General I'm vaguely tiddled (Drunk)....

[captain_swing]

......so this is probably not the best time to post this. But what the hell.

Just had a dinner party with a friend and he was very disparaging towards my Doblo "family"- the first words he said were "where's the wheelchair".

But you know what? He's wrong.

He owns a Jag and I'm sure it's very fast and very comfortable and very luxurious but it couldn't do what the Doblo did yesterday: Go to Ikea and pick up a load of furniture (including two rattan chairs and a non-foldable rattan sun lounger) and still have room for four people - and still do 50+ to the gallon.

So I say - stuff 'em. They may sneer, but we know the secret. Adaptability. Does it for me every time.

Sorry about this, but that crack burnt.

 

[dave]

has he got a real jag or one of the newer baby jags?

 

[hmallett]

...the first words he said were "where's the wheelchair".

Tell him to stop being such a bigot .
H

 

[doblocurious]

Presumably your 04 reg Family is with the 1.3 mj engine?
So how does it "go" with those full loads?
I'm looking at the Active (as I don't need 7 seats), and head says 1.3 mj ...but heart cries 1.9 jtd!

 

[alexwood146]

I'd have to say that I'm having no end of fun with my 1.9JTD.
The best thing is traffic lights, two lanes...
...Spot the the 'sporty' car sitting all alone at the red light, in the outside lane - cos he'd never be seen in the near side one...
...slowly approach and stop beside him...
...he looks over, "this'll be easy", thinks he...
...wait for the lights to change - then let rip...
...short first, into second, and all of a sudden he realises that it ain't easy and this shed on wheels beside him is going far faster than he thought it could...
...by that point he's realised he's in the wrong gear and you're ahead settling at a steady 30 way out in front...
...aww diddums! Got to put your foot down now cos that ugly big Fiat has just made you look sloooooowwwwwww

LOVE IT!

My partner has MS, we often drive two-up with a 100kg electric scooter in the back with a set of motorcycle ramps and you can STILL do that -
The 4-wheel scooter is, by complete accident, the same shade of dark blue as the Doblo - we've had so many people gawp as it is reversed out the back, with both their hazard lights on, and ask if they come as a matching pair that we're going to stick a round FIAT badge on the back as a joke - if I can find one.
The Doblo's called Dougal (as in the Magic Roundabout) so the scooter is Brian (the snail - get it?). The original idea was the Thunderbirds but no one could remember whether T'bird 2 went in to T'bird 4 or vice-versa

Alex
Spirito di Doblo (20% ABV)

 

[captain_swing]

Wow, so many replies:

1. Dave - it's a real Jag.
2. hmallet - I don't think he's a bigot he just likes Jags- oh well when he needs me to pick something up from the garden centre for him he'll change his tune.
3. doblocurious - Yes it's the 1.3 - I had misgivings at first but it was the only Doblo around when I was looking so I test drove it. I know this sounds strange but I actually prefer the 1.3 to the JTD. The power delivery is much smoother - almost petrol like, so the cars road manners are good. Whereas the JTD did that diesel power delivery thing of slow,slow....whoosh - you know?. It's got excellent 50-70 acceleration on the motorway and will cruise quite nicely at 70-80. At the lights the car will accelarate briskly up to about 40 but any decent petrol engined car will go past after that. Basically there's no substitute for horse power but it's very acceptable for such a small engine.
4.alexwood146 - It was T4 into T2 (sorry, childhood favourite). The 1.3'll do that at the lights but only one or two up. Do you have the standard Doblo ar the high top? I see quite a lot around where I live. I think they're specialist taxi services.

 

[Steven]

I'd have to say that I'm having no end of fun with my 1.9JTD.
The best thing is traffic lights, two lanes...
...Spot the the 'sporty' car sitting all alone at the red light, in the outside lane - cos he'd never be seen in the near side one...
...slowly approach and stop beside him...
...he looks over, "this'll be easy", thinks he...
...wait for the lights to change - then let rip...
...short first, into second, and all of a sudden he realises that it ain't easy and this shed on wheels beside him is going far faster than he thought it could...
...by that point he's realised he's in the wrong gear and you're ahead settling at a steady 30 way out in front...
...aww diddums! Got to put your foot down now cos that ugly big Fiat has just made you look sloooooowwwwwww

LOVE IT!

My partner has MS, we often drive two-up with a 100kg electric scooter in the back with a set of motorcycle ramps and you can STILL do that -
The 4-wheel scooter is, by complete accident, the same shade of dark blue as the Doblo - we've had so many people gawp as it is reversed out the back, with both their hazard lights on, and ask if they come as a matching pair that we're going to stick a round FIAT badge on the back as a joke - if I can find one.
The Doblo's called Dougal (as in the Magic Roundabout) so the scooter is Brian (the snail - get it?). The original idea was the Thunderbirds but no one could remember whether T'bird 2 went in to T'bird 4 or vice-versa

Alex
Spirito di Doblo (20% ABV)

The best post on FF this year. Brilliant!

 

[dave]

1. Dave - it's a real Jag.

tell him to get rid of the jag and you will buy him a i've got a little willy t-shirt instead

 

[serin]

tell him to get rid of the jag and you will buy him a i've got a little willy t-**** instead

a what?

do you mean a t-SHIRT :chin:

 

[dave]

a what?

do you mean a t-SHIRT :chin:

 

[alexwood146]

Capitan Swing, its just normal height. I regularly have a 14feet long kayak on the roof - the hi-top can't take bars (that i'm aware of) and most importantly I'd never be able to reach to get it on and off
I think the 1.9 is a lot better if you're carrying the weight - there is no real change in how the engine performs, just how it handles when you get to the twisties :devil:
The 1.3 would have won but for that. Two up was fine but any more out of town would have required patience (I've had 2 x 2cv6s so I know ALL about patience).

Alex

 

[captain_swing]

Hey, if they'd had a 7 seater 1.9 in my price range I'd would have had one of those.

I find it interesting though that everyone criticises FIAT for putting such small engines in these things as though they didn't know what they were doing. I have to say if these guys are investing so much money into this model (and even a Doble isn't cheap to develop) then you'd think they'd do their homework. Especially as these things are the mark 2 Doblo with the upgraded engines- they've had time to get it right. Basically I think you've got to look at the projected/planned use of the model. The Doblo Family is obviously for hauling Italian Catholic families to and from Church and School - lots of kids therefore you need seven seats (and you could get a little bambino in the middle of the back seat if you really tried) but you don't need the extra pulling power of the large diesel.

I must admit the concept of the Doblo seven seater is very popular with some of my colleagues from India and Pakistan. Two kids AND the parents in-law in there - wonderful?.

2CVs eh? Brilliant car, always wanted to own one. But chickened out and plumped for a ZX instead.

 

[[email protected]]

1.9 jtd every time I drove both within 5 minutes of each other there is no comparision:idea:

 

[dobloabarth]

Hehe the doblo is the car everyone should own! All these pillocks with puntos and other ordinary cars? waste of time and space of the road. A doblo seats five and carries five peoples luggage. It does Newcastle to Rouen with fuel to spare (doblo 1.9 jtd)

And its a hoot to drive.