The Fiat Fiorino is a compact van that’s primarily used for commercial purposes. It’s one of the Italian carmaker’s longest-running models, and has been on sale since the late 1970s. Today, the Fiorino is in its third generation and as such, features better cabin ergonomics, refined powertrain, improved fuel economy, and a higher cargo hauling capacity. The Fiat Fiorino has become so popular that it even has similar but rebadged models from Citroen and Peugeot. It may not be as generous in terms of its load-carrying capacity as some of its rivals, but the Fiat ticks many of the above-mentioned boxes without much drama.
In a market where commercial vans are more common than even some popular SUVs, the Fiat Fiorino won’t have it easy. Some of its most challenging rivals in the UAE come in the form of the Peugeot Partner, Renault Dokker, Suzuki APV, and even the Toyota Hiace.
Exterior
Before I get into the styling and design aspects of the Fiat Fiorino, let’s get some basic numbers out of the way first. Built upon the Fiat-Chrysler Small Vehicle architecture, the Fiorino measures 3.864 meters in length, 1.716 meters in width, 1.721 meters in height, and boasts a wheelbase of 2.513 meters. For outright capacity, the Fiorino can’t quite hold the candle against its Japanese rivals. But its overall volume of 2,800 liters is better than that of the Peugeot. As far as its maximum payload capacity is concerned, the Fiorino can bear up to 650 kg worth of items in its cargo bay.
Now even though customers in the commercial vehicle industry don’t care about appearances much, Fiat hasn’t given up. The carmaker has tried its best to make this van as car-like as possible. That’s why, despite its higher-than-normal ride height, a driver in the Fiorino will still be seated lower than in some of its competitors. In terms of its styling as a whole, this Fiat van is actually not that awful. Unlike passenger cars, the Fiorino is not designed to look great. It has been sketched to provide optimum functionality and be easy to live with every day - both of which it does without any complaints. The most distinguishing external part of this van is its peculiar front end design. The large bumper juts out quite a bit from the face, and houses a two-piece front grille and dual foglights. The side gets muscular wheel arch extensions, a passenger-side sliding door, and protective side moldings. At the back, the Fiorino features a twin opening rear door with 60/40 split arrangement, and vertically-aligned taillights.
Interior
The interior of the Fiat Fiorino incorporates a few essentials for a vehicle such as this. You get manually-adjustable front seats, a ladder-type partition to protect the driver from loose cargo, a dozen storage compartments, and individual locking for the front doors. The layout of the dash is pleasing enough, and the position of various buttons and switchgear is ergonomic and easy to reach. Standard equipment onboard includes halogen headlights, power steering with tilt adjustment, manual air-conditioning, and a single-din music system with 4 speakers. The Fiorino’s safety kit comes with a driver-side airbag and anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution.
Engine and performance
The Fiat Fiorino packs a 1.4-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine. Pushing out a paltry 75 hp and 118 Nm of torque, this motor isn’t much of a taskmaster. It struggles, especially once the van has been fully loaded with cargo. However, the 5-speed manual gearbox is pretty decent and easy to operate. When empty, the front-wheel drive Fiorino can hit 100 km/h in 16 seconds, a top speed of 156 km/h, and return up to 6.3 L/100 km.
Verdict
In the United Arab Emirates, the Fiat Fiorino Standard is priced at 36,750 dirhams, while financing options for this one start at 573 dirhams.
