Fiat Qubo 1.4 petrol & 1.3 MultiJet Road Test Report

Performance

I drove the Qubo with both engine variants – the 73bhp 1.4 petrol and 75bhp 1.3 turbodiesel – and neither is a scintillating performer. Both feel a little unwilling in anything but precisely the right gear, while the diesel often struggles when in top (5th) and faced with any kind of uphill gradient. And this is with just two aboard and no luggage. Both have similar performance figs.: 0-62 in 16.2 secs (1.4) and 16.5 (1.3) with a max of 96mph for both. Of the two the 1.4 petrol feels smoother, quieter and more refined, but its combined mpg of 40.4 falls some way short of the 1.3 MultiJet’s impressive 62.8mpg.

Ride & Handling

Nothing remarkable to report here either, but that’s no bad thing. The Qubo has a compliant and comfortable ride; its suspension absorbs the B-road bumps pretty well and feels composed ‘at speed’ on a fast dual carriageway, although it falls just short of being able to describe it as plush or luxurious. The steering is well-weighted and amply responsive, while the handling is decently composed. I drove quite a few miles on cold, damp and muddy roads but didn’t experience any slithery moments. All in all, nothing to write home about, but nothing amiss either.

Build Quality & Reliability

This is an all new model, so it’s really too early to pass judgement, except to say that the Qubo is assembled at an up-to-the-minute factory in Turkey, that Fiat’s tarnished customer survey reputation is definitely improving, and its engines have been well tried and tested in other models. It’s also worth considering that the Qubo is about as simple and down to earth and cars get these days, so there’s less to go wrong. Basically the Qubo is a van with windows (a seam in the roof lining is one giveaway) and as such should be able to handle domestic and pleasure use without being problematic.

Safety & Security

No Euro NCAP results yet as it’s not been tested, but the Qubo’s reasonably well equipped with ABS and Electronic Brake Distribution, driver, passenger and side airbags, auto door locking (at over 12mph) and Isofix child seat anchor points. Remotely operated deadlocks are standard too, but an alarm is optional, as are parking sensors. An electronic stability control system is not currently available.

Space & Practicality

This is a small MPV, sized somewhere between a Panda and the Doblo or Multipla, but there’s no shortage of space inside, unless you need to fit three grown men abreast in the rear, in which case they’ll find it a squeeze. As mentioned, this is fundamentally a van and so there’s yards of headroom, ample legroom and 330 litres of bootspace up to the parcel shelf, or 650 litres up to the roof. With the split/fold seats tumbled forward there’s a massive, flat-floored 2,500 litres. There are also cup holders and stowage bins aplenty, as well as hard-wearing fabric upholstery and washable rubber flooring. And sliding rear doors are a real boon if you’ve kids of any age in the rear.

Ownership & Value

With prices starting at £9,750 otr (1.4 Active), rising to £12,350 (1.3 Dynamic), the Qubo is competitively priced. The difficulty is that like for like, the MultiJet diesel is a full £1,200 dearer than the petrol 1.4, so by my reckoning the petrol version will drive about 11,110 miles on that price difference alone. From there fuelling the diesel will cost about £26 less per 1,000 miles, plus have the convenience of a 600 mile range rather than a sub 400 mile range on a full, 45 litre tank. But enough comparing Qubo with Qubo because the main point is that there’s little else currently available to compete with either, and it’s a fine little car, so the Qubo’s definitely worth a look.