FACING the biggest challenge yet in their six-year history, Citroen's Berlingo and Peugeot's Partner have been beefed up for a fight.

The commercial vehicle marketing machines at Citroen and Peugeot have gone into hyper-drive. The PSA Group, to which both manufacturers belong, has been the undisputed leader in the light van market for the past six years with the Berlingo and its twin, the Partner, a van which has won the Fleet News Award for best commercial vehicle under 1.8- tonnes for a record six years running.

But with the Ford Transit Connect coming online in November offering a more solid package and better ride and handling – plus a red hot price – the French twins face their biggest threat so far.

Citroen and Peugeot are fighting back bravely with a new look model and both companies have been falling over themselves organising press events, test drives and a visit to the factory where the vans are made – Vigo in Spain.

PSA saw three areas where its model was dragging its heels behind Transit Connect – looks and ride and handling. Both issues have been addressed.

On the outside, the Berlingo/Partner has been given a feisty looking new front end that endows the van with a chunkier, more solid look. The new bonnet is more horizontal and has been raised by 40mm. Headlamps are bigger and now have clear polycarbonate lenses, with beams and indicators in one cluster. The front bumper has also been raised.

On ride and handling, the new model has different damper control settings and revised front suspension spring and front and rear anti-roll bar rates. The result, says PSA, is 'greater roll stiffness without compromising the van's excellent ride characteristics'.

Things have changed inside too. The Berlingo/Partner has a chunky new dashboard with clearer instrumentation and new switchgear layout. There are now steering column-mounted radio/cassette controls. Extra cubby holes have been added together with a central console with 12-volt power take-off, coffee cup holders and a movable ashtray with lid, which can be slotted in any one of the cup holes. The steering wheel has also been redesigned.

The old model was already well equipped with height adjustable steering column, driver's airbag and good quality stereo radio/cassette player but the new model boasts speed-sensitive power steering and remote central locking on all but base models.

Three engines are available – 1.4-litre petrol offering 75bhp and 90lb-ft of torque, 1.9-litre naturally-aspirated diesel with 71bhp and 94lb-ft of torque and a 2.0-litre HDi common rail diesel with 90bhp and 154lb-fit of torque. Two payloads are on offer – 600kg and 800kg – and there are two trim levels, plus a host of optional extras.

Industry pundits were widely expecting Ford to price its new Transit Connect at a considerable premium over Berlingo and Partner – after all, in short wheelbase format it boasts a higher payload (625kg and 825kg), a bigger gross vehicle weight and looks far more of a heavyweight contender than the French offering. But surprisingly, Ford pitched its new model at a just a few hundred pounds more.

Citroen has already responded by extending its £1,000 cashback offer to the new model, bringing prices down to between £8,044 and £9,644 and Peugeot is offering 24 months 0% finance, subject to 50% deposit + VAT or 36 months 2.9% finance (flat rate) subject to 10% deposit + VAT. It also points out that fleet prices are open to negotiation.

This means the top-of-the-range Berlingo now has a price of £9,644 whereas the top-spec SWB Transit Connect is listed at £10,750. As the three manufacturers put on the gloves for what promises to be the sales scrap of the century so far, fleets can look forward to some blistering offers.

Driving impressions

When Citroen and Peugeot first launched the Berlingo and Partner back in 1996, the press had a field day with Postman Pat and Noddy jokes – for back then, these vans looked like something a cartoon character might drive around in.

Nowadays, of course, we are quite used to its quirky shape and as Renault followed with copycat Kangoo and Vauxhall with new Combo, we realised that one day, all light vans would look like this. Or would they?

Enter Ford with the new Transit Connect. From the first unveiling it was obvious that there would be no 'Loony Toons' styling here. Transit Connect is a musclebound performer which Ford believes will redefine the sector in terms of solidity, ride and handling.

You can imagine the reaction behind the scenes at PSA – the threat from Ford was significant and convincing so something had to be done PDQ.

PSA will be pleased to learn that the general consensus among LCV hacks with whom I have spoken is that new Berlingo/Partner is every bit up to meeting Ford's challenge – and with pricing such as that offered by Citroen, who can fail to be impressed.

Outwardly, PSA might have just re-nosed this van but it looks a whole different kettle of fish. If the old model resembled Postman Pat's transport, this new van would, while not being quite up to Desperate Dan standards, certainly befit the Three Bears or even Dennis the Menace.

##Berlinvan--none--Citroen Berlingo##

That massive chunky front bumper works a treat and with rubbing strips all round, the van should stay clear of those annoying scratches and scrapes that do so much to ruin residual values at selling time.

Climbing aboard, the dash echos the extra chunkiness and I'm sure white van man will appreciate all those extra cubbyholes and cup holders. There is still no receptacle for a two-litre cola bottle though. The top of the central console features a digital screen which displays the time and date, radio and cassette controls and will flash up a sign if, say, you haven't shut one of the doors properly. It's nice to see, too, that PSA hasn't scrimped on the sound system. And talking of comfort, the seats in the Berlingo/Partner don't match up to those in the Transit Connect. They are not at all bad, but too squishy for my liking. Ford's are firmer and more supportive.

My first test drive was in the 2.0 HDi LX model. This common rail turbodiesel powerplant is a real honey and can be found in virtually all Citroen and Peugeot's car ranges.

It fires up with no coughing and spluttering and there is none of the old diesel death rattle that we all used to know and hate.

But it is out on the road that you begin to realise that what PSA calls 'a few tweaks with the suspension set-up' has worked wonders. If Transit Connect was ahead in ride and handling, it certainly is no more. Berlingo/Partner is right up there with the best and despite my test drive being in foul weather, the vans never put a foot wrong.

Immediately after, I climbed aboard the smaller 1.9-litre naturally-aspirated model and was expecting to be left underwhelmed with its comparatively lacklustre performance. But there again I was wrong.

It might lack the sheer guts and pizzazz of its big brother but it is no mean performer. With 71bhp on tap, it could be argued that this is a more sensible choice for fleets, which might not want drivers buzzing about in turbocharged vehicles that will top 100 mph, especially if their company logos are emblazoned on the side. You have to remember too that there is a £750 price premium for the turbo model.

Driving verdict

Citroen and Peugeot have recognised the seriousness of the challenge they face from Ford and have risen to the occasion magnificently.

All three vans – Berlingo, Partner and Transit Connect – have a massive list of plus points but at the end of the day many fleets will still buy purely on price. Next year looks like we will see a very interesting battle indeed.

##Partner2003--none--Peugeot Partner##

Berlingo/Partner fact file
Engine (litres) Power (bhp) GVW (kg) Payload (kg) Vol (cu m) Price (£)
Berlingo
600L 1.9 71 1,755 600 2.7 8,594
600TD HDi LX 2.0 90 1,790 600 3.0 9,334
600D LX 1.9 71 1,955 800 3.0 8,894
800TD HDi LX 2.0 90 1,995 800 3.0 9,644
Partner
600L 1.9 71 1,755 600 3.0 8,990
600LX HDi 2.0 90 1,790 600 3.0 10,100
800LX 1.9 71 1,955 800 3.0 9,650
800LX HDi 2.0 90 1,955 800 3.0 10,400

Vigo plant churns out 1,000 Berlingos and Partners a day

TALK in the north western Spanish port of Vigo nowadays mainly centres on the threat posed by the sinking of the supertanker Prestige just off the coast.

But another momentous event is happening in the city too. Vigo is home to a PSA factory where at this very moment some 1,000 new-look Citroen Berlingos and Peugeot Partners are rolling off the production lines every day.

A party of British journalists was invited by Peugeot to tour the factory and after a three-hour trip looking at all the processes – from sheet metal to finished product – we were left impressed with the quality of workmanship, the dedication of the Spanish workforce and the speed at which these vans are being churned out.

The Vigo plant also produces the Citroen Xsara Picasso and – bless its cotton socks – the old Citroen C15, which eager fleet buyers refuse to let die.

Some 2,020 vehicles a day leave the plant, to be shipped out of the port to 110 different countries. Although much of the work is automated – the factory contains 553 robots – some 10,100 staff work at the plant, which was at one time on the outskirts of town but has now found itself slap bang in the middle, thanks to a huge expansion of building in the region.

At one end of the process, engines and gearboxes are brought in from France ready made, while at the other, 600 tonnes of sheet steel a day are pounded by massive presses into the various body shapes. Each stage of the process, through welding, painting and finally joining all the various bits together, is checked by hand and then the vans are finally driven round a test track for a last check. Staff are encouraged to make suggestions as to how costs can be cut and how quality can be improved even further and last year from a total of 16,470 suggestions, some 51% were implemented.

Staff receive a cash bonus if their ideas are used. As the plant is not next to the port area, vehicles have to be transported by lorry for the short journey to the shore and 1,500 trucks a day visit the site.

The whole set-up is clean, neat and impressive and the party was left in no doubt that what is coming out of Vigo is nothing other than a top quality product.

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