THE people carrier has come a long way since that summer of 1995 when Ford and Volkswagen first introduced their joint MPV venture with the Galaxy and Sharan.
Despite subsequent Multi Purpose Vehicles coming well tuned and honed with ever more car-like features, there is the odd member of the club which still shows off hints of its commercial vehicle heritage.
However, don't be fooled by the Citroen Berlingo's boxy styling, for here is a fine example of transport that has been successfully designed to attract and suit the family motorist.
On the scene since the early part of this decade, the Berlingo Multispace was very much a variation on the theme of the Citroen Berlingo van and, early this year, the Multispace was the subject of a major makeover, aimed to suit the lifestyle practicality demanded by today's active families.
Larger than its predecessor, the Berlingo comes with five 1.6-litre engines on offer, two petrol delivering 90bhp and 110bhp pulling power, plus diesels in 75bhp, 90bhp or 110bhp form.
Despite the VT model missing out on air con, the Multispace comes progressively generously equipped, standard kit at entry level including the likes of electric front windows, front and rear reading lights, sound system with CD and steering column controls, front fogs, 'guide me home' headlights and heated door mirrors, while driver safety equipment includes ABS braking with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and optional Electronic Stabiity Programme with Traction Control and Hill Start.
Driven here is the Berlingo Multispace VTR 1.6 90bhp HDi which also comes complete with Citroen's Family Pack, an £800 option designed to provide seven-seater versatility on board.
This latest manifestation of the Berlingo is the result of a complete revamp of its design with boxy styling, high roofline and easy sliding rear doors helping to emphasise the practical and business style credentials of this well put together and hugely popular, low cost people carrier.
The sliding rear doors with child locks give easy access to a hugely flexible cabin with five rear seats, all of which are independently removable. There's stacks of room for all occupants, the around nine extra inches in length providing increased manouevrability for longer legged passengers while the additional three inches of width make for more comfortable shoulder room.
Although boot volume amounts to a limited but usable 100 litres with all seven seats taken, with the two rearmost pews folded down, luggage space can be extended to a much more accommodating, 470 litres of family style space. Should you require your Berlingo Multispace to double as a van, then, with all five rear seats folded flat, a hefty 650 litres of stowage space is also there for the taking.
The trio of individual rear seats also recline, fold and can be removed completely when not in use and, while the boot also gets a luggage cover to help keep your cargo away from unwanted prying eyes and a handy 12 volt socket, there is also some quite decent serviceable cloth upholstery and plastics in evidence.
As you would expect of a mobile family transporter, stowage is certainly not at a premium, with all manner of onboard places including the likes of an overhead parcel shelf, a removable centre console storage compartment, under seat storage drawers, plus front and rear door pockets while lifestyle items include a quota of cupholders and airline style trays to seat backs.
The driving position and large glass area combine well with the driver's seat height and two-way steering adjustments to help to deliver a decent driving position facing a neatly laid out dashboard with colour coded dials.
Mounted on the Citroen C4 Picasso chassis and powered by the 1.6-litre 90bhp turbo diesel engine paired with a five-speed manual gearbox, it has plenty of performance with some decent mid-range punch.
Overall, the latest Berlingo Multispace is another fine example from the French car maker with Citroen having added further to the established qualities of this already well regarded and value for money priced family affair.
FAST FACTS
Citroen Berlingo Multispace 1.6 HDi (90) VTR 7-seater
Price: £13,615
Mechanical: 90bhp, 1,560cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 100mph
0-62mph: 14.3 seconds
Combined mpg: 49.6
Insurance group: 4
CO2 emissions: 150g/km
BiK rating: 21%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles