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6.2.12
Wheelsology
to take place in London for over five years.
All the major UK and many European motorhome manufacturers’ stands will be displaying their new 2012 season models with many based on the new Ducato chassis, in van and coach-built versions. Fiat Professional’s Ducato is the most widely used chassis on the market and forms the base of three out of every four motorhomes in European circulation.
Exhibits on the Fiat Professional stand will include a Ducato 3.0-litre 180 bhp chassis cab with the brand new extra-long wheelbase equipped with Comfort-Matic gearbox together with displays of the Comfort-Matic gearbox and new Euro-5 Engine.
Visitors to the Fiat Professional stand will also have the opportunity to gather further information on the new Ducato Euro-5 range, Comfort-Matic gearbox and the full range of customer care support and network facilities available exclusively to Fiat Professional Motorhome owners.
The new Ducato is the latest incarnation of the best-selling van whose five generations have picked up numerous international awards and sold more than 2.2 million vehicles since 1981.
The key to this success lies in Ducato’s ability to answer the specific requests of its customers, thanks to solid and dynamic design in combination with its functional dimensions.
New Euro-5 engines: More power less fuel consumption
The new Ducato Euro-5 offers a wide range of new content and a renovated engine family that enhances its competitiveness in the segment, and offers the market the best in terms of performance, comfort, payload and running costs.
The new range of Euro-5 engines is more powerful and diverse. Each one is a leader in its power bracket in terms of consumption, emissions and performance. The range includes two 2.3 MultiJet II engines with power outputs of 130 bhp and new 150 bhp respectively. There is also a new 3.0-litre 180 MultiJet Power Euro-5 engine.
All the new 2.3-litre Ducato engines are part of the second-generation MultiJet family, which represents technology, performance and economy.
All engines stand out for their exceptional performance, long service intervals, low consumption (saving up to 15 per cent compared with Euro 4 engines) and CO2 emissions well below legal limits, as well as for their quietness and relatively low weight, which is always important for a commercial/leisure vehicle where tonnage is a key factor.
Comfort-Matic robotised gearbox now available on all 3 engines
Each engine is available with a six-speed manual gearbox, and motorhome customers can now specify both 2.3-litre engines in addition to the 3.0-litre with the six-speed Comfort-Matic Manual Transmission Automated. This is a traditional manual transmission except there is no clutch pedal and the manual linkage to the gearbox is replaced by actuators controlled by a Transmission Control Unit. The shift is either performed automatically or the driver can use the gear lever to prompt changes by pulling backwards or pushing forwards.
In addition, the scheduled maintenance interval between services has been set at up to 48,000 km (30,000 miles).
New dashboard
As well as the engines, the latest Ducato offers new interior trims which offer varying degrees of luxury and elegance.
The dashboard is the real star of the revamp, the central console has been totally redesigned. The fully integrated sound system and glossy black surfaces provide a feeling of quality never before seen in a vehicle of this type. The redesign of the upper central part of the dashboard has generated space for the TomTom ‘my-port’, designed by Fiat to make its vehicles compatible with this important feature.
There is also an elegant wood trim, which uses DipPrint technology to simulate walnut wood, and was designed exclusively for the new Ducato to meet the requirements of the motorhome industry.
New improved infotainment features
Also available as an option is Blue&Me–TomTom Live. This device allows customers to manage – through a practical colour touch-screen – phone calls, satellite navigation, media and all the driving information required, which it downloads directly from the on-board computer systems. The new version has a next-generation capacitive touch-screen and TomTom Live services such as HD traffic, which has been named as the best traffic information system currently on the market. This combines accurate traffic information with a dynamic route calculation, providing real-time updates of congestion, traffic jams and road closures.
Top-level safety
Another significant new feature is Traction+, an innovative traction control system that improves the vehicle’s handling on difficult terrain with poor grip.
The system uses the advanced hardware present on vehicles with ESP. The control unit uses specific brake system control and management algorithms to simulate the behaviour of a self-locking differential electronically.
When a driven wheel is in poor grip conditions, the control unit of the system detects where the slipping has occurred and instructs the vehicle’s hydraulics to perform a braking action on that wheel. It simultaneously transfers engine torque to the wheel on the surface with better grip. This makes the vehicle easier to drive, maintains directional stability and control, and ensures the best possible traction even over the roughest and most slippery surfaces. The system is operated by a button on the dashboard.
Daytime Running Lights (DRL), which switch-on the Ducato’s parking lights automatically with the ignition, are also available as an option.
The new Ducato was designed and developed with specialist manufacturers, for conversion into motorhomes, right from the drawing board, and now, with its new and improved features, it’s an even more ideal vehicle for the motorhome market.
Posted in: Fiat,New Launch,Van
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