21.01.2004 NEW ENGINES IMPROVED SAFETY MORE OPTIONS AND A REVISED INTERIOR FOR THE FIAT DOBLO CARGO

The Fiat Doblò Cargo MY 2004 is now more noiseless, more comfortable and more economic. Improvements have been made in three specific areas to achieve these aims. Firstly, in the area of acoustic comfort. On-board silence is an important preventive safety requirement because it helps keep the driver alert and allows even long trips to be undertaken without him becoming tired.

The designers of the Fiat Doblò Cargo therefore attempted to reduce the amount of noise transmitted from the engine and road and to limit vibrations, wind noise and aerodynamic whistling. Fiat's engineers strove to nip noise in the bud at its sources, i.e.: power unit, intake and exhaust systems, suspension, structure, mechanical component and vehicle conversion. At the same time, they insulated the passenger compartment with highly efficient sound-deadening and sound-absorbent materials, applied to the panels and fitted during assembly. In particular, a soundproof partition was developed for the Doblò Cargo MY 2004 to improve cabin comfort still further: noise levels are 3 decibels lower than with a conventional partition. This feature is fitted as standard on SX versions and is an option on standard versions.

To improve driving comfort still further, the engineers modified shock absorber travel and leaf spring camber to bring the vehicle nose down. Painstaking adjustment of rear suspension flexible and damping components, particularly the bushes, allows the Fiat Doblò Cargo MY 2004 to absorb vibrations created by road surface roughness more effectively without impairing its easy, prompt handling.

Lastly, the sliding side door release mechanism on Combi versions has been modified to minimise the effort required to close and open the doors from inside and outside the vehicle. The introduction of this solution involved modifying the interior handle: a new and more ergonomic release lever is fitted near the handle grip to replace the previous button.