If you run a small business that requires transportation of bulky but light-weight goods, a van like the Fiat Doblo Cargo could be just the ticket! It’s a very appealing-looking van that can enhance the image of your small business with some tasteful sign-writing, and it has a very modern upmarket image for what is essentially a basic utility vehicle.
The load area of the Doblo Cargo measures a useful 3 400 litres and has a rated maximum payload weight of 750 kg. If it’s bricks and cement you are looking to haul around, best choose a one-ton pick-up. But if a small van fits your needs for packing in more delicate goods, the security a small van offers makes plenty of sense.
The Doblo Cargo range
There are four Doblo Cargo models listed, but essentially there are two models, a petrol-fueled one and a turbo-diesel. However, Fiat chooses to list both of these with or without air-conditioning, but according to a sales executive we spoke to, the Doblos that have been imported recently have all had air-conditioning fitted. The petrol model is badged simply as a Fiat Doblo Cargo 1.4. The diesel model is the Doblo Cargo 1.3 Multijet.
Which trim should you choose?
As all the later Doblo models brought in by Fiat have had air-conditioning, it is a matter of whether you choose a diesel or a petrol model. Our Fiat sales expert says he advises Doblo customers who do a lot of long-distance driving to go for the petrol model. But if your Doblo will be operating in a city environment mainly, then the fuel consumption benefits of a diesel can be of real value.
For the record, the Fiat Doblo 14 petrol model has a rated fuel consumption figure of 7,2 litres/100 km, while the diesel model, the 1.3 Multijet, has an average consumption rated at 5,2 litres/100 km.
Price differences
However, if you choose the diesel model you will note that the 1.3 Multijet is some R32 000 more expensive than the 1.4 petrol model. For the record the Fiat Doblo Cargo pricing is R278 800 for the 1.4 model and R311 000 for the 1.3 Mulitjet. Both of these prices refer to the air-conditioned models.
As for performance, the Cargo Doblo 1.4 petrol model has 70 kW and 127 Nm of torque. The 1.3 Multijet’s diesel engine produces 66 kW and 200 Nm of torque, so it is more suitable for carrying heavier loads.
Both models have a 5-speed manual gearbox, driving the front wheels. And both models are covered by a 3-year/100 000 km warranty and a 3-year/100 000 service plan.
Which model will hold its value better?
Our Fiat sales executive source says that vehicle condition is far more important than trim or model version when it comes to value retention. If a working vehicle like this has been used by sympathetic drivers it is going to retain much more re-sale value than one that has been abused.
However, given that two vehicles are traded in with equal mileage and condition, our source reckons that the one that will retain more of its value will be the petrol version. This is because, being less-expensive at the outset, it will retain more of its initial value on the used vehicle market. The diesel model is a nice idea, but in such an inexpensive model, a R32 000 price difference is substantial. And in a working vehicle, where the idea is to “get on the road” as inexpensively as possible, the petrol models have an advantage on price that makes them far easier to re-sell.
The petrol 1.4 is the one to choose
So it is the1.4 petrol model to go for, if value retention is your priority. Also realise that if you opt for the more expensive diesel model, you have to cover well over 100 000 km/h before the lower fuel consumption of the diesel makes economic sense. Another factor to keep in mind is that diesels are more expensive to maintain than petrol vehicles. This will be a factor if buying a vehicle that is close to being out-of-warranty, or one where the warranty and service plan has already expired.
If you are keen on buying a used Fiat Doblo Cargo, AutoTrader currently lists eight New and Used Fiat Doblo Cargo models for sale. Some of these offerings also include the Doblo Maxi, which is a longer wheelbase version of the Cargo and is no longer listed by Fiat.
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