Keeping a Fiat Strada on the road

I've worked on a Fiat Strada for the first time yesterday. A nice little bakkie, as the locals refer to pickups in South Africa. Unfortunately we didn't have this one in the Philippines, but is a good 3/4-tonner which is slightly bigger than second-hand Japanese multicabs but more comfortable and stable, which would be a desirable feature to cope with hilly roads. The 1.7TD engine with 70hp feels more responsive than its power could suggest, and is related to the 1.3 naturally-aspirated which was available in the Fiat Uno once assembled in the Philippines.