It was not the fact this small European diesel took top honors. It was the fact it was a commercial work van that took on the world’s best hybrids, diesels and non-hybrids alike and tore them a new one in the process!
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - Oct. 23, 2011
The latest addition to the Fiat Professional range of Light Commercial Vehicles is a small, modern delivery van named the Fiorino.
The new Fiorino was developed via a joint venture between Fiat and PSA, and manufactured at the Tofas plant in Bursa, Turkey, the new Fiorino occupies a unique LCV segment, being the first ultra-compact vehicle to have been specifically designed for use in busy towns and cities.
The rapid growth of e-commerce in particular has led to a substantial increase in demand for small vans to deliver goods and services ‘the last mile’ to homes and businesses. In this context, compact dimensions and outstanding maneuverability outweigh the need for excessive cargo carrying capacities. An overall length of only 152”, a turning diameter of just 32.5 ft., a load capacity of 1,340 pounds including the driver and a maximum load length of over 8 ft. (a 4x8 sheet of plywood comes to mind now doesn’t it
), the Fiat Fiorino sets new standards in ultra-compact urban van practicality.
The Fiat Fiorino comes with a choice of two powerplants; the latest, 75 HP 1.3L 16-valve MultiJet turbo diesel, and a refined and economical 73 HP 1.4L 8-valve gasoline fueled engine.
Each powerplant is mated to a 5-speed MT while the 1.3L diesel can be purchased with a clutchless, electro-hydraulic, 6-speed sequential manual shift with a selectable fully automatic mode. I hope this is not like the Smart ForTwo manumatic but it sounds a lot like it?
There are seven versions of the new Fiorino with the lowest “base” trims priced from $15,448 (gasoline) and $20,149 USD (turbo diesel). There are two additional trim levels –Cargo SX, and Combi. Two Combi variants are available; a four-seat version homologated for goods transport with a 745 pound payload, and a five-seat version homologated for the transportation of passengers plus 595 pounds of cargo.
The Challenge
A new Fiat Fiorino Cargo van more than proved its miserly ways by winning the
Overall Best MPG title
AND the best mpg in its class during the ALD Automotive Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon.
The 1.3 MultiJet Diesel van returned 83 mpgUS over the economy test’s 370 mile course using less than four and a half gallons of fuel to take the title. And the overall mpg figure achieved was 26 percent better than the NEDC combined.
The MPG Marathon, now in its 11th year, challenges the UK’s top eco-drivers to get the best possible mpg figures from their vehicle, and aims to set motorists thinking about the impact they have on fuel consumption.
To have a cargo van take the mpg competition should prove to be an embarrassment to the fuel misers taking part and let us hope they step up their A-Game with either better drivers or more fuel efficient offerings a lot sooner than later.
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