Just had our first long trip away in the Doblo. Over 300 miles up to Nairn in Scotland. On the way up the computer reckoned on 42 mpg. On the way back that was up to 46mpg. Is this about right for the 1.3 or can I expect better as the mileage increases. It's just under 2000 miles at the moment.
cheers.

My own 1.3 Multijet Cargo - approx. 3700 miles - recently went from Dundee to Brackley, via Lincoln, and back, giving 48.5 all the way. Now it's returned to its previous 47.5 for local running about, despite the motor having been well and truly loosened up.

My previous 1.9 JTD "estate" Doblo, at 70,000 miles, hovered around 50 mpg. no matter what I did to it.

Conclusion: once fully run in (still needs more miles on the clock)
they do around 50 mpg, have loads of room, a good ride height and feel great to drive. What more could you want?

Yes, I had hoped for more frugal fuel consuption from the smaller capacity motor has got to be working harder, than the 1.9, in order to move the same mass. At least, being a 1.3 Cargo, I won't get done under the weight/speed restrictions mentioned elsewhere!

Not a fair comparison I know, but I've just got back to Norwich from a 503 mile round trip to Southampton. This includes thirty or so miles driven locally while in Hampshire. The outward journey was 235 miles and took 3.75 hours. Similar for the return, although I went down on the A3 and returned on the M3. Fuel consumption was 53-58mpg at an average of 58mph, according to the computer. This is in a '53 JTD 101bhp 1.9. I travelled alone with only one bag in the back and some crud in the boot. We were three up while I was there, but short journeys. The whole trip was done on one tank of fuel - I refilled when I got home. Brilliant I reckon, as I was fairly moving for most of the journey. Great weather though, and very little use of the A/C or lights. Just had a new exhaust fitted and a service. This is the best economy the thing has given - at 53000 miles. Great car. Quiet too.

There was a Belgian Multijet van going like the clappers on the M25, and he was certainly doing 90+...Belgians!

Thanks for the replies folks, much appreciated. Don't get me wrong I love my Doblo it's a fine car, utterly practical and a hoot to drive and I'm certainly not complaining about the fuel consumption. In fact with an average yearly mileage of less than 6k I have no problem living with mid to high forties mpg.

Of course with the high price of fuel and the cost of living in general any savings in fuel consumption are welcome. So with a few more miles on the clock here's hoping I can crack the 50mpg barrier.

RodV. said:

My own 1.3 Multijet Cargo - approx. 3700 miles - recently went from Dundee to Brackley, via Lincoln, and back, giving 48.5 all the way. Now it's returned to its previous 47.5 for local running about, despite the motor having been well and truly loosened up.

My previous 1.9 JTD "estate" Doblo, at 70,000 miles, hovered around 50 mpg. no matter what I did to it.

Conclusion: once fully run in (still needs more miles on the clock)
they do around 50 mpg, have loads of room, a good ride height and feel great to drive. What more could you want?

Yes, I had hoped for more frugal fuel consuption from the smaller capacity motor has got to be working harder, than the 1.9, in order to move the same mass. At least, being a 1.3 Cargo, I won't get done under the weight/speed restrictions mentioned elsewhere!

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I agree with the reasoning that a 1.3 will have to work much harder than a 1.9 to shift the same lump. It can't be easy pushing a 1.5 tonne box along at 60+.
I think 60 is about terminal velocity for the dobbin, I find myself doing 3 or 4 journeys each week of between 40 and 80 miles, mainly dual carriageway and/or motorway and struggling to stop the beast escaping is returning high 40s. Although averaging 70mph I can still see a return of 40mpg.
Trouble is, when the small stuff flies past, it is hard to resist the temptation to floor it. Even doing 60 in 5th gear, the engine has enough poke left to give reasonable accelleration but then this will drink the juice.
To be fair to the dobbin, there's not many motors in its class that can offer the same economy.

Hi folks,
I came to this thread cos I have a new 1.3? (1248cc) turbo diesel family (7 seats) which I was sold by Fiat on the understanding that I would get approx 52mpg, well; full load or empty the trip gives me 42.3 to 42.6!! The car was bought new in July and has about 3K on the clock. The sales guy assured me, it should be doing at least 50mpg and to bring it back for investigation. Guess what? The service guy said nothing wrong with it, and I'm unlikely to get much more than 42mpg even when the engine has loosened up a bit. So I am going back to the sales guy Monday a bit cheesed off. I don't like having the wool pulled over. However, I'd be interested in anybody else's experience with this version. Do they invent these figures?

hi guys, just to throw my hat into the ring, my '08 cargo has done 3500 miles and its doing 49.7 mpg. it was doing 50.4 mpg but when i stopped watching the rolling mpg it seems to have gone down a bit! the really good thing or scary thing, is that my trip computer which never gets reset says my average journey speed is 21 mph! so i think 50 mpg for 21 mph average is a good thing. anyone agree?

I've just completed a 68 mile round trip in the Doblo today, a mix of town and dual carriageway. I reset everything on the computer and must admit drove like a right grandad; never exceeding 60 mph and no harsh acceleration.

Lo and behold, when I got back the computer was reckoning an average fuel consumption of 54.2 mpg.
Unfortunately, in the real world I never drive like this, so these figures are unlikely to be repeated.

It does go to show though, that if your'e careful with the right foot, the Doblo can give decent mpg.

resetting the mpg computer all the time will give false real world readings.

have now done 3500 miles since last reset in a busy 10 weeks 70% M and A roads the rest town driving my loaded 06 105bhp cargo van using supermarket diesel and millers sport4 additive, driving normal to hard.

computer has levelled out at 46.7mpg.

personally I am well chuffed with that

A letter to watchdog!
Hi,
On the 14th of July this year, I bought a 1.2 turbo diesel Fiat Doblo MPV, based on my wife's good impressions of the Fiat Brand, price, size, and an amazing fuel economy (or so I thought). Quoted as extra urban 58.9, combined 51.4, an urban of 42.2, in their literature, it seemed perfect.
Once bought imagine my disappointment when a trip to france gave me 42.6 over nearly 1000 miles.
Still, I thought once all the luggage is out and we are just doing the mixed driving around us locally things ought to improve, but no; the next test was 42.3!
Then I decided to report the matter to fiat, they had the car for the day and no fault was found.
Another test physical test was done and on a full tank to reserve I got 456 miles, achieved using 49.59 litres of fuel (10.92 gallons) giving me 41.8 mpg.
A later trip to Winchester saw me achieve just 38mpg (dual carriageway and motorway).
All the figures since France were achieved with no load, and single occupancy, unless you count my 6 year old daughter Molly.
Upon complaining to Fiat I was offered a fuel consumption test which I would have to pay for, and then if a fault was found, I would be reimbursed.
I was also told by Dale at Fiat customer care, that the quoted figures were produced in test conditions in a wind tunnel (presumably it was blowing from behind), no occupancy and with no gear changes. Also the mpg figures quoted were likely to vary from those stated (but he wasn't prepared to say by how much they might)

And that was that!

I was told when I bought the car that I could expect a 600 mile range, but I get 456. This is by anyone's measure a big difference.

Can it really be the case that, I have been sold something on the basis of what appears to be misleading information, and by law I do not have recourse to any support or compensation from the manufacturer.
Can the car industry really circumvent the sale of goods act? Can they describe cars that will only achieve the figures stated for them if the owner keeps the car in a wind tunnel, and doesn't occupy the driving seat.

If so, presumably then, they could take the wheels of it, tie it to the back of a jet aircraft and then base their figures on that test too and quite legally. Surely there are rules that motor manufacturers have to adhere to? Or is it open season for the car manufacturers to con (and in my view, that's what it is) buyers in a world where we are trying to reduce our CO2 emissions, and basing our buying decisions more and more on these figures.
It is also worth mentioning , that I am paying less in road tax than most owners of the 1.9 turbo diesel version, who are in fact getting better mpg figures than me (fiat forum source), and paying substantially more road tax.

Do other manufacturers exploit this loophole?

Time to name and shame I think!

Regards,
Duncan Brown

ok folks read the rules on fuel consumption testing:
vcacarfueldata.org.uk/information/fuel-consumption-testing-scheme.aspmakes interesting reading! They can't get away with using a jet aircraft, true; but the car never sees a proper tarmac road. Still a con in my opinion.

I guess all the figures are good for is to compare between vehicles being tested in the same conditions. They may not reflect the mpg you can expect in real life but may act as an indicator as to which vehiles will give better or worse mpg compared to others.

That is assuming the tests are done by an independant body - If Fiat do their own testing I would treat the figures as suspect. Any company that can offer an 'unlimited mileage' warranty and then regect a claim on the grounds of 'too many miles' (Fiat) is obviously not to be trusted.

You can't beat physics. The Doblo is a largish thing that has a good but not excellent drag coefficient. The engine is sweet and refined, but not the most economical, and the small 1.2/3 Diesel is too small for he Doblo anyway - in my opinion. So how can you realistically expect a high mpg when the little motor is having to work do hard? Don't forget though, you won't need a cam belt change at five years, so that'll save some cash, and that saving has to be balanced against the fuel consumption and low original price.

Ulpian said:

Don't forget though, you won't need a cam belt change at five years

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I wish .......

Mrs_G's Cargo will be having it's 5th cambelt service soon.

I thought the 1.3 had a chain cam and that these need changing less often?

I had a 1.3 Multijet Panda prior to my 1.9 Doblo and that gave good but not outstanding economy for a tiny city car at 57 mpg. The engine was super smooth but somehow felt wrong in a small car. People go on about the 16 valve multijet engine being smooth and revable but the last thing you want for economy is to rev the engine.

Diesels never seem to live upto the figures quoted, you have to remember the Combined figure is just a mathematical calculation, there is no such driving style as Combined!

A mate of mine has a new style Lexus iS with a supposed state of the art diesel engine which is supposed to give 44mpg and in 14k miles he cannot better 32mpg and he drives slower than my granny, he's well *****d off!

I test drove the 1.3 Doblo 85bhp and it felt much nippier than the earlier 70bhp model but neither had the feel of a lazy diesel with plenty of torque like the 1.9's and that is what you need for relaxed economical driving.

That said I have the 1.9 105bhp Doblo and I don't acheive the economy of others I get aboutt 45mpg but I know I drive quite hard, so everyones driving style is going to be different.