The Scudo Panorama from Fiat is not a van! Okay, it is, but as passenger vans go the Italian is among the best.
Fiat has a great reputation for building practical cars and with the Scudo Panorama we can see the latest twist on the idea of a value for money people carrier. Now that Fiat's Ulysse (sister to the C8 Citroen and Peugeot 807) is a thing of the past it is up to the commercial derived Panorama to fill the need of families who have outgrown their passenger Fiat Doblos.
Inside the blocky exterior there is seating for eight (even nine can sit in the long wheelbase version)! So unlike most large MPVs that can seat seven, Pamorama lets eight adults be carried in individual seats thanks to the long slab sided body shape. Inside the cabin is truly vast, in fact you can easily walk through to the middle row of seats from the front if you wish.
On the outside, the Scudo Panorama looks only slightly posher than its sister van thanks to privacy glass and alloy wheels. The sliding doors are essential in a van and, as any parent will attest to, are simply brilliant in an MPV. The large tailgate can be tricky to use especially if someone parks close to the car's rear. The vast slab of up and over door should need planning permission when opened it is that big, but on the plus side is you could shelter a GAA team under it in a shower of rain if needed.
The driving position is fully adjustable and even with the driver's seat at its highest setting I have about a foot more of headroom to play with. There is an abundance of overhead and general storage throughout the Panorama and three 12volt sockets should the little ones need to recharge their Nintendo while you use one for a Sat Nav unit and the other to charge the mobile phone. The rear seat passengers get overhead air vents and occupants of the middle row can adjust temperature and fan speed independently.
On the road the Panorama feels big but thanks to the boxy shape it is relatively easy to judge where it is on the road. When parking in confined areas the Panorama can be a little intimidating at first but with parking radar fitted one soon gets the hang of it.
This is no M5, but the diesel (mulitjet) 120bhp 2 litre engine delivers good performance and economy in my test car. There is a more powerful 140bhp multijet available also. Panorama's suspension works fine on smooth roads and when loaded, but in truth it is not a car you are going to want to throw around anyway so less than cutting edge suspension is fine for the job.
The Scudo Panorama proves - if proof were needed - that function at times is more important than form.
Michael Sheridan
