Fiat announces pricing and specification for the new updated QUBO, the ultimate in passenger travel ?

• New FIAT Qubo now available in the UK - offering MPV versatility with a footprint no larger than a supermini’s
• New front and rear end designs combine with completely revised interior to refresh new FIAT Qubo for 2016
• New trim levels – Pop, Lounge and Trekking – offer more features including new Uconnect touchscreen audio system with optional sat nav
• Trekking version offers additional all-weather traction without the complexity and costs of a full 4X4 system
• Priced from £11,695 OTR for the FIAT Qubo 1.4 Pop

The new FIAT Qubo MPV is now available to order in the UK, demonstrating once again the expertise and experience that FIAT has in designing and building cars that are compact on the outside but larger-than-life in terms of both personality and interior space.

Part of the functional family, alongside the popular Panda, versatile Doblo and all-new Tipo hatchback and station wagon, the new FIAT Qubo retains its 3.96m long and 1.7m wide dimensions meaning it continues to mate the footprint of a supermini with the interior more like that of an MPV with ample room for five adults and a capacious 250-litre boot – which grows to 650 litres when the parcel shelf is removed or an astonishing 2,500 litres with the rear seats removed. Equipped with the optional folding of the front seat passenger, the FIAT Qubo is even able to accommodate long objects of up to 2.5m in length.

A large hatchback tailgate not only allows easy access to the boot from every angle for loads of all shapes and sizes, it also provides useful shelter in inclement weather making it ideal for shopping trips on rainy days. In total, there are 16 different seating configurations with the rear seats accessed by practical sliding doors – perfect for tight parking spaces!

For 2016, the FIAT Qubo gets a new exterior look which, in keeping with the character of the car, combines Italian style with everyday practicality. The large, high-mounted headlamps, for example, help define the Qubo’s friendly face - now augmented by a new “smiling” front grille and chunky new front bumper - also offering improved night-time visibility and limiting the likelihood of damage in the event of a minor accident. Trekking versions also get new skid plates panels in the front and rear bumpers, as well as special side mouldings, both with silver inserts, and special Trekking alloy wheels with mud-and-snow tyres.

The tailgate is also revised, with the large circular recess giving way to a straight, flat panel with a more elegant location for the FIAT badge, while the gloss black trim is redesigned to accommodate tailgate release, illumination for the relocated number plate and bolder Qubo badge. The choice of exterior colours is enriched with two new hues, Magnetic Bronze and Azure Blue, while new wheel cover and alloy wheel designs complete the exterior revisions.

Inside, the new FIAT Qubo, the stylish and functional cabin benefits from a new steering wheel design; black mirror-finish detailing on the steering wheel spokes and centre console surround; new instruments; new seat upholstery and new infotainment options; including a new Uconnect system with a five-inch colour touchscreen and Bluetooth connectivity, USB and aux-in ports as well as the option of satellite navigation.

The new FIAT Qubo is available in three trim levels: Pop, Lounge and Trekking. Standard equipment on the entry level Pop model includes remote central locking, electric front windows with one-touch lowering, electrically adjusted and adjustable door mirrors, body coloured bumpers and mirror covers, height-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support and an arm rest and opening rear quarter-light windows. Safety equipment includes ABS with EBD, ESC with ASR, HBA, Hill Holder system and front and side airbags. The Pop version is powered exclusively by FIAT’s reliable and robust 77hp 1.4-litre petrol engine and is priced from £11,695 OTR.

The Lounge version adds air conditioning, front fog lights, the colour five-inch Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, steering wheel remote controls, steering wheel and gear shifter trimmed in leather and 16-inch alloy wheels, all for a premium of just £1,000. It is available with the 77hp 1.4-litre petrol engine, priced at £12,695 OTR, and the 80hp 1.3-litre MultiJet II turbo diesel, priced from £14,695 OTR. FIAT’s Dualogic automatic transmission is available on the diesel version.

The new FIAT Qubo Trekking, with its raised suspension and Traction+ electronic front differential, builds on the impressive Lounge specification by adding special bumpers, side mouldings and alloy wheels (as mentioned previously) as well as dark tinted windows, roof bars, rear parking sensors, cruise control and the 95hp 1.3-litre MultiJet II turbo diesel as standard. Pricing for the FIAT Qubo Trekking starts at £15,695 OTR.