Category: Compact MPV 
Price Range: £10,295 to £15,065
Affordable; practical; large load-space; no-nonsense image; economical diesels.
Slow and still van-like to drive; neither as comfy or as safe as C4 Picasso.
No-frills family transport for those who like their MPVs unpretentious.
Easy to drive, but not enjoyable - this is a utilitarian vehicle, after all, not an all-round lifestyle-enhancer. The high seating position, huge windscreen, high side windows and large rear tailgate glass aid vision all-round - though it's not always easy to keep track of the curved-down end of the bonnet.
Though it is wide, it is short and adept around town. The sense that this is an upright, high-roofed vehicle with high centre of gravity is never dispelled, however, and while it feels safe and well-balanced, it's in no way a sporty drive. It's very much a van, an impression enhanced by the straight-cut dashboard, upright driver's seat and position of the dashboard, whatever its underpinnings.
The Berlingo is slow by car standards, too, despite being relatively lightweight for something this size (1397kg-1427kg, depending on engine). Even with the 110bhp/177lb ft 1.6 HDI diesel engine, it's a chugger. A top speed of 105mph and 0-62mph acceleration in 12.5 seconds is claimed, but it'd be a struggle to get away from the lights as quick as that, and after a burst of mid-range torque, it's loud and unrefined at the upper end of the rev range.
All the diesel engines could do with an overdrive-style sixth gear, for improved refinement at motorway speeds. The 90bhp/159lb-ft diesel does 100mph and 0-62 in 14.3 seconds, though it actually feels little slower. We've not driven the 75bhp/136lb-ft diesel (94mph, 0-62 in 17.1 seconds) but suspect that this one's for the penny-pinchers only (though note that while it may be cheaper to buy in the first place, it's actually less economical than the 110bhp).
The petrol engines are weedy, but not bad; they're quieter at speed than the diesels, and smoother. If you can't stretch to the 110hp diesel, the 110bhp/108lb-ft petrol's workable (107mph, 0-62 in 13.5 seconds) and the 90bhp/97lb-ft version (99mph, 0-62 in 15.3 sec) probably a better bet than the entry-level diesels unless you want to tow. The 110bhp models and the 90bhp diesel can tow up to 1300kg, the others 1200kg.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Citroen Berlingo Multispace
wrote on 25 11 2006
wrote on 23 10 2006