Hey team hope you’re all doing just swell! 
I wanted to ask about 2 things please. Any thoughts and experiences would be most appreciated. I’m just about to buy this van for living in full time. Firstly it’s an automatic. For someone who lives in the mountains and wants to go to park in nice remote spots at times. It’s 2010 Fiat Ducato 2.3l 16v. Do you reckon it’d deal with bumpy gravel or grassy roads ok?
Also as you might notice from the picture. The rear wheels are quite a distance from the back of the truck. Is it going to bottom out and get me stuck lots when going up hills going over bumps etc…
Please kindly let me know your thoughts guys. Anything would be warmly received.
Cheers all have a banger!
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Hi Evan
Rear Clearance
I’ve looked at vehicles where the rear wheels are far from the back of the truck -like your photo.
Here in the UK and they’re not ok for our country roads, especially in the hills.
As you’ve said bottoming out will likely be a problem as would bouncing over bumps and grounding out then. You may need to strengthen or lift the suspension to reduce that from happening.
If that back end is full of heavy stuff, you’ll also be transferring the weight onto the back wheels, and if its front wheel drive, you’re gonna lose some traction especially going up steeper hills.
Automatic - providing you’re able to put the pedal down and the van drops down a gear for the hills or you can lock-in to a gear you’ll be fine with automatic. I don’t know how fancy an automatic gearbox from a 2010 Fiat is, but that’s a conversation with a dealer.
Those are my thoughts.
All the best
