Peugeot PARTNER COMBI ESCAPADE
Peugeots Partner Combi Escapade Wont Be The First Thing Youd Choose As a Lifestyle Statement. Still, It May Well Suit Practically Minded Families On A Budget Who Havent Lost Their Sense Of Fun. Jonathan Crouch Reports
This van has a plan and its not a hard one to guess. The raised suspension, fog lights, lamp grilles and beefy wheelarch mouldings all aim to make this practical family runabout something of an escape hatch from the mundanities of everyday life.
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All right, so the Partner Combi Escapade is a statement of style rather than intent. Unlike its most obvious rival, Renaults Kangoo Trekka, it doesnt have four wheel drive to match fashion sense with substance. Still, priced at £11,500, its £700 cheaper, a tidy sum worth saving if youre about as likely to go off road as to be found chasing buffalo across the Serengeti. For those not familiar, a quick product recap is called for at this point.
Mini-MPVs like Renaults Scenic and Citroens Xsara Picasso are in great demand, but theyre also a great deal of money if youre buying on a tight budget. To solve the problem,
Renault and
Citroen some years ago redeveloped their small Kangoo and Berlingo vans into small, versatile budget-minded family cars with great success. So much success in fact that the PSA Group decided the Berlingo could also be sold in
Peugeot showrooms badged as the Partner Combi, an initiative also marked by the introduction of the first lifestyle van-based mini-MPV, the Partner Combi Quiksilver. Despite the fact that the Quiksilver bit was little more than stripes and badging, the model sold quite well.
As a result, Renault were encouraged to import their Kangoo with attitude, the 4WD Trekka. This in turn forced Peugeot to up the ante when the substantially revised Partner Combi range was launched hence the Partner Combi Escapade on test here.
"If life and circumstance force you towards a car like this, then a little joie de vivre never goes amiss"
If you were one of the (relatively few) people who owned an original Partner Combi, youll be pleased to find that the look of the current generation car has been thoroughly revised, the front end modified to embrace a family feline look. Whatever you think about this, the result is agreeably modern and the smarter styling makes the Partner Combi look a good deal more expensive. The front bumpers are now deeper and colour-keyed rather than regulation black, whilst the front wings, bonnet and grille have been fiddled with. Clear-lensed headlamps have been fitted which bring the look bang up to date.
The front wings have even been cambered at the wheel arches to provide an elegant sweep into the line of the headlights and bonnet. Whilst the Partner Combi has no pretensions of being anything other than a van with seats and extra windows, it effectively targets a market that values rugged, inexpensive family transport. The product has always been priced aggressively and the latest model is no exception. Only a 2.
0-litre HDi diesel version of the Escapade is now offered but that was the only engine worth going for anyway. The suspension, brakes and steering have been fundamentally altered in the latest Partner Combi to give a more car-like ride and handling package and the interior has also been smartened up. A high quality fascia panel reflects the styling of current Peugeot cars and storage space has been increased. As well as having a passenger airbag that can be deactivated by a switch, this Peugeot also has a lower glove box below the airbag and a CD/cassette holder on the central console.
Three bottle holders and a 12v accessory power point underline the cars practicality. The dashboard has been redesigned for a more contemporary look and has been styled to echo Peugeots passenger car design cues. Storage space has been increased too with a huge array of bins and cubbies available front and rear. A storage area for CDs and cassettes is located on the central console and there are no fewer than three bottle holders.
The dash now features a rev counter and a
BMW-style distance-to-next-service indicator, whilst theres a revised steering wheel with a radio stalk on the steering column. The steering itself is power assisted right across the range and multiplex wiring means that sophisticated options like cruise control are offered. Although this multiplex system has been offered on the Partner Combi since June 2000, the latest car features a more intelligent Built In Systems Interface which increases the number of functions to include a vehicle location device which operates from the key fob. One plip in a crowded car park and the hazard lights will activate for ten seconds.
No more pushing a shopping trolley up and down rows of parked cars after youve forgotten which level you parked on! Other functions are also standard. The radio can now be played with the ignition switched off and the volume level is linked to the vehicle speed. For added security, the doors can automatically lock when you get out. Although the seats dont come out, theres still a huge amount of space on offer and access to the rear is made simple by the standard fitment of two rear sliding doors.
On the road, given the car's commercial ancestry, you might be expecting a less than exhilarating driving experience. In which case, you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. This is a car that can actually be quite fun to punt around and is certainly one thats viable for longer distances. Peugeot had to do something to differentiate the Partner Combi from its otherwise identical Citroen Berlingo Multispace PSA Group stablemate and Escapade trim is what theyve come up with. For not much more, we think it makes quite a big difference to the look and feel of what would otherwise be an unremarkable family runabout.
And if life and circumstance force you towards a car like this, then a little joie de vivre never goes amiss. FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Peugeot Partner Combi Escapade 2.0 HDi PRICES £11,500 on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 5 CO2 EMISSIONS: 152g/km PERFORMANCE: [HDi] Max Speed 97mph / 0-60mph 13.4s FUEL CONSUMPTION: [HDi] (combined) 49mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver airbag /
seat belt pretensioners WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4110/1720/1800mm WHO TO SEE: January 17th 2005
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Peugeot Partner Combi Escapade 2.0 HDi PRICES £11,500 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 5
CO2 EMISSIONS: 152g/km
PERFORMANCE: [HDi] Max Speed 97mph / 0-60mph 13.4s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [HDi] (combined) 49mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver airbag / seat belt pretensioners
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4110/1720/1800mm WHO TO SEE: January 17th 2005
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