In the Stellantis family, it’s Fiat’s turn to renew its mid-size utility vehicle. The new Scudo, “cousin” of the Peugeot Expert among others, is available in diesel with four power levels and in electric with two battery capacities.
Before their merger to become Stellantis, the PSA and FCA groups were already collaborating on the design and production of commercial vehicles through their joint venture Sevel. The Fiat Scudo, which was replaced in 2016 by the Talento derived from the Renault Trafic, was therefore the “cousin” of the previous generation Peugeot Expert and Citroën Jumpy. Fiat today presents the new Scudo, which logically shares its platform and its engines with the latest iteration of French vans cited above. It also shares it with the Opel Vivaro and the Toyota ProAce, the latter being a special case since it results from a partnership initially formed between PSA and Toyota. Beyond these industrial overlaps, we note that the new Scudo completes a family of five technically identical vehicles although bearing different brands.
A wide choice of configurations
The new Fiat Scudo is offered in three lengths to choose from: 4.61 m, 4.96 m or 5.31 m, with a height of 1.89 m which can be increased to 1.94 m. It displays the same payload capacities as its French, German or Japanese alternatives with a useful volume ranging from 4.6 m³ to 6.6 m³ in sheet metal version and a payload of up to one tonne, such as towable weight. The Scudo is available in a glazed version dedicated to passenger transport, in a Combi approved as a passenger vehicle, and in a cab chassis.
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The Fiat Scudo available in electric
Under the hood of the Fiat Scudo, there is a choice of diesel engines offering 102 hp, 120 hp, 145 hp and 177 hp as well as the possibility of opting for an electric motor of 136 hp powered by a 50 kWh or 75 kWh battery. In the latter case, Fiat claims like its partners a WLTP range of up to 330 km (230 km with 50 kWh). The Italian “zero emission” utility is called E-Scudo; the dash is important since the name Escudo is the Japanese name for Suzuki Vitara.
A utility vehicle loaded with driving aids
According to the Stellantis group, the platform on which its new utilities are based should allow them to offer the same comfort as in a car, starting with the driving position although it is elevated. This architecture also allows them to have driving aids such as sign recognition, lane change alert, blind spot monitoring or a reversing camera with top view reconstructed at 180 °.
7-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, head-up display and traction control for difficult terrain are also announced in the catalog. Details of equipment and prices for France have not yet been communicated.
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