Fiat Ducato High Roof Van April 2004

Fiat Ducato High Roof Van April 2004
Report No. 704, by NRMA Motoring Information Services
LIKES
Low cabin noise on the highway
Gear lever placement and operation
Pricing.
The Fiat Ducato is available in six versions,
a high roof van, [tested] which retails for
$42,000, and a high roof glazed van costing
$42,850. The two high roof vans have a
payload of 1800 kilograms and 12 cubic
metres of internal volume. The low roof
versions start at $41,250, and has a payload of
1490 kilograms, and two cab chassis versions
are available in two different wheelbases, 3.7
metres, and 4.05 metres. Prices for the cab
chassis version are $37,990, 3.7 metre
wheelbase and $40,940 for the 4.05 metre
wheelbase.
Warranty.
Three years/180,000 kilometres with 24 hour
roadside assist.
Standard features.
Standard equipment in the Ducato include
cloth seats, air conditioning, power assisted
steering, keyless central locking, electric
windows and dual zone electric mirrors, and
an AM/FM radio with CD player.
DESIGN AND FUNCTION
Ergonomics
Entry into the cabin is made easy by the
large door opening, once seated however, a
long stretch is required to close the door. The
door latches were quite notchy which made it
hard to pull the door through to close. A grab
handle on the driver’s side would also be
handy. The radio volume control was located
on the left side of the unit which made it a bit
of a stretch to adjust. All other major controls
were well located. A step in the rear bumper
makes entry into the cargo area easy.
Innovation
Front wheel drive design reduces mechanical
intrusion into the rear cargo area, keeping the
floor low, which is useful when loading and
also increases the height of goods able to be
carried. The 2.8 litre diesel utilizes the latest in
common rail fuel injection technology
delivering improvements in emissions and
reducing fuel consumption.
Safety
Anti lock brakes and drivers airbag are
options [fitted to test vehicle] Seat belts are
adjustable for shoulder height.
Comfort
The driver’s seat has for and aft adjustment,
the backrest is adjustable for rake and also has
lumbar support adjustment. The seat base is
adjustable. Both seats have an adjustable
armrest. The steering wheel is adjustable for
rake.
DISLIKES
Lack of drivers side cabin grab handle
Lack of seat backrest rake adjustment
Space and practicality
The cabin is large and spacious, side door
pockets swallow large drink bottles and
clipboards easily. A storage tray under the
driver’s seat is large enough to store street
directories and small stowage straps. The side
and rear doors are easy to open, the side door
locks into position once it is fully open which
stops it’s from closing if the van is being
unloaded on an incline. The rear barn doors
can be opened up through 270º by extending
the door latches. This makes the loading and
unloading of pallets into the rear a simple task.
8 tie down points are provided inside the rear
cargo area. The steel cargo divider can be
removed to allow the driver to walk through to
the cargo area if required.
ON THE ROAD
The Fiat Ducato was tested with 500
kilograms of ballast placed on a standard
pallet. The pallet was easily loaded through the
side door, and secured using the floor mounted
tie down points.
Powering the Ducato is a 2.8 litre four
cylinder turbocharged diesel engine fitted
transversally, and driving through the front
wheels. The engine develops 93.5 kW at 3,600
rpm and 300Nm of torque at 1800 rpm. The
engine is mated to a five speed manual
transmission, which has an easy to operate,
short throw lever mounted on the dash to the
left of the steering wheel.
The drivers seat has plenty of adjustment to
cater for all sizes, however the steel cargo
divider reduces the amount of adjustment for
rake of the backrest and initially the driving
position felt a little too vertical until the seat
base and lumber support were set for the
driver.
Despite the vans obvious size, the Ducato was
easy to drive and on our suburban test route
the Ducato felt lively. Acceleration from a
standing start with 500 kilograms on board
was surprisingly quick and with 300 Nm of
torque available at 1800 rpm, there was no
need to constantly find a higher or lower gear
ratio. Forward vision was excellent and lane
changing in heavy traffic a breeze thanks to
the well designed external mirrors. On the
highway the Fiat was also easy to drive, any
thoughts that the vehicle had been designed
purely for city operation were dismissed, fifth
gear is a true overdrive gear, dropping engine
rpm and allowing the Ducato to cruise at the
signposted speed limits with ease. The cabin
was well insulated from noise and vibration
and despite its slab sides no wind buffeting
was noticed even when being passed by larger
vehicles.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Type..........................4 cylinder inline diesel
Capacity in litres ............................. 2.8 litres
Induction.................................Turbocharged
Fuel recommendation .........................Diesel
Claimed max. power.... 93.5kW at 3,600rpm
Claimed max. torque..... 300Nm at 1,800rpm
TRANSMISSION
Type..................................... 5 speed manual
Driving wheels..................................... Front
Speed per 1000 rpm in top gear ....................
WHEELS .............................................Steel
Tyres...................Firestone 205/75 R16 8ply
Spare............................................... Full size
STEERING
Type.............Power assisted rack and pinion
Turning circle............................. 14.3 metres
DIMENSIONS
Mass................................................ 2020 Kg
Length.......................................5.599 metres
Width (incl. mirrors mm)............ 2.4 metres
Height .......................................2.470 metres
Cargo length…………………...3.370metres
Load height…………………….1.876metres
Seating capacity.........................2/3 optional
Fuel tank capacity ............................ 80 litres
Payload……………………..1800 kilograms
TOWING
Max. towed mass (trailer plus load) 2000kg ...
............................................................................
WARRANTY............. 3 years /180,000 kms
MANUFACTURED IN ........................Italy
TEST RESULTS
ACCELERATION
50 - 80 km/h (in third gear ).............10.5 sec
60 -100 km/h (in third gear )............12.3 sec
FUEL CONSUMPTION (litres/100 km)
Best recorded during testing ....................6.2
Worst recorded during testing..................9.6
Average on test ........................................7.9
BRAKING
Distance to stop from 80 km/h... 33.3 metres
NOISE
Interior at constant 80 km/h ............ 76.5 dba
Test vehicle supplied by
ATECO AUTOMOTIVE PTY LTD
Call Technical Advice on 1300 655 443 for additional information on this vehicle, and for other automotive advice.
or visit
www.mynrma.com.au

The ride quality was high for this type
of vehicle. Throughout the test program
the Ducato was subjected to various road
surfaces and conditions, the ride remained
constant and compliant, and the expected
suspension harshness for a van that needs
to cope with payloads up to 1800
kilograms was non-existent.
SUMMARY
The engineers at Fiat have put a lot of
thought into the design of the Ducato
ensuring it is driver friendly vehicle,
rather than just a platform to deliver bulky
goods from one point to another.
The engine and transmission was not
troubled by our 500 kilogram test payload
and overall driving the Ducato was a
pleasurable experience and would be well
suited to the rigors and demands of
delivering bulky goods efficiently with a
minimum of fuss.