Green room for all the family

Expert Rating:

Introduction

Citroen's latest version of the utilitarian Berlingo hold-all comes with a new 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine to boost its eco-credentials. It lowers carbon dioxide emissions and turns in near-50mpg economy, so this could be the MPV for those looking to maximise carrying capacity with the least impact on the planet.

What is it?

Based on the same platform as Citroen's small commercial van - and sharing all but details components with the Peugeot Partner - the Berlingo Multispace is the biggest seller in its sub-sector of the MPV market. Some call them 'vans with windows', but we feel this is more than unfair as Citroen has worked hard to distance the Multispace from its workaday van sister model. For starters, the new Berlingo is based on the same platform as the fine C4 Picasso people carrier, so it has the basis of a very comfortable car. With the model tested here, we also have Citroen's excellent 1.6-litre HDi turbodiesel engine, but we'll come to that in a moment.

Inside, Citroen has applied all of its considerable experience with MPVs to come up with a superbly versatile interior. It may be only a five-seater where some rivals can carry seven, but the Berlingo rewards with a massive boot of 675-litres with all the seats occupied. Remove them altogether for maximum space and you free up a whopping 3,000-litres of cargo space, which lets the Berlingo carry huge amounts of luggage without batting an eye. There are also loads of other storage solutions crammed into the Berlingo, so you'll never be short of a spot for loose items to be kept securely in place.

The interior is well enough made, though some of the plastics feel a little on the hard side. However, we're sure it will be tough enough for family life and there are lots of practical touches to endear the Berlingo to owners. Aside from the huge boot space, the rear seats have plenty of space and all tip and fold individually, while the front pews give a good all-round view. The large glass area of the Multispace also helps with vision and it's easy to park in tight spots. Sliding side rear doors help in cramped car park spaces, while the excellent turning circle also helps when things get short on road space.

How does it drive?

The high-set driving position gives excellent all-round vision, so piloting the Berlingo through town is easy. It's a cinch to park and reversing is easy too thanks to the vertical rear tailgate that makes it oh-so simple to judge where the rear of the car lies. Over city bumps, the Berlingo mimics the C4 Picasso it's based on with a soft, compliant ride that mops up poor road surfaces very capably. On faster, freer flowing roads it's the same story, though there is a slight floating sensation over more sudden crests as the softly, softly approach to suspension settings doesn't quite have the control you'd find in some rivals such as the Vauxhall Zafira. However, the Berlingo keeps body lean reasonably in check through corners. There are not masses of grip, though we should remind ourselves this is not meant to be a sporting car in any sense. It holds on through corners and is safe and predicable, so the Berlingo drives as well as any of its key rivals.

The 1.6-litre turbodiesel is a refined unit and only makes itself known if it's stretched towards its rev limit. On every other occasion, it's hushed and pulls keenly for a small diesel in a relatively large car. Even on the motorway, where the barn door styling introduces a lot of drag, the Berlingo still gathers speed with sufficient alacrity. Some wind noise from around the door pillars and the large door mirrors are the only distractions at the national speed limit. We'd also like a more positive shift action to the five-speed gearbox.

Planet hugger or planet mugger?

The turbodiesel engine does a decent job in the Berlingo Multispace on the environment front thanks to a combined average of 49.6mpg. We found this was a realistic figure in mixed everyday driving, while emissions of 150g/km attract road tax of £120 per year and a 21% Benefit in Kind rating for company car drivers. This makes the Citroen a sound choice for those whose driving mixes business with pleasure or simply need a clean and frugal car with loads of carrying capacity. Service intervals at 12,500-miles also mean the Berlingo is not using up too much in the way of oil and fluids.

Verdict

There's an appealing honesty to cars such as the Citroen Berlingo and the Multispace has a charm that harks back to Citroen's iconic hold-all, the 2CV. Unlike the 'Tin Snail', the Berlingo also comes with excellent cabin comfort, huge and versatile luggage space, and a refined turbodiesel engine that provides good economy. Simple and practical, the Citroen Berlingo Multispace is as undemanding to live with as it is unchallenging on your finances.

Alisdair Suttie

Monday February 2