Citroen Berlingo 2014 Review

Citroen has been making passenger-car-based vans for decades and the latest Berlingo benefits from this as it's on the same platform as a Citroen people mover. That translates into car-like drive feel and surprising dynamics from what is a work-a-day  vehicle.

It looks French but don't hold that against it because the little Berlingo has a strong heart and carries a big weight – up to 750kg in the 'long wheelbase' diesel we drove recently. There's a petrol job too in 'short wheelbase' even though they share the same measurement between front and rear axles – with the LWB having a longer rear overhang.

ENGINE

The test car had a simple 1.6-litre diesel donk up front with a single cam and turbocharging to achieve some 66kW/215Nm output. It doesn't sound a lot but is in fact adequate to push the wedge shaped delivery box along at a smart clip – even with a load in the rubber clad cargo space. Fuel economy is a very respectable 5.8-litres/100km. We did better than that on the highway.

DRIVING

They reckon it's big enough for two pallets in there and access is through wide opening rear barn doors and a low level load floor. The sides have protection cladding half way up. The side slider gives more access and all doors are centrally locked.

Driver (and passenger) comfort is good because of the Berlingo's origins as a passenger vehicle. You sit in it like a car with the wheel in a car-like position and a manual (only) gearshift mounted rally fashion up near the top of the centre console.

Numerous storage compartments dot the cabin including two large overhead bins, lidded bins in the dash and door bins. It has Bluetooth, a trip computer, air conditioning, cruise control and heated mirrors and the steering is rake/reach adjustable. A protection grille is fitted behind the driver who also gets an airbag.

Apart from being an affordable and economical work vehicle, what really surprises about the Berlingo is how it drives. The engine has plenty of pep and it rides, steers and corners like a car ironing out big bumps, hooking around tight corners with a flat stance and generally offering up an engaging drive feel. Very good...

The turning circle could be tighter especially for a vehicle destined to spend most of its life in the city. Rear vision could be helped by a reversing camera but we suspect most owners would fit one aftermarket.

VERDICT

Yes, if we had to spend the rest of our life in a small van delivering stuff – no problem.

Citroen Berlingo
Price: from $24,990 (diesel)
Engine: 1.6L turbodiesel, 66kW/215Nm
Transmission: 5-speed manual, FWD
Thirst: 5.5L / 100Km