Citroen Berlingo Review 2023
The Citroen Berlingo is a versatile compact panel van that’s great for small businesses who operate in urban settings. It has a spacious interior, decent technology, and a good range of engines.
Rivals to the Berlingo include the Ford Transit Connect, Peugeot Partner, Toyota ProAce City, and Vauxhall Combo Cargo.
Our Citroen Berlingo review covers:
- Compact exterior
- Well-built interior
- Load volume ranges from 3.3 - 3.9m3
- A diesel or petrol engine available
- Two trims: Enterprise Edition or Driver Edition
Pros:
- Good performance
- Range of engines
- Well-built interior
Cons:
- Limited equipment on entry-level model
- The same as the Partner and Combo Cargo
- Not many premium materials
The Berlingo is now in its third-generation and its design has remained pretty similar. It shares its basic bodyshell with the Peugeot Partner and Vauxhall Combo, coming with a slick front end, side sliding doors, and two big rear doors.
There’s a single roof height and two body lengths of the Berlingo, M and XL. The latter adds 350mm of length, giving it slightly larger load space, ideal if your carrying close to capacity a lot. Up front there’s room for two or three passengers. If you’ve gone for the three seat configuration, both the driver and outside passenger will be fine, but the middle passenger might get uncomfortable on longer journeys.
Load volume comes in at 3,3m3 for the M and 3.9m3 for the XL, exactly the same as the two lengths found in the Vauxhall Combo Cargo and Peugeot Partner. Payload varies depending on what model, but as a whole ranges from 650kg to 1,010kg.
Inside the cabin, the Berlingo looks smart and feels well put together. Build quality is probably its standout feature with the cabin and tech being able to survive the hustle and bustle of a small business. The range of plastic materials also make it easy to clean.
The Berlingo comes standard with an eight-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, DAB radio, Bluetooth, and a USB port. If you want sat-nav, you’ll have to upgrade to the Driver Edition trim. Most will be happy with the system, it’s driver-oriented which makes it easy to use while driving.
Two trims are available: Enterprise Edition and Driver Edition.
Enterprise comes with 16-inch steel wheels, ait conditioning, automatic lights, an overhead storage shelf, a four-way adjustable driver seat, cruise control with speed limiter, anti-lock braking, electronic stability control, and automatic activation of hazard lights on major deceleration
Driver adds to this with automatic windscreen wipers, a six-way adjustable drivers seat with lumbar support, sat-nav, automatic electronic parking brake, rear parking sensors and camera, and an exterior look pack with body coloured side rubbing strips and rear bumper.
Under the bonnet the Citroen Berlingo comes with a 1.2-litre petrol or a 1.5-litre diesel engine. Both come with front wheel drive, the petrol is paired to a six-speed manual gearbox, while for the diesel you can choose between the manual or an eight-speed automatic.
The entry-level petrol is surprisingly punchy, given the fact is only has 110bhp. It has plenty of pull when driving up an incline, but feels laggy at higher revs. It comes with a top speed of 108mph and has a fuel economy of 37.3 - 45mpg.
The diesel engine is available in two variants, a 102bhp or a 131bhp version. The slower unit is paired to a six-speed manual gearbox and is best suited for around-town driving. It returns decent performance and a good fuel economy of 47 - 56mpg.
The 131bhp variant is better if you plan on racking up the miles. It comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox which results in lower engine revs and quieter performance at speed. It also has the highest top speed at 114mph but its fuel economy drops slightly below the 102bhp version.
Whatever engine you choose, the Berlingo is a quiet and comfortable drive. Like its siblings the Peugeot Partner and Vauxhall Combo Cargo, it;s handling is sharp and entertaining, while the suspension deals with bumps and cracks in the road well, even with an empty load.
Prices for the new Citroen Berlingo start from £23,466.00 OTR* or to lease from £246.05 per month.
Looking to get behind the wheel of the Citroen Berlingo? Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is one of the UK's largest van leasing brokers and offers a range of leasing deals to suit your every need.
Leasing may be cheaper than an outright purchase, thanks to a low initial deposit and fixed monthly rentals.
*' On the road' price correct at time of publication and includes one year's road fund license, DVLA first registration fee and number plate fee. Prices are subject to change; always check with your nearest retailer.
