Photo: © Fiat
Read aloud:
July 15, 2013
Fiat Professional is the only commercial vehicle manufacturer to offer all four light commercial vehicle series AND a pick-up. This lightweight workhorse is available starting at €14.500 net.
No other body style offers such a direct American driving experience as a pickup truck. But can such a quintessentially American car come from Italy? The purist would say no, and then list all the things a true pickup truck must have. A bold stance, a bold engine, and massive performance, ideally with a roaring V8. Not eco-friendly, not necessarily contemporary, but American nonetheless.
It's clear that the Strada is anything but "fat." Like any classic pickup truck, it's available as a two-seater, midcab, or double cab, always with the cargo area behind it, of course. But even its dimensions are modest. With a length of just 4,46 meters, a width of 1,70 meters, and a height of 1,63 meters, it's even allowed to drive in the left lane, which is only two meters wide, during highway construction. And its payload is well below the one-ton class in which all competitors compete in Germany: a maximum of 630 kilograms.
The engine is also modest. Not an eight- or six-cylinder, but a small four-cylinder 1.3 Multijet with a frugal 70 kW/95 hp. Even with its turbodiesel, the Strada doesn't reach three-digit horsepower figures. The engine's torque is 200 Newton meters, a power that would leave owners of competing models with a smile.
But Strada drivers can smile when they head to the gas station. Depending on the model, the diesel consumes 5,2 to 5,3 liters per 100 kilometers, a figure that the competition could easily double. The discrepancy between the actual and test bench figures is also smaller than expected. The Strada, at 6,7 liters, still has a modest "6" before the decimal point, while the larger competitors usually achieve double-digit figures in test drives. This also means low emissions for the Italian, with an official CO2 emissions figure of between 138 and 140 g/km.
During the actual journey, the plastic ambience is naturally noticeable. The interior of the Strada also clearly shows that the pickup is among the most affordable in its class. Here, too, the rule applies: You might find it a bad thing, but you don't have to. And at €14.500, the price-performance ratio is still good. Especially since the Strada also has such nice little gauges—a set of three next to each other in the center of the dashboard—that show the compass direction and the vehicle's current tilt angle.
The Strada's modest dimensions, in turn, benefit its handling in city centers and especially in parking garages. Where other battleships struggle to navigate corners and—especially in parking garages—often only find space where two cars would normally park, the Strada proves to be a maneuverable parking space finder.
Of course, the loading area isn't exactly generous given its dimensions. But: With a wheel arch width of just under 1,10 meters and a length of 1,30 meters, it still has room for a Euro pallet. And the tailgate can even handle 300 kilograms – the little Fiat actually achieves the best load in the industry! For comparison: According to internet forums, the current market leader, the VW Amarok, in the one-ton class, weighs 200 kilograms, while the Nissan Navara unofficially manages 250 kilograms. The problem: There are no official figures, presumably for legal reasons, as manufacturer spokespeople speculate.
Conclusion: If you want to travel modestly and don't want to transport tons in the truest sense of the word, the Strada is a good choice. If you want to drive a pure battleship in the pickup category, you'll have to look to the competition.
Photos: © Fiat
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