Item: Used Citroen Berlingo Multispace 2008-2018
Rating: 3
Author: Steve Huntingford

We like the look of the enormous <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/galaxy/mpv/used-review/n832">Ford Galaxy</a>. Not only taxi drivers will appreciate the Galaxy's enjoyable driving experience, nor its fine engines or third-row seats that are spacious enough to take actual people. It doesn't have any clever storage solutions inside, though, and misses out on sliding rear doors, too. There are plenty of them around, though, so finding a tidy one should be easy.

Alternatively, try a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/sharan/mpv/used-review/n920">Volkswagen Sharan</a> or its virtually identical sibling, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/alhambra/mpv/used-review/n17427">Seat Alhambra</a>. Both of them are huge inside, have well-appointed interiors and the benefit of sliding rear doors that should prevent your passengers from opening them on a car parked next to you.&nbsp;

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Citroën is probably most famous for its quirky design, and the latest cars from the brand live up to this tradition, featuring paintwork-protecting ‘Airbumps’ and eschewing the sporty looks favoured by most rivals.

Indeed, Citroën tends to keep away from sportiness altogether and instead tries to put comfort first.

Value (but not cheapness) is also key to the appeal of most Citroëns. And the company’s range includes everything from small hatchbacks (such as the C1 and C3) to big, family-friendly seven-seaters (the Spacetourer and Grand C4 Spacetourer).

The C3 Aircross SUV is another of its popular models, while a larger C5 Aircross is planned.

CITROEN

BERLINGO MULTISPACE

The Berlingo Multispace is a spacious and versatile MPV that is surprisingly good to drive and cheap to own

Used Citroen Berlingo Multispace

Not surprisingly, the 1.6 HDI 100 diesel engine is the one to go for, if economy matters. Equipped with the automated manual ETG6 gearbox the official fuel economy figure is 67.3mpg, with corresponding CO2 emissions of 109g/km. As a manual, its official figure is 65.7mpg and 113g/km. The more powerful 1.6 diesel has a respectable 55.4mpg for 134g/km, while the best-performing petrol-engined Berlingo is the 1.6 VTi 95 with 44.1mpg and CO2 emissions of 148g/km.&nbsp;

Cars registered before the car tax changes of April 2017 came into force will have their annual VED tax based on the CO2 emissions, so these will be reasonable across the board and especially good for the diesel-engined cars. Those registered after that date will pay tax at the flat rate, currently £140 a year.&nbsp;

Insurance costs are reasonable, too, and servicing should be relatively cheap carried out at a franchised dealership, although there’ll be plenty of high street garages that will maintain a Berlingo, probably at a cheaper cost.&nbsp;

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Used Citroen Berlingo Multispace 2008-2018

The Berlingo Multispace is a spacious and versatile MPV that is surprisingly good to drive and cheap to own

The Berlingo’s been around for so long that at the bottom end it’s possible to pay nearly anything for it. You could pick up a high-mileage early model for under £1000, and a good, clean runner for £1500. Spend £2000 if you can accept a mileage of around and above 100,000, or nearer £5000 if you want a 2011 car with an average mileage for the year. Up the dosh to between £6000 and £8000 for a 2012 car with a full service history, while £10,000 will net you a 2016 car with all the trimmings from a trader or independent dealer. Look to spend between £10,000 and £12,000 on a later 2017 or 2018 car.&nbsp;

The 1.6 HDI 100 engine gives the Berlingo enough shove, even though it’s obviously no sports car. We’d avoid the jerky automated manual gearbox, though, even though this gives the car even more impressive fuel economy than the manual. We’d stick with Feel trim, although if you were to find a Flair car at a reasonable price we’d go for it.&nbsp;

Our favourite Citroen Berlingo: 1.6 HDI 100 Feel

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all the family and their paraphernalia</li> <li>Comfortable ride for everyone inside</li> <li>Seats with plenty of adjustment and versatility of layout</li> <li>Engine that can cope with a full load of people and luggage</li> <li>Excellent efficiency to avoid big fuel bills</li></ul>

Practicality is king in the MPV market, which has taken a hit as buyers have turned towards trendier SUVs. There are still plenty of decent offerings to suit most budgets, though, with Citroën fielding a particularly strong line-up. The French manufacturer’s Berlingo offers bags of space for not much money and you can easily haggle off thousands of extra pounds in discounts, too.

Citroën also scores with the larger Grand C4 Spacetourer, which offers seven seats, lots of oddment space and appealing running costs for something so large. A similarly priced and even better option is the Volkswagen Touran. Meanwhile, if you prefer a premium badge, there's always the BMW 2 Series Active and Gran Tourers or Mercedes B-Class and V-Class.

But for something sizeable that's still decent to drive, we’d recommend you check out the Ford Galaxy, which can offer three rows of seats and decent luggage space at the same time. It’s not that much pricier than the smaller S-Max.

As on any car that reaches the grand old age some Berlingos can now claim, check the bodywork carefully for scuffs and dents. It’s worth doing visual checks on the car to make sure it appears to be true and not bent, noting the wheels for alignment and making sure the doors and tailgate all open and close without issue. Check the interior for obvious signs of wear. The Berlingo will have been used for transporting all sorts of odd items of varying sizes so make sure there are no obvious signs of damage to the interior trim.

You’ll need to look carefully at any service history and MOT records, while doing your usual checks for outstanding finance and previous incidents. Services should have been carried out every 12,000 miles.&nbsp;

Being based on proven Citroen and Peugeot mechanicals, spare parts are easy to find and fixing a Berlingo is a relatively simple job. While its overall reliability record is mixed, there are plenty of owners who attest to high-mileage cars giving little trouble.&nbsp;

The first-gen Berlingos suffered problems with failure of the turbo on the diesel-engined cars, but this doesn’t seem to be an issue on the second-gen cars.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Other than fair wear and tear on the older cars, owners have reported problems with the steering and its alignment, suspension squeaks and rattles and some replacement parts, non-engine electrical problems including the infotainment (where fitted) failing, the air-con ceasing to work and headlights giving up the ghost. Also failures of the electric windows (where fitted) and water ingress causing sudden electrical shutdown.&nbsp;

The Berlingo was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2014, but only received three stars out of a possible five, mainly due to a 56% score in the adult occupant protection category. This is a lot worse than nearly every other family car on the market, many of which score the maximum five stars.&nbsp;

This generation of Berlingo didn’t feature in our most recent reliability survey, but Citroen as a brand finished in a disappointing 27th place out of 32 manufacturers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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The original van-based <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/berlingo-multispace/estate/used-review/n288">Citroen Berlingo Multispace</a> was a huge and unprecedented hit. It might have looked a little plain-jane and a trifle rugged in its approach, but punters loved it for its versatility, usability and cheap pricing, and it sold like the proverbial hot cakes. It remained on sale for over 10 very successful years.&nbsp;

So this all-new second-generation <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/mpv">MPV</a>, launched in 2008, had a lot to live up to. It could be, like the first one, bought as an almost identical <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/peugeot">Peugeot</a>, the Partner Tepee, and it could, of course, be purchased still as a van. Indeed it was designed from the off to be both an MPV and a van, so think of it as more, much more, than just a tool for transporting fence panels and roofing felt - it had proper windows for people to see out of and it drove at least as well as a number of its contemporary cars.&nbsp;

It was noticeably larger than the old car, too, with the front proudly sporting Citroen’s latest corporate face. Under that more fancy bonnet engine choices were a 93bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine or the perky 108bhp turbocharged 1.2-litre PureTech unit. There was a choice of two diesels, both 1.6-litre in capacity, but with outputs of 99 and 118bhp.&nbsp;

Trim levels were limited to just Feel and Flair. The entry-level Feel model came with 15in steel wheels, lots of body colour moulded body parts and split tailgate as standard, while the inside gained air conditioning, cruise control and Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

Upgrading to the range-topping Flair trim gained you a few more luxuries, namely, a 7.0in touchscreeen infotainment system with DAB radio, parking sensors, heated and folding wing mirrors, rear picnic tables and 16in alloy wheels.

On the road, unless you’re really motoring on a strict budget the entry-level petrol and diesels are best avoided; they feel weak and lack the refinement of the more powerful diesels, reminding you a little too much of the commercial vehicle that lies within. The more powerful engines get along well enough, with the slightly gruff diesel producing plenty of low-down oomph.&nbsp;

The gearchange is a little agricultural, however, but the ride is surprisingly smooth, with an ease that mostly masks poor road imperfections, although it can get caught out by potholes and sharp ridges. In corners, the Berlingo is competent but not exactly what a keen driver would call fun. There’s a fair bit of body lean too, as you might expect of something rather tall and slab-sided, and the steering’s a little strange in its weighting, being oddly keen to self-centre.&nbsp;

Inside, if you can ignore a slightly compromised driving position, the Berlingo starts to make sense. There’s abundant space both front and rear, and the boxy proportions bring plenty of luggage space without compromising room for passengers, while if the original owner chooses to specify the removable seats the Berlingo will swallow more or less anything; otherwise there are 60/40 split/fold seats. The high roofline also means there’s space for all sorts of clever storage solutions. Ultimately, it’s not quite as versatile as a more conventional MPV, but it is spacious and comfortable.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Used Citroen Berlingo Multispace 2008-2018 review

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Wondering what the best used Citroën Berlingo Multispace 2008 - 2018 is for your money? The expert What Car? review team can help you out.

The 1.6 HDI 100 engine gives the Berlingo enough shove, even though it’s obviously no sports car. We’d avoid the jerky automated manual gearbox, though, even though this gives the car even more impressive fuel economy than the manual. We’d stick with Feel trim, although if you were to find a Flair car at a reasonable price we’d go for it. ,Our favourite Citroen Berlingo: 1.6 HDI 100 Feel,Page 4 of 5

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Used Citroen Berlingo Multispace 2008-2018 review

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