4-style appearance. Then there’s the dramatic rear side windows, the bottom edges of which slope steeply upwards towards the rear of the car, and the large Fiat badge which nestles in a deep circular depression in the centre of the tailgate.

At under four meters from nose to tail, the Qubo is certainly small but there’s lots of space inside. There’s more headroom than you could possibly find a use for and legroom on all for seats is ample for adult-sized passengers. Access to the rear is helped by the wide-opening side doors and in contrast to many of today’s compact car offerings, the boot is very generous at 330-litres. The rear seats fold down but if you want to get maximum cargo on board, you’ll need to remove them completely. This procedure converts the Qubo back into something approaching van form with a huge 2,500-litre capacity.

As with the outside, the interior doesn’t instantly scream ‘van’ at you. The layout is simple and functional with a stubby dash-mounted gear lever and large, uncomplicated controls for the audio and ventilation systems. Storage options include an extremely big glovebox and a number of other smaller receptacles, better than you’d expect in a car of the Qubo’s size. Anyone familiar with the inside of Fiat’s Panda city car will spot similarities in the switchgear and layout.

Fiat has a pair of trim levels for Qubo buyers to mull over. They’re called Active and Dynamic. All models get a trip computer, power steering, remote central lock