HAVING a child is
life changing. You do and say things that you thought (and hoped) you never
would. You realise and repeat the overused phrase,
“they grow up so quickly
?
and wonder what you did with your time before they came along and why on earth
more cars aren’t built with side sliding doors.
Practicality is fast becoming a priority, which brings
us to the Fiat Qubo, another new addition to our household recently.
There’s no denying the fact that the Qubo is an
unusual and slightly peculiar looking motor with a high roof, bulbous nose and
stunted rear end.
It turns heads and attracts a lot of attention. But
that only proves that the Qubo doesn’t conform. It’s a car with character and I
like that pluckiness.
Apart from offering a competent and comfortable drive,
the Qubo has a high seating position, which is perfect for driving and a
loveable novelty for young passengers. It also boasts an abundance of storage
compartments and immeasurable visibility with a giant glass window and side
wing mirrors as well as a short wheel-base (the car’s just four metres long)
that makes parking child’s play.
One of the drawbacks for me is that the boot space is
a little on the small size and the door is so tall that on occasion a car would
park too close behind for me to be able to open it.
It’s something you become mindful of and you choose
your parking spaces accordingly.
But it’s the Qubo’s clever sliding doors that are my
personal highlight. They make ferrying passengers and taking children and
babies to and from the vehicle safe and easy. It’s a feature I absolutely loved
and appreciated and now miss as I’m back in my normal runaround.
Getting down to numbers then and the Qubo continues to
impress with its functionality. It’s in Band A with the cheapest annual tax.
The Dynamic model 1.3 75hp Multijet model I drove is
?¬17,595 and comes with all
the bells and whistles such as a leather multifunction steering wheel, air
conditioning, Bluetooth, USB port and electric front windows.
It’s also economical to run but has a small enough
fuel tank of 45-litres which means that if you’re a long distance driver like
me, you’ll be a regular at the fuel pumps even though you may not be spending
much at them.