Fiat's Doblo is never going to win any prizes in a beauty contest but what it loses on looks it makes up for in practicality and usability. With the previous model you got exactly what you expected - a practical but ugly ducking. Fiat's latest offering is still no oil painting but the styling changes have produced a vehicle with a certain charm and practicality that we explore here with the 1.4-litre entry-level petrol model.

The rather odd looking front end has been thoroughly revised, Fiat ditching the gratuitously odd-looking horizontal bar that appeared plastered onto the front of the old car for a look that's more like a compact 4x4. Bigger headlamps and wider underbumper intakes give the Doblo a little presence without looking like it's been tagged by the ugly stick. The latest changes are likely to put the Fiat onto the shortlists of many buyers who previously rejected it on the grounds that it looked a little unconventional. Prices for the 1.4-litre petrol model we look at here start at £10,010 and there's a choice of two trim levels - Active and plusher Dynamic for £10,910.

The old Doblo, from unpromising beginnings, developed into quite a decent package. It was certainly good enough - from a technical perspective at least - to worry the likes of the Citroën Berlingo Multispace, the Renault Kangoo and the Peugeot Partner Combi, the big players in the van-based MPV sector.

The old 1.2-litre petrol powerplant has felt the weight of Fiat's axe, being supplanted in this instance by the 77bhp 1.4-litre unit we're testing here. An extra 12bhp makes a lot of difference when you're toting a fully loaded Doblo. One of the objectives in the design of this engine was to maximize torque at low speed in order to make urban driving as easy as possible and to minimize fuel consumption. On the combined cycle, the latest Doblo returns a healthy 38.2mpg and flat out it will reach a heady top speed of 92mph. The 0-60mph sprint is a little irrelevant for a vehicle of this class but for the record, it takes a leisurely 17.0 seconds. Certainly fast enough when transporting such a precious cargo as your nearest and dearest. The 1.4-litre petrol engine is fully EURO4 compliant and discharges only 174g/km of CO2.

"The latest styling changes are likely to put the Fiat onto the shortlists of many MPV buyers?."

What will be of more relevance to prospective purchasers is the cavernous load bay. That rudimentary rear suspension comes into its own here, as it allows for a near perfectly flat floor, and the almost vertical sides of the Doblo help to create a 750-litre load space with the seats in place and a gargantuan 3,000 litres with the seats folded.

The interior styling of this car has always been more conservative than that of the exterior and the latest revisions have brought things further up to date, successfully masking the Doblo's commercial vehicle origins. There's a two-tone dash and by excising body-coloured metal from the doors, Fiat have upped the perceived quality factor a tad. Standard equipment is generous, with base Active trim including electric front windows, remote central locking, twin airbags, 'follow me home' lights, a height-adjustable steering wheel, power assisted steering, ABS brakes with EBD, a radio/cassette player, a split folding rear seat, three rear seatbelts and head restraints all round. The Dynamic adds body-coloured bumpers, fog lights, a radio/CD player, air-conditioning, a CD player and 15-inch alloy wheels.

To get a perspective of where the Doblo fits into the marketplace, it's probably best to consider its rivals. Primarily, these include the Renault Kangoo and Citroen Berlingo Multispace. Whilst cars in this class are still by no means common sights on UK roads, sales in this sector have rocketed over the last four years. Which is good news for those manufacturers that make them, since cars like these are cheap to design and build, with many of the costs already absorbed by the van variants on which they're based. The Doblo is certainly good business for Fiat. Built using low-cost labour in Turkey, it's the last Fiat to utilise a conventional steel chassis rather than the more advanced 'spaceframe' system used for the larger Multipla mini-MPV. As such, it represents rugged and, above all, cheap engineering, with a design that keeps the basic costs down.

In addition and uniquely in this market segment, the Doblò can be specified as a High Roof version for an additional £750. This format offers a capacious interior volume, making this Fiat ideal for use as a Motability vehicle, or in the rapidly expanding taxi market. The combination of five seats and cavernous luggage space make this Doblo an ideal taxi vehicle.

No matter how good a car is in terms of practicality and usability, if it doesn't look right it won't sell in sufficient numbers to be a success. The previous model of the Doblo suffered in this way. You wouldn't necessarily pick the latest incarnation as the first choice in a beauty pageant but at least the nips and tucks are all in the right places. The larger 1.4-litre engine provides a significant difference for petrol customers, making this Doblo a shrewd choice for anyone who isn't big on styling.

TOP 4 DOBLO DEALS

The results below show the top DOBLO deals on buyacar

	Fiat Doblo 1.4 8V Active 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £143	Saving £1,891	Price £8,224
	Fiat Doblo 1.4 8V Active High Roof 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £155	Saving £2,088	Price £8,777
	Fiat Doblo 1.4 8V Dynamic 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £156	Saving £2,127	Price £8,888
	Fiat Doblo 1.4 8V Dynamic High Roof 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £168	Saving £2,325	Price £9,440

typical 11.75% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000