Fiat's 'little van that can', the Fiorino, released in South Africa this week, is ready to take on the three quarter-tonne bakkies that have traditionally dominated the small delivery segment in this country with a mix of cuteness and practicality that, if nothing else, will make it stand out on the roads.
It's the smallest of Fiat's Professional range - compact enough, says Fiat, to cope with inner-city traffic on a daily basis, but big enough inside to deal with odd-shaped items that wouldn't fit under the canopy of a bakkie.
Just how big is that?
The Fiorino is only 3.86 metres long overall, but can swallow 2.5 cubic metres of payload - or you can fold away the front passenger seat and increase that to 2.8 cubic metres, with a loading length of 2.5 metres.
The rear doors open like a cupboard, rather than a tail-gate, for maximum accessibility and low sill height. A sliding side door is standard on the 1.3-litre diesel and an optional extra on the 1.4 petrol model.
MAXIMUM ACCESSIBILITY
For maximum accessibility when dealing with high volumes of smallish parcels, a second sliding side door is also available as an option - meaning you can get to whatever is next on the delivery schedule no matter where those idiots in despatch have packed it.
An optional separate unlocking feature for the front and rear doors means you can offload stuff from the back while the cab is secure - or get out to make sure you're at the right place without unlocking the cargo bay.
MOTORVATION
The 1.4-litre petrol version is rated for 54kW at 5200rpm and 118Nm at 2600, at a cost of 6.4 litres per 100km on a combined-cycle route.
The 1.3-litre, intercooled turbodiesel unit comes with common-rail, Multijet direct fuel-injection to deliver a quoted 55kW at 4000rpm and 190Nm at 1500 (yes, Cyril, that's more power and more torque than the 1.4 petrol) while burning only 4.6 litres per 100km in the combined cycle.
PILE IT ON
Optional accessories start with a one-piece steel roof-rack, with a capacity of 80kg, and with or without a roller to help with loading long thin items like ladders or curtain rods. Or you can have three steel bars, upping capacity to 90kg, or a tow hook in either ixed or folding format.
Standard kit includes hydraulic power steering, driver and passenger airbags, antilock braking with electronic brake-force distribution, cup holders, a 12-volt socket, a cigarette lighter, an ashtray and lots of storage, including a glove compartment big enough for a laptop.
Extra-cost options include parking sensors, remote central locking, aircon, a radio/CD/MP3 player with optional steering-wheel controls, and a Fiat's built-in Blue&Me Tom Tom system that lets you navigate, make phone calls and listen to music using the touch display, steering wheel controls and a USB port on the central tunnel.
PRICES
Fiorino 1.4 - R129 900
Fiorino 1.3 MultiJet - R149 900
Service intervals are 12 months or 20 000km - whichever comes first - for petrol or diesel, with a three-year or 100 000km warranty. An optional service plan is available.