COVER STORY
ld r o W e! v i s lu c x E
First Drive in the new
Fiat Ducato Laika Ecovip 309
C
ome to Italy, tour the beautiful countryside, see the historic architecture and taste delicious and delicately prepared food and fine wines. All in glorious sunshine. And what better way than in a new Fiat Ducato campervan from one of its approved coachwork partners Laika, which is also Italian. Fiat Professional, the leaders in the world of campervans and motorhomes recently presented Caravan Cruise with a World exclusive in becoming the first publication to test the new Laika Ecovip 309 fitted to the latest and sixth generation Fiat Ducato. Although launched at Caravan Salon, Dusseldorf event last year, the Laika Ecovip blends in nicely with the new frontal design of the new Ducato, with a slight modification made to the front bumper section compared to the van type produced alongside at the Sevel factory near Pescara in Italy. The new face of the Ducato certainly created a stir at the various campsites visited during our tour. Added to the curiosity is that it was not badged Fiat but with Laika branding. Since 2006, Fiat Professional has designed a motorhome platform in collaboration with all of the top European coachbuilders
in this specialist sector. No fewer than 5 wheelbases, 6 different chassis lengths and 4 drivetrains are offered. In total, by combining bodies, capacities and engines, a record number of 600 specific motorhome versions can be achieved. Such is the dominance of Fiat Professional in the mobile leisure industry that three motorhomes out of four sold in Europe are created on a Ducato base. Ducato’s motorhome range extends further with the new model. Among the new technologies developed for the panel van and chassis/cab range that benefits the motorhomes include composite materials used in the rear suspension to reduce the tare weight; total payload up to 4.4 tonnes; 16” wheels are now available with newly designed alloys; the front suspension has been reinforced to cater for the higher gross weight; inclusion of AL-KO AMC chassis (which is lighter and longer for integral conversions). On the AL-KO AMC chassis, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) are available. Fiat Professional’s design team led by Alessandro Silva also focused on increasing comfort levels at the wheel and for passengers on board. Building on the model’s strengths such as ‘car-like’ driving style, good all round visibility, as well as a better driver comfort with newly designed ‘captain chairs’ plus improvements to the suspension, brakes and ComfortMatic automated transmission. To date, over 500,000 motorhome owners travel on a Fiat Ducato drivetrain and mentioning drivetrain, on this Laika Ecovip 309,
10 CARAVAN CRUISE IRELAND | SUMMER 2014
Fiat’s 2.3 litre 150hp is well balanced for this unit that weighs just under 3.3 tonnes as it produces maximum torque levels of 350Nm at only 1500 rpm. Mated to the MultiJet II diesel is a 6-speed manual gearbox. Other engine options include a 130hp version of the 2.3 litre and if more power is required, especially for the A-class integral models, the 3.0 litre 180hp has 400Nm on tap. Measuring 7 metres in length, the Ecovip 309 body fits snugly onto the Ducato chassis. On the LHD model, the main entrance door is on the right. Overhead is the drop-down bed that’s electronically controlled with two single fixed beds to the rear with the washroom/toilet/shower on the near side with the 3 ring hob and fridge opposite. Under the beds, large storage compartments are placed with a sliding door into the large garage, big enough to house a motorbike and lots of other gear. Dometic equipment is used throughout e.g., fridge, cooker, air-con systems. While there were many aspects of the Ecovip 309 that we liked, some elements we did not! Which begs the question, do campervan manufacturers undertake test trials with actual regular users before bringing to market? For example, the dropdown bed is placed too far back towards the middle of the van as it seriously hinders movement when lowered and the children put to bed. Access to the washroom is difficult too while in this position. The only comfortable seating position is the two front (swivelling) seats but from there, any TV viewing is pretty much non existent. The repositioning of this double bunk from the front of the cabin, over the driver’s head, similar to our Ford Transit Dethleffs could mainly be down to aerodynamics. By not having the bulky protrusion over the cab leads to a sleeker overall design