Good and bad. Bad preferred to be honest. I'm kinda keen on one, quirky, pratical and ultilitarian. Would be looking at a 2lt diesel as a must (ideal?)?

I don't have one but a mate of mine who owns a bike shop has one and they are brilliant. He can get loads of bikes in there just with the front wheel off … I think 4! I think you can easily get 3 in whole. But they are really good even if they do look a little special!

Better with a Multipla. You, wife and child in the front. All the seats out the back for a cavernous load space.

ive got one, loads of room. 1.6 hdi isnt bad either.

Multipla's are getting old now though? The facelift version just doesnt 'do it' for me though. Berlingo looks utilitarian. I'll be changing my trusty Forester at somepoint and need something in a similar vein (but more pratical)

You can still buy new Multiplas 🙄

but they are the new 'face' ones?

They're identical inside, so you'll never know.

I cant call the Berlingo 'pretty' but I am a visual-whore 😀

If they still made the old 'interesting' Berlingo I might be interested….Berlingo is cute (!) in a 'honest' way.

Pro: V practical for bikes – I know a couple of peeps with them, and indeed they're like Noah's flippin arc inside.

Con: You might be mistaken for a florist

Better a Florist than a taxi driver 😀

just be aware berlingos are a van derived car so the speed limit for them is the same as a van, i.e. 50mph on a single carriageway road, not 60. The Citroen showroom wont tell you that.

We have a Ginger 'new' Multipla, they're **** ace

eddie11 is wrong. It's all to do with the Maximum Gross Laden Weight. Berlingo is sub-2000kgs, therefore car limits apply.

eddie you seem to be confused

non car derived vans are where the lower limit is applicable

I had a berlingo, original type with the full length electric canvas roof very practical and interesting though always smelled damp.

If i was going to go for a similar one again the ford transit connect would be on my list as would the Honda FRV.

FRV? I had one. Interior space was 'ok' but not spectacular considering its exterior shape etc. TRansit connect is available as a van/car? Still prefer the Berlingo though due to its 'cheapness'

When the wife & I went skiing last winter, the car hire firm in Lyon gave us a berlingo. We found it gutless (can't remember what size petrol engine it was).

Also, the interior felt plasticy – I went to put the window down, and my finger went straight through the dashboard pushing the switch right through! Luckily the window was fully up otherwise it would have got pretty cold up there…

the 1.9 HDi Berlingos are quick

just be aware berlingos are a van derived car so the speed limit for them is the same as a van, i.e. 50mph on a single carriageway road, not 60

WTF 😳
I've never heard of that & I drive a van

Ok, i was presenting a bit too clear cut before. i know about the car derived van laws but the weird thing about the berlingo is that the van came first, so its van derived car.

What i was trying to say was theres at least some doubt – A quick google shows theres a doubt at the very least about their status. e.g. http://www.tilersforums.co.uk/tiling-forum/15400-van-speed-limits.html (non tiling forum links also available)

This issue came up on the (old?) forum as someone got done driving a van back from glentress and the thread meandered on to car derived van rules, van derived car rules etc.

I first had a Berlingo on hire from Grenoble Airport for a ski roadtrip (4 skiers, 10 resorts, 10 days). I was a convert, and came home and bought a 2.0Hdi (55 plate). Nowadays you can only get 1.6Hdis, but they have more power and lower emissions. I'd avoid petrol or the non-turbo diesels. I get 50mpg (ish) out of mine.

3 bikes fully assembled and 3 bikers no problem. I've had 8 bikes with the front wheels off in the back of mine with all 3 rear seats down.

Connects have a Max GLW of 2050kg, so the 50mph limit applies. Berlingos are 1950kgs, and as this is less than 2000kgs, the car limits apply.

mybike, next time you approach a speed camera van in a NSL- anchor on abit more!

just be aware berlingos are a van derived car so the speed limit for them is the same as a van, i.e. 50mph on a single carriageway road, not 60. The Citroen showroom wont tell you that.

I think The Association of British Drivers – Know Your Speed Limits webpage should explain it satisfactorily.

Basically, if your laden weight is over 2 tonnes, then it's 50 on a single carriageway and 60 on dual carriageways and motorways.
Otherwise you're normal

Transit connect is available as a van/car?

Yes it is.

You're right. 1.6 HDI is better head to head with the 2.0HDI (bhp/torque/0-60) although is the ingear 30-50, 50-70 better?

Just a couple of things to think about and a few Kangoo comparisons:
– The standard brakes aren’t very powerful compared to similar Fiat and Renault cars.
– The Berlingo turning circle isn’t as good as with a Kangoo.
– Leg room in the Berlingo is poor compared to most cars, the Kangoo in particular.
– The Berlingo has a smoother ride than the Kangoo, possibly due to the bigger wheels.
– The Berlingo corners like it’s on rails compared to the Kangoo.

Bikes:
I managed to cram 2 29ers and a 26er into the Berlingo with the wheels and seatposts in with no problems.

New berlingo multispace is based on the C4, a car. Think the old multispace (or whatever that version was called) was based on the van though

If your after honest and utilitarian how about a Honda Element?

Its the Bigger Citroen Dispatch which comes under the over 2000kg gross weight limit, not the Berlingo.

Ive had two Berlingo Multispaces over the last 4 years. For me it's the perfect car, cheap, reliable, very practical for mountain biking and family camping trips.

Currently have 54 plate 2.0l HDi, MPG not as good as I had hoped for, I struggle to get over 40mpg no matter how I drive, but it's better on fuel than the 1.6 petrol I had previously and VED is less.

Everyone I know finds the fuel consumption to be not as good as they'd hoped as Simon says, my friend had an earlier 2.0 HDI and it wasn't as good on fuel as his previous 1.9td XUD engine.

He now has a Focus C max and the fuel consumption on that seems to be a lot better, he manages 48mpg regularly.

Eddie11 – sorry mate but you are talking mince…although it is a van-derived vehicle it is actually classed as a car – check with insurance companies and all car review websites…also check with the police and the people you get road tax from (I'm going to say DVLA but it isn't them but I forget the name – my tax isn't due for another 9 months!) – I've owned one and checked this at the time and was told it was a car so car speeds and MOT checks and servicing were used – the van-spec tyres need to be reinforced but the car version doesn't – the van will fail it's MOT if it doesn't have these but the car doesn't get check (for reinforced tyres).

I wrote mine off rolling it down a hill (was the old style version) – was very good indeed – as long as you don't want a stunning looking car but you do want very practical – looks are non-existant on it. Old-style one was the same as the Peugeot Partner but cost much less, but also didn't have as many luxuries (like passenger airbag as standard or optional A/C).

The new style version looks slightly better, is slightly bigger and I believe has a more efficient engine in the 1.6HDi.

I'm going to be going for one when I get rid of my Bravo – probably next year.

the weird thing about the berlingo is that the van came first, so its van derived car.

ahh but the original berlingo was built on the picasso platform (ie a car) tho the van bodied berlingos came first, it was still a car derived van.

the new one as said is built on the C4 picasso platform

I understood that the original Berlingo was based on the ZX.
We had a 1.6 petrol, whilst not the most exciting car it was very good with bikes, could cover a lot of ground without much fuss, was great on country roads (as long as you're a smooth driver – so that counts you out hora) but could be interesting when going over 90. It was quite thirsty though.

I've had a go in a 1.9D ZX. Jesus it is possibly the slowest thing I have ever driven (and Ive driven a Citroen Dyane before).

It's a Citroen. Something electrical WILL pack up. It'll break down.

(Touch wood). I've owned a fair few cars (20?) and none of them have ever broken down. Then again Ive only owned one French car in my life (Dyane).

New shape berlingos, ace (i have one). So much better than the old ones. I could go on forever about them, so any specific questions fire away.

Bikes fit in longways with some of the seats out (easy to do). E.g. here's my XL trance in:

http://lobster.selfip.org/stuff/17072009705.jpg

3 bikes (including DH bikes) go in like that easily, leaving 3 seats in. Whoever said leg room in berlingos is poor – rubbish – at least for new shape ones. I'm 6'4" and no-one's ever complained about lack of leg room sitting behind me, there's more room there than my old mondeo, cos you sit more upright.

If I slide one of the front seats right forward, an airbed fits in the boot, enough space for me to sleep (and i'm tall!)