Fiat's largest van, the Ducato, ups its game in this much improved form. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

Fiat's Ducato might not be the first name on your LCV shortlist for a large van, but the latest much improved model definitely merits your attention, particularly if you're looking at the full-EV option. Spun off the same platform as the Peugeot Boxer, the Vauxhall Movano and the Citroen Relay, the Ducato continues to score in four key areas; robustness, low running costs, a wide range of body options and load area flexibility.

Background

The Fiat Ducato. It's the company's largest van, the flagship of its commercial vehicle range since 1981 and, according to the Italian brand, the most important model in its LCV line-up. That's certainly the case in mainland Europe, where it's the best selling commercial vehicle of any kind, regardless of category, number one in terms of sales in twelve different countries. Here though, it's a less familiar sight than it should be on our roads, something Fiat set out to change when it launched the much improved 'X290'-series sixth generation version in 2014, a design enhanced first in 2020, then again in 2022 and 2024 to create the model we're going to look at here. The fundamentals here are pretty familiar because they're shared with four other competing models in the large van segment, the Peugeot Boxer, the Citroen Relay, the Vauxhall Movano and (latterly) the Toyota Proace Max. Fiat used to use its own powerplants, but now sources those from the same Stellantis parts bin as its competing clones. The core reasons you might want a Ducato lie as before with the wide range of body styles and the affordable running costs, aided here by the vast improvements made to the full-electric version.

Driving Experience

Fiat has been forced to fall into line and use the same Stellantis Group 2.2-litre diesel in this Ducato as is found in its Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall clones. As with those models (and the Toyota Proace Max), the whole range is based around the same basic 2.2-litre unit, developing either 140hp (with either a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed auto gearbox); or 180hp (in auto form only). The alternative EV powertrain is of course also a shared Stellantis Group set-up, now vastly improved with a larger 110kWh battery, a gutsier 270hp electric motor (with 410Nm of torque) and a 261 mile electric driving range. On the move, whatever the choice of powerplant, we've been impressed with the supple ride and relatively easy manoeuvrability of this Ducato: vans this big are rarely this easy to drive. The ESP stability control system is particularly refined on this van, with a Load Adaptive Control function which adapts the point at which the ESP intervenes, according to the load in the vehicle and its distribution. There's also Hill Start Assist, built into the ESP software. This system is activated when the vehicle is stationary, engine running, foot on the brake pedal, on a slope steeper than 5 per cent, in forward gear going up or reverse gear going down. Under these conditions, braking pressure is maintained for around two seconds after the driver releases the brake pedal, offering assurance and ease in moving off without the vehicle dropping back, whatever the load in the vehicle.

Design and Build

There's a slightly sharper look for this updated Ducato with a new FIAT-branded fascia above the lower air intake. Otherwise, visually not too much has changed here. This big Fiat LCV is offered with a wheelbase of up to 4.04m and total length of 6.36m. Customers can choose from three different lengths, two wheelbases, three heights and a variety of body styles. Inside, the dashboard can now feature an optional 230V socket. This helps to easily charge electrical devices such as laptops, electric tool batteries, tablets and other low power appliances that require electricity up to 150 Watts. The fascia's look depends a lot on powertrain choice. The diesel versions get an old fashioned 5-inch centre screen paired with a 3.5-inch driver information instrument binnacle display. with the E-Ducato though, you get a much larger 10-inch central screen featuring fully integrated satellite navigation, voice recognition and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. As before, the seats are supportive and you can't fault the cabin for stowage options. There are two gloveboxes, with an open recess between them, plus there are three storage levels (and a bottle holder) in each of the door cards. And you get lots of space beneath the two-person passenger bench, plus there's a cubby under the climate controls, with a cup holder to the left of it.

Market and Model

At the time of the launch of this updated Ducato range, Fiat Professional's ex-VAT figures for diesel models ranged in the £31,000 to £38,000 bracket, spread across three vehicle heights and three lengths. Obviously, the all-electric E-Ducato (only offered with two lengths) costs a lot more, the amount varying between the choices customers will have in terms of height, length and wheelbase. With both powertrains, there are two trim levels - standard and plusher 'Primo'. At the time of this test, ex-Vat E-Ducato pricing after deduction of the government's £5,000 Plug-in grant started from around £45,000 - considerably less than it was for the pre-facelift model. The Ducato can also be had in People Mover minibus or chassis cab forms, you can order basic cab or cowls formats, specify a Dropside Truck or go for a 1-way Tipper. If you want this panel van but need it to also carry people, there are Window Van and Crew Van versions. Or you could use this Fiat as a conversion base. You might additionally want to add various optional autonomous driving ADAS features. A fresh set of connected services can transform the way you might be able to use this Ducato. 'Uconnect' Services and the FIAT app will make it possible to manage and monitor the vehicle directly from various devices. An extensive array of safety systems is included as standard on this updated Ducato, including a rear-view parking camera, rear parking sensors, traffic sign recognition and intelligent speed assist. The Ducato is also capable of level two autonomous driving (available on automatic models in conjunction with specific option packs). The combination of adaptive cruise control with 'Stop & Go' function, lane positioning assist and traffic jam assist enables the Ducato to steer, brake and accelerate itself at speeds up to 18mph - for example in slow traffic - provided that the driver's hands remain on the steering wheel.

Practicalities and Costs

The Ducato Panel Van can be had with three heights and in three different body lengths (or two lengths in E-Ducato form). The full-height twin rear doors open conventionally, but we'd want to specify the optional 270-degree feature which allows you to fold them back along the vehicle sides. Depending on variant, cargo capacity varies between 8 and 17m3. Gross Vehicle Weights range between 3,340 and 4,170kgs. Choose the E-Ducato and you'll find no practicality compromises with the under-floor battery installation. There's the usual sliding side door (with the option of another on the other side) and if you use it to swallow really heavy loads, you'll want to choose the right payload variant - there are Ducato payload options of up to 2.1-tonnes. As usual, we'd recommend that you add the ply-lining kit for the load area sides. The bulkhead's tough, but offers no load-through flap into the cab for longer items. The medium wheelbase L2 model offers a load deck length of 3120mm. Should you really need some capacity, the lengthier L3 format may well be all you need. In this configuration, the Ducato van has a load deck length of 3705mm. The Ducato also offers a load width of 1.87m and 1.42m between wheel arches, a low load sill, between 493 and 602mm, one or two sliding doors and rear doors that open to 96-degrees and extend to 180-degrees due to a folding check strap - and to 270-degrees as an optional feature. The Euro6 2.2 litre BlueHDi diesel engines offer better fuel economy than before, with the 140hp unit returning up to 40.1mpg and up to 219g/km of CO2. If running costs are everything and your business is urban-based, there's also a full-electric E-Ducato model too. This goes up to 261 miles on a single charge of its 110kWh battery, which can be charge at up to 150kW via an 11kW three-phase onboard charger. The battery can be replenished to 80% in 55 minutes via a 150kW DC rapid charger. An 11kW AC charger needs 12 hours for a full charge.

Summary

Pounding the streets of Naples or Palermo is about as tough an assignment as you could think to put a commercial vehicle through, but it's here that Fiat's Ducato has earned a loyal following. If it can put up with that sort of traffic, heat-cycling, and punishment from potholes, cobbles and other road users, British conditions aren't going to make it break a sweat. This improved model builds on the toughness of its predecessor and adds a welcome layer of technical sophistication in both combustion and full-Electric forms. This model no longer has the engineering differentiations it used to enjoy over its Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall design stablemates, but the shared Stellantis powertrains are still very class-competitive, particularly if you want a full-EV. As before, the Italian brand has clearly thought long and hard about what operators actually want. Take things like this improved model's media connectivity and autonomous driving tech for instance. As a result, if your business is in the market for a large van, it may very well be that you really need to go for an Italian.