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We found Nemo...
Page 14
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Cohn Barnett travels to Bordeaux for a first drive of Citroen's nippy little 1 .4-litre Nemo.
JUST A MONTH AFTER the Nemo's public unveiling at the RAT Show in Amsterdam, Citroen invited us down to Bordeaux for a chance to drive its new baby. Variants of the Nemo are also available with Fiat and Peugeot badges — and under the Tofas brand in its country of manufacture, Turkey.The sub-Berlingo dimensions and likely market positioning lead us to expect the next generation Berlingo to move up in size a little.
With two well nourished journalists accounting for a fair proportion of the 500-odd kilograms of payload, there was still capacity for a load of wooden boxes. It must be said that the Nemo's modest payload—on a par with hatchvans such as Citroen's own C2— means it is only going to appeal to those who carry volume more than weight.
Although a petrol version is available, it's unlikely to sway UK buyers away from the diesel that we drove:The 1.4-litre common-rail unit is only available in one rating, 67hp, with 160Nm of torque. On the flat coastal plain to the west of Bordeaux this proved adequate,but anyone operating in more arduous terrain might find themselves wishing for a higher output to provide something in reserve.
With such a small mass the Nemo's handling is as nippy as you would expect, with no hidden vices. The ride quality is generally quite good. although it got a bit choppy on some poor-quality asphalt.
The cabin interior is good enough to provide an acceptable alternative to a passenger car, with a decent level of equipment. Some of the fittings, such as the glove box lid, felt a bit flimsy — but there is always a compromise between light weight and high strength on a vehicle of this size. Our test van was fitted with the optional foldfiat passenger seat, which can have its backrest folded down to create a work surface, or it can cantilever down completely to form an extension of the load bed. While these functions undoubtedly increase the van's versatility, they do compromise the seat's primary function. The cushion proved far too small even for the modestly proportioned nether regions of your reporter (yeah right— Ed), and there is no fore-and-aft adjustment.
Exact UK specifications and pricing won't be available for some weeks, but the right balance should see Nemo and friends offering a spacious alternative to the hatchvan.