Fiat Doblo gets over 68mpg in economy test

22 May 2002: In a competition organised by the MG Car Club/Irish Shell to find the most economical car on our roads, a Fiat van has proven itself better than most of them. A Fiat Doblo 1.9 JTD Cargo covered this year’s course - 168.5 miles - on just 11.16 litres (2.45 gallons) of fuel. That was an actual 68.63 miles per gallon, the third best result on the day and an achievement well ahead of most of the cars that entered.

Each year the car club organises an economy run, and this time they selected a route which took drivers through Dublin city centre and suburbs then on out to counties Meath, Kildare, Carlow and Wicklow, using primary and secondary roads. This test-route represented a ‘true-to-life’ driving experience, with strict time limits to ensure that there was no slow driving or dawdling to save fuel.

The Fiat Doblo Cargo that achieved 68.639 miles per gallon was the hi-roof version with 3.8 cu. m. load-space and adapted to take 805kgs. payload. This version uses a short-ratio gearbox to take account of the extra weight, so in a standard Doblo Cargo with a normal ratio gearbox the result would have been even better. The Common Rail turbo diesel engine used in this and other Fiat Group vehicles is credited with a producing a dramatic increase in sales of diesel-powered cars and vans right across Europe as drivers realised the extra power and economy on offer.

May 2002