Citroen Berlingo Review & Prices

The humble van-based MPV is something of a dying breed these days, with a lot of buyers moving towards SUVs instead. The Citroen Berlingo is here to fly the flag for the boxy people carrier, offering a massive boot and loads of cubby spaces inside.

You can think of the Berlingo as being like a pair of cargo trousers. It’s functional, comfortable and practical, if not the most on-trend option on the market.

There’s no hiding the fact that the Berlingo is based on a van, but Citroen has made a few changes to spice things up for this passenger version. You have a different bumper with split-level headlights and range-topping models get smart-looking alloy wheels. This car is pretty much identical to the Peugeot Rifter and Vauxhall Combo Life under the skin, but the Citroen is arguably the most distinctive.

The Berlingo’s commercial vehicle roots are also apparent on the inside, where there’s not much in the way of plush materials. Go for the entry-level Feel model and you’re greeted by a swathe of hard black plastic across the dashboard, although the Flair XTR does add a pop of colour to the otherwise bland cabin. All models get an 8.0-inch touchscreen as standard, which helps to keep things looking modern.

There’s plenty of space up front, and you get loads of adjustment in the seat to make yourself comfortable behind the wheel. What’s surprising for a car like this is the rear legroom, because there’s not that much of it. The back seats are also quite upright, so they’re not the most comfortable on long journeys.

What’s not lacking in the back is headroom thanks to that boxy body, and there’s more than enough shoulder space to fit three across the back as well. The main reason you’ll buy this over something like a Citroen C5 Aircross or Kia Sportage is the boot, because it’s gigantic. You get a whopping 1,255 litres of space back there. That’s a huge increase on the 580 litres you get in the C5 Aircross.

You have three engine options to choose from. If It’s petrol power you’re after, there’s a 110hp option with a six-speed manual gearbox. There are also two diesel options, one with 101hp and a six-speed manual, or a 130hp engine with an eight-speed automatic.

No matter which engine you go for, the Berlingo is pretty easy to drive. The tall driving position and vast windscreen give you a great view out, and the big, van-like door mirrors make it easy to see behind you as well.

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When it comes to space for the money, the Citroen Berlingo is hard to beat. The range-topping car costs about the same as an entry-level Kia Sportage, but it’s a lot more practical than that car.

The only slight fly in the Berlingo’s ointment is the Vauxhall Combo Life, because that car is almost identical under the skin but will set you back a fair bit less. The Citroen is a more funky-looking thing though.

Choosing which Berlingo is right for you is easy, because there are just two of them: Feel and Flair XTR. Entry-level models feel a bit basic, with a plastic steering wheel and plastic wheel trims, but you do still get an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as lane keeping assist and cruise control.

Go for the Flair XTR model and you get some snazzy 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, power-folding door mirrors and a reversing camera.

The Citroen Berlingo is a doddle to drive, despite its size and it’s pretty comfortable as well. It’s just not as refined as an SUV at motorway speeds, and there’s no fun to be had

In town

The Citroen Berlingo may be a big car, but it’s really easy to drive in town thanks to a commanding driving position and the vast glass area. It’s a bit like driving a greenhouse, with massive windows all around giving you an almost 360-degree view from the driver’s seat.

That said, tight car parks will be made a lot easier by the reversing camera. This comes as standard on the range-topping car, but it’s an optional extra on the Feel model.

The steering is really light at low speeds, and the Berlingo has a decent turning circle as well so navigating around town is a stress-free affair. The raised suspension also means it’s nice and soft over bumps in the road, although particularly large potholes can send a thud through the cabin.

If you want an automatic to take the stress out of slow-moving traffic, you’ll have to go for the 130hp 1.5-litre diesel engine. While this option is plenty powerful enough, and it’s economical, it’s quite noisy even at low speeds. The eight-speed automatic gearbox is also sluggish to react when you want to pull out at junctions.

If you don’t mind going for a manual, the 110hp 1.2-litre petrol is a better bet for town driving. It’s still a bit thrummy, but it’s a lot quieter than the diesel while also offering decent fuel economy and nippy performance.

On the motorway

Driving the Berlingo on the motorway is a mixed bag. On the positive side, it’s pretty comfortable thanks to the pliant suspension and squidgy seats. The large door mirrors and great visibility also make it easy to keep an eye on what’s going on around you.

However, you do get quite a lot of road noise echoing around the cabin, and the brick-like shape of the car generates a fair amount of wind noise as well. Go for one of the diesel models and you’ll add a healthy amount of drone from the engine. If it’s refinement you’re after, something like a Ford Tourneo Connect is a better option.

You do get cruise control as standard across the range, but there’s no adaptive system on offer here. Active lane keep assist is also standard to keep you between the lines, as well as speed and traffic sign recognition.

On a twisty road

The van-like driving position of the Citroen Berlingo has its perks on a country road, giving you a great view of the road ahead. The boxy dimensions also make it easy to position in your lane, and it’s comfortable over all the usual lumps and bumps in a British B road.

For those keen drivers out there, there’s no fun to be had behind the wheel. That’s to be expected in a car like this, but if you’re after a practical family car with a sporty edge then the Ford Kuga is worth a look.

The steering is accurate enough though, and the car will go where you point it. The Berlingo is much better suited to a calm and sedate driving style though, as you’ll feel the body roll if you go into a bend too quickly.

Practicality is the main reason you’ll buy the Berlingo over an SUV thanks to a cavernous boot. It’s just a shame that rear legroom is surprisingly tight

The Berlingo’s van-based origins make it a very spacious car up front. You get plenty of adjustment in the seat to get comfortable behind the wheel, and there’s acres of headroom. Some people may find the seats lack support though because they’re quite flat, so make sure they’re comfortable enough for you before parting with your cash.

It’s easy to empty all your pockets before setting off as well, because there are a lot of cubby holes dotted around the cabin. You get a compartment above the dials and another one on the passenger side, an open storage bin below that and two large trays above your head. The door bins are also massive, and there’s a total of four cupholders in the front.

There’s just one USB port for charging your phone, and it’s on the front of the infotainment screen. Handily, you get another tray behind the screen to hide your phone away. There is an old-school 12V socket lower down as well if you need to charge more devices.

Space in the back seats

The Berlingo’s boxy shape means you get plenty of headroom in the back, and there’s more than enough shoulder space to get three people across the rear bench. Despite this, the back seats aren’t the most comfortable.

The Berlingo gets a metal cage separating the boot from the passenger compartment, and it pushes the rear seat backs forward making them bolt upright. There’s not that much legroom for a car of this size either, so long trips in the back could be tricky. If you’re carrying two adults in the back on a regular basis, a Citroen C5 Aircross is more comfortable.

You don’t get much in the way of storage space in the back seats. The sliding rear doors mean you only have very small door bins, and there are a couple of pouches on the back of the front seats. Those in the back get use of a couple of picnic tables as well, and they have cup holders built in.

Those sliding doors have their benefits when it comes to accessing the rear seats. Getting kids in and out in tight car parks is a doddle, and fitting a child seat is a painless affair as well. You get three ISOFIX points in the back and, because the Berlingo is so wide, you can easily get three child seats in.

Space in the boot

Thankfully, the Berlingo makes up for its lack of rear legroom with a cavernous boot. You get a whopping 1,255 litres of space, and that full-height cage means you can load it up to the roof without the risk of things flying into the cabin.

The drawback of the cage is that it stops you from being able to utilise the whole cabin for carrying really large items. The back seats do still fold down, as does the front passenger seat, but that bulkhead is an immovable obstacle in the way of ultimate usability. If you go for the all-electric E-Berlingo, that car doesn't have the cage so you can fold all the seats down and use it like a van.

You get an adjustable parcel shelf which you can place in the middle of the boot, handy for separating your cargo, however it’s so massive that there’s nowhere to store it if you want to remove it entirely.

The load lip is nice and low, so lugging heavy items in is easy. It’s also ideal if you have an old dog, as they don’t have far to jump up into the boot. The Berlingo would make an ideal car for those who have dogs, as it has a cage built-in and there’s a 12V socket in the back for a hoover to clean up all the hairs.

If it’s a plush interior you want, the Berlingo probably isn’t for you. Despite the dull design, everything feels robust and there’s enough tech on board for most people

There's a compromise to be made for the Citroen Berlingo’s van-like practicality, and that’s a decidedly van-like interior. There are no soft touch plastics in sight, and there’s only a couple of gloss black flashes to liven up this otherwise dull cabin. If you’re after a family car which feels more posh, a Renault Austral could be worth considering.

Still, everything has a solid and robust feeling to it, and all that hard plastic will be easy to keep clean making it well-suited to family life. If you do want to add a pop of colour, the Flair XTR model gets a green dashboard and green details on the seats.

In terms of infotainment, all Berlingos get an 8.0-inch touchscreen as standard. It’s a fairly average system with decent enough graphics, but it’s not all that responsive. The screen you get in a SEAT Tarraco is easier to use on the move.

There’s also Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, connected through a wire, so you can use your phone for things like sat nav and music streaming. You can’t get a digital driver’s display on the petrol Berlingo like you can on the electric version. All internal combustion models get traditional dials with a small display in between but it displays all your vital information in a clear and concise way, and the dials are easy to read.

Finding your way around the controls is easy, because everything is logically laid out. You get physical buttons for the climate control, so they aren’t buried in the touchscreen like on the Peugeot 5008, for example.

You have a choice of three engines in the Berlingo, one petrol and two diesels. The petrol comes in the form of a 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit with 110hp, and it’s only available with a six-speed manual gearbox. It’ll return around 37mpg, and accelerates from 0-60mph in a pedestrian 11.5 seconds.

If you’re after the most fuel-efficient Berlingo, the 101hp 1.5-litre diesel will return 54mpg. There is a trade-off for the economy, and that’s a distinct lack of performance. This engine is even slower than the petrol, with 0-60mph taking 14.1 seconds.

If you spend a lot of time on the motorway, the 130hp diesel is a better bet. It’s only available with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and it’ll do 51mpg. The added power makes overtaking a lot easier, however both diesel engines are pretty noisy under acceleration.

Company car buyers will be better off looking at the all-electric E-Berlingo, because that car offers much cheaper benefit in kind tax. The 101hp diesel is the cheapest to tax of the three fuel-burners thanks to its lower emissions.

The Citroen Berlingo scored four out of five stars in its 2018 Euro NCAP safety tests, so it’ll protect you pretty well should the worst happen. It was marked down slightly in the pedestrian protection category, something which won’t have been helped by the car’s brick-like shape.

You get a good amount of safety kit as standard to help prevent a crash, with all cars getting active lane-keeping assist, autonomous emergency braking, driver attention alert and traffic sign recognition. There are also plenty of airbags around the cabin to protect you and your passengers in the event of an accident.

The Berlingo doesn’t have any reliability horror stories attached to it, with most owners finding them to be dependable family runarounds.

For added peace of mind, all new Citroens come with a three-year, or 60,000 mile warranty. This is pretty standard for a lot of brands, but it’s not as impressive as the seven-year cover you get with a Kia Sorento.