Fiat Fiorino Cargo Review & Buyers Guide

Fiat Fiorino Cargo Review & Buyers' Guide

Rate this article -

( 1 Vote )

£9,175 – £11,025 fiorino-2011-bg1

Available as	Engine options	Volume (m³)	Payload (kg)	MPG
Van, Crew Van	1.3TD 75/95hp, 1.4P 77hp	2.5	610

Our Verdict
Fiorino is at its best in city centres, where its compact dimensions come into their own. They allow it to nip through gaps in the traffic easily, and quickly too thanks to its lively diesel, and make it a breeze to park.

A few years back amazement would have been expressed at the prospect of a manufacturer slotting a vehicle in between a small hatchback-type van like the Punto and a high-cube van like the Doblò Cargo. Critics would have argued that there was no real niche to fill and that any manufacturer who tried to occupy it would be wasting its time and money.

How times change. Several van makers have proved beyond doubt that such a niche exists and have launched products into it. The rest will no doubt follow suit in the future.

Among those leading the charge is Fiat with the Fiorino. It’s yet another consequence of a long-standing joint venture between the Italian automotive giant and PSA, Citroën and Peugeot’s parent group.

Citroën’s version is called Nemo, Peugeot’s is called Bipper, and all three are built in Turkey in conjunction with local manufacturer Tofas.

Aside from their badges they’re virtually identical apart from the fact that Nemo and Bipper take a 1.4-litre diesel. Fiorino, however, takes an impressive and frugal 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel generating 75hp/190Nm or 95hp/200Nm. In both cases it’s married to a five-speed manual gearbox.

With a top payload capacity of 610kg, Fiorino offers a 2.5m³ cargo area. If that’s not quite enough space and you occasionally have to carry long items then you can expand the space available by specifying a passenger seat that can be folded completely flat.

Buyers can choose either the entry level Base model or the SX, which features a sliding nearside cargo door. Whichever one you pick you get a surprisingly roomy cab, with a driver’s airbag as standard.

ABS is standard too along with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution.