Fiat Ducato 2024MY Review

What’s great:

• Excellent payloads
• Comprehensive range of body derivatives
• Spacious cab
• Nice new frontal perspective
• Lots of ADAS tech.

What’s not so good:

• Large, one piece front corner panels will make small scrapes expensive to repair
• Engine noise intrusive
• Firm ride quality
• No LED load area lighting
• Weak residual values

Introduction

The venerable Fiat Ducato – a van that has never quite captured the hearts of the UK’s van users in the way that rivals such as the Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter have, but, the Fiat has a reputation as being a no-nonsense, capable workhorse, virtues that have won it many friends over the years. And whilst it shares its architecture with Stellantis siblings wearing badges from Vauxhall, Citroen and Peugeot, Fiat has always tried to make the Ducato just that little bit different. 2024 has seen minor updates across the Stellantis van ranges, and the Ducato is no exception.

The Exterior

There’s little change here from the van we’re all familiar with, with the exception of a new front aspect. To be fair, the scope for substantial changes to a large van design is limited, after all it’s always going to be a functional box on wheels. Nevertheless, the new front is pretty snazzy with modern, narrow headlights above a stylish grille / bumper combo, and the manufacturer once again boldly stating its name in the latest, retro corporate font. The main concern might be the cost of repairing any damage to the corners, there are some large pieces of plastic there that don’t look like they would be cheap to replace.

Power Units

If you choose to opt for a diesel Ducato, you’ve to decide between a 140PS or 180PS version of a 2.2 litre unit and there are 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission options. Although not the subject of this review, mention should be made of the all electric E-Ducato with its 279PS motor and official range of up to 263 miles between charges.

The Cab

Roomy, airy and practical – the Ducato has pretty much led the way in offering a van with a cab environment that is in no way claustrophobic. There’s plenty of room for the driver and two adult passengers, even longer journeys proving to be comfortable, although the cup and phone holder fitted to the lower centre section of the dash does catch the shins and seems to be bigger and more intrusive than is necessary. The relatively flat floor means moving across is unimpeded, and, if a driver needs to put items on the cab floor, the flush surface makes things easier.

The dash is modern and, whilst deep doesn’t restrict forward visibility. This latest incarnation of Ducato features a full 7” digital instrument cluster on the higher Primo trim level, something that works well in practice, offering a clear and uncluttered display. Primo also has a 10” infotainment screen mounted in the centre of the dash, a unit that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. Navigation is also bundled in, although this probably isn’t required these days, most users opting to use the Google Maps or Waze apps from their phones.

Storage is good, with two deep door bins at each side, a full size glovebox, dashtop areas and, on the Primo model, capacity under the passenger seat.

Equipment

The standard Ducato comes with air conditioning, cruise control, rear parking sensors, a rear view camera and an impressive amount of driver and safety aids. Primo trim adds automatic climate control, an electric parking brake, a 230 volt dash mounted socket, wireless phone charger, and a leather steering wheel. A digital rear-view mirror is present, as are electric folding mirrors, and there are rain and dusk sensors with high beam recognition (the latter is a feature increasingly being included on modern vehicles, and is something I’m personally not a fan of).

Loadspace.

Ducato is offered in three lengths and three heights – this gives load volumes ranging from 10 to 17 cubic metres. Taking the more typical L3H2 (mid length, mid height) model, there’s 3705mm of floor length, 1923mm of height and a volume of 13 cubic metres. The standard side loading door has a width of 1250mm and a height of 1755mm.

Payloads are something that the Ducato excels at, with the 3500GVM vans able to carry between 1235kg and 1500kg, our L3H2 model having a capacity 0f 1425kg with the manual gearbox. Towing capacity is from 2250kg to 3000kg.

There’s the obligatory full height steel bulkhead (there’s no load through facility) and once again, it’s disappointing to see a lack of LED lighting in the load area, something still overlooked by the majority of van manufacturers.

On The Road

The van provided for review was fitted with the 140PS engine and the 8-speed automatic gearbox. Despite the proliferation of large vans with more powerful engines (and much more powerful electric motors) the Ducato proved quite lively on the road, albeit being driven in an unladen state. Although the drive selection lever felt very mechanical and clunky in operation, the gearbox itself performed well, and, whilst ratio changes were not exactly seamless and imperceptible as with some modern vans, it certainly wasn’t archaic and it’s an option that potential buyers should consider (although be aware of the modest hit on payload compared to the manual).

Around town, the van proved to be easy to manoeuvre, the tight turning circle certainly aiding in getting out of challenging parking spots. On the open road, there were no concerns when it came to steering, handling and braking and generally noise levels were low, although the engine seems to be noisy compared to other modern Euro 6 units which we’re now accustomed to – there’s definitely a rough, raw edge to the noise which is very noticeable under acceleration. On the open road, and especially when motorway cruising, the van is quiet, almost refined, and there’s very little wind noise, something that should be commended on a large van. On rural roads, the ride felt hard and gave passengers an uncomfortable ride, although a laden vehicle may well perform better in this regard.

Conclusion

The Ducato and its peers are, it has to be said, perceived to be dated vans in the face of competition from newer faces in the large van sector, and as a result command lower residual values and the consequential negative effect on lease rates. But, if we break things down, it has excellent load carrying credentials, a spacious, comfortable cab with a modern dash and screens, lots of safety tech and it’s reasonably refined on the road. For those needing a van where the primary requirement is for it to earn its keep, but also to provide the driver with a decent, safe working environment, the Ducato should be seriously considered alongside the more obvious options.