78 Citroën Berlingo: Spaciousness at a good price

If you took badge snobbery away in the morning, we’d probably all be driving Berlingos, or something very similar. The idea of a spacious family car based on a van is hardly new (it dates back to the original Volkswagen Type 2 split-screen) but the Berlingo (and rivals from Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen and others) really do hammer home the advantage.

For the price of a normal family hatchback, you get the kind of interior space normally associated with a Bova coach. The rear seats have plenty of room for legs, shoulders, heads and child safety seats and the optional third row seats have sufficient space for even adults to find them occasionally tolerable.

The 1.6 diesel isn’t some ancient ex-tractor unit either, but a bang-up-to-date BlueHDI unit. It’s even rather good looking, in a somewhat Trotskyite fashion. The price is low, but the cost is in the areas of dynamics and refinement. It’s nowhere near as good nor as quiet to drive as a conventional family car, but if that’s not your priority, then it’s a great choice.

Price range: €23,545

CO2 emissions: 109g/km

Which one? Only one model available

PCP from €135 per month