Peugeot Partner Van Range
Peugeots Partner is a compact commercial vehicle, priced aggressively and asked to pit its wits against some formidable competitors. Its aim is to lure couriers, gardeners, caterers, electricians, carpet cleaners and anyone else who might be interested into parting with the hard-earned cash theyd earmarked for a new van. The Partner had been making a pretty decent fist of it too, since arriving on the scene in 1996, but Peugeot obviously felt it was time for a change and the current revised version was unveiled at the 2002 Motorshow.
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Once youve grasped the options, its an easy mix and match process to identifying the model that best suits your company. Park the original Partner and this updated version back to back, give them the once-over and youll soon deduce that the differences are confined to the front end as well as the cabin interior. Theres been a noticeable trend of car designers integrating styling cues from 4x4 vehicles into models from other sections of the market as an uncomplicated way of injecting a little substance. You might have spotted an abundance of high-riding, big grilled versions of superminis and mini-MPVs patrolling the streets, well the Partner has received similar treatment.
The bonnet is more shapely than before, the headlights are larger and the bumper/grille arRangement has been accentuated. Overall, you get a chunkier, more defined, even robust, look all things that CV buyers should like.
"Both internally and externally, its a noteworthy improvement on its predecessor"
The biggest area of improvement in the current Peugeot Partner, in comparison to the outgoing model, has to be the interior. Where once you had an angular expanse of grey plastic and flimsy-feeling switchgear, theres now a neater, higher quality effect with rounded buttons, dials and vents. The grey plastic is still evident but its altogether more tastefully done. The ambience (if a van can have one of those) is in-line with what youd expect from a well-appointed supermini rather than a cut-price commercial vehicle.
Theres still a fair amount of storage space too, made up of shelves, cubby-holes and a decent sized glovebox, so users should be able to find a home for all the paraphernalia of their working day. Buyers can specify a Partner that lends itself precisely to their line of work thanks to the line-up of nine load access configurations, two mainstream payload capacities and a platform cab thats ready to take all manner of specialist modifications. Tick the right boxes and you could have side-hinged rear doors, with or without a ladder flap for lengthier cargo, or a lifting tailgate. Then theres the option of single or double sliding side doors and the choice of 600kg or 800kg payload capacities.
The variety and diversity of the different Partner models gives it an edge on much of the competition and we havent even covered the vans people carrying sibling, the Partner Combi. The existence of the people carrying or Combi version of Peugeots Partner may have done the full-on commercial version a disservice. Theres something naggingly naff about planting a row of seats in the back of a small van, glazing the side panels and selling it as a mini-MPV - regardless of how affordable, user-friendly and ultimately successful the resulting model might prove. All the major players in the small van market seem predisposed to attempt the old window-van trick, however.
So the demand must be there and buyers of small vans are left will little choice but to pick a model that bears an uncanny resemblance to a bargain-basement family runabout. Still, its hard to find fault with the Combi version on grounds of practicality and the Partner van follows along in the same vein. Engines next, and Peugeot can offer buyers an genuine slice of automotive modernity to fill the Partners engine bay. That means one of two advanced 1.
6-litre HDi common-rail units, one packing 75bhp and the Range-topper offering a surprising turn of pace with 90bhp. Both of these units are impressively refined and make good long distance companions but theyre equally adept in the cut and thrust of urban motoring where the powerful torque outputs pay dividends. The 75bhp unit yields 175Nm at 1,750rpm with the 90bhp option chipping in with 215Nm at the same engine speed. The sole petrol option is a 1.
4-litre with 75bhp but it cant match the low-end torque of either diesel (just what you need for pulling away with a heavy load on the back) or the fuel economy for that matter. You wouldnt know it unless you make a point of familiarising yourself with the underside of commercial vehicles, but the Partner has come in for some suspension modifications too. Independent McPherson struts take care of the front, along with an anti-roll bar, while trailing arms with transverse torsion bars prop up the load bay at the back. The LX derivative can be ordered with raised suspension and an under-engine protection plate to give it some limited offroad ability to go with the beefier front-end styling.
Dont expect it to handle anything more severe than a pothole-ridden track or you might come a cropper. Theres also improved safety thanks to standard drivers airbag and optional passenger airbag ABS with EBD remains confined to the options list. The Peugeot Partner is a tidy little performer with diverse enough Range to avoid excluding buyers with specific requirements. Both internally and externally, its a noteworthy improvement on its predecessor, though the competition remains stiff in this section of the CV market.
As a combination of price and quality user-friendly design, its up there with the best small vans and the 2.0HDi engine is as good as any youll find in the class.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
VAN: Peugeot Partner Range ENGINES: 1.4i Petrol, 1.6HDi (75 or 90bhp), DIMENSIONS: Length/Width/Height mm 4108/1719/1802 GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT: 1,670kg (600 LX) 1,985kg (800 LX)
