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By Jonathan Crouch

The third generation Fiat Scudo is a more polished proposition. Jonathan Crouch reports

Ten Second Reviewword count: 59

You might not have been planning on your business's next mid-sized van being a Fiat. But this third generation Scudo model, thanks to borrowed Stellantis Group engineering and technology, might just be good enough to change your mind. Like its design stablemates, it's easy to live with, practical, efficient and nice to drive. A step forward then, for Fiat.

Backgroundword count: 141

A change of name doesn't always mean a change of fortunes. Back in 2016, Fiat switched its mid-sized van range away from two generations of 'Scudo' branding, re-christening it the 'Talento' and basing it on a Nissan Renault Alliance platform. That model failed to make much of an impression on the market, so six years on, the Italian maker has switched back to the 'Scudo' nameplate and ditched the Renault underpinnings to create this Stellantis Group-engineered model. It shares almost everything, as you might expect, with the other Stellantis mid-sized vans in this sector, the Peugeot Expert, the Citroen Dispatch and the Vauxhall Vivaro, with the same design and engineering also used by the Toyota Proace. That does at least mean that everything you get here is thoroughly proven. Let's look in a little more detail at Fiat's spin on it.

Driving Experienceword count: 232

All the engineering on offer here is familiar and proven from other Stellantis Group mid-sized vans. So, bolted to an EMP2 platform, there's the choice of conventional diesel or full-electric power. Things kick off with a 1.5-litre diesel, offered with either 100hp or 120hp, mated to 6-speed manual transmission. There's also a 2.0-litre Multijet diesel with 145hp and the choice of either manual or 8-speed automatic transmission. This 2.0-litre unit also comes in 180hp form, only with the 8-speed auto. If your business has moved on from smoky diesels, you'll be more interested in the two E-Scudo EV variants, both of which use a 136hp electric motor. Those whose deliveries are mainly urban-bound will be happy with the base E-Scudo model, which has a 50kWh battery that offers a range of 144 miles. There's also a longer range E-Scudo variant with a 75kWh battery pack that boosts that range to 205 miles. Whatever your powertrain choice, on the move drivers will appreciate the car-like driving position. And ride quality is a strong point, thanks to load adaptive variable damping shock absorbers, a system which varies the damping with the vehicle's ride height. Top-spec variants get camera-driven kit like speed limit recognition, lane departure warning, Side Blind Spot Alert and Driver Attention Alert systems. There's also a clever 'Intelligent Speed adaptation' system that enables you to maintain a constant speed at a cruise.

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