Van of the Year – Citroen Berlingo 1.6HDi L1 Enterprise 75bhp

LOOK down any street in the country and the chances are you will see a Citroen Berlingo. Launched back in 1995, this van has almost become the default vehicle for operators wanting a small van, as it offers a rugged capabilities, low running costs and excellent long-term reliability credentials.

At the time it was launched, most small vans were cars which had been converted into commercial vehicles. Citroen realised that these vehicles just weren’t up to the job and created a vehicle which was designed as a van from the buts and bolts upwards.

The results were spectacular. The Berlingo has won award after award since those early days. And of course this van has been treated to many upgrades and facelifts during its 20-year life to keep it one step ahead of the opposition.

Citroen hit on a winning formula. In addition to the extra ruggedness that car-derived vans didn’t have, the Berlingo also offered a combination of cheap front-end price, low running costs and CO2 emissions figures and excellent residual values as second owners got to know that a Berlingo was unlikely to let them down, however old it was.

A Citroen spokesman summed up the van: “The Berlingo HDi 75 manual L1 625 Enterprise is a perfect small trades van for both SME and national fleet operations.

“It combines high levels of comfort, safety, communication and load carrying practicality. It also has the benefits of low CO2 emissions, at the same time as its combined cycle fuel economy has been improved to 56.5mpg.

“From the driver’s point of view, the Berlingo HDi 75 manual L1 625 Enterprise is well equipped with Bluetooth hands-free and USB socket, rear parking sensors and air conditioning. This model also has Teletrac Smartnav satellite navigation/Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking/remote central locking, a side load door, a multi-function, dual passenger seat, which gives a load through length of 3.0 metres.”