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First drives: new Citroen Dispatch/Peugeot Expert
We drove two vans on the test route which included twisty country lanes, narrow-streeted villages and the inevitable peage – the Dispatch 1.6-litre with 115bhp on offer and the Expert with a 2.0-litre 150bhp powerplant, both in standard lengths.
In the looks department, this van is smart and stylish as we have come to expect from Gallic manufacturers, although of the two we preferred the grille on the Peugeot (not that this counts for much in business terms!)
We particularly liked the little feature PSA has invented in which the rear corner of the van can be kicked to open the side sliding door in the event of a busy driver having his or hew hands full.
Great fun and no doubt a stress reliever too, depending on how hard the kick is.
Higher seats
Climbing aboard, we first noticed that although the seats are 110mm higher than those in the previous models, the driver and passengers still sit lower than those in, say, the Volkswagen Transporter or Vauxhall Vivaro. The plus side of this is that the vans feel more like cars to drive, which is hardly surprising as the
chasses are derived from those of cars. The dashboard sadly doesn’t match the stylishness of the exterior and is rather dull compared to the silver/black swirls and curves of the Transit Custom, but it’s functional and at least there are two coffee cup holders in the right place on top of the dash, plus a spare 12v take-off underneath the dash.
We had great fun playing with the van’s infotainment and satnav system, which comes courtesy
of Tom Tom, but were sad to see that it only comes as standard on the Professional and Enterprise variants. Lowest spec vans only get a DAB radio and Bluetooth connectivity.
The old Dispatch came with a standard Teletrac satnav and stolen tracking unit which is now being ditched.
No complaints
However there were certainly no complaints once the engine was fired up. It’s whisper quiet in the cab, even at autoroute speeds, and with a nice slick gearchange and light clutch action plus pin-sharp handling, this van is as car-like as any commercial vehicle is going to get.
The 150bhp version proved mighty smooth and powerful but for business use we voted the smaller engined van as the fleet choice. Not only did it feel perky and quite up to the job of lugging full loads around with gusto, but more importantly for fleets it’s £4,445 cheaper.
But probably the biggest selling point of this van is its class-leading fuel economy.
At up to 55.3mpg on the combined cycle, it simply knocks every rival into a cocked hat. And that fact alone should ensure its success in the market.
Spec sheet
Gross vehicle weights (kg): Power (bhp/rpm):
Torque (lb-ft/rpm):
Load volume (cu m): Payloads (kg):
Comb fuel economy (mpg): CO2 emissions (g/km): Basic prices (ex-VAT):
2,610 - 3,100 95/3,750 - 180/4,000 154/1,500 - 273/2,000 4.6 - 6.6 1,098 - 1,400 51.4 - 55.3 133 - 144 £17,495 to £24,195
20 TVD lssue 27 2016
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