IT'S easy to look back on your early days of driving with rose coloured spectacles - especially where it concerns commercial vehicles.
In my young days my transports of delight were either an Austin A35 or a larger Austin J2 with sliding doors - both newspaper delivery vans handed down to journalists.
Ah those were the days! The A35 belching out blue smoke and demonstrating its alarmingly poor handing on slippery roads. The J2 rolling along country lanes with not a seat belt in sight and the sliding doors wide open, threatening to buck you out due to its wild ride. And then there were the occasions when they would not start.
As I cruised along in the lofty driving seat of a brand new Citroën Relay 35 L3 120 dropside I wondered how I survived the hairy moments with those vans of old and realising that the commercials of today are very much a different and much safer proposition for the driver.
For instance, the driving qualities of the Relay are exceptional with goodies like servo-assisted, dual circuit brakes with ABS and EBA to keep you where you should be on the road. Not to mention airbags.
But it is the great thought that has gone into making commercial driving downright pleasant that impresses me the most.
In the Relay you are at the same height as most truck drivers and your view of the road is unparalleled.
What is to all and purposes a small lorry may seem a daunting prospect for some drivers, but it really is a piece of cake as long as you remember its 6,230mm length when parking and reversing.
And the Ingimex truck dropsides and tailgate, in lightweight alloy are simplicity to operate. This body option forms part of the Citroën Ready to Run range with specialist body options from top manufacturers.
This is the vehicle beloved of builders and it offers a stable platform for a multitude of loads up to a 1,500kg payload maximum.
Under the bonnet is Citroën's proven 2,198cc direct injection diesel pumping out 120bhp allied to a neat six-speed gearbox.
This gives handy acceleration and a good turn of speed.
One feature which is a boon is a truck-type driver's seat with lumbar support adjustment and a height-adjustable arm rest.
FAST FACTS
Citroën Relay Ready to Run 35 L3 120 dropside
Price: £12,495 plus VAT and delivery
Mechanical: Four-cylinder 2,198cc direct injection diesel allied to six-speed manual transmission
Max power:120bhp
Service intervals: Up to 25,000 miles dependent on duty cycles
Payload: 1,500kg
Warranty: 2yrs/ unlimited mileage, 3yrs/ 100,000 miles