WHO says size doesn't matter? Well certainly not those boffins at Italian giants Fiat, who have just cut loose the latest-generation Doblo MPV.

As people carriers go, they don't come much bigger than this space invader. And they don't get much better as far as value for money goes either.

OK, a big multi-purpose machine is not everyone's cup of tea, but there is a big market for vehicles of this ilk and the sector is  growing by the day.

Fiat has been pretty clever with pricing for the new Doblo range, starting at a low £12,295 for the lead-in 1.4-litre, 16-valve, 95bhp petrol model in Active trim.

An ideal workhorse for smaller businesses such as builders, plumbers and other such tradesmen, the five-seater Doblo with its two sliding rear doors, offers a class-leading 790 litres of boot space, more than enough space for tools and materials alike.

Fold the seats or remove them and that load space increases to 3,200 litres.

However, as a family transporter, the Doblo offers something a bit different from the norm and is a spacious, highly-versatile machine which has been designed with the active family in mind.

And to prove the point, Fiat has produced a range of accessories from ski carriers to bike racks so owners can customise their cars to their own liking.

Moving up to Dynamic or Eleganza trim adds much more refinement to the vehicle along with the option of adding two extra seats in an additional third row.

Although features such as fuel-saving stop and start technology, electric front windows, electronic stability programme, automatic hill hold, anti-lock brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution are standard throughout the range, items like air conditioning, electric rear windows and door mirrors, height-adjustable driver seat, rear 12-volt socket and integrated TomTom navigation are available only in the higher spec models.

As well as the 1.4-litre petrol unit, Fiat also offer the Doblo with the choice of two MultiJet turbodiesel engines. The larger two-litre 135-brake offers masses of grunt and torque yet still returns nearly 50mpg.

However, the sprightly 1.6-litre 105bhp unit is not too far off its larger sibling's performance, having a top speed of 102mph, yet it cuts CO2 emissions to 138g/km while returning more than 54mpg

For such a tall vehicle, the Doblo performs quite brilliantly when out and about, handling bends with consumate ease, the suspension performing an excellent job of sticking the car to the road.

Whether cruising the motorways or tackling busy city traffic, the car's subtle ride and crisp handling is a bit of a revelation.