PRACTICAL, economical and spacious, are all words that perfectly sum up Fiat's latest Doblo.

This 'cube like' people carrier which has its roots in a van also has a no-nonsense approach to family motoring that is second to none.

Cubism is popular with vehicle designers at the moment, but Fiat seems to have come up with a formula all of its own.

With a high roof line, the capacity to seat seven people, or swallow up to 3,200 litres of luggage, this range has got to be a serious contender in the people carrier sector.

They say that the devil is in the detail and as far as Doblo is concerned that is fact.

It has a great eye for detail. It is well specified with sliding rear doors on both sides, a hill holding function and ESP as standard.

It also boasts superb all round vision, has loads of storage space, large comfortable seats and  a quiet cabin.

In short it fulfils its multi-role tag exactly. There are eight variants on offer with prices ranging from £12,295 to £17,145.

Fitted with the choice of either a 1.4 petrol, or a 1.6 or 2.0-litre diesel engine, it is a genuine family runabout that is  equally at home in town or on the open road.

It is ideally suited to long touring holidays, or school trips, and its turning circle and effortless steering makes it ideal in crowded towns or car parks.

This vehicle is both the family taxi and the family shopping trolley, and in the world of people carriers it does not get better than this.

The best selling model in the new 2010 line-up is going to be the 1.6 version.

Whilst the more powerful 2.0-litre has extra pulling power for motorway driving, the 1.6 wins hands down in town and country.

With a price of £16,795 and CO2 emission rating of 139g/km this 102mph unit returns 54.3mpg on the combined cycle. Its urban figure is 46.3mpg and the extra urban figure a creditable 60.1mpg.

High sided vehicles have a tendency to rock and roll on the bends, and are not one of my favourite shapes, but I must admit that the improvements to the Doblo have almost eliminated this factor and I found the handling  acceptable.

Crosswinds were not a problem and some tight corners were negotiated with any hint of dip or dive.

I was pleased with the overall handling and I like the comfortable ride.

The 2.0-litre version was livelier and felt completely at home on the motorway with its  top speed of 111mph.

Its MultiJet engine was able to match all driving requests instantly with extra power in reserve.

Costing £17,145 and having CO2 emission rating of 150g/km and a combined fuel return of 49.6mpg, an extra urban fuel return of 55.4mpg it is nevertheless economical.

With competitive pricing and good fuel economy Fiat is offering new models that fit the bill when it comes to people carriers.