THE compact van sector is already the fastest growing part of the LCV market but in March it reached boiling point with the launch of a stylish new set of triplets from Citroën, Peugeot and Fiat.
The new vans – Dispatch, Expert and Scudo respectively – roll off the Sevel Nord factory lines in Valenciennes in northern France and are the result of a co-operation between the three firms that dates back to 1978.
The old models were launched in 1995 and were based on the former Citroën Synergie/Peugeot 806/Fiat Ulysse MPV platforms, thereby offering true car-like driving capabilities way ahead of the opposition. But they have been gradually losing their cutting edge as models like the Vauxhall Vivaro, Volkswagen Transporter and Mercedes-Benz Vito were launched against them.
There was also a problem of a weight and load volume gap in the range between these smaller vehicles and their bigger brothers the Citroën Relay, Peugeot Boxer and Fiat Ducato.
Both of these problems have been addressed with these stylish and capable new offerings. Not only is the driving experience improved, but now long wheelbase and high roof versions are on sale for the first time, along with Combi versions which have up to nine seats.
The new van is the result of a E440m investment at the plant, which has to date built 1.6 million vehicles and employs 4,400 people. It also comes hot on the heels of the launch of brand new versions of the larger Relay, Boxer and Ducato – which are also the same van and come from the Sevel South plant in Italy – giving the three manufacturers a convincing new story to tell fleet buyers.
The new vehicle aims to satisfy the ever-growing needs of van fleet buyers by offering bigger load compartments and heavier payloads. There are also standardised connections in the electrical unit which will make it easier for conversion firms to add equipment such as warning lights for ambulances and compressors for refrigerated vans.
Payloads range from 913kg to 1,350kg and load volumes go from 5.0 cubic metres to 7.0 cubic metres, while lengths are either 4.8 metres or 5.13 metres.
Under the bonnet, there is a choice of diesel engines, with a 1.6-litre unit offering 90bhp mated to a five-speed gearbox or a 2.0-litre unit with 120bhp or 136bhp, mated to a six-speed box. The cab has been completely reworked and modernised, with a stylish dashboard designed by Pininfarina.
In the back, meanwhile, twin side sliding doors come as standard.
Behind the wheel
IT seems that after just about every van launch I have attended this year, I’ve come back raving about the vehicle’s stunning looks and amazing drivability.
The designers and engineers have finally twigged that there is no reason why a van should be any worse looking or have worse driving dynamics than a car.
They have taken the bull by the horns and have triumphed. And no more so than the teams at Citroën, Peugeot and Fiat who have managed to produce a van that not only looks stunning but drives like a dream too.
Let’s take the outside first.
An elegant, elongated nose curves gracefully back via slash-cut headlamps into a stylish load area that incorporates lots of plastic padding to keep the van free of knocks and scrapes. Even in long wheelbase high roof format, the van still looks smart – unlike its rivals the Vauxhall Vivaro/Renault Trafic/Nissan Primastar – which look positively hideous with a high roof. Climbing aboard, the cab looks a lot bigger and business-like than the old model.
The MPV on which this van is based has a space-age dash which sweeps across the vehicle in a single span, with all the instruments in a cluster in the centre.
The van’s designers have eschewed such frippery and have gone instead for a chunky affair that houses the instruments in a more conventional way, while managing to look rather chic too. That’s Pininfarina’s influence for you.
Meanwhile there is the usual plethora of nooks, crannies and cupholders, including two in the lid of the glovebox, along with a little pen holder.
One neat addition is the overhead storage spaces on both sides. But the set-up has a little trick up its sleeve. The full bulkhead has a hole at the top so that long objects such as pipes can be fed through and into that storage space, meaning thin objects up to three metres long van be accommodated.
There was nothing wrong with the seats in the old model, but nevertheless they have been improved, so that life in this van is a very comfortable existence. There is plenty of side and back support right up to the neck and the squabs are nice and deep, so it feels as though you are sitting in the seat rather than on it.
On the road
THE old Dispatch, Expert and Scudo – when they first appeared in 1995 – boasted best-in-class driving dynamics because the van was really a car in disguise.
At the time it took the van driving experience on to a new higher plane.
As this new model is also based on the new Synergie/807/Ulysse platform, it does exactly the same.
Drivers will marvel at how smooth and sure the new model is. The common rail diesel unit on the 120bhp version I tested on the outskirts of Paris fired up without a murmur and during our test drive myself and my co-pilot chatted away quietly without any need for raised voices.
That dash-mounted gearchange has always been the slickest in the business and it still is – although its housing encroaches into the middle of the cab and means legroom for the middle passenger is severely restricted.
Plus points are the addition of a driver’s airbag and ABS brakes as standard but sadly the ESP traction control system remains a paid-for option – it’s standard on the rival Mercedes-Benz Vito and Volkswagen Transporter. On some of the emptier muddy backroads, my colleague and I were tempted to push on a bit and see if we could upset the van’s equilibrium, but to no avail. If things got a tad too much, the ESP just eased off enough to keep us safe but not so much that we’d really notice. And that’s just how it should be.
Back in Britain, I had the chance to test the 136bhp LWB Combi in Citroën guise and 90bhp SWB panel van.
First thing to note with the Combi is that there is plenty of legroom for the eight occupants and with all seats taken, there is still plenty of luggage room at the back.
The carpeted interior meant this vehicle was even quieter than the panel van on the roads and that powerful 136bhp engine meant we were never short of power.
However, I’d have to query whether this van really needs such a lusty motor. My money would be on the 120bhp version.
But the 90bhp panel van proved the real joker in the pack. I’d been expecting somewhat lacklustre performance after the other two test drives, but this motor proved willing and eager – and quite sufficient for most fleet purposes as long as the van isn’t going to be fully loaded and on long trips in hilly areas all its life.
Verdict
THE huge gap between the old Dispatch/Expert/Scudo and its bigger brother in terms of load volume always hampered sales of what has been an otherwise successful van.
The new higher volume models on offer means that many more fleets with a need for an ‘in-betweeny’ van will now be looking at this trio.
Fact file
Gross vehicle weights (kg): 2,661-2,963
Payloads (kg): 913-1,350
Load volumes (cu m): 5.0-7.0
Prices (ex VAT): £13,670-£18,485
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