Item: Peugeot Expert
Rating: 5
Author: What Car? Team

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Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

Peugeot no longer discounts its vans as much as it used to, but while that may mean you'll pay more up front, it also means that your van should hold on to more of its value than it would otherwise. And don't think that makes the Peugeot Expert overly expensive, either, because it should still cost you less than an equivalent <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/vauxhall/vivaro/van/review/n18281">Vauxhall Vivaro</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/dispatch/van/review/n18249">Citroën Dispatch</a>.

For the most economical van, you’ll want to stick with the&nbsp;1.5-litre engine. The most frugal version is the&nbsp;Blue HDi100, with an official 44.2mpg and CO2 emissions of 130g/km.

In terms of trim levels, we'd suggest opting for Professional, because it brings an&nbsp;infotainment touchscreen, air conditioning, an under-seat storage compartment and the load-through bulkhead. The range-topping&nbsp;Asphalt is&nbsp;a tempting choice but quite a step up in price.&nbsp;

Options worth considering are Park Assist 180&nbsp;(which is fitted to the Asphalt models as standard). This brings a&nbsp;rear-view camera that can be zoomed in&nbsp;to give you a clearer idea of how much space you have. Another feature worth considering is the head-up display, which&nbsp;helps you keep your eyes on the road&nbsp;and is&nbsp;therefore&nbsp;an added safety benefit.

Other safety features include the Safety Pack (again, standard on Asphalt),&nbsp;which includes lane departure warning, speed limit recognition, driver attention monitoring and smart headlights. The Driver Assist Pack (another Asphalt staple) gives you adaptive cruise control, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-aeb-and-how-does-it-work/n3283">automatic emergency braking</a>&nbsp;and a distance alert system.

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Thanks largely&nbsp;to its car-derived underpinnings,&nbsp;the Expert is&nbsp;a very enjoyable van to drive and&nbsp;a far cry from its predecessor.

Whereas the old Expert could be quite bouncy and its&nbsp;steering was too vague, the latest version rides in a controlled manner and the connection to the road is a lot more&nbsp;certain.

If you want an automatic gearbox, however, you’ll have to go for the BlueHDi 180. It's a strong engine that works well with the gearbox, but suffers from quite&nbsp;heavy fuel consumption.

For its balance of performance and economy, then, we'd recommend the BlueHDi 150, which manages up to&nbsp;41.3mpg in official tests and makes a healthy 272lb ft of torque.

Badge-engineered vans like the Peugeot Expert are sometimes criticised for being too similar to their siblings – and in the Expert's case, that sibling is&nbsp;the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/dispatch/van/review/n18249">Citroën Dispatch</a>. For the latest generation, however, the French firms have tried to give their vans more individuality, even though they still share the same underpinnings.

As a result, the Expert is in a stronger position than ever before to challenge the established segment heavyweights, including the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/transporter/van/review/n18205">Volkswagen Transporter</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/transit-custom/van/review/n18288">Ford Transit Custom</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/vito/van/review/n18152">Mercedes-Benz Vito</a>.

It’s not just its own individual styling that has changed, either: the Expert has also been given a smart interior and cleaner engines.&nbsp;

Shared exterior parts between the Partner and its&nbsp;Dispatch,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/proace-verso/estate/review/n17331">Toyota Proace</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/vauxhall/vivaro/van/review/n18281">Vauxhall Vivaro</a> relations include everything from the bonnet backwards, with only the front two panels and headlight clusters varying between each of the vans.

The rear portion is an updated version of the outgoing van, while the front is based on the EMP2&nbsp;platform that Peugeot and Citroën use for their cars. That modularity allows Peugeot to use shared engines too, with a 100bhp 1.5-litre engine starting the range, while 2.0-litre engines making 120bhp, 147bhp and 174bhp provide further alternatives.

All are mated to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, but the most powerful version is available with an eight-speed automatic gearbox&nbsp;with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles.

Peugeot refers to the vans as BlueHDi 100, BlueHDi 120, BlueHDi 150 and BlueHDi 180 as they increase in power, and all variants come fitted with&nbsp;engine stop-start technology to save fuel.

The Expert is&nbsp;available in three length&nbsp;but with only one roof height. There are also two standard trim levels, S and Professional, plus Grip and Asphalt versions that are a bit more specialised.

The old Expert had an awkwardly offset steering wheel that made you feel twisted in your seat, and while the latest model hasn't entirely resolved this issue, it's considerably better.

The driver’s seat&nbsp;is very adaptable and one of the more comfortable you'll find in a mid-sized van,&nbsp;with good support for your thighs and lower back.

You get a height-adjustable steering wheel, too, and&nbsp;with the exception of the gear lever,&nbsp;which is a little close to the driver’s knee,&nbsp;the rest of the control&nbsp;positioning is logical and well thought-out.

Less impressive is the narrow windscreen, because it limits visibility – something that's especially noticeable when you're reversing with door&nbsp;mirrors that are really quite small for a medium-sized van.

Still, the quality of the materials is good, and so is the fit and feel of all the key touch points, such as the steering wheel, controls and gear lever.

Peugeot has its strongest model line-up for some years, with some of its cars now rated by our testers as being among the very best available.

Highlights focus around the firm’s newest SUVs, the 3008 and 5008. The 5008 was named Large SUV of the Year at the 2018 What Car? Awards, thanks to its appealing blend of space, interior quality and low running costs.

That bodes well for future launches, too, because many of the learnings from these cars will be passed on as new versions of existing cars are launched – something that could take many years, because the Peugeot range is so big, ranging from an entry-level supermini with the 108 to an executive saloon with the 508, up into the SUV range and also vans.

Buyers should evaluate some of the lower-rated cars in the range more carefully, though. Some are now quite old, and are subsequently left behind in terms of quality when compared with the opposition, making them below-average buys, in our estimation.

PEUGEOT

Expert

One of the most economical, practical and (if you’re willing to spend the money) safest mid-size vans.

The Expert comes in three different lengths:&nbsp;Compact, Standard and Long. This means there's more choice than with&nbsp;most other vans in the sector. Compact vans are 4600mm long, so they're about the same size as a long-wheelbase small&nbsp;van, such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/kangoo/van/review/n18460">Renault Kangoo</a> Maxi or the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/nv200/van/review/n18516">Nissan NV200</a>, and have a maximum storage area length of 2160mm.&nbsp;

The Standard van measures 4950mm, with a 2510mm load length. The Long version stretches&nbsp;5300mm and can transport a 2860mm length. When fitted with a folding front passenger seat and load-through bulkhead, an additional 1160mm of storage capacity is possible, making it ideal for oversized lengths of pipe or wood. The Expert also comes as a minibus, with three rows of seats and space for nine passengers, or as a six-seat crew van, as well as in platform cab form ready for specialist conversions.

Load volumes for the Compact, Standard and Long bodies are 5.1m3, 5.8m3 and 6.6m3&nbsp;respectively, with an overall height for the van of 1940mm and a useable internal load height of 1397mm.&nbsp;

Big gains have also been made in the payload capacities of the Expert,&nbsp;with some models as much as 150kg lighter than before. The kerb weight also compares favourably with&nbsp;rivals such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/transit-custom/van/review/n18288">Ford Transit Custom</a>&nbsp;and enables the Expert to have a best-in-class payload of 1498kg for a 3.1-tonne van and up to 1100kg for lower-rated 2.6-tonne vans.

Twin sliding side doors are standard, but you’ll have to pay for the rather nifty hands-free entry feature that lets you wave your foot underneath the rear bumper to open the side door.

The Peugeot Expert has been reinvented as one of the most economical, practical and (if you’re willing to spend the money) safest mid-size vans. It’s also engaging to drive, comfortable and inexpensive to run.

Medium Van

Peugeot Expert review

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Review of Peugeot Expert interior by the expert What Car? team. Compare in car entertainment system, driving comfort and visibility with similar cars.

The old Expert had an awkwardly offset steering wheel that made you feel twisted in your seat, and while the latest model hasn't entirely resolved this issue, it's considerably better.,The driver’s seat is very adaptable and one of the more comfortable you'll find in a mid-sized van, with good support for your thighs and lower back.,You get a height-adjustable steering wheel, too, and with the exception of the gear lever, which is a little close to the driver’s knee, the rest of the control positioning is logical and well thought-out.Less impressive is the narrow windscreen, because it limits visibility – something that's especially noticeable when you're reversing with door mirrors that are really quite small for a medium-sized van.Still, the quality of the materials is good, and so is the fit and feel of all the key touch points, such as the steering wheel, controls and gear lever.

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