Fuel-frugal Citroen Berlingo arrives

CITROEN says it has listened to its buyers and added a fuel-efficient automated manual diesel variant to its Berlingo light commercial van line-up.

The Long Body ETG Auto is the new flagship of the little hauler range and comes with a driveaway price of $28,990 until December 31, after which it will be $28,990, plus on road costs.

The French car-maker says the Long Body (long wheelbase) version of the Berlingo makes more up than 90 per cent of sales in Australia, and until now the 66kW/215Nm 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder has been available only with a five-speed manual gearbox.

The new variant uses the same powerplant but is mated to a six-speed clutchless automated manual gearbox with paddle shifters. Together with idle stop, Citroen claims a combined average fuel consumption of 4.7 litres per 100 kilometres – a litre less than the five-speed manual.

Another new standard feature for a long wheel-base Berlingo is traction control.

Citroen Australia national sales manager Shaun Mackle said the decision to add the ETG variant to the range was in response to a growing market which demands more efficient and easy-to-drive light commercial vehicles.

“The addition of the new Citroen Berlingo drivetrain tackles issues that are at the heart of all businesses, safety and running costs,” he said.

“Being the first in its class with stop-start technology is testament to our commitment to Australian business operators and the growing number of Berlingo customers.”

Standard features on this top-of-the-range van include twin sliding side doors, stereo radio with CD player and Bluetooth connectivity, air-conditioning, cruise control, power windows and a spare wheel. The Long Body Berlingo has an overall length of 4628mm, a wheelbase of 2728mm and a total load length of 2050mm. Load space to the back of the front seat of 3.7 cubic metres.

The Short Body shares the same wheelbase but is 248mm shorter in overall length, with a total load length of 1800mm. Load space is 3.3 cubic metres. Power is from a 80kW/147Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with a five-speed manual gearbox.

As the entry model to the range the Short Body is $19,990 plus on roads costs. The manual version of the Long Body is $24,990 driveaway until December 31 and until then ESP – which is normally a $500 option – will comes as standard.

GoAuto understands that Citroen Australia is in the process of putting forward a case to its bosses in France that ESP should be a standard feature on its Long Body Berlingo vans.

Official VFACTS figures released today show that the light commercial van segment under 2.5 tonne is being led by Volkswagen’s Caddy with 1760 sales since the start of the year until the end of November. Renault Kangoo is in second place with 635 units sold, while Suzuki’s APC and Citroen’s Berlingo are in third and fourth with 463 and 251 sales respectively.