Citroen Berlingo Multispace Estate
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Review Of The Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate
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Looking for an objective review of the Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate? OSV has got you covered, from engines to versatile lease deals.
Got a lot of kids to ferry around? The new Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate is worth look. It has three major selling points that should appeal to modern families: It’s massively practical, comes with an affordable price tag and running costs, and has the option of seven seats.
Sure, it’s not exactly Citroen’s best-ever designed car, and you won’t get much by the way of performance out of it. Based on a van, it’s an MPV that your kids will want you to park around the corner from school so that their mates can’t see it.
But if image is not important to you, this super versatile, super usable and super affordable van-cum-car has a lot going for it, especially if luggage space is a priority of yours (how does 5 big amounts of baggage sound?).
Join OSV as we take a closer look at what it’s all about with our 2017 Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate review.
On The Road
The new MultiSpace isn’t very entertaining, but out on the road you’ll find that it’s 100% capable. It’s solid. And thanks to a 2015 update, the engine range has got a bit more life and power to it. However, if you go with a diesel, you’ll find that they’re still a tad noisy.
In any case, no one buys a car such as this for its performance and on-the-road thrills and spills. These are just straightforward workhorses that “do a job”, getting you from A to B without any frills or hassle. At all times, you can tell you’re behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle instead of some sort of exec estate.
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And that might be the problem for some buyers. There is little doubt that there are a number of large, modern family cars that drive a lot sweeter than this. In comparison, the Berlingo MultiSpace feels old-fashioned and cumbersome. Worse still, although six gears would really improve drivability, a sixth gear is only available on the range-topping model.
The engine range kicks off with a small 1.6-litre 94bhp petrol engine. It’s cheap enough, but it’s also fairly sluggish and takes 12.8 seconds to get you from a rest to 62mph. The 1.2-litre 108bhp costs a bit more, but it’s worth the upgrade if you can afford it.
The car is better suited to diesel engines, though. Our top pick is a BlueHDi 100 diesel that develops almost 100bhp, and which can get you from a standstill to 62mph in 12.4 seconds. Its real selling point is its economy, and it can achieve fuel economy returns of 65.7mpg. If you want a faster car, the range-topping BlueHDi 120 develops 118bhp, and does the 0-62 dash in 11.4 seconds. However, its asking price isn’t so family friendly.
Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate Interior, Design & Build
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The cars exterior doesn’t exactly fill you with much hope that the interior is going to be anything but basic, but you don’t need to open the doors with your fingers over your eyes as the cabin is surprisingly quite pleasant.
The dash is a little less utilitarian as last time around, with updates including some new, advanced tech, a 7” touchscreen (for the range-topping model only), and snazzier upholstery.
However, if you compare its cabin to one in a more upmarket estate of SUV, its rather crude aesthetics are much more glaring. The swathes of greyness do nothing to raise its profile, while some of the materials are old, hard and scratchy. The atmosphere on the whole is a bit unwelcoming, and more-than hint at its van-based origins.
Still, this is a hugely practical car for large families that comes with the option of seven seats. Without that third row, the boot measures 675-litres. And with the second row folded down, you can increase that to a staggering 3,000-litres. And even if you do add the two extra seats, head, shoulder and leg room remains excellent.
For 170-litres even more space, you can add a ModuTop roof.
Equipment & Safety Of The Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate
There are two trim levels available, with the base-level Feel getting Bluetooth connectivity, air conditioning, electric windows and a stereo as part of its standard kit. For more, um, flair, the Flair trim adds front electric windows, 16” alloys, electric door mirrors, central locking and privacy glass.
There aren’t many options to pick at, but a £300 roof bar might be worth adding. £320 front curtain airbags will also prove handy.
To really sell itself, though, a large family car has to prove who safe it is. Unfortunately, the Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace fell short during its Euro NCAP crash test, scoring just three out of five. Compared to rivals who regularly bag all five stars, that’s disappointing. More troubling, a lot of the safety kit is available only as optional extras, including the aforementioned curtain airbags and £450 autonomous emergency braking.
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Costs Of The Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate
Prices for the new car start out from £13,500 and rise to £19,000. If you prefer to lease, you can pick up a deal from as little as + VAT per month. For more information on our leasing deals, you can check out our page here.
In terms of its running costs, the cheapest engine to run is the Blue HDI 100, which comes with energy-saving stop & start technology. S&S ensures it’s good for fuel economy returns of 67.3mpg. You can get the same engine for a bit cheaper, but it won’t come with S&S and its fuel economy returns dwindle to 65.7mpg. That’s not bad at all, and both versions cost £140 to tax.
The 1.6-litre VTi 95 petrol model, meanwhile, is good for returns of 44.1mpg and emits 148g/km of CO2.
Pros and Cons Of The Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate
Pros:
Cons:
Versatile
Whether you want five seats, two seats, seven seats or a bigger boot at any one time, you can have it all (not at the same time though. It’s not that good).
Affordable
Since when has such a versatile car cost just £13,000?
Good To Drive
Despite looking like the unorthodox (okay, weird) van-cum-car it is, it actually boasts some impressive driving dynamics.
Looks Quirky
It’s unorthodox, but some would say it’s quirky. And it’s all part of its charm for some.
Poor Image
Let’s face it, no one buys a car like this for its image. Your daughter certainly won’t want you to drop her off on a date in it.
And if you do, you’d better drive off before her date can see it!
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Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate vs Fiat Diesel Doblo vs Volkswagen Caddy
Let’s see how the car fares against its rivals in the comparison section of our 2017 Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate review.
Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate vs Fiat Diesel Doblo
The new Fiat Doblo has a rubbish name, and, like the Berlingo, it’s a van-cum-car that has no image to speak of. But if you’re not concerned about being down with the kids, this boxy-styled MPV is massively practical and should appeal to those operating on a budget.
For the purpose of this review, we’re just checking out the diesel engines in the Doblo range. They’re a pair of 1.6-litre MultiJets which actually boast a better name than the car itself. The less powerful of the two develops up to 105bhp, while the more powerful nudges its power up to 118bhp.
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On paper, neither is particularly quick, with the 105bhp doing 0-62 in 13.4 seconds, and the 118bhp doing it in 11.3 seconds. However, on the road they actually feel rather sprightly.
More troubling is their diesel clatter. They’re a noisy old pair, and both need to be worked hard to get much use out of them. In some ways, it’s like having even more kids in the car with you!
Still, the bigger of the two is good on the motorway, where long stretches of road suit its character. Moreover, the steering is accurate, grip is decent, and the Doblo takes corners well.
In terms of running costs, the car is competitive. Overlooking the costlier petrol engine, the two diesels can return fuel economy upwards of 50mpg while costing no more than £110 in road tax.
Inside, the Doblo does a job – but that’s it. It’s very basic. The ride is well-cushioned by soft springs, and not too much external noise creeps into the cabin, even on a windy day. Leg and headroom is decent, while the car comes with the option of seven seats. All seats are comfortable and soft, but the interior is marred by a certain blandness and feels old and grey compared to rivals.
The boot is massive, though, and boasts almost 800-litres of space. Take the seats down and you can extend that to 3,200-litres.
The best thing about the Doblo? Seven seats have never come so cheap.
Price:
Citroen – £13,500 – £19,000
Fiat – £13,800 – £20,700
Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace Estate vs Volkswagen Caddy
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The new Volkswagen Caddy is another van-cum-car that we’re taking a look at in this review. Like its name suggests, it’s a handy for carrying you around. It can boast better build quality than the Fiat we just looked at, but it comes with a much bigger price tag.
Again, we’re focusing solely on the diesel engines for the purpose of this review. A 101bhp 2.0-litre engine opens the range up, and is our top pick. It can get you from a rest to 62mph in just less than 13.0 seconds, is smooth, and offers lots of pulling power.
You can also upgrade it to BlueMotion if you want lower running costs, but doing so will set you back an extra £1,800.
The other diesel is a larger 2.0-litre engine that delivers up to 148bhp, and which does the 0-62 dash in less than 10.0 seconds. That’s impressive for such a large MPV, and it’s faster than anything the Citroen or the Fiat can offer. But all that performance comes at a price that might be too high for most buyers.
Both diesels are comfortable on the motorway and don’t shy away from overtaking. Wind noise is a bit of an issue, but the manual transmission is liveable, and the suspension does a good job of absorbing lumps and bumps.
In terms of running costs, the two diesels are spectacular. The 101bhp variant can return fuel economy of 60.1mpg, while the 148bhp is good for 55.4mpg and emits 134g/km of CO2.
Inside, the cabin is a bit on the utilitarian side, but you’ve gotta put that down to its undeniable van-based roots. But what we like about the Caddy is that Volkswagen have at least made an effort to liven up the interior by adding parts from its more commercial vehicles. The dash, for example, is better appointed than the Citroen’s, while the plastics, in general, are of a higher quality.
Getting comfortable shouldn’t be too difficult, but while having so much interior space has its obvious advantages (good head and leg room) it does make the cabin a bit echoey. Moreover, the diesel engines will likely be fighting with your kids to see who can make the most noise.
The VW Caddy is massively practical. Headroom is excellent, while there are plenty of storage spaces tucked inside the cabin. The sliding doors make for easy access to the rear seats, and if you want seven seats you’ll need to go for the Maxi Life variant, which comes with 3,880-litres of luggage space as standard with the seats down. This version. meanwhile, has a boot sized at 2,850-litres with the rear seats folded.
Price:
VW – £19,000 – £26,500
Verdict Of Our 2017 Citroen Berlingo Multispace Diesel Review
It’s not exactly the fairest of the land, and you might get a lot of stick off your mates who tell you take it back to the depot. But no van-cum-coupe was ever bought for its styling. We buy these because they’re affordable, functional, spacious and – generally – give us the option of seven seats.
And despite its looks, the new Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace might make you the most popular parent on the school run. Lift to the football anyone?
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