Last Updated: 09/09/2008
A little something extra
We’ve already driven Citroen’s Berlingo, both in France and in the UK, and last month we featured its sister van, Peugeot’s Partner in a UK road test. That said, though there is barely more than badging to choose between the two, the Berlingo that arrived at our offices recently could not have been more different to the Partner from last month.Where the Peugeot was a basic fleet van, with few frills and a basic white paint scheme, the Citroen was uncharacteristically bristling with optional extras.
We’ve seen highly specified vans before of course, the careless ticking of option boxes adding literally thousands of pounds to a vehicle’s purchase price. Certainly some of the vans that we are sent would never make it through a lease deal agreement, the residual value could never take account of the additional equipment on board.
It was interesting then to peruse the Citroen’s price list. Our L1 short wheelbase test vehicle was powered by a 90hp version of the 1.6HDi engine and came in LX trim level, which itself includes a nearside sliding side door, electric windows and mirrors, and remote central locking.
To that Citroen had added metallic paint (£270), air conditioning (£580), cruise control (£150), an overhead parcel shelf (£70), a passenger airbag (£100), front foglights (£90), rear parking sensors (£190), ESP (£250) and a half height bulkhead with a removable panel (£40).
That might sound like a lot of specification to add to one van, but what was interesting was that even with all of that kit, the price only went up by £1,780. Of course that’s a lot to add to a van that lists at just over £12,000, but try adding all of that equipment to a premium car and you’d be looking at a lot more.
All of which means that Citroen’s option prices for the Berlingo are remarkably easy on the cheque book. Few people would even consider adding such a list of options to their vans, but one or two well chosen extras certainly wouldn’t break the bank, and they could make your drivers considerably happier and more productive.
The big difference comes on the road. While the Citroen drives exactly the same as the lower spec Partner, the driving experience was noticeably better. That’s not because there was anything better about the actual van, more that some of the additional equipment had a big effect on the driving environment.
As mentioned in last month’s editorial, we don’t often experience vans without air-con these days and it was a salutary lesson in the Partner to be reminded just how most van drivers have to live. But that was surely the best £580 that had been spent on this Berlingo, even in our dire British summer.
A comfortable driver is going to be more productive, that much has been proven. And though I still find that I can’t get the driver’s seat back quite far enough in the Berlingo, travelling at a reasonable temperature certainly allowed me to concentrate more on the road.
Of course all Citroen Berlingos, except the X model powered by the 1.6i petrol engine, also get Trafficmaster Smartnav as part of the standard package. This compact sat-nav screen that is hard wired onto the top of the dash works well, giving graphic and audible instructions to get you to your next drop off with minimum fuss, further aiding my driving and increasing safety.
The system takes into account traffic delays, thanks to its connection to the Trafficmaster network, which should also cut journey times, aiding profitability.
The Berlingo also comes with Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking, which would come in handy should the van ever go missing.
I’m not saying that a fleet manager should dress their vans up like Christmas trees, but there are benefits to be had by adding the right specification to meet the needs of your operation. Some of those extras are also very popular on the used market, boosting residual values. At these prices, the options list must at least be worth a look.
