Test drive Fiat Fullback
The Italian pickup is a product of co-creation, this time with Mitsubishi. Choosing the basis for a new car, the Italians chose the Japanese L200 model with a proven frame structure.
I drive to work in the morning in Turin in a brand new city heel Fiorino. The body, despite the compact size of the car, easily fits a euro pallet, to which several spare wheels are fastened. The working day promises to be busy. In the cramped streets of Fiat's homeland, I rejoice in excellent visibility, precise steering, precise mechanics with short travels and an absolutely stunningly tuned clutch pedal. On the highway, I come to the conclusion that 95 "horses" of the diesel engine is enough not to feel like an outsider in the dynamic Italian traffic. Yes, it is not surprising that the Italian post has ordered a whole fleet of these nimble kids. Despite the fact that the car is rather narrow, due to the vertical doors in the cab it is spacious, and the navigation, although tiny, but with good resolution, and looks beautiful.
A large-scale test drive, organized by Fiat, is dedicated to the final formation of a line of light commercial vehicles and offers cars of all possible classes. The Italians promised to expand the range of models in two years, and the plan was overfulfilled, keeping within just 21 months. Of course, it is unrealistic to create so many machines from scratch in a short time, which means that we have collaboration products. Another novelty is the Fiat Talento minivan, the flesh of the flesh Renault Trafic. However, these cars are just a prelude to the main premiere of the day. At the entrances to the mountain unpaved serpentine, a new Fiat Fullback pickup truck loaded with haystacks is waiting for me.
It is also a product of co-creation, this time with Mitsubishi. Fiat Chrysler has a successful Ram pickup, but it still plays in a different league. Choosing the basis for a new car, the Italians chose the Japanese L200 model with a time-tested frame structure and an advanced all-wheel drive transmission Super Select 4WD II (the same one that is installed on the legendary Mitsubishi Pajero SUV). One of the main features of this system is the ability to switch modes on the go at speeds up to 100 km per hour. True, in the basic versions of the Fullback, like the L200, it will be offered with Easy Select 4WD, a classic plug-in all-wheel drive.
The fullback is a wide back in rugby and American football who must have excellent speed and stamina to counter attackers and be able to support the attack. When asked if any changes were made to the car's settings, be it suspension or steering, the engineers answer that they are not so naive as to immediately try to make the car better than the mastodons of the market. In fact, the Italians only needed to conjure over the appearance, with which they did an excellent job: the design turned out to be original and perfectly fits into the modern corporate style of Fiat. Even the branded Japanese upturned “tail” is no longer so noticeable at first glance. The only difference from the prototype in the cabin is the logo on the steering wheel. More accessories will be available to the Fullback than to the L200 pickup truck - improvements from Mopar will be added to the "native" parts from Mitsubishi.
Like the L200, the “Italian” was given a new 2,4-liter turbodiesel with a capacity of 154 or 181 “horses”, depending on the degree of forcing, with a torque of 380 and 430 Nm, respectively. Gearboxes - a six-speed "mechanics" and a five-speed "automatic". A short test drive allowed me to talk only with the latter, but in the most expensive version: with a large touchscreen display, dual-zone climate control and paddle shifters. But regardless of the configuration, the only soft details in the cabin will be the seats and the leather-wrapped steering wheel. Everything else is utilitarian hard plastic.
The combination works great. The top engine with a wide torque flange is perfectly combined with the "automatic", does not require special attention and copes with the movement of the machine in space with a bang. The dynamics looks convincing enough for a heavy frame car, and even with a load in the body. As often happens lately, the reaction of a diesel engine to pressing the gas pedal in a utilitarian pickup truck is no worse than that of modern gasoline cars.
My car is shod with sharp-toothed BF Goodrich off-road tires, so while we drive around town, the cabin is a little noisy, but within the bounds of decency: the wind and the engine are not annoying. The suspension perfectly manages the unevenness of the rural Italian asphalt. Changing the generation of the L200 pickup, the Japanese reconfigured the suspension, and it got to the "Italian" already modified, along with improved noise and vibration isolation.
When the asphalt ends and potholes half a car high begin, I understand why there is hay in the back. If not for it, the unloaded rear axle would shamelessly jump, spoiling the overall impression. By the way, especially for Russia, the maximum load capacity of Fullback will be reduced from 1100 to 920 kg so that the pickup truck fits into the category “up to 3,5 tons”. And so everything is fine: you can drive fast, without fear of loose soil or mud in puddles - I have already turned on all-wheel drive, and there is also a locking of the central and rear differentials and a downshift. Not the largest clearance of 205 mm is not a hindrance - on such bumps everything is decided by the angles of entry and exit, but here they are impressive: 30 and 25 garus, respectively.
The car is on the move, and just by general feeling it came out much less civil than classmates Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok, but this is exactly what the Italians needed. Not only the inhabitants of the Apennines are surrounded by the Fiat Professional line. Delivery vans scurrying around the city, mobile coffee shops promising a boost of vigor, a life-saving ambulance always ready to help out a mobile tire service, trendy hipster food trucks and, of course, minibuses can also be found in Moscow.
The new Fiat Fullback pickup, the prices of which have been promised to be announced on the eve of the Moscow Motor Show, nominally belongs to the Fiat Professional line for a reason. Everywhere, including Russia, it will be sold through this dealer network and advertised accordingly. And what ordinary cars can be criticized for is the norm for commercial vehicles.
