‘ ose jobs, plusher interiors and can normally pass for
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a 'new van. It's great when something this original comes along.
This is usually a relevant point when confronted with a genuinely "clean sheet" vehicle. But there's been a veritable explosion in the small van sector. In fact, with contributions from Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat and MercedesBenz the van department at CM is having a job remembering all the names.
So to set the record straight, what we're testing here is the Citroen Berlingo: a highcube van that uniquely isn't derived from any car. Peugeot sells a version called the Partner but Fiat has declined to join in, keeping its relationship with PSA (Peugeot and Citroen) to the Sevel vans, built at the Sevel.Nord factory in Northern France.
Developed at a cost of £300m (shared with Peugeot) and built at Citroen's Vigo factory, the Berlingo is out to beat the established high-cubes, particularly the Ford Courier and the Vauxhall Combo. It will eventually replace Citroen's own high-cube, the C15.
Since the Berlingo is purpose-designed, as opposed to being a car with a box on the back,
LCitroen believes it should clean up on its .7t rivals, but to draw punters away from the 53 combined marketing forces of Ford and a
Vauxhall any improvements will have to be significant. Then there's the competent Seat Inca, which VW markets as the Caddy. Competition indeed...
The main thing that sets the Berlingo apart from normal high-cubes is that its cab roof is as high as the load area. This distinctive appearance has led some people to call it old fashioned—"it looks like an old bread van" was one comment but whatever your views on the styling, it certainly stands out on the road which should be a good thing for the small tradesman who relies on his van for extra publicity.
Citroen has been very careful to price its newcomer competitively, Our test model, the 1.8D 600, will set you back £7,990 (ex-VAT), which is about the same as the Inca but undercuts the Courier and Combo, even allowing for the fact that there's no power steering.
The 600 in the title refers to the nominal payload: other versions in the UK include a 1.9D 600 which goes for £8,650 (ex-VAT) and a 1.9D 800 at £8,850 (ex.VAT).
One interesting option is a rear roof flap which can be lifted to accommodate ladders and the like. Other options include power steering, ABS and remote locking (for details see page 39).