Fiat Doblo (01-10) - Review

Thanks to a good ride the Doblo makes comfortable family transport, even with a full compliment of passengers on board. It can get quite noisy though - the boxy shape means there's plenty of wind noise while the majority of the engines (with the exception of the 1.9-litre MultiJet) have to be worked hard and are noisy at high revs. But there's good space for seven on board (in the Family model) and the rear seats offer decent head room, although legroom is tight. The rearmost chairs lack padding and support so aren't especially comfortable for long journeys.

The rear sliding doors mean getting in and out is easy, especially in narrow spaces or multi-storey car parks, and they're light and easy to slid too. Bear in mind that if you want a car with seven seats you'll have to get a Family model, introduced in April 2004. Models with five-seats get a large luggage area that, thanks to the high opening tailgate, is easy to access with a huge square opening. Unfortunately seven-seaters have practically no boot space, but the rear bench does fold down (you have to remove the headrests first) and it simply flips up. There's no clever fold flat system but it is effective and quick.

Don't be put off by the boxy looks, the driving position in the Doblo is car-like, visibility is excellent and while the interior is fairly basic, it’s well screwed together with plenty of storage. It certainly has a more upmarket feel than similar cars such as the Citroen Berlingo Multispace or Renault Kangoo. Quality on early cars isn't especially good with lots of cheap and scratchy plastics, but facelifted cars from early 2006 get a better cabin with decent materials and a more upmarket feel.