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New Fiat Fullback Pickup Truck Is the Mitsubishi L200's Italian Cousin

2016 Fiat Fullback pickup truck 5 photos
Photo: Fiat
2016 Fiat Fullback pickup truck2016 Fiat Fullback pickup truck2016 Fiat Fullback pickup truck2016 Fiat Fullback pickup truck
After the Fiat Group decided that it's a brilliant idea to revamp the 8-year-old 500 with one of the most boring facelifts in automotive history, the peeps from Fiat Professional add more fuel to the fire with the Fullback. In plain English, Fullback rougly translates to "I'm a Mitsubishi L200 with different headlights and a black plastic grille."

Slated to arrive in Europe in the third quarter of 2016, the all-new Fiat Fullback draws its name from the cornerstone position in American football and rugby. Just like the new-gen Mitsubishi L200 medium-duty pickup truck (also known as the Triton in Australia), this workhorse is powered by a 2.4-liter turbo diesel with either 150 or 180 horsepower.

Available exclusively as a double-cab, the Italo-Japanese creation you can admire in the photograph above prouds itself with a payload of 1,035 kg (2,282 lbs). Four-wheel drive comes as standard, along with a six-speed manual transmission. If you can't be bothered to shift gears manually, a five-speed automatic can be mated to the Mitsubishi-developed 2.4-liter DI-D four-banger.

In the United Kingdom, the 2016 Fiat Fullback will be available in two trim levels, with pricing and specifications slated to be announced closer to the vehicle's launch next autumn. Measuring 1,780 mm in height, 1,815 mm in width and 5,285 mm in length, the Fullback is huge by Old Continent standards. Supposing it won't cannibalize with the L200, the Fullback will compete with the likes of the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Volkswagen Amarok, and everything this side of what America calls a mid-size pickup.

While pickup trucks used to be nothing more than industrial-spec commercial vehicles with spartan interiors and agricultural driving dynamics, the Fullback is anything but that. To get a sense of what the newest member of the Fiat Professional family is able to offer in real-life conditions, we recommend you to go through our extensive review of the 2015 Mitsubishi L200 Double Cab, the Fullback's half-brother.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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