Citroen Nemo Van : BLINDING NEMO?

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Citroen does a nice line in compact vans these days and the Nemo could be the best of the lot. Steve Walker reports

Sooner or later, the trends that sweep the passenger car market usually filter through to arena of the commercial vehicle. That process can take a while but as we've seen with common-rail diesel engines and various items of safety equipment, vans eventually come to benefit from most of the relevant innovations that arise in cars. Citroen's Nemo is representative of a trend that's been extremely prevalent in the car sector for a number of years now; namely that of diversification. It's a van that can lay claim to being first aboard the sub-compact van bandwagon.

Actually, it's a little bit more complicated than all that. A reshuffle of the Citroen commercial vehicle range has made space for the Nemo rather than any ground-breaking design innovation on the manufacturer's part. The latest Citroen Berlingo compact van has grown in capacity, nuzzling-up beneath the Despatch panel van and that shift left a space below, which the Nemo neatly fills. The model's bijou dimensions means it sits above the tiny C2 car-derived van, in close proximity to the Berlingo First model which is actually the old Berlingo soldiering on as an uncomplicated budget option. That just about sums it up, but before you declare yourself in possession of all the facts concerning the Nemo's market positioning, remember that it's just one part of a three-pronged attack of the small van sector. Citroen's sister brand Peugeot and their long-standing LCV partner Fiat also have versions of the van called the Bipper and the Fiorino respectively.

"Citroen is banking on more and more operators coming to the conclusion that small is beautiful"

The Nemo's size and weight allows it to get away with smaller 1.4-litre engines as opposed to the units of 1.6-litres and larger that Citroen fits to its Berlingo. The petrol option is a 1.4-litre 75bhp affair but its 118Nm of torque at 2,600rpm highlights its shortcomings compared to the 1.4-litre diesel. The Nemo's oil-burner comes with less power - only 70bhp is available - but 160Nm from 1,750rpm means it has the low-end muscle that drivers like for getting their payload smartly off the line. Neither Nemo is earth-shatteringly quick but the chance to approach the speed limit has become a rare luxury in the areas where it's designed to work, so that shouldn't unduly matter. The Nemo has independent front suspension braced with an anti-roll bar, while at the rear is the old commercial vehicle standard transverse beam. The set-up works well helping to give the Nemo the lively and energetic feel on the road that the latest supersized Berlingo has partially lost. The downside is that the Nemo is less comfortable a proposition on the open road, but around town its short overhangs and teeny dimensions make it highly manoeuvrable. The turning circle is super-tight at under 10 metres kerb to kerb. The Nemo mounts its gearlever on the dash as is the fashion these days and the abrupt short-throw action is an improvement over the sloppy set-ups that let some of the marque's other models down. The Nemo's styling should win it many admirers, the van displaying a swollen look that might hint at a cargo of highly compressed air. The bumpers, the wheelarches and even the windscreen dome outwards and along with the wide track, this creates a squat, planted stance. The inherent chunkiness also suggests the Nemo is a tough customer and there's not much to dissuade you from that opinion on the inside. Fiat's influence on the project is evident in the cab. The air-vents, the stereo and other components have been seen before in Fiat products but all feel solid and look the part. The design is simple and the materials robust but storage could be more generous. Space is adequate for driver and passenger but larger occupants might find it a little confined during a long day at the wheel. The Nemo measures just 3,860mm in length but uses its interior space to full effect in offering a 2.5m3 load volume and a 610kg maximum payload. The space itself is usefully square and a ladder frame bulkhead protects the rear of the driver's seat. Choose the optional Extenso folding passenger seat and that load volume can be increased to 2.8m3 with the load length upped from 1,520mm to 2.5mm, ideal for pipes, planks of wood or other long items. The loadbay can be got at through the Nemo's asymmetrically-hinged rear doors that open to 180 degrees. The resulting aperture is surprisingly wide and tall with a low loading height to help when hauling heavy items inside. There's a lip between the bumper and the load floor which can make sliding cargo in slightly problematic and the sliding side doors are fairly narrow but lashing eyes and the uniform shape of the compartment count in the plus column. Given its size, the Nemo is an extremely practical proposition. The Nemo should be adept at saving its owners money. 41mpg from the petrol engine is nothing to get too excited about but the more satisfactory diesel can return nearly 63mpg which is great going by any standards. It produces just 119g/km in the process too and with lengthy 2-year/20,000-mile service intervals, that should be money in the bank for operators. The Citroen Nemo is available in X or LX trim, with the entry-level X model featuring an MP3-compatible CD stereo, a trip computer, ABS brakes, a driver's airbag and pre-tensioner seatbelts. The LX adds the sliding side door on the nearside, electric front windows, remote central locking, the folding passenger seat and heated electric mirrors. Air-conditioning is an option, as are a Bluetooth hands-free kit and rear parking sensors. All models come with a five-speed manual gearbox but Citroen's Sensodrive clutchless gearbox is an option with the diesel engine. To succeed from its unorthodox position betwixt the car-derived C2 van and the Berlingo compact van, the Nemo is going to have to persuade a sufficient number of buyers that it is the optimum size for them. Look at the dimensions and it's closer to the extremely popular previous generation Berlingo than the latest Berlingo is. The bottom of Citroen's LCV line-up looks decidedly crowded. Citroen has proved itself to have a steady hand on the LCV marketing tiller, however, growing the business consistently in recent years. It would be a brave person who bets against the firm's judgement in this instance. The Citroen Nemo doesn't fit in with the conventional structure of the light commercial vehicle market but times change and with traffic levels increasing along with fuel costs and the tax burden, Citroen is banking on more and more operators coming to the conclusion that small is beautiful. It's a gamble that could easily pay off. The smaller end of the Citroen van range offers more choice than ever in the Nemo's presence. Its pleasantly chunky styling, its nimble driving experience and its surprisingly generous capacities will all help to persuade any doubters. There's now a small Citroen van to suit the full range of requirements and the Nemo could well be the pick of the bunch.

Facts At A Glance MANUFACTURER: Citroen MODEL: Nemo BHP: 70bhp - 75bhp PAY
LOAD CAPACITY: 610kg LOAD VOLUME: 2.5m3 GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT: 1,680kg - 1,700kg LENGTH: 3,864mm WIDTH: 1,589mm HEIGHT: 1,721mm May 7th 2008