Citroën's plan for van man

Collosal GreenFleet reporter Roland Rendell morphs into Van Man to test Citroën’s new facelifted Berlingo, and is mightily impressed with its performance.

Aside from Arsenal FC’s No.10, I’ve never really paid too much attention to Van Man. For this assignment, I had to change my thinking. As its official automotive partner, Citroën is now a big part of the French make-up of north London footballing giants Arsenal. And with some of the players involved in creative TV campaigns for the cars, the profile of their new models is set to rise.

But what about its commercial offerings? Well, there’s a new kid on the block. Citroën is hoping that the Berlingo will cast a shadow over the likes of the Transit Connect and Renault Kangoo, but, so far, the French marque isn’t driving this particular model down electric avenue just yet. The fuel-efficient diesel engine forms part of Citroën’s ‘5-Star’ Euro 5 LCV Programme, and is particularly suited to city driving. I’m in the e-HDi 90 Airdream EGS6 L1 625 LX model, which features a range of extras including metallic paint (the model I’m driving is ‘Arctic Steel’ - a refreshing change from white), air conditioning, an anti-theft alarm, rear parking sensors, and a speed limiter / cruise control. More on that later. The crew cab sports three fold-away, space maximising seats (well, two and a half if you’re my stack). As a (predominantly) car man, I found it unusual not to be able to put the driver’s seat back as far as I’d have liked. But, understandably, it’s about the load capacity first, and long legs second. And with 90hp (66kW) @ 4,000rpm and a peak torque of 159lb.ft (215Nm) @ 1,500rpm, there’s plenty to suggest that the stated 605kg payload will not be a problem.

After firing the Berlingo up, there’s a familiar bleep in the background - the Trafficmaster Smartnav. Standard on Citroen’s commercial offerings, SmartNav helps to deliver better fuel economy and reduce driver stress levels. Where’s the gearstick? Not where it usually is. On the left of the steering-wheel, I spot a dial emblazoned with the letters R, N, A and M. An automatic van? Sort of. The new Berlingo has EGS six-speed automated manual transmission, with a full auto function, or manual change using - wait for it - paddleshift. All of a sudden, I’m far more interested. At first, the automated gear changes send me rocking back and forth, but it doesn’t take long to put that to rest. I will always remember the Citroën pro-driver that I met at GreenFleet’s Arrive’n’Drive, who advised me to listen to the engine. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not long before you know when the vehicle will change up. If you ease off the throttle at that point, then it’s seamless.

City Slicker
I’m off for a longer stretch once I leave the town centre. Before then I get to experience what can only be described as the slickest Stop Start technology I’ve ever witnessed, car or van. Sitting at the lights, I wasn’t even aware the engine had shut-off, and as soon as you lift off the brake, it quietly comes back to life.

On to the motorway, I decide to put my foot down, but can’t seem to reach the maximum 70mph speed limit for a bluesigned carriageway. Is the cruise control on? Actually, come to think of it, does it, or any van, have cruise control? In a word, yes. Positioned behind the paddle-shift, this optional extra acts as a dual purpose cruise control/speed limiter. A quick twiddle, and up we go to 70. Nice.

A Win-Win for Van Man
The e-HDi 90 Airdream EGS6 L1 625 LX boasts CO2 of just 123g/km and a combined cycle of 60.1 mpg. If you’re in and out of the city, the automated manual transmission can deliver up to 15 per cent improved fuel effi ciency. Add the 60 litre tank (which, incidentally, can carry up to 30 per cent bio-diesel without affecting the warranty) and this is an ideal solution for van man frequenting city roads. Citroën surely have a winner in the new Berlingo.

If you operate LCV’s on your fleet, whether it’s a couple, or many, I suggest you put this little baby to the test. I did, and I now consider myself to be an honourary Van Man.