Fiat have launched their new entrant to the 800kgs light van market in Ireland, the Doblo Cargo, putting up a very direct competitor to the established vans in this sector - Renault’s Kangoo, VW’s Caddy, SEAT’s Inca, Citroen’s best-selling Berlingo, Peugeot’s Partner, Ford’s Courier and Opel’s Combi.

The move is against the background of a continuing strong growth in the LCV market in Ireland, of which the 800kg segment represents 32% and is expected to be worth some 12,000 inits in total for next year.

At first view, the Doblo has a cheery, almost cheeky style, with a front end that would do justice to a heavier off-roader and which is very distinctive. Particularly neat is the horizontal decorative element in the grille which goes right to each edge of the vehicle and effectively provides a real bump protection to the headlinght clusters.

The grille drops down into a deep front bumper which extends right into the front wheel arches, so this little van should be well able for the rought and tumble of daily city depiveries, not to mention the odd visit to a construction site.

The driver's area is fronted by a very deep screen and side windows come down in a low scoop line, all of which provide a fairly decent view for obstacles. Rear vision is well catered for in mirror terms, with nice big double-armed units allowing truck-like views.

Which is just as well, because in the review vehicle with the 60/40 ratio rear doors, a fairly wide blind spot is made by the uprights where they join. Not that it matters too much, because by its very nature, direct rear vision will be obscured by the loads anyway.

Sideways, the Doblo Cargo looks quite interesting too, thanks to that aforementioned window scoop and strategically-placed mouldings. It also looks capacious, and IS tall ... but doesn't look unwieldy as some tall vehicles in this class can do.

The rear view is dominated by the tall tail-light units, a la Punto, set in their own black plastic surrounds which again have a protective function. These merge into high rear bumper units which dovetail with the low load sill under the rear doors.

Against the whole look, the wheels look a little on the small side, but prove more than adequate for the needs of the vehicle.

The driver's working area is cheerfully done, reflecting the fact that the Doblo also comes in car form in other markets. The bright blue of the review vehicle was complemented by blue and light grey trim materials inside, all devised in a 'plump' and curvy style. Anything that had to be gripped felt and looked good, including the chunky wheel, big-bossed for the driver's airbag.

Beyond the wheel there's a neat instruments cluster, which in the version we drove included a rev-counter. The central stack area was topped by a high radio nacelle which raised the dashboard somwhat, and underneath this came air vents and climate controls, all relatively high and easy to get to. Between the airvents is an unusual and stylish block of switches for electric windows, foglights, hazard flasher and rear demister. It is probably the most efficient such cluster I've seen.

The gearshift is mounted in an extension to the centre stack, a la Honda Civic and some other current cars, and between the shift and the dash are located the cigarette lighter and an extra 12v power outlet.

There's a deep pocket in the dash on the passenger's side, which can do double duty as a grap handle, and underneath this a small enough lidded compartment. There are other spaces in the doors, which also have nice padded armrests. A van is, after all, a driver's workplace, and needs to provide any comfort possible.

Across the full width at head level is a deep tray for keeping gloves, docketbooks and anything else accumulated by a busy driver. The sun visors are set under this, and I have a little niggling worry about their angle to a head moving forward after an impact. Must have been tested, though?

The driving environment in the high-spec version is very flexible, with full seat height adjustment and a tilt adjustment for the steering wheel. The position is high, giving good vision angles.

From a cargo point of view, the load area is tall and very accessible in the high-specc version, which comes with two sliding side doors. The load area is very flat, and wheel-arch intrusion not very pronounced. The rear doors have handles to open from the inside.

The review vehicle had a two-thirds width 'ladder' bulkhead, but a fully-closed unit is available also, with or without rear window.

On the road the Doblo felt fairly peppy, but was unloaded for the period. The engine proved decent to drive, and was quite noiseless at idle. Revving it high, which it encourages, fairly upped the noise level, which was of course amplified by the empty cavern in the back. I'd reckon the version with the full-enclosed bulkhead would be much easier on extended runs.

The steering and gearshift were both quite delightful, and I'm really coming around to the view that the in-dash gearlever position is the best place for the stick to be.

Handling unladen was OK, a bit on the jumpy side without any weight on board, but that's not the normal position for any working van. Anyway, the rigid rear axle and leaf springs aren't exactly new suspension technology, but still have many advantages in this kind of worker. Brakes and other controls all worked as one would want.

Small gripe, but an important one: the indicator clicker isn't half loud enough, and the arrow lights to warn you that the indicators are on get lost in any brightness, so you can drive too long with an indicator flashing redundantly and irritatingly for the people behind.

All in all, the new Doblo should take its place happily in a segment where Fiat hasn't been for some time. This is an important and a healthy market, and the company should be getting its share. At £9,500 and £9,990 for the base and the SX versions respectively, it should make a mark.

There's a long list of accessory options ranging from a folding rear ramp to a large roof rack. Variations of rear door designs are just one of a number of options available to buyers, and there is also a body kit and alloy wheels to customise the vehicle.

ENGINE 1.9 D, 63bhp at 4500rpm, Maximum torque 118Nm at 2500rpm;
TRANSMISSION Front drive, 5 speeds + reverse;
STEERING Rack and pinion rack and pinion with power steering, turning circle 10.5 metres;
BRAKES Disc front, drum rear
SUSPENSION Front: independent MacPherson, Rear: rigid axle with leaf springs;
DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 2566mm, Length 4159mm, Width 1714mm, Height 1820mm; Load bay length/width 1680/2280mm, Width between wheelarches 1200mm, Height 1305mm, Ground clearance load threshold 353mm, Volume 3.2m3
WHEELS Tyres 175/70 R 14 88T Reinforced
WEIGHTS – CAPACITIES DIN kerb weight without driver 1280kg, Gross vehicle weight 1905kg, Payload including driver 625kg, Fuel tank capacity 60l;
PERFORMANCE Top speed 141kmh, Acceleration 0-100 km/h 20.9sec, Fuel consumption combined cycle 7.2 l/100km.