1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202 
A tale of two trendsetters
Page 76
Page 77
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
This week, we've put the spotlight on -two of the used van market's front
runners: the Ford Transit Connect and Citroen Berlingo.
In 1996 Citroen teamed up with Peugeot to produce a new breed of purposebuilt, high-cube I .8-tonne GVW vans. Gone were the days, in France at least, of chopping off the front end of a car, welding a metal box behind the front two seats, and calling it a commercial vehicle.
The result of that collaboration was the Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Partner — and they changed the face of van building. Renault responded to their challenge with the Kangoo; Fiat changed tack and built the Doblo;Vauxhall pitched in with the Combo. Latecomers to the party were Ford and Volkswagen.They both noted the success of these high-cube newcomers hut preferred something different; perhaps a chance to take van engineering another step forward.
The Transit Connect and Caddy weren't carheight chassis; they were taller and heavier— more Tonka Toy than Matchbox.While there's no doubting that the first wave changed the thinking of CV production, credit must be given to Ford and VW for not simply jumping on the bandwagon.
The result is that the Berlingo and Connect have different design concepts, but they are fierce competitors in the used-vehicle ring. Both offer productivity and functionality, with plenty of style, even coming full circle by spawning car reincarnations.
The obvious comparison is their engines, which aren't too dissimilar in power, although the Connect squeezes more torque from a smaller capacity.
Otherwise it's all about payload. For an extra half tonne GVW Ford offers an extra 300kg for tools, shelves or dry goods. It was more expensive new and is worth about £900 more at current values.
The Connect's short history — it's only in its third year of production — means demand outstrips supply as owners keep hold of a desirable product, keeping prices keen.The deluge of vehicles that will eventually return tc the used market has yet to begin, but in time it's bound to bring down prices.
The Berlingo on the other hand is an established player with an established price, offering used buyers a wide choice.The HDi version covered here is one of its more desirable products.
The lowdowns
Citroen Berlingo In this market, as in the larger van sectors, Citroen is never going to reach the top of the charts simply because it shares sales of effectively the same products with Peugeot and Fiat. But that doesn't stop it trying —in fact, for a brief period in 2002 it sneaked cheekily into second place in the monthly figures.
There are some impressive new products in the high-cube van sector but Citroen's Berlingo not only has a New Look — it now has the combination of quality, equipment and performance that would guarantee it success almost regardless of cost.Throw in Citroen UK's attention-grabbing pricing structure and it's hard to see what could stop it selling. Ford Transit Connect It's hard not to sound enthusiastic about the Connect — it really is that good. From the chassis and cabin to the engine and body shape, you can see that Ford has started with a blank piece of paper when designing the Connect, and for that it should he commended. All those 'focus clinics' and 'feedback sessions' with a cross-section of builders from Croydon really paid off.
We have no hesitation in recommending this van and can confidently say it will do the job it's designed for. It's easy to drive, looks set to run for years and servicing costs should be minimal. It may have taken a while for Ford to catch on to the benefits of a purpose-built vehicle, but now it's here it was well worth the wait.
In the early days of the Escort van manufacturers' thought processes seemed to run along the lines of:"Flow are we going to stretch this car and get the appropriate suspension attached?"Times have changed. Designing a new van is now as much an art as designing a new car, and at the moment Ford is a master of that art. •