The Qubo at the beautiful coast at Estaque

After being (very) impressed by the road qualities of the Fiat Freemont on the French roads, the dynamic PR department of Fiat Group Automobiles Belgium offered us the possibility of driving the Fiat Qubo on our annual holiday in France. It certainly proves to be an ideal holiday companion…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Cruising through the vineyards of the Ardèche Méridionale...

When we are writing these lines, we still are on holiday, and enjoying all the good qualities of the Qubo. On the trip fromBrusselsto the South of France, it was very comfortable and showed excellent motorway qualities.

Driving at the legal speed limits on the French Autoroutes, using the very efficient and practical cruise control, noise levels are very subdued indeed, with the ample torque of the engine allowing to Qubo to maintain effortlessly the chosen cruising speeds uphill.

The Qubo proved well at home in the narrow streets of small villages in the Ardèche...  

The Qubo remained also very frugal throughout these long motorway trips, consumption hovering around the 4 litre/100 km mark.

The seating position is very good, with the steering wheel being very well positioned and the drivers’ left elbow receiving excellent support of the door armrest. It makes for effortless driving for hours on end.

The armrest proves quite comfortable indeed...

In warmer weather, the air conditioning pleased us with very efficient and silent cooling, and on the winding Départementales in the French Provence and Méditerranée, both the steering qualities and stable handling and roadholding made the Qubo a pleasure to drive. Propelled by  the 95 hp of our Multijet, the 1,2 tonne Qubo proved quite lively, with a top speed of 170 km/h.

Mechanical smoothness…

These very good handling qualities are combined with outstanding comfort. Potholes on frost-ridden mountain roads and small paths are taken smoothly, and the ride in the compact Qubo is never harsh or bumpy.

The good ride qualities are not disturbed by any mechanical roughness, quite on the contrary; The Fiat Multijet Diesel is a very smooth unit indeed, exempt from any vibration at (very) low revs, and very flexible. The Qubo driver can select third gear at the 30 km urban speed limits and the Fiat will move along inaudibly and smoothly, without any of the noisiness and temperamental harshness so typical of Diesel units.

Smooth, powerful and frugal: the Multijet 1,3 litre Diesel engine embodies state-of-the-art Diesel technology...  

Needless to say that we are again very impressed by Fiat’s Diesel technology.

The 1248 cc Diesel engine has a maximum power of 70 kw/95 HP at 4.000 rpm. The car will also pull very well out of lower revs, with substantial torque setting in at around 1500 rpm. Indeed, the maximum torque of 200 Nm of our Multijet 95 hp 1,3 Diesel engine is found just at this engine speed.

The gearbox is also a delight to use, gearchanges are smooth, the synchro works perfectly and the gears are totally silent at any speed.

This general mechanical smoothness greatly contributes to the driving pleasure, adding to the impression of effortlessness which the car gives in any driving circumstance.

The holiday is not over yet, and we will complete this story with more comments and pictures at the end of our holiday, but here you can read already our first impressions…

Hans Knol ten Bensel