2016 Fiat Fullback

VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS

Fiat Fullback

Fiat’s Fullback single cab quietly slipped into the South African bakkie market when the brand was still trying to find its feet among tough-as-nails competitors. You got a 2.4-litre petrol lump with a manual gearbox and not much else—no diesel, no fancy kit, just a badge-swap workhorse aimed at those who want the basics. With the likes of Nissan’s NP300 Hardbody and Isuzu’s D-Max single cabs hovering around, it was always going to be a tough sell, especially for buyers who rack up massive mileage and need something cheap to run. There’s only one listed on the market now, sitting at R179,900, which says plenty about how South Africans have judged the Fullback’s staying power. That lone survivor is a 2018 model with a hefty 164,780 km already chalked up, and you won’t find another variant—this is it: 2.4 MPi, manual, and nothing more. Stock is non-existent elsewhere, so if you want one, you’re basically out of luck unless you like chasing unicorns. For nearly R180k you’re staring down a petrol bakkie with high mileage, when the Hardbody will almost always be easier to keep going and the D-Max will put more money back in your pocket if you ever sell. The only real curveball here is that the Fullback rides on Mitsubishi L200 bones, and on paper at least, that opens up the parts bin a bit if you know where to look. That matters, especially if you’re considering an unloved oddity that’s racked up serious Gauteng-to-Cape Town mileage.