CITROEN'S businesslike Berlingo added to its impressive list of silverware last year by driving off with the Commercial Fleet World's Best Light Van honour.
The Berlingo was commended for its ability to set the pace in the light van sector and this it certainly proved when I test drove the 600 HDi which now comes in recently launched Enterprise trim for the same price as the former LX version, adding around £400 wort of extra kit including ABS and a CD player.
This model features the engine which received praise from Commercial Fleet World for the quiet, robust and frugal way it goes about its daily business.
It delivers a winning blend of efficiency and economy which many van operators - and a fair number of private drivers - are rapidly appreciating.
This is the small van with the big heart. It is extremely accelerative and performs as well as a car with the same powerplant.
While testing this van I took time out to ask a few commercial drivers who were teamed up with Berlingo what they thought. The feedback was, in the main positive but nearly all focused on the same feature as I did when it came to negatives. The wheels could do with much better trims. They look basic and, as one driver put it, unfinished.
Normally selling for £10,195 plus VAT and delivery, the Berlingo is currently on offer with a £1,763 casback for operators of small fleets which makes this little workhorse particularly good value.
A new Citroen pricing incentive covers all the company's petrol or diesel-fuelled commercial vehicles ordered and is restricted to customers with up to 100 light commercial vehicles. And it means that for these operators a Berlingo van can be had for just £8,432, an amazing saving.
One of the most useful features of my test van was the optional sliding door each side which make loading a doddle. All in all Berlingo is state of the art slick delivery. It may not have the chic trendiness of the opposing Renault Clio-based van but, like all Citroens, it is supremely comfortable and has a lot going for it.
It offers the right degree of choice with five different power options. But it is the HDi version that is turning heads among drivers and operators. Its turbo diesel punch is making big holes in opposition sales plans.
One of its secrets is that its gross vehicle weight is less than 2,000kg. This means that, under UK legislation all new Berlingos can run at 70 mph on motorways and duel carriageways and 60 mph on unrestricted single carriageway roads.
FAST FACTS
Citroen Berlingo 600TD HDi LX.
Engine: 2.0 90 hp common rail turbo diesel.
Payload: 579kg
Load Capacity: 3 cubic metres
Price: £10,195 ex VAT