Fiat Ducato shares Van of the Year Award with Peugeot Boxer and Citroen Relay

The Fiat Ducato range, which has jointly won the Semperit ‘Irish Van of the Year’ award for 2003 along with the Citroen Relay and the Peugeot Boxer, has been an outstanding success for Fiat Auto since it was launched in 1981.

Over 1.2 million units have been bought to date and it has been recognised as the most popular base for camper-van conversions in Europe. Thanks to the increasing popularity of the model family, Fiat Auto had 11.2% share of the European Commercial Vehicle market at the end of 2001.

Earlier this year the New Ducato range was launched and it came to Ireland in 17 versions, all of which use common-rail turbo-diesel engines. The new 2.3 litre common rail engine makes its debut in the new range. The new range combines all the experience gained from over one million buyers with the latest developments in engine technology, load-space usage, driver safety and driver comfort. The result is a range significantly ahead of the previous Ducato range.

The new Ducato range comprises three model families: 1.1 ton, 1-5 ton and Maxi (all panel vans) with a further group of three vehicles designed and engineered specifically for easy conversation to taxis or minibuses.
The Ducato 11 (1.1 ton) panel van is available here with both short wheelbase (SWB) and medium wheelbase (MWB). Both versions are available with 2.0 and 2.3 litre JTD (common rail) engines.
The Ducato 15 (1.5 ton) panel van is available in MWB, MWB Hi-Roof and Big Volume versions. The Ducato 15 MWB is available with 2.0 JTD and 2.3 JTD engines; the latter unit is also used in the MWB Hi-Roof and the Big Volume. The Ducato 15 Big Volume is also available with a 2.8 JTD engine.

The Ducato Maxi panel van offers both 2.3 JTD and 2.8 JTD engines. Additionally there is a Maxi chassis cab, Maxi chassis cab with an extended frame (measuring 4050mm compared to the normal 3700mm) and a Maxi chassis with a double cab. All these versions come with a 2.8JTD engine. For those in the conversation business there are three versions of specific interest - Ducato 15 SWB glazed, Maxi 2.3 JTD glazed and Maxi 2.8 JTD glazed.
The 2.0 JTD engine produces 84bhp (62kW) at 4000rpm and max torque of 192 Nm (19.6kgm) at only 1900rpm.

The new 2.3 JTD engine produces 110bhp (81kW) at 3600rpm and max torque of 270 Nm (27.5kgm) is available at 1800rpm.
The most powerful engine available in the range, the 2.8 JTD, produces 127bhp (93.5kW) at 3600rpm and peak torque of 300 Nm (30.6kgm) at 1800 rpm.

The technically minded will appreciate the significance of such awesome torque figures at such low engine-speeds. These figures show why common rail engines are becoming the dominant force in the commercial vehicle market and why drivers will find New Ducatos so easy to drive and economical to operate. As an example of common rail fuel economy, in the 2002 Shell/MG Car Club Economy Run, a Fiat Doblo Cargo with a 1.9 litre common rail engine achieved over 68 miles per gallon, the third best result in the event, beating most cars which entered.

These new, more powerful JTD engines mean bigger payloads and lower maintenance costs for operators. The Fiat JTD engines need an oil/filter change only every 40,000 km compared with 10,000km for previous Ducatos and the timing belt requires replacement after 240,000km compared to 120,000 km previously.

New Fiat Ducato Prices
Model: VAT exclusive Retail Inc.
Price. VAT
11 SWB 2.0 JTD. £16,200 £19,602
11 SWB 2.3 JTD. £17,150 £20,752
11 MWB 2.0 JTD. £17,000 £20,570
11 MWB 2.3 JTD. £17,950 £21,720
15 MWB 2.0 JTD. £17,800 £21,538
15 MWB 2.3 JTD £18,750 £22,688
15 MWB 2.3 JTD Hi-Roof £19,250 £23,393
15 Big Volume 2.3 JTD £19,750 £23,898
15 Big Volume 2.8 JTD £21,000 £25,410
Maxi 2.3 JTD £20,550 £24,866
Maxi 2.8 JTD £21,800 £26,378
Maxi 2.8 JTD chassis cab £20,000 £24,200
Do. + extended frame. £21,000 £25,410
Maxi 2.8 JTD chassis/double cab £22,500 £27,225
For Minibus/taxi conversion
15 SWB 2.0 JTD glazed (taxi) £24,500 £29,645
Maxi 2.3 JTD glazed (minibus) £27,350 £33,094
Maxi 2.8 JTD glazed (minibus) £29,000 £35,090