This week our report takes a slightly different direction on a new car available on the Irish Car Market. The car in question can arrive from Italy as a seven-seater people carrier. But in Ireland it arrives as a 5 seater with a bulkhead fitted behind the rear seats. The people carrier we tested this week was the multi functional Fiat Doublo Maxi.
It’s not enough anymore for a car manufacturer to make a car to suit a single market. The Doblo not alone is multi-talented within The Italian car maker Fiat , it’s also successful with the German carmaker Opel and is a Fiat Doublo in everything but the brand name on the bonnet. It’s called the Opel Combi and is both in van and in car form. We are testing the new long-wheel version, the Maxi which is 35cm longer than the standard wheelbase version.
A view of how on how easy access is on the new Fiat Doblo is on the car we tested this week. Photo Brian McDaid
The new Fiat Dublo is fitted with the new 1.6 diesel engine which produces 105 bhp. The car also comes with a six speed gear box. My every day van is the Opel version of this Doblo with the 1.3 90bhp multi-jet Diesel engine which I get great economy and power from. The 1.6 has more torque and power but still returns similar fuel consumption to the smaller unit.
The double sliding doors for the rear seat passengers and the higher stance make access getting in and out of this people carrier a treat. From a drivers point of view sitting higher up you have a great view of the road ahead and I find also that this makes it easier to judge for driving and parking.
The patrician or bulkhead fitted in the Fiat Doblo which leaves it VAT reclaimable as a commercial vehicle and also has a lower VRT rating. Photo Brian McDaid
Daylight robbery
It was William III that introduced “The Window Tax” back in the day on the amount of light entering a home. This was on top of tax on the house. So a way around this was to build the windows in the structure of a house but then blocked up to cut the amount of extra tax payable on a family home. The term “daylight robbery” may well have come from the introduction of this added tax.
This in no different today. but instead of targeting the home its the family cars with another as a way of extracting tax from us in every way possible that the state can come up with. And like the old Georgian Houses that had blocked out windows, large family people carriers are getting a patrician fitted called a bulkhead after it leaves the factory and what it’s basically is saying is that the boot area in this people carrier is for Commercial use. This is now class this as commercial vehicle with seating for up to four passengers and a driver, the bulkhead in the Doblo just looks like what pet owners would use to keep the dog in the boot of the car.
For the self employed that are VAT registered this people carrier can have the VAT claimed back on it and also has a lower rate of VRT as a commercial vehicle, the tax is this country is “daylight robbery” So its nice to see some way of getting round this system.
So a Fiat Doblo maxi will cost you €16,995 plus VAT at 23% which can be claimed back if you are registered for VAT. Even if you aren’t the all in price of €20,900 is still great value because of the fitting of the bulkhead which reduced the VRT on the list price for a people carrier to this size.
Summing up I love the practicality of the of This Fiat Doblo, in the times that we live in this this is a great offer for any new car owner who also needs a good bit of space in the boot (for commercial use only of course)! The multi jet diesel engines go on for ever if they are looked after, I know because I and on my second one both of which have over 17,000km on the clock, The introduction of this bulk head might not suit everyone, but it will help make things meet in a life where we are taxed to death in the present day.
Finally – Parking and parking spaces.
While driving the New Fiat Doblo Maxi this week I was parking in one of the many carparks in Letterkenny, the only parking space available was between these two cars, and the thought cross my mind was how much space was available when I went to get out.
On further investigation I noticed that the two cars were parked over four parking spaces, I have to say that some of these parking spaces are so small now that its impossible to park in the space provide to get out of you car with out hitting the bodywork of the car beside you.
I just though of taking a photo of the three cars in the spaces before I left. When I arrived back one of the cars had moved off and my Fiat look as if it was in no mans land. I know I am not the greatest parker in the world but I think that the theory of what is consider a decent parking space and the number of parking spaces someone can cram into a plot of land has nothing to do with a car and its passengers that have to get in and out of it, when its jammed into the space provided. Rant over.
Happy Motoring Folks
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