Liana Reiners has found the perfect family travelling car in the Fiat Scudo. Read more...

Consider my predicament. I have two sons who are at that difficult stage where a fist fight is always only a moment away. I have a husband who likes fishing and outdoorsy things. I’m not what you would call a light packer. And we need to go on holiday.

Fiat Scudo is a nine-seater Combi version

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We’ve tried a normal passenger car: not enough boot space for luggage and not enough room on the rear seat to keep the boys from getting on each other’s nerves. We’ve tried a double cab bakkie: loads of luggage space but even less room for the kids. We’ve tried an SUV: not enough luggage space but a bit more comfort for the boys. So it seemed as though I was doomed to have to make some compromise but I couldn’t decide what to leave behind: the luggage or my sons… and when my sister decided that she was coming along too, I was ready to give up.

Shortly after the Durban Motor Show in 2008, I got an excited phone call from my friend Helene about a new vehicle from Fiat that would mean the end of all my woes: the new Fiat Scudo. So I begged, pleaded and promised to do unspeakable things but I managed to get one (a nine-seater Combi version) for our December family vacation.

Fiat Scudo is the pefect family vehicle

Believe me when I tell you that it is the perfect family vehicle. It offers the convenience of an MPV, it’s agile in traffic, easy to handle in parking manoeuvres, as comfortable as a car, but as sturdy, economical and reliable as a commercial vehicle.

Dream interior

The interior is a holiday-maker’s dream. Up front there is a two-seat bench (which meant that the very large beaded lamp I bought on our way back had its own seat and seatbelt) and an individual seat for the driver. There are also two sliding doors in the rear, giving everyone easy access to the two rows of bench seats in the rear.

Every feature possible is in the Fiat Scudo

There’s also electric front windows, a stereo system with steering controls, remote central locking, air-conditioning with separate controls for the front and rear, heated and electrically adjustable side mirrors, power steering and electronic headlamp adjustment to ensure that the trip is as comfortable as can be. I just have to mention the abundance of storage compartments. There’s a very large ceiling-height shelf that offers so much space that for a week after we got back I was still finding CDs and sunglasses and money and other things that we’d conveniently chucked in there while on the road.

What else impressed me about the Scudo? Well, everything! I absolutely loved it!

Swallowed all our luggage with ease

The luggage area swallowed a very large cooler box, my very large suitcase, a suitcase each for the boys and hubby, a vanity case, kites, boogie boards, fishing rods and tackle, a box of food and drinks, a beach umbrella, a beach bag with towels and five camping chairs. I thought my husband was going to burst into tears when my sister arrived with three more bags but the Scudo swallowed that too.

Great diesel fuel  economy too

We didn’t spend our whole holiday budget on fuel as the Scudo happily did 11 kilometres on a litre of diesel. Considering that it was loaded to the hilt, that’s quite an achievement.

I must mention one other thing that I found quite amazing. We used a Garmin Nuvi to plot our course to the north coast and as you all know the Nuvi indicates your speed too. From past experience I know that the speedos on most vehicles under read, sometimes by as much as 10%. So if your speedo says you’re doing 120, you can easily push it to 125 or 130 and still be under the speed limit. Not with the Scudo. The speedo was absolutely on the dot. I have honestly never experienced that before.

Let’s talk quickly about the Scudo’s engine. It’s a 2-litre Multijet unit that delivers a maximum of 88 kW at 3 600 r/min and peak torque of 300 Nm at 2 000 r/min. And it’s mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

Would I buy one? Of course.

The price is R363 100 and includes a three-year 100 000 km warranty (three years on paintwork and five years on rust anti-perforation) as well as a standard five-year 100 000 km service plan. The Scudo is also covered by AA Fleetcare roadside assistance for 12 months.

I don’t know what vehicle we’ll use for our next family vacation but it will have to be pretty special to beat the Fiat Scudo.