Opinion – Eduardo Sodré: Twin of Fiat Fiorino, Peugeot Partner Rapid symbolizes fusion of brands

The most obvious differences are in the front grille and logos applied to the steering wheel and rear. Where the Fiat symbol was, the Peugeot lion enters. The Partner Rapid van arrives to be the same as the Fiorino, but available in another dealership network.

It is a symbolic vehicle: it is the first model in Brazil to take full advantage of the merger of brands under the umbrella of the Stellantis group.

Twin cars, however, are nothing new in the domestic market. The van segment has examples such as the Fiat Ducato, Citroën Jumper and Peugeot Boxer trio, which were produced in Sete Lagoas (MG) between 2000 and 2016. It was a joint venture with Iveco, established long before the companies became global partners .

In the passenger car segment, Autolatina – a merger of Volkswagen and Ford in Brazil that ran from 1987 to 1996 – gave rise to the Apollo and Verona duo.

Now, despite the similarities, the prices are different. Partner Rapid Business costs BRL 101,400, while Fiorino Endurance starts at BRL 106,700.

The difference is in the equipment list. The model with the Fiat logo comes with air conditioning, power-assisted steering and driver’s seat height adjustment. In the Peugeot van, these items are part of the Business Pack configuration, sold for R$ 106,100.

The most complete version was evaluated in a short stretch through the west of São Paulo. With no traffic, the on-board computer recorded a good average of 10.7 km/l with ethanol.

Adapted to the seventh stage of Proconve (Vehicular Emissions Control Program), the 1.4 flex engine has 88 hp and is paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. Its main quality is torque at low revs: the van proved to be smart in the recovery and did not require many gear changes to keep up with the traffic.

Of course, the situation will be different when it’s loaded, but the Partner Rapid isn’t made to take the world on its back on highways. Its function is to transport goods in the city, in the midst of heavy traffic.

For that, it has a compartment with 3.3 cubic meters (3,300 liters) of volume and capacity to transport up to 650 kilos.

Another standard Peugeot item is the ramp start assistant. Its function is to prevent the car from moving backwards when coming out of immobility on a slope.

There is also 18.5 liters of capacity distributed in storage compartments in the cabin. Two of these niches are dedicated to card payment machines.

And yes, all this is also present in the Fiat Fiorino.

So what are the appeals of Partner Rapid, other than the lower price on the basic version? For Peugeot, the fact that it has a network used to serving fleet owners – the brand has a global tradition in the segment – ​​and advantages in after-sales plans are the attractions.

The company offers eight years of free towing assistance and a series of commitments that seek to revive its services. Fiat should also advance in this aspect, creating a curious commercial dispute in which the Stellantis group always wins.