Fiat’s entry into pick-up market given road test

Italian manufacturer borrows heavily from Mitsubishi for its Fullback model

Fiat wants a slice of the growing UK pick-up market, so has borrowed Mitsubishi technology to create this Fullback model.

The British pick-up market is growing. In 2015, more than 40,000 models were registered, a jump of 20% over the previous year.

Increasingly, it is not a segment that mainstream brands can afford to ignore, hence the entry of Fiat, Renault and Mercedes to this sector.

All are taking the shortcut route to quick respectability in this class: namely in borrowing someone else’s technology.

In the case of the Fiat Fullback, that technology comes from Mitsubishi.

If you are going to use any vehicle in this class as a template for your pick-up, then choosing the segment sales leader, Mitsubishi’s L200 Series 5, seems wise.

The styling’s slightly different – slightly bolder many will think – but under the skin, this Fiat shares just about everything with its Japanese cousin.

Which, as we’ll see, is no bad thing. Under the bonnet, the 2.4-litre Mitsubishi engine gives this Fiat decent pulling power. With 178bhp and 430Nm of torque on-tap, the 0-62mph time takes a very un-pick-up-like 10.4s.

The entry-level 150hp Fullback SX features an on-demand four-wheel drive system with three electrically-selected settings: 2H, 4H and 4L; while the LX and Cross models have four electricallycontrolled settings with a locking central differential.

The vehicle can also tow up to 4.1 tonnes. And there’s a segmentleadingly tight turning circle too.

Thanks to the stiff chassis, handling is better than you might expect, and body roll is usually kept in check, unless you’re really pushing on.

Fiat might not have been able to change too much about the engineering of this Fullback pick-up, but its stylists have tried to give the vehicle more of its own character when it comes to the exterior look and feel.

Detailing is tasteful and restrained (for a pick-up) with two strips of satin silver trim used to frame the front grille on the entry-level SX, while LX versions also have a subtle satin silver trim around sump protector, as well as chrome-finished door mirrors, door handles and side steps.

At the business end, you are faced with a cargo bed 475mm deep and 1,470mm in both length and width.

In this area, you would be able to take a payload of up to 1,045kg.

Most rivals can better these figures but that, according to Fiat, does not tell the whole story.

The brand points out that the stat that really matters to many operators is the one for combined carrying and towing capacity, an area in which this Fullback performs impressively.

Combine the cargo area capacity with this model’s prodigious braked towing capability of up to 3,100kg and you’ll be able to lug up to 4,090kg – that is 77kgs more than an Isuzu D-Max and around 230kgs more than a Toyota HiLux or a Volkswagen Amarok.

As for running costs, well expect the combined cycle economy figure will be somewhere between 39mpg and 44mpg, depending on the variant you choose.

Fiat is bravely pitching this Fullback at a starting price slightly higher than its Mitsubishi L200 equivalent.

You are looking at an entry fee of around £21,000 for the base SX version, which is about £1,000 more than an equivalent L200 Challenger-spec Doublecab model.

Go for the plusher LX-spec Fullback variant and you will be looking at an asking price of around £23,000 – with an extra £1,400 premium to pay on top of that if you want an automatic gearbox.

The top ‘Cross’ variant costs around £26,500.

OK, so the Fullback is not very Italian. It isn’t even very Fiat. But who cares?

It is a strong contender in the growing pick-up segment, and if you are in the market then you might just like it.

The Fiat Fullback has a 2.4-litre Mitsubishi engine which gives it decent pulling power.

The Fullback’s combined carrying and towing capacity is impressive.