Even though the heyday of high-roof station wagons is long gone and many customers have long since switched to SUVs, ski boots on wheels remain an important part of family car life. The Citroen e-Berlingo proves why there is hardly any vehicle to electrify it anymore.
At full throttle in the left lane of the autobahn, you can see the high-roof station wagon just as little as the business vehicle of trendy couples. Instead, Berlingo, Kangoo and Co. bring your own offspring to school, pick them up from piano lessons or chauffeur the bulk shopping home – including colorful stickers on the rear. You won’t find any chic design details or elegant lines in the practical city transporters. No wonder that these are in great demand, especially among traders, because the large cargo space, powerful sliding doors and manageable costs are just some of the advantages. Because the everyday helpers are neither driven fast nor moved over long distances, they are more suitable than any other car for an electric drive. While Renault Kangoo, Mercedes Citan or VW Caddy are primarily focusing on combustion engines, the Stellantis Group is taking a completely different path with its three sister models, the Opel Combo-e, Peugeot Rifter and Citroen Berlingo – and it’s electric.
The best-known model from the French high-roof triumvirate is the Citroen Berlingo, which was one of the first to establish the segment in the mid-1990s. Now he wants to make customers want an electric drive. As with all electric models currently under the Stellantis roof, it delivers 100 kW / 136 PS and a maximum torque of 260 Nm. Not much and without alternatives a bit unimaginative, but in a family van like the Citroen e-Berlingo hardly any customer will ask for more and you can always be fast in the city or on the country road in its three driving modes with the electric Berlingo. The manageable top speed of 135 km / h should hardly bother customers, but the maximum range of 285 kilometers might be a little little for one or the other. Because if it gets cold in winter and you don’t want to recharge every day, in reality 200 kilometers or less is a bit of a good thing, which the 50 kWh battery pack enables. The standard consumption: 19.7 kWh per 100 kilometers. After all, at a fast charging station with up to 100 kW, a distance of up to 200 kilometers can be refueled in the battery pack in the underbody in around half an hour. Probably enough for city trips and at night the e-Berlingo can also be used on the wallbox at home for daily trips.
Doesn’t change the fact that the significantly less than 300 kilometers are far too little for an electric model of this size. Like its corporate brothers, the Citroen e-Berlingo is available in two lengths of 4.40 and 4.75 meters. The longer of the two versions offers space for up to seven people or a load space that seems to know no limits. Even the short version holds at least 775 liters behind the two rows of seats, while the e-Berlingo with long wheelbase has 1,050, which can be expanded to up to 2,693 liters. That is more than stately. The chassis of the Citroen e-Berlingo is designed to be very comfortable without being particularly soft. And most drivers shouldn’t care that the electric power assistance does not provide any noteworthy feedback from the road. But you can park easily and relaxed and the noise level is also okay up to 100 km / h. Then it gets louder due to the high structure and the large exterior mirrors.
The technical basis of the Citroen Berlingo is a city transporter for commercial use and this is particularly noticeable in the comfort features. Because while the space available in front and in the back puts you in a good mood, things look very different when it comes to the equipment. Neither sliding doors nor the lush tailgate can be operated electrically and while the front occupants in the front are amazed at the single-stage seat heating, there is no seat heating in the rear to warm the occupants in cold temperatures. We liked the numerous shelves and the good clarity much better. In total, the French offers almost 30 storage compartments with a total of 167 liters of storage space. The Modutop multifunctional roof not only offers plenty of storage space in the headliner, which can be reached from the rear seats or the trunk, but also brings a lot of light into the interior via the panoramic roof. Practical: three Isofix child seats can be placed next to each other on the back seat of the family model.
When it comes to safety equipment, there is a solid basis with the lane departure warning system, blind spot warning system or the fold-out head-up display. Unfortunately, the LED headlights befitting their status are missing, which are not even available for a surcharge. The base price of 36,590 – at least almost 2,000 euros less than the twin model of the Opel Combo-e Life – is quite impressive. For comparison: a well-equipped VW Caddy with an economical 122 hp diesel starts at around 26,000 euros with moderate equipment and costs just under 35,000 euros with the top equipment.
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