No, I’m not short of subjects to write about and no, I didn’t just go somewhere on vacation, I’ve been staying at or around home like everyone else this year. However I’ve been sitting on these photos of the car we rented in France back in 2014 and I’ll admit I am a bit of a procrastinator. It was a good vacation so I figured I might as well relive a little bit of it and finally post these pictures as was my intention all along, after all I spent all of about three minutes taking them with the full intention of writing about the car and I did write several other posts having to do with the same trip. It’s finally time to assuage the guilt that crops up every time I think about it, everything else that I need to do will just have to wait.
As usual I spent a lot of time before we left trying to decide which rental agency would give me the best shot of getting something interesting as an “or similar” option as you never actually get the car in the picture. This time I picked EuropCar and figured I had a good chance of getting something unfamiliar and interesting in the south of France. And so it turned out.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is a 2014 Citroën Berlingo XTR Multispace, the Multispace part refers to it being the passenger version. And it is fairly small but still spacious in the tradition of the most useful vehicles. It seats five, has a stick shift, is a turbodiesel, has sliding doors and was comfortable (of course it was, it’s French!). My understanding is that it’s also sold as the Peugeot Partner as well as being available in a cargo version with just one sliding door and on top of that there are two lengths offered in the basic platform, this here is the shorter one, only the cargo versions were offered in long form.
It has a face that still looks fresh and modern to me six and a half years later, likely since I have zero opportunity to see similar ones around here, but then again I thought this version of the Citroën logo with it integrated into the bodywork was a good piece of design.
Underhood is a 1.6liter HDi turbodiesel unit that seems to have been available in various states of tune generating either 75, 99, or 114hp (this is very common in Europe, one or more displacements with various output levels per displacement); I’m guessing this one had the middle version with 99hp as it was a fairly well equipped model but I doubt a rental car would have the top spec one.
It could have been the base engine though as it was not particularly quick but was a good cruiser on the little freeway that connects Nice to Cannes. Around town it was tractable and responsive, as long as you were willing to shift gears a lot, which I was. I recall I usually had my foot to the floor but we were also loaded with us two adults and all three kids and usually a bunch of luggage or groceries or beach stuff. Of course this was back before diesel engines were acknowledged as the work of the devil so I was still able to feel smug driving it.
I recall the shifter felt a bit like the one in an Alfa Spider all up on the dash like that, I don’t think there has been anything more recent in North America that has a manual gearbox located like that (edit: the 2002 Civic Si hatchback had a similar one, I knew there was one). Otherwise the position is like in a Honda CR-V or various minivans, but those are boring since they are automatics. The front seats had armrests, the dashboard was interesting and attractive to look at even though it was pretty much Plastic City, but that’s probably perfect for a rental mini-minivan.
I had such poor picture taking form back then, just look at the angled steering wheel, so sloppy. This is a not unattractive dashboard, it’s certainly interesting to look at with some personality and the contrasting color is a good choice as well, it’s sort of a cream color set off by the dark gray and black rest of the cabin. Similar to one of the color combinations in the recently discontinued Dodge Grand Caravan.
I recall there was plenty of cabin space especially overhead being that it’s a tall-boy design. Oh and all of a sudden I’m reminded that there was a huge shelf up overhead that spanned the cabin (above the sun visors but below the roof), a brilliant use of the space similar to what’s found in some cargo vans. Yes, it’s a Citroën and I know they are supposed to be quirky to be the real thing but this was perfectly usable and not weird which some will lament. However as a renter in an unfamiliar car in unfamiliar terrain normality is welcome.
This is the back seat area after we returned from the beach, it appears we brought half the beach back with us. The three individual seats were a great feature, with all three positions providing equal comfort and equal space. I think each one could be reclined individually. What look like small mats on the floor are actually lids for underfloor storage bins.
And an extremely cool feature lifted straight from airplanes were little tray tables with cutouts to hold a cup (44oz Super Big Gulp need not apply though, but more civilized cups would work). When you just can’t wait to slather that baguette with your Brie Citroën has you covered, similar to a Jaguar Vanden Plas but in a slightly cheaper finish. Check out the little bag hook on the side of the tray as well, très magnifique. I don’t think any minivan has anything similar to this tray, do they?
Lots of space in the back too, I didn’t try it but I believe the seats can all fold up against the front ones to increase the cargo area significantly. Either one, two, or all three can be removed as well. The high walls and low floor help to jam all kinds of things in here, the cargo cover was welcome to try to hide stuff from prying eyes.
The back’s a bit on the boring side, but the window is big and the wiper came in handy when it rained a bit later in the week. The vanlet is 172.4″ long and 70.9″ tall, so that’s about 5″ longer and 8″ taller than a second generation Scion xB or 8″ shorter in both dimensions than a first-generation Ford Transit Connect if that helps to visualize things. I don’t recall what kind of gas mileage it got but do know fuel was hugely expensive, it turns out that there has been an electric version of this available in several configurations for a long time now with a range of around 100 miles. That would be fine for where I used this one.
I definitely enjoyed driving the Berlingo during our week in the area, but also recall pondering that powered as it was, it would leave something to be desired back here in the States. It would cruise just fine, but getting up to speed was slow. It was perfect for the place and conditions it was in, but likely not in all others. Still, it exhibited some great ideas and use of space and the format was excellent while not looking boring even though it was painted an unexciting color.
My other vacation snaps during this week:
The Curbside Classics Of Antibes-Jan-Les-Pins, France
Curbside Classique – Renault Estafette 1000
Used Car Classique – Peugeot 205 vs Renault SuperCinq
And they are very durable as well. My friend has an exactly same version with about 270k miles. It never failed him. In general, Peugeot diesels are regarded as one of the best (or best) in terms of reliability, performance and fuel economy (and this comes from a VW fanboy). This kind of a car (Berlingo, Peugeot Partner, Renault Kangoo, Fiat Doblo, VW Caddy etc.) is a European equivalent of a pickup truck – versatile, durable, reasonably priced (does that still apply to pickup trucks?), and easy to work on.
Very much my shot of espresso, this.
My ’04 Renault Scenic of fairly recent memory had many of the features (tallness, removeable seats, flip trays floor bins, big boot, squishy ride) though 8 inches shorter and 5 lower. Five decent-sized adults, all their luggage, plenty of comfort, rolly corners with big grip, 80mph cruising, 0-60 a bit under 10 secs and about 35 mpg in a petrol (likely about 40+ in a diesel). Sadly, these Cits only came here in delivery van spec, or I would.
My favourite of these is the original (previous) model to this, which somehow looks even more French. No rear side doors, steel wheels, a giant fabric sunroof to let out the Gauloises fog, why, even The Clarkson praised it with almost no self-attending smart-aleckry.
Alas and alack (of imagination), it would not sell in the US any more than it would here, because it looks funny, you know. Weird. And though there are 4wd versions of it, it cannot be got with the finest technology 1949 had to offer in the form of a 7.3 litre V8. (Yes, yes, I know, horse and courses, but I have a touch of the snarks today).
I do hope the French continue to do this sort of thing into the future, namely, imaginative, a bit odd, utterly pragmatic and rational for purpose, polished off with great comfort and a touch of elan. But I suspect the world is sloping off towards automotively bombastic cars in keeping with the Me-ness of the times, so the days of such things are probably few.
My Scenic RX4 has the trays, as did a Peugeot 5008 that I hired a few years ago. Must be a French thing.
My kids loved the trays, they decided that they were their either their laptops, or that they were on a plane…
I drove the Peugeot version of this across the Black Forest. It managed the winding roads pretty well but the fuel consumption was atrocious.
A big gripe I have with any car meant for long distance travel is if it has no rear centre arm-rest. Even a car that is suppose to seat five should allow a drop-down armrest for when there are only three or four on board. And another thing is the useless flatness of the seats in all of this class of car.
You have reminded me of a 2007 Citroen Picasso I rented at Heathrow Airport in which to drive out to Yeovil. A strange shape of a car it certainly was. I think I got it from EuropCar, which I thought was affiliated with National.
This was the first car I ever drove with right hand steering.
This model and its previous version, be them as Citroen Berlingo or Peugeot Partner have been very popular here in Uruguay, both in diesel or gas powered versions. The older one used to have the ubiquitous 1.9 diesel Peugeot engine.
The smaller ones (the previous version is still being produced as a low cost vehicle) were particularly popular as cabs. It’s amazing how comfortable they are in such a short packaging.
As regards to the “Multispace” name, at least in previous years meant a passenger version. The delivery vans were just Berlingos or Partners. Here passenger cars are more heavily taxed, so all of them came as vans and converted.
The Multispace is the name of the passenger version, and it’s on the standard/short wheelbase. The longer one was only available as a van, and its stretched rear and overhang look a bit odd in comparison.
Thanks Joe, text is updated!
” I don’t think there has been anything more recent in North America that has a manual gearbox located like that (edit: the 2002 Civic Si hatchback had a similar one, I knew there was one).”
Likewise the Honda Element.
The current generation of this compact PSA van is also offered by Toyota, see below. Not to be confused with the mid-size (thus bigger) Toyota ProAce, that other PSA van.
And as a Vauxhall and Opel as well, named the Vivaro.
These are common in Denmark where “Berlingo” has become a term used to describe all these microvans regardless of make. The term is used derogatory by “car guys” as the ultimate form of automotive hell.
I appreciate them but they don’t evoke any kind of desire in me.
The bulk of the sales numbers of these PSA vans and all their competitors (like the Renault Kangoo and the VW Caddy) comes from the panel vans, the commercial vehicles.
The people-mover-versions are more practical and roomier than the equally sized CUVs/SUVs/crossovers, but they are not “cool” and slick. The days of the boxy MPVs are over, in all segments.
Reminds me of the Toyota Sienta I rented in Japan
1 wheelbase only, but 2 rear overhang…
I would probably enjoy the hell out of something like that.
Did the bottom of the windshield get really far away from the driver? I’ve spent a lot of time on motorcycles and when a car’s A-pillar gets “out there” it doesn’t do my front-quarter vision much good.
It’s been 6.5 years so…but I don’t recall it as being particularly bad. You sit pretty upright in this thing and higher than in a normal car so that helps a lot. Then again most new cars’ A-pillars are so thick these days that when they are close to you they can block pedestrians (or motorcycles) pretty easily.
Thanx for the reply!
Been a big fan of these ever since the Renault Kangoo first hit the streets over there in 1997. Naturally, I like the first version best, in terms of styling. And it would have been a perfect car for me, in many ways. They’ve all gotten a big bigger over the years, so it seems.
Sensible people buy cars like these, they tick all the boxes except the most important one for many people, ‘ premium’ , in my modest opinion a marketing term to justify you have paid too much for a similar product.
In my company I had its pre decessors as panel vans, one 1.6 HDI did half a million k, the other two over 350000 k each.
Our mail comes in a Peugeot Partner van currently. Almost a default choice for a compact van in the UK now, seemingly more numerous than the Ford Transit Connect, or the Fiat/Vauxhall Doblo/Combo.
As a car, a brilliantly practical option that can be surprisingly comfortable. I’ve seen them sued as airport taxis – arguably better suited than the usual Skoda Octavia hatch.