Going for an Italian

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If your business is trying to decide between an affordable compactsized van and a spacious larger one, Fiat’s Talento could prove to be the perfect compromise between the two.

Under the bonnet, the Talento gets a range of efficient 1.6-litre turbo and twin-turbo diesel engines, all equipped with a sixspeed manual gearbox as standard.

Inside, the Talento features comfortable ergonomically shaped seats and a useful 90-litres of in-cabin storage space that’s delivered in a variety of shapes and sizes.

An advantage this Talento offers over Fiat’s smaller Doblo Cargo model is the standard fitment of a properly sized middle third seat. To free up space for this the gearstick has been mounted on a protruding moulding in the centre of the dash.

Fiat Professional’s pricing for this Talento model is, as you might expect, not too different from that of the old Scudo range. Excluding VAT, the figures start at just under £20,000 for the entry-level 1.6-litre MultiJet 95bhp SWB stand- ard roof van. It is capable of carrying three Euro pallets and, depending on the version, a payload of up to 1,249kg and objects up to 3.75m in length.

The Talento’s various 1.6-litre diesel engines are considerably more efficient than those in the previous Scudo model. The old MultiJet units don’t do too badly in terms of running costs – the base 95bhp variant manages 43.5mpg and 170g/km of CO2.

All in all, the Talento could just make for a very attractive business proposition indeed.