Company Car & Van April 2018

CV TEST: FIAT FULLBACK
More road reports at www.companycarandvan.co.uk
The Fullback is a great
pick-up, says Andrew
walker, but new Cross
styling has taken it to a
whole new level
A
4×4 ‘Cross’ version of the Fiat
Professional Fullback has been
launched, adding a new
top-of-the-range version of Fiat’s
Mitsubishi-inspired model.
Priced from £26,495 (excl. VAT) for the 2.4
180 HP 6Spd Manual Cross, the new model
is aimed fairly and squarely at the leisure
customers it wants to attract to Fiat’s pick-up
range. It features exclusive style details such
as an aerodynamic textured black sport bar,
front grille with black ingots, a satin silver
skid plate,silver rear view mirrors, silver
handles and 17” wheels with matt black
finish, while the side steps are finished in
black. The Cross features a load bed that’s
1,510mm long by 1,470mm wide and this too
has been ‘pimped,’ as it’s finished in matt
black.
It’s powered by the 181hp 2.4-litre
turbodiesel from the regular Fullback LX. This
produces 430Nm torque and as we
discovered when we drove the Fullback, is a
surprisingly smooth and refined engine. It’s
the same unit used by Mitsubishi in its L200
when it won our Commercial Award back in
2015. This unit meets the stringent Euro 6
standards, without the need for an SCR
(selective catalytic reduction) system or
AdBlue tank – the emissions-reducing
exhaust treatment technology engineered for
diesels.
Fullback Cross buyers will have the option
of a six-speed manual or five-speed
automatic transmission, complete with the
usual electronically switchable four-wheel
drive. The traction system stands out in
comparison to its competitors: with no fewer
than four driving modes, it’s able to get
drivers to any destination, and is the most
comprehensive in the lifestyle category. It
switches from 2WD to AWD at the touch of a
button, ideal for fuel-saving and handling
tough terrain. Its official combined-cycle fuel
economy figure is 40.9.MPG (6.6L/100km)
and its CO 2
emission figure is 186g/km.
While the Fullback Cross looks like ‘Mean
Joe Greene’ from the outside, from the inside
it’s highly polished and standard equipment
for your investment includes bi-xenon
headlights, dual-zone climate control, 7”
touchscreen infotainment system with DAB,
Bluetooth and USB connection, SatNav,
reversing camera, leather upholstery, heated
front seats, with six-way electric adjustment
for the driver, seven airbags, lane departure
warning and trailer stability assist.
The Cross is unique among Fullbacks for
being made available to buy via Fiat’s car
showrooms as well as the Fiat Professional
van network. Although Fiat describes the
Cross styling gives
Fullback an edge
Fullback as a ‘leisure vehicle’ – and I’m sure
in North America, Asia and Africa it will be
used both for work and for play – in Europe,
including the UK, the Fullback is very much a
working pick-up, and as far as leisure time is
concerned it will not necessarily be a
replacement for your SUV soft roader.
Riding in the front of a pick-up is normally
okay and that is the case with the Fullback.
The two front seats offer a fairly comfortable
ride, but if your Fullback is unladen the rear
ride is bumpy. There is, though, plenty of
headroom in the rear with even the leg room
acceptable, unless you’re sitting in the
middle seat. The rear seats are placed high
in comparison with the front, allowing those
in the back to look down on the driver and
front seat passenger and get a great view of
the road ahead.
Whether in town or on the motorway there
is very little in the way of diesel clatter in the
cabin and once up and running, the engine
soon settles into a smooth idle. Put your foot
down and the thrust of 317lb ft of torque
increases the decibels pretty quickly and you
really get a feel for the power on tap. The real
bonus is that on road you’ve got plenty of
overtaking power.
Add in a nicely balanced clutch and the
gearchange feels smooth too, certainly
CC&V VERDICT
Great looking vehicle that has
plenty to boast about. Pretty
much as good on the road as
any pick-up out there
Rating:
compared to what pick-ups used to offer,
and the Fullback scores highly as a driver’s
car.
If, like me, you are shallow and covet a car
or van based mainly on looks, then the
Fullback Cross scores highly. The L200
Barbarian is a stunner, but Fiat has managed
to make the Fullback Cross the best looking
pick-up in the pick-up sector bar none.
From a purely practical point of view, the
Fullback may not quite match the capabilities
of the larger Nissan, Ford or VW pick-ups but
it is undoubtedly better-looking than all of
these and it’s slightly more diminutive size
enables one to drive and park it in town more
easily than its larger competitors. From a full
economy perspective we averaged a
respectable 32.9mpg in our time in the
Cross, a better figure than we achieved in the
larger VW and Ford as well.
In conclusion, the Fullback may be a little
bit fly, but even if it is, it’s a damn good
pick-up that looks great! We would happily
drive one every day. If you need a pick-up for
work, then the Fullback is definitely in the
mix, because it offers an awful lot of what
both lifestyle and working customers want, at
a price that will make both happy.
With the Fullback being sold in the UK by
Fiat Professional dealerships as well as at
Fiat car showrooms, it’s probably worth
noting that customers who buy or lease one
from a Fiat Professional dealership will get
the benefits of a fully commercial network,
meaning out-of hours servicing and a
willingness to listen to your commercial
needs, something that perhaps a car-based
dealer wouldn’t do.
And, if you already run Fiat Professional
vehicles, you now have a ready-made
pick-up to complete your fleet.
50 | April 2018 | Company Car & Van www.companycarandvan.co.uk