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Citroen Berlingo Multispace (1998 - 2010)

What's Good

Originally designed as a van on the ZX/306 floorpan with Peugeot 405 estate car rear suspension. 13' 6" long by 5' 7" wide.

Lots of good design points. Decent ride quality. Launched in UK in summer 1998 as 3-dr Multispace with full-length electric fun-roof, bright colours and 1.8 litre 8-valve engine giving 100 mph.

Relaunched spring 1999 at lower prices from £10,830 OTR with 1.4i engine. Sunroof, aircon, 1.8i or 1.9D engines now all extra-cost options. Further price cut down to £8,995 in spring 2000 for the 1.9XUD 3-door due to competition from the 5-dr Renault Kangoo Combi.

Relaunched for third time in summer 2000 as the Multispace Forte, now with twin rear sliding side doors (6th photo), three three-point rear belts, Multiplex wiring and cubbyholes everywhere including the rear floor from £9,495 for the 1.4i and £9,750 for the 1.9D.

Handles well for a van (though not as much fun to drive as the Polo Caddy Combi). Excellent for gardeners, people with dogs and the elderly due to ease of ingress and egress.

Sensibly priced Brotherwood conversion available for transporting the disabled in dignity. (www.brotherwood.com)

Price of perky new 1.4i Forte with aircon cut to bargain £8,995 on 30/09/2000. Three year, 60,000 mile warranty announced 24/10/2000. Forte 1.9Ds advertised by Citroen at £8,745 after £500 cashback in Summer 2001. By December 2001, 110bhp 1.6 16vs were the best value at £9,495.

2.0 HDI finally arrived February 2002 from £9,760 after £500 cashback. Has 90bhp, top speed is 98mph, and 60mph comes up in around 12.7 seconds. Combined fuel consumption is 47.9mpg and CO2 emissions 155g/km, putting it in the £130pa VED bracket. Very highly recommended for the non status conscious.

Run-out old 1.9 diesel cut to £7,995 for just four days at end of April 2002. June 2002, Citroen cashback brought price of 2.0HDI 90 down to £8,995. Top value for money for anyone with a small business or into dogs, kids or doing up houses. HDI 90 AT £8,995 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Facelifted for 2003 with new look front and 15” wheels on some models. Inside, new dashboard with central instruments and extra stowage areas. Options include front armrests, aircraft style trays on the front seat backs and Citroen’s Modubox shopping trolley (from the Picasso). Optional ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and cruise control are also on offer. Gets the award for the World's biggest rear wiper.

Summer special 'Desire' model from July 2003 with standard modutop, CD player, seatback picnic tables and frong foglamps listing at £10,450 for the 1.6i 16v; £10,250 for the 1.9D and £11,250 for the 2.0HDI, but heavily discounted.

For 2006, previous 1.9 and 2.0 diesels replaced by 75bhp and 93bhp versions of 1.6 HDI. Much more economical. Other improvements for 2006 include side airbags. 2006 improvements resulted in good four star NCAP crash safety rating; three stars for child safety.

Positive owner comment: "In January this year I purchased the above car fitted with a BrygAyd hoist to carry my four wheel scooter wieght circa 2cwt as I am a disabled driver, and towbar to tow our 16 foot caravan. Since then we have driven 3,743 miles at 50.15 mpg which included 651 miles towing at 40.88 mpg. My wife and I both drive and find this an excellent vehicle, comfortable and very manageable."

Continues as 'Berlingo First' alongside Multispace II until 2010.

Road test of Berlingo II at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=68

For latest Citroen cashback deals, link here: Citroen Offers

Last updated 11-9-2009

What's Bad

It's a van-based car, not a car-based van. 1998-2000 pre 'Forte' models only had three doors. Brakes aren't as good as you would expect on a car. Clutch a bit sharp on 1.4i and gearchange positive, but a bit obstructive. Carries no status at all.

Citroens generally had average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 99.84 v/s lowest 31.93). Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk

What to Watch Out For

As these kombis get older they may suffer the same rear suspension pivot wear as Peugeot 405 estates.

Beware of cheap 'Tudor' batteries which can blow acid out of the vent, damaging paint and underbonnet components. Best replace with Citroen branded battery.

Trying to use the washers when the pipes are frozen blows a 5 amp fuse for about half the Multiplex wiring, so make sure there are spare 5 amp fuses in the fusebox lid; if not, buy some.

Also one report of instruments intermittently failing to register on Multiplex wired Forte models.

Reports of failure of front springs on 2000 and 2001MY, same as some 406s. Citroen will replace failed springs up to 5 years old FOC.

On HDIs, rubber cushioned timing belt pulley needs replacing at same time as timing belt (60k - 70k miles) otherwise can separate.

Problem with Siemens ECU/injection system on HDIs (no problem with Bosch ECU/injection system). Complaint of gear linkage of petrol models falling off. Water from ventilation plenum chamber can swamp ECU on RHD cars.

Leonard Crane's solution to water in footwells: "Removal of windscreen wipers and plastic fascia above the bonnet reveals a flaw in the Citroen's bulkhead design. Just behind the windscreen wiper fascia there is a small 16 inch x 3 inch piece of black foam sheeting which Citroen has glued across a gap above the bulkhead. The purpose is to catch rain water as it comes down the windscreen and direct it towards the drivers side inner wing drain channel. In hot weather the glue starts to soften, the foam comes unstuck, and when it next rains water goes straight down the screen onto the bulkhead, the design of which is such that any water landing here is channeled directly down in between the panels into the passenger footwell. The cure is to remove the flimsy piece of foam used by Citroen. Cut a piece in a similar pattern but 3-4 inches longer and approx 2 inch higher, from something waterproof and flexible (eg new flooring vinyl). Fix with plenty of silicon bathroom sealant but cut to allow a small overlap to go onto the wiper motor box, and enough length for the channel formed to clear the end into the drivers side drain well. When fitting the new rain guard the higher the new cover sits the better as this allows for larger volumes of rain to be directed away, but be careful not to obstruct the wiper drive rods which operate above the bulkhead, try the wiper motor before replacing any bits. The end by the driver's side needs to be siliconed at the lower end in the bottom of the gully as before and also onto the cable conduit that sits above, thus forming a large wide channel with an edge so water will not pass around the back of it."

Recalls

1/2/2000 (Sept/Oct 1999 build only): brake servo valve may fail, leading to loss of servo assistance. Inspect and possibly replace brake servo valve. 13-7-04: recall Picassos and Berlingos built 1-4-2000 to 30-9-2004 because suspension springs may break. Standing TSB from Citroen to its dealers (Feb 2008) that if front coil springs fail on a Berlingo up to 5 years old they are to be replaced free of charge.