Professor Peach
New member
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2012
- Messages
- 62
- Points
- 28
I’ve recently purchased a new (to me) Qubo and received a lot of help on here, so as promised here is my review:
First off it’s a 2012, 62 plate 1.4 petrol My Life in red with 30,000 miles on the clock, FSH, 12 months MoT etc. Pretty much mint condition except for a small scrape on the NSF passenger door, probably an interface with an errant shopping trolley or similar. I did consider going diesel but couldn’t quite get past the potential aggravation of blocked dpf, egr and whatever.
Bought sight unseen and having never even sat in a Qubo before my main concern was that the mighty 73bhp powerhouse would not be up to the job. Turns out I needn’t have worried; obviously it’s no ball of fire but cruised home up the motorway no problem at all. Only hilly roads have you flicking round the gearbox but it’s no hardship if you enjoy driving.
I owned a 500L for three years until 2018, and for me the Qubo is much better to drive: the steering is heavier (still easy of course), the gear change slicker, the handling tauter and the seats more supportive.
The driving position is higher than I imagined and together with the glass area and huge windscreen this gives a really commanding view out, especially straight ahead. Only the thick B pillar blots the copy book at angled T-junctions where you either have to lean forwards to see what’s coming, or backwards to look out of the rear side window. Door mirrors are big and really usefully shaped.
Boot space is a decent size with the rear seats in place, and massively increased with them folded up with a useful square shaped and perfectly flat floor. Yesterday I removed the rear seats completely so now the loading volume is huge. Removing those seats was straightforward enough but they are VERY heavy!! I will use the Qubo mainly for work and fitted a pair of heavy duty front seat covers yesterday to protect them. In the coming weeks I am planning 4 x all season tyres, rear window tinting and I’ll make a bespoke plywood load floor with non-slip rubber matting. Updates to follow...
Overall I’m really loving the Qubo and think of it as a ‘proper’ Fiat; simple, basic, unpretentious and really characterful. With the old faithful FIRE engine up front it even sounds like a Fiat! I suppose it’s a sort of modern day equivalent of the Renault 4, but with more mod cons. I really like the sort of anti-cool image... whereas most MPVs say I'm married, stressed, got six kids and three dogs, I'm active and really busy; and SUVs say I'm keeping up with my friends and other Instragram vegetables with my latest PCP and credit purchases... the Qubo just gets on with it and if you don't like it then you can just sod off
As a final word I’ve been looking for excuses to take it out for a drive… I even went out shopping yesterday! :slayer:
First off it’s a 2012, 62 plate 1.4 petrol My Life in red with 30,000 miles on the clock, FSH, 12 months MoT etc. Pretty much mint condition except for a small scrape on the NSF passenger door, probably an interface with an errant shopping trolley or similar. I did consider going diesel but couldn’t quite get past the potential aggravation of blocked dpf, egr and whatever.
Bought sight unseen and having never even sat in a Qubo before my main concern was that the mighty 73bhp powerhouse would not be up to the job. Turns out I needn’t have worried; obviously it’s no ball of fire but cruised home up the motorway no problem at all. Only hilly roads have you flicking round the gearbox but it’s no hardship if you enjoy driving.
I owned a 500L for three years until 2018, and for me the Qubo is much better to drive: the steering is heavier (still easy of course), the gear change slicker, the handling tauter and the seats more supportive.
The driving position is higher than I imagined and together with the glass area and huge windscreen this gives a really commanding view out, especially straight ahead. Only the thick B pillar blots the copy book at angled T-junctions where you either have to lean forwards to see what’s coming, or backwards to look out of the rear side window. Door mirrors are big and really usefully shaped.
Boot space is a decent size with the rear seats in place, and massively increased with them folded up with a useful square shaped and perfectly flat floor. Yesterday I removed the rear seats completely so now the loading volume is huge. Removing those seats was straightforward enough but they are VERY heavy!! I will use the Qubo mainly for work and fitted a pair of heavy duty front seat covers yesterday to protect them. In the coming weeks I am planning 4 x all season tyres, rear window tinting and I’ll make a bespoke plywood load floor with non-slip rubber matting. Updates to follow...
Overall I’m really loving the Qubo and think of it as a ‘proper’ Fiat; simple, basic, unpretentious and really characterful. With the old faithful FIRE engine up front it even sounds like a Fiat! I suppose it’s a sort of modern day equivalent of the Renault 4, but with more mod cons. I really like the sort of anti-cool image... whereas most MPVs say I'm married, stressed, got six kids and three dogs, I'm active and really busy; and SUVs say I'm keeping up with my friends and other Instragram vegetables with my latest PCP and credit purchases... the Qubo just gets on with it and if you don't like it then you can just sod off
As a final word I’ve been looking for excuses to take it out for a drive… I even went out shopping yesterday! :slayer:
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