Fiat Professional is celebrating another important award for one of its range of light vans; the firm’s popular Scudo has this time scooped the Best Small Panel Van title in the What Van? Awards 2007.

Fiat Professional, the commercial vehicle arm of Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd, is celebrating another important award for one of its stunning range of light vans. The firm’s popular Scudo has this time scooped the Best Small Panel Van title in the What Van? Awards 2007.

Developed as part of a long term partnership between Fiat and PSA and built in the French Sevel Nord plant at Valenciennes, the Fiat Scudo is designed for Europe’s busy towns and cities and has clearly caught the imagination of the What Van? panel of judges.

With its car-like performance, agility and comfort, coupled with a choice of three generous cargo areas, easy loading and unloading, reliability and productivity, the Scudo has proved it is a versatile and all-round winner when it comes to light transport. The new van has particularly been praised by What Van? for its choice of engines, sliding door access, safety, comfort and style.

The Scudo’s suspension is designed to offer exceptional comfort even when the vehicle is empty, while special emphasis has been put on superior agility, handling, drivability and dynamics. The bodyshell incorporates differentiated rigidity zones; there’s a new braking system employing disc brakes all-round, along with ABS and EBD, and a driver side airbag has been made standard throughout the range. Powered by a choice of two common rail diesel engines – a 1.6-litre developing 90bhp or a 2.0-litre with 120bhp, the Scudo’s power is driven through a six-speed manual gearbox.

“Few, if any, drivers will moan that the Scudo’s three-man cab is difficult to get into,” says What Van?. “What’s more, the comfortable seat is set at just the right height for those users who have to hop in and out of their vehicles umpteen times daily.”

This latest award comes hot on the heels of another major accolade earlier this year – when Scudo was voted International Van of the Year 2008 by a panel of journalists from 20 European nations who specialise in light commercial vehicles. “The Scudo is the right answer to so many businesses’ transport problems and we are delighted that it has been recognised again for that,” says Gerry Clarke, director of Fiat Professional UK. “Doing well in the What Van? Awards is important to us and it is pleasing that we have once again been highlighted in these honours.”

The Fiat Scudo is available through Fiat’s Professional commercial dealer network, starting at £13,300 for the Comfort 1.6 MultiJet 90bhp and rising to £16,400 for the MAXI Deluxe 2.0 MultiJet 120bhp.