Fiat Fiorino Qubo 1.4 (2008) CAR review

Fiat reckons its Qubo (that's a bastardisation of the Italian for 'cube') might fulfil a new market segment, as the funky and stylish answer to young, cash-strapped urban and suburban buyers looking for a car that’s both a lifestyle accessory on one level and an affordable, versatile workhorse on the other.

That's the marketing waffle. We can't help feeling that the new Fiat Qubo is just a Fiorino van with windows...

So what exactly is the Fiat Qubo then?

Skoda’s Roomster and the Renault Grand Modus both offer a similar deal: a bulked-up B-segment car with supposedly more utility space inside, but shouting ‘lifestyle’ on the outside. The Qubo comes from a platform shared with Fiat's long-time collaborators PSA, which has already spawned the Fiorino van and two French twins.

But Fiat claims the Qubo is more than a converted van, with separate teams developing the commercial vehicle and the passenger car to achieve a good compromise on both sides.

Power comes from a PSA-supplied 73bhp 1.4-litre petrol, or Fiat’s fine 75bhp 1.3-litre Multijet diesel, and there’s a choice of a five-speed manual or Fiat’s robotised ‘Dual Logic’ transmission. Consequently, the Qubo is cheap to run.

How cheap? Well, a 45-litre tank of diesel will take the Qubo Multijet 621 miles between fills, the first service interval is at 18,000 miles and the diesel produces a congestion charge-busting 119g/km of CO2. That means a year’s road tax should only set you back £35 in the UK.

Bet the Qubo drives like a van though?

Actually it doesn’t. Fiat chassis engineers have achieved a supple ride with good roll stiffness and steering that’s tight enough to inspire confidence, without being tiresomely pointy. The engines and driveline are quiet and very refined, but don’t expect any fireworks because performance is distinctly lacklustre.

The 75bhp diesel does a reasonable job of transporting the whole shooting match around, even if you won’t be doing a lot of overtaking. Although on paper the PSA-supplied 1.4-litre petrol should be even more challenged, it revs freely to a redline of just over 6000rpm and is, if anything, more fun to drive.

A new 90bhp diesel engine will join the 75bhp version for the 2010 model year in Europe, but there’s no guarantee it will come to the UK at this stage.

Click 'Next' for CAR's verdict on the new Fiat Qubo

Scroll down the page to the embedded player to view Fiat's unedited footage (no sound) of the new Qubo